Meidcation & weight gain

[Strength20]

I've been on Klonopin for months and I barely eat and I keep gaining weight. It's not just Klonopin, it's any medication that I take for my brain that causes me to gain weight and when I get off the medicine, I never lose the weight. So now I'm clincically obese (it's been 7 years, almost 8 in a few months) and I don't know what to do anymore. Right now I'm on Geodon and Klonopin and they help out my BP and anxiety so much but at the risk of what??? being clinically obese??? I feel like this is some kind of sick joke.....

[Taybey]

I had the same exact thing.  So I went off everything except my ativan and blood pressure pills.  Im starting to lose some weight now.  It so ***** doesnt it?

[Jikan]

Namaste,

Unfortunately, one of the most common side effects of anti-depressants is weight gain. The same thing can happen with some of the atypical antipsychotics'.
Geodon is known to cause weight gain and I have experienced weight gain on both Depakote and Seroquel and requested that my psychiatrist discontinue both medications, which he did do.

The bright side however, is tat with propeer diet and exercise the weight did come off and I had gained 40 pounds.

The problem is finding the right medication or combination thereof that will control your symptoms and not cause weight gain. You also have to evaluate the benefit of the medication verus adverse side effects. Your psychiatrist should be keeping this in mind and if you have become obese, you are more likely to sufferadditional physical problems that may outeweigh the benefit of the medication.

Discuss your concerns with your psychiatrist and see if you can alter your medications to assist you in reducing your weight. Although not an anti-depressant per se, Topomax (topamax) does have some antidepressant qualities and is known to actually cause weight loss.

Hope this information is useful.

Michael(Jikan)