[bama girl]

I figured that some of you might have some advice for me (I've been running around 3FC getting all kinds of much needed advice lately). I have an appointment with a psychiatrist on Monday to talk about maybe getting on something that will just help me get back on track for a bit because I've been just... off. My moods have been off the wall and I go from bouncing around the room to bawling my eyes out and back in the couse of a few hours. The up part isn't so bad because I feel like I'm actually "normal" and motivated to do stuff and be successful, but the down part can be horrible. I'm seeing a therapist, so that's a start.

I'm afraid because I saw a psychiatrist when I was MUCH younger, like 8-11 years old, and in the couse of those 3 years, I took AT LEAST 21 different medications. Antidepressants, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, you name it. Naturally, some combination of all the drugs I took when I was younger caused me to gain a LOT of weight at the time. Well, not really a lot, but when you're in 6th grade and people call you a whale at 5'0 and 130lbs, it's a lot. I tapered off everything but Adderall (now I'm on Vyvanse) for ADHD and started birth control for hormonal imbalances when I was in high school. However, being "big" and tormented combined with stimulants that reduce appetite is an easy recipe for an eating disorder, which is exactly what I developed. I'm in a shaky phase of recovery for now, but I am TERRIFIED that this doctor will prescribe me something that will make me even fatter, because I know that if that happens I will probably bounce back pretty badly in the other direction and get sick again. Plus, I just worked hard to lose even a little bit of weight.

Do doctors listen to concerns like this? Are there things (specifically antidepressants or mood stabilizers) that don't cause weight gain? I know most of what did it was the antipsychotic stuff like Seroquel, which I doubt they would put me on again anyway. At 20 now, I hope that's not the case. I don't want to ask my doctor for a specific med, because everyone works differently, but I'm curious as to what has worked for people and if my concerns will ultimately be considered.

[steph84106]

I can totally relate to you. I have suffered from depression, bi-polar disorder, anxiety, ADHD, lots of junk! I have also tried lots of different medications (some of which I became seriously addicted to).
My advice... Stay far away from anything narcotic unless your health and life are in danger if you don't have them! There are tons of meds that will work for you but , as I'm sure some of your docs have told you, it may take some experimenting before you find what totally works. Seroquel makes me gain weight also. It also made me feel sluggish & kinda numb. I don't take anything right now but I'm getting back into therapy.
Just make sure your doctor knows IN DETAIL what your concerns are. Weight gain, water retention, no addictive meds, herbal remedies, exercise, etc... lots of things in combination can work. Experiment & YOU WILL find something great for yourself, but stay away from things that you know may not work well. Seriously, good luck!!