Bipolar Disorder Support Group

Bipolar disorder is not just a single disorder, but a category of mood disorders marked by periods of abnormally high energy and euphoria, often accompanied by bouts of clinical depression. This is the place to talk about your experience with bipolar disorder, learn from others' experiences, and find support.

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Seroquel FAT

hope20z
hope20z
Ok so I am taking 900 mg of Seroquel nightly. I know that this antipsychotic causes a great deal of weight gain. I have asked my psychiatrist to prescribe something that will allow me to loose or not gain any weight from the Seroquel onsets. I was taking Metformin and now she has prescribed something starting with a Z but it is still being filled so I don't know the entire spelling. SO my question to you is... Have you all had this problem? How do you get through it? Is there a drug that works? Please let me know, before I was taking Seroquel I was 135 pounds and now after the seroquel I am 199 pounds!!!!!
deleted_user
deleted_user
metformin supposedly does help...also low carb diet is way to go as antipsychotics can effect how body metabolizes sugars.

otherwise have you tried abilify? No weight gain in my experience x
deleted_user
deleted_user
I'm on Geodon, the antipsychotic that is supposed to be weight neutral, however, I'm in the small percentage of people that gain a significant amount of weight on the drug. Speaking from experience, a low carb/low fat (can't go lower on anything else!) diet doesn't work when you're fighting against such powerful medications. I'm terrified of getting diabetes b/c of some stupid medication, so I'm switching to other meds. I hope the other drugs help curb your weight gain....
deleted_user
deleted_user
Probably Zonegran. It is known to help with weightloss. I take Topamax for the same reason, and it works great as a mood stabilizer as well. I take 600mg of Seroquel XR normally but can go as high as 1000mg on occasion. Yea I know all about the Seroquel munchies - :-( I also get fatigue from time to time (probably my thyroid, but seroquel was not helping) and I was given provigil for it, works fabulous too. I have to stay on Seroquel though since it is the only antipsychotic I can stay on longterm.
deleted_user
deleted_user
Oh Zonegran is known to give you a case of the stupids, worse than Topamax from what I have heard so watch out for it. You may want to ask for Topamax if you find that this happens. I had to go up to 150mg on Topamax & I find it really doesn't mess with my cognitive functioning like it does for some people.
deleted_user
deleted_user
after years of experimentation, a seroquel/klonapin regimen is the only thing that works for me, and i am now on topomax for a while to get rid of the weight gain from ALL the meds that we tried over the years, seroquel being the worst. but. at a certain point i (and/or my body?) learned to deal with the seroquel weight thing.

my main gig is that i only take the seroquel when i am ready to go to bed so that the munchies thing has almost no chance to be an issue, and also because assumably if it's affecting my metabolism, it's already low when i'm sleeping.

i do find that the topomax does earn it's stupemax nickname with me, but i do try and counter it with some self-concocted daily intellectual gaming. and. i'm only going to take it until i lose the weight and then see if i can't keep it off with just good eating and exercise habits.

no reason to have another med in the mix just for kicks...

innyway...good luck with your weight drug...seroquel can be such a love/hate relationship...xx, beep.