Does anyone have bipolar disorder and are on meds for it and are also trying to lose weight? Is there anything I should expect differently?

I've lost weight in the past but I was just recently diagnosed. Anything will help! Thanks!

Hi!
I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder a few years ago.

there are different "cycles" and types of bipolar, um... mine change throughout the year. I personally have gained weight from my stange bingeing/fasting habits....I used to stay awake for four days(seriously) or so and I would hardly eat anything, I drink alot of liquids though(not alcohol)
and I wouldn't be tired or hungry at all-I'd practically be cracking out and I'd be happy and easily annoyed. I'd normally lose 5-8 lbs (after a while my body was really good at not losing anything even without eating.)
oddly enough, I tried to kill myself in my manic stage rather than my depressive state- I was then after hospitalized.
I wasn't even sad-just erratic...

and the weight I gained I gained in my depresive state which typically lasts a month or even longer, when I eat a lot and become paranoid and believe everyone hates me, and that I'm Ugly.oh, and I sleep 12 or more hours.

I'm doing A LOT better than I used to I still have mood swings but the cycles are faster and milder and I'm better about reconizing them and controling myself.
And praying to God and focusing my mind on Him has personally helped me so much I can't even explain...

while I have been doing better metally I still feel the effects.
I binge less often, and while I haven't gained any weight I havent lost any
but now I'm ready and more stable to do so.

these are my personal stuggles with bipolar and weight loss.

I wish you luck and would like to hear about your experiences.

Thank you so so much! We sound just alike! You helped me a lot actually! Now I know what to expect, so thank you. :]

I guess we are the only ones...lol! ^_^

Nope, your not the only ones! Welcome to the crazy club!! LOL Sorry, that may have been out of line.
My family doctor diagnosed me with Major Depressive Disorder when I was 12 years old. I was on anti-depressants for years, yet still something was not right. When I was 20, I was hospitalized for being suicidal. That's when I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. My father has a very severe form of it. I got it from him.
What really helped me a lot in coming to terms with the illness is that it is not a psychological disorder. It's physiological. It's like being born with a birth defect like Cerebral Palsey or the like.
I was on Depakote for a long time and gained about 80 pounds. Of course, I was eating HORRIBLY....tons of ice cream, McDonalds, Burger King, etc. etc.
I think that if you want to lose weight, you will lose weight. You just have to push past the food cravings that your meds may give you.
What are you on? I've been on TONS of different meds, so I may be able to help you a little!
Currently, one of my meds is Zyprexa. It's supposed to cause MAJOR weight gain and I'm quite frightened. BUT, it only causes weight gain because it makes you hungry. I'm going to fight this!
What I can tell you, from experience, is do research on Bipolar Disorder. Listen to what your body tells you so that you are prepared for a manic attack or a depressive phase. Seeing a good therapist has also helped me a lot...psychotherapy.
If you need to talk or need any advice, I'm here! Good luck!

Stay away from Depakote because it really increases your appetite. They do have mood stablizers that do not increase your appetite. One of them is Lamictal. Just tell your doctor that you don't want anything that will increase your appetite. Wellbutrin XL decreases your appetite just FYI.

Oh man, Depakote is HORRIBLE!!! I was on it for years and gained like 80 pounds or more. The worst pill EVER!!! BUT and that's a big BUT, most of the time it's not the actual pill alone that makes you gain weight. It's the increased hunger side effect.
Right now, I take Lexapro, Trileptal, Lamictal and Zyprexa. I know, a lot of pills, but my doctor is trying to stabilize me. I'm having a rough bout.

I guess I wrote most of that in my first reply. Sorry!

I'm diagnosed Bipolar I, and my first medication cocktail included Zyprexa and Risperdal at the same time. Needless to say, I gained over 80 lbs. over the course of that time period. I slept most of the time. I thought my life was over. I was actually diagnosed schizophrenic then, but it was a misdiagnosis. I've gone through bunch of different ones before they settled on this one.

Right now I'm on mostly weight-neutral medications, except Seroquel, which has done a world of good for my mood and is supposed to have only minimal weight gain, which can be made up for if you are motivated by being mentally healthy.

I think it takes a lot of strength and willpower to fight these kinds of side effects and to keep on truckin' in the face of one's own body chemistry, which is really uncontrollable.

Hi Guys,

I'm approaching cautiously, here, but I do have a bit of feedback for you regarding Bi polar and weight loss....

