Hi Becca,

I'm really sorry to hear about your bad experience with Remeron, and your ongoing depression/anxiety. I can really relate to both issues (I'm bipolar and am also trying to lose weight I put on from taking Depakote).

In some ways, it's as hard for the doctors as it is for us; these drugs affect everyone in different ways, and I have known some people to have great results with Remeron -- it did wonders for their mood, and it didn't affect their weight at all. Perhaps your doc evaluated your condition and decided that it was worth the risk, bearing in mind that it might work out just fine. It's all trial and error. Just try to keep that in mind when considering new treatment options -- I try to avoid obvious weight gainers, too, but sanity and stability should always come first.

As for the food issues -- I'm in the same situation, I crave the sugary junk foods and other types of comfort food to alleviate depression and calm myself, only to feel REALLY BAD about it immediately afterward. It's a vicious circle. For me, exercising helps me to feel at least moderately better -- I have a treadmill that tracks the calories, and I've been pushing myself really hard lately, to try to control the damage. Also, getting some exercise helps me to at least get SOME control, because knowing how hard I'll have to work to burn off those calories eventually gets me to stop. I still binge, but it's not *quite* the free-for-all it used to be. So, maybe adding some moderate daily exercise would help?

I know it's hard, Becca, but I'm rooting for you.

Hugs!

I struggled with my weight before I was dealing with depression, but now I've found that depression just makes my weight problems even worse. My weight problems started out when I gained 100 lbs on Depo Provera. I've been off of that for 10 years now, so I now realize that while the Depo may have caused my weight gain, I'm the one responsible for not losing that weight. About 1.5 years ago we moved to the Seattle area from warm, sunny Georgia and I've been dealing with Seasonal Affective Disorder since then. Add in a little bit of post-partum depression after the birth of my 2nd child (hubby deployed shortly after she was born, family 3000 miles away) and my weight just increased.

Depakote put quite a bit of weight on me too. I've been off of Depakote for almost 4 years now but haven't lost the weight yet.

Hiya Kestrel,

About the Depakote: I've been off it since December of 04 and I haven't lost the weight yet either! I was at a healthy weight up until that point, but then I gained a lot in a short time period and it just won't budge. I've lost about 10 pounds, the same ten, a few times since then, but never any more and never long term, and it ALWAYS takes the very strictest low carb diet over a long period of time (i.e. over a month) with really hard core exercise. In other words, the kind of thing I can't keep up long term, because I really don't like meat very much at all, I'm a fruit junkie and I take in too many carbs, even for the maintenance phase of a low carb diet.

All of which leads me to wonder, is it possible that weight gain from psychiatric drugs is harder to get rid of than weight that is gained in other ways? I wonder if certain drugs alter the body's makeup in some way that affects its ability lose weight?

anyway... sorry if I hijacked the thread. best wishes to both of you!

I have always felt like my weight & depression were tightly related & in many ways they are. When my moods are better it's easier to focus on eating healthy & to exercise. When the depression is bad not getting out of bed for weeks packs the pounds on. Plus both "started" at about the same time.

But I just focus on doing everything I can to get the depression under control & for longer periods of time because that is truly the key to achieving my other goals.

I'm pretty sure mine are related, too. I definitely binge more often when I'm depressed. The good news is if I work on either one they both improve usually. If I'm less depressed, I get excited about eating healthy and exercising... and if I'm losing weight, it usually lifts my depression!

Me too. But the "start" was at an early age for me. Interestingly enough though, now when I am not in a good mood my eating tends to get more disordered meaning that I don't eat enough or purge what I do eat. It is like somewhere along the way the behaviour reversed itself. And neither is healthy. It is just a bit interesting that my mood/stress level does still effect my food choices/struggles.
The eating disordered behaviour didn't go away for me.......it just morphed. Weird, but I guess not something unexpected from a psychological viewpoint......

wow I understand where your coming from hon. I have a severe anxiety disorder and depression due to PTSD from an experience earlier in life. Everything about my point of view on life is corned on my body. I guess its the result of rape eh? Obsessing about what I look like and who I am from the outside of the world. then i obsess about me on the inside. thats where the comfort food hits.
it really stinks, I know what you mean. I'm on Lexepro and Xanax and those are marvelous, no weight gain there. But I did have a horrible expereince on Depo Vera, a birth control shot. made me gain 50 pounds in 3 months. not to mention the stress of getting married and starting a civil suit against the guy that raped me when i was 13.
It's tough. getting through emotions just to look at things more clearly.
message me. i'd love to talk to you.