Putting on weight due to medication

[bluejelly]

Does anyone have any advice as to how to manage weight gain due to medication? I started anti-depressants 6 months ago. I feel fantastic - better than I've felt in years. But I've gone from a size 12-14 to a size 16 in that time. Now weigh nearly 12 stone.
I'm not eating any more than before, I eat generally healthily and run/cycle/do gym classes 2-3 times a week.
I'd always rather be fat and happy than miserable and slimmer, but my jeans are getting really tight.
Any advice?

Bump

Watching with interest as I am in the same boat.
I have been on increasing doses of prednisilone for 18 months and have gained over 12 Kg. Nothing fits, I am trying hard not to eat, mobility is limited and weight gain makes my mobility worse.
It is difficult.

Sorry to hear endof. It's frustrating because I eat pretty healthily and generally look after myself. I don't want to go on a radical diet but do want to be able to fit into my clothes!

I have the same problem from medication I take for my bipolar disorder. At my heaviest I was over 17st and after strict calorie counting for over a year I am now 11 and a half stone hoping to lose another stone and a half. It is slow and I have had to adjust my expectations and not compare myself to others.

I know the general advice is "eat less move more" and aim for slow weight loss but that didn't work for me as the drugs increase my appetite a lot. There are suggestions, though not proven, that some drugs actually change your metabolism and you gain weight with the same calorie intake that before maintained your weight. For example, atypical antipsychotics can cause diabetes and I had pre-diabetes (raised HbA1C) in my early twenties on olanzapine that went away when I stopped the drug even though I did not lose weight. Prednisone is notorious for weight gain too. Doctors will tell you that as long as you don't eat more then you won't gain weight but they don't have any proof for that either. Even if that was true, it's very hard not to eat more when you've got a drug induced raging appetite.

OP, you don't sound like you have much weight to lose but your post makes me wish that when I was in your position that I had made a big effort then to get my weight back down. I weigh and log all my food on the MyFitnessPal app (you can scan barcodes so you don't have to manually enter data) and walk 13k+ steps a day and that works for me mostly. They say weight loss is 80% or more down to food choices and I think it's true that you can't outrun a poor diet. But you are already pretty active anyway. Perhaps try a week of strict logging and see if there are ways to trim your diet down? Or try a more formal diet like Weight Watchers or Slimming World? There is also the Low Carb Bootcamp run on here by a very knowledgeable poster called BIWI and they have a lot of success. They are about to start their last week but new people start all the time. Or ask the doctor about a change in medication? Best of luck

Thanks Anotherotter and well done on your weight loss, that's so impressive! I'm going to try MFP and upping my exercise routine. Just tough to fit any more in as I work all hours! But will try and then if no change will go back to the GP.
I'm a bit nervous to come off the current meds as they are working so well mentally.
Anyway thanks for taking the time to reply and best of luck with your journey too

Hi bluejelly, just to say I also gained a shit load of weight on mirtzapine but am not ready to come off it. I started dieting on Boxing Day and lost a stone by the end of Jan! I have since stalled due to not being strict, although haven't gained. What has worked for me:

• low carb high fat diet.
• absolutely no sugar or fruit
• chromium
• drinking lots of water
• reducing alcohol consumption
• keeping an online weight loss diary

I have a thread on here which has been neglected last month but you're welcome to join me there.

Thanks Hattie! I'll come and look at your thread. Well done on your loss!
Since posting this I've lost 2lbs - a start!