My daughter has been DX'd with Depression and Bi Polar... she has had an obsession with food since she was about 5 years old. While she was never obese, she always had a few more lbs. than needed due to the food obsession. We have tried a few meds that did not work well. (and BTW, I agree, Depakote has a tendency to make people gain..) Finally, we have tried Abilify for her, which is typically an anti psychotic used for Bi Polar, and it has worked like a miracle! Now, we are on

It has stabilized her, and the food obsession is gone! So, I guess my point is, I haven't found Abilify to cause an appetite increase or weight gain, but again, every one is different. You might want to check into this with your doctor, if you think you need to.

Good Luck!

P.S.
CemetarySiren, no offense taken at your crazy club comment. You're on 3 Fat Chicks.com, remember?

Gingercakes

I'm bipolar too. I take wellbutrin sr, risperdal, lamictal and adderall (also adhd) I have always had a fascination with food. at one time i weighed 310 lbs. then i had gastric bypass surgery. I lost down to 135 lbs but its been almost 20 years and i find myself gaining again. currently i weigh 190 lbs. I don't know if my meds are adding to the weight gain or not. I think that its kind of a cop out as I know i like to eat like a pig. I can be real about that. But i do agree that the depression of the bipolar thingy does make me want to eat more.

I have Schizoidaffective Disorder with Bipolar Features. That means I hear voices, see visions, and even smell smoke when nothing's on fire in between episodes when I'm 'in balance'.

Like many of you, I've found that Depakote slows me down so much that it's difficult to exercise. But for me, the alternative medications did not work and I'd rather be overweigh and sane and happy than to not take it.

Zoloft is my anti-depressant. I've been on it for well over a decade so I don't remember if it had any effect on weight.

Five years ago, I started taking the anti-psychotic Seroquel and gained quite a bit of weight each year. Seroquel made me constantly extremely hungry and I craved carbs and sugars. No matter how much I ate, I was still stomach aching starving. Even though I had gained 50 pounds, my mind set was if I was mentally healthy, I was happy.

Last December, I was very close to a full manic episode and the Seroquel was no longer suppressing the voices. My doctor switched me to Geoden, an anti-psychotic for schizophrenics which has recently been approved for severe bipolar disorder.

The switch in meds changed my eating habits for the better. On Geoden, I just want to eat vegetables and whole grains. I'm filled up quickly and now have an aversion to sugars - and I was a chocoholic my entire life!

In the 14 months I've been on Geoden, I've taken off 49 of the 50 pounds without feeling hungry or exercising (the ban of my existence) So, for me it's been a 'magic pill'.

Plus the Geoden has quieted the voices, eliminated the smells, but I still have visions. (Fortunately for me they are not scary ones and I can cognitively think them away.)

I've written to Pfizer to tell them of the wonderful 'side effect' of easy weight loss. Perhaps other drug manufactures will be able to incorporate the feature in this drug's chemical properties that reduces excess weight.

I was diagnosed with Bipolar II 3 years ago after a suicide attempt.

I was put on different medications, depakote, wellbutrin (taken off after it was noted that it was lowering my blood pressure, which in turn was making me real dizzy whether or not I was sitting, standing, walking, whatever), lamictal, prozac, etc. I think either the depakote or lamictal made me feel exhausted frequently.

My "current" mix is lexapro and abilify (which I was put on abilify back when I was first diagnosed Bipolar). I haven't really been taking anything over the last couple of years, er, without therapist/doctor knowledge, but when I did take it, I don't recall having problems with weight and became pretty level psychologically. The others, I just basically didn't care about weight and ate, ate, and ate.

Wellbutrin didn't really decrease my appetite. But the lexapro and abilify did seem the best as far as clarity without making me gain weight via not caring about what I ate, etc. Though, everyone is different, so it's hard to say.

I also have xanax, for an as needed basis. This one I do take when absolutely necessary; however, it's effects either knock me out cold, make me extremely slap happy, or just completely "careless". I've noticed the days I've taken them I didn't have any regards towards what I was putting in my mouth. I just simply didn't care.

For me and the meds, I think the biggest factor in weight loss/gain simply depends on how the medication makes me feel/how it alters my state of mind rather than the make up of the medication just doing it or having certain reactions with my body.

Abilify and Geodon are miracles.
Depakote and Risperdal will make you gain, and fast. They had my boyfriend on Depakote and Seroquel and he puffed up like a dang balloon (he's naturally a freaking rail). Now that he's off of them and on Abilify, he's still ridiculously thin and pretty even keeled.
I'm on Lexapro and so freaked out about gaining weight that I barely crack 1000 calories a day. I know, I know, it's horrible. But I'm battling some severe depressive bouts right now and I keep going back into eating disorder mode. It sucks.