Hi. I was recently diagnosed bipolar. They played around with different meds and dosages, but, I seem to be doing well on a low dose of risperdal at night, and wellbutrin for depression. I'm gaining weight, though, in frustration, I rejoined weight watchers online, I'm all ready exercising, or I'd be worse off. I'm happy my moods are stabel, but, is it even possible to lose weight while taking these meds? I was shocked to realize that my BMI is 28, after I worked so hard to lose the 40 pounds I gained while taking lithium. Really discouraged. Thanks.
Amie

Hi, Amie,
First congrats on losing 40 lbs and for coming here. It's the first step! Welcome - you'll find a lot of great people here.

I'm sure you'll find that it's easier to commit to sticking to your plan now that your moods are stable - I find it's way harder to do when I'm out of control. You may even find that you gained the weight while you were in transition to the new meds and stability, and that's it's not the meds, per se. Wellbutrin is really not bad for weight gain, which is good.

I also take Wellbutrin and think it's a life saver - are you on the XL or SR?

In short, it's totally possible to lose weight on meds...and you're in the right place to get support. Hang in there!

Hi. Not sure about the wellbutrin, it's a time release. I aggree, they put me on prozac first, not only did it not improve my depression, I wasso drowsy I could barely formulate a sentence. I know switching meds can be hard on the body, so, I'll just wait and see what my weight does.
Thanks for the welcome.
Amie

Oh, yeah - switching is ****! I've tried just about everything. When I tried Prozac it made me super aggressive - like throwing a chair across a room at day 5, so I quit. I know of someone else who had the same reaction, but I also know it's a life saver for others.

Like weight loss, it's whatever works for you. Hang in and post any time you want to chat!

I'm dealing with the exact same thing, only my doctor changed my dx from Major Depression and anxiety to BPII and has added Depakote to my cocktail. The weight gain is a major concern because of that, so... I'm definitely in a wait and see mode too.

The hard part for me is sticking to my eating plan and starting an exercise program when I may not see the pounds moving on the scale. Or maybe even moving up.