To come off antipsychotics and consider weight-loss surgery?

[ladylalatub]

In 2019, due to paranoid delusions and hearing voices I was prescribed Olanzapine. This helped with the psychotic symptoms, but I ended up putting on loads of weight and became morbidly obese due to the medication increasing my appetite. When I was on Olanzapine, my periods also became very irregular. Early 2021, the GP gradually helped me come off Olanzapine and switched me to Aripiprazole. I've gone down two dress sizes, but haven't lost anymore weight. I also feel quite tired all the time and find it hard to concentrate on reading books for long periods which I love- although I have managed to listen to audiobooks. The last twelve years of my life have been ruined by mental illness and antidepressants. In the past, I've been prescribed Citalopram but that gave me sleeping problems, then Mirtazapine but that made me sleepy all the time and I put on weight on that. Then I tried Fluoxetine, but that made me feel really wired and jittery. Then for a few years I was on Sertraline and I lost weight while on that. I've tried Slimming World in the past and lost weight on it, but there is no group meetings near enough to me anymore. I am also so big that I've become really self-conscious about starting to go to the gym, that I'll get ridiculed and shamed there. Maybe if I come off the Aripiprazole, I'll feel better. I work and spend most of the time on my feet walking around and carrying things. The GP suggested I just walk more, but I'm so tired from work most days, that I'm too tired to do any exercise, especially alongside the medication. Maybe the best way forward is getting a gastric bypass or gastric sleeve surgery. I just feel like I'm barely living life.

Aripiprazole is supposed to be weight neutral but I still managed to gain weight on it:(. My psychiatrist prescribed metformin to take alongside it which has helped massively with weight loss. My GP wouldn’t prescribe it without it being included in my care plan from the psychiatrist though so you might need to ask for a referral to the CMHT for a mess review. I wouldn’t recommend stopping your meds without support in place.

Meds - not mess!

Look into semaglutide injections. I believe that way you can remain on your meds.

I went through acute psychosis 12 years ago and was on all sorts of antipsychotic meds I put lots of weight on. After 3 years under the care of psychiatrist he told me to stop meds. I haven't managed to stop though I'm still on 1mg of flunaxol/flupentixol tablets. I have managed to loose extra weight my plan is one day to stop completely meds. Maybe try flunaxol sometimes old fashioned meds work better and is more research available.

The local AMHT referred me to Mind and told me to look up local walking groups the last time my GP referred me to them. But walking groups during the day don't take into account people working most days, as well as the fact that I'm so tired from the medication and work most days.

I know what you mean I have been there and drugs are the reason of weight gain. I know they will tell you is not drugs. There is some meet up groups walking groups weekends I do it. But I personally don't think you can increase exercise etc because you on drugs and that won't help to shift weight. I would rather try to change meds or lower the dosage to min.
I don't do charities any more after they were shocked that I was told to stop meds and also was doing charity job for them and was shocked by management and how they spend money.

I'm also a bit weary about taking medication intended for diabetes to lose weight. The side effects of this aren't exactly clear cut and I've suffered so many side effects of medication over the years. But then, one could argue that weight loss surgery potentially has serious side effects as well.

I'm not 💯 convinced that olanzapine makes you gain weight per se. What it does do is make you much much more hungry.

I go on and off it and when on try to regulate my eating much more. Ultimately weight loss only comes from eating less. Exercise will help you bee healthy but can't on its own make you lose a lot of weight.