I was recently, after many, many years of being told I was just depressed, with Schizoaffective Disorder, I had never heard of this disease before, but the way it was explained to me, was that it is BiPolar 1 with a shot of Schizophrenia, this diagnosis hit right on.
My GP and I have been working on various medications for this as well as my depression and some other physical issues I am having.
I was taking 600mg of Quetiapine, along with 30mg of Cipralex daily for depression. The Quetiapine was working, but I gained 40 lbs in just a couple of months, which threw me into more intense depression and poorer self esteem.
I read an article in BP Magazine about Zeldox, which had not yet been approved in Canada, but was in the US under Geldeon, and guaranteed the same results with less weight gain, so after some urging to my doctor, and her investigating it further, I started taking it, it had just been approved in Canada.
I now only take 80mg of Zeldox (max. recommended) and am still taking the same amount of Cipralex. I had to be weaned off the Quetiapine, and I am still going through some of the side effects of changing meds. the most being difficulty sleeping, which is frustrating, but I can assure anyone who is considering changing over, that yes, in my case I lost 4lbs in one week. It has now been almost 4 wks and I am returning to the size I was.
My husband has noticed that I am more hyper than when on the Quentiapine, but I chalk that down to the left over Quentiapine still leaving my body.
I just want people to consider this change if you are having weight gain problems, and also, read about Schizoaffective Disorder, it may be something that relates to you better, but I found many Dr.'s are not terribly familiar with it - your health is up to you. Check it out and talk to your Dr. about it.