Posted by banga on December 18, 2004, at 17:20:40
In reply to Re: Bipolar meds and Salmon Capsules, posted by bridgey1128 on December 18, 2004, at 15:57:50
I agree that worrying about weight is not necessarily vain, or indicative of another psychological (e.g. eating disorder) problem. Certainly you need to examine it as it can be the case! and should first be ruled out, but weight gain can be a serious detriment. For me, gaining more than 10 pounds means my back giving out. On Paxil, I not only gained weight and felt ugly, but my back was in constant pain, I could not ski or do other activities I loved, had to wear back braces, pay for more therapeutic techniques. My relatives later admitted that my puffy face looked awfully unhealthy. Weigth gain means more health and heart problems. Means spending money to buy more clothes. And of course influencing self-esteem and increase social anxiety.
One should be able to work with gaining a little weight, but some of these meds cause serious, problematic weight gain and should not be dismissed as not being a valid concern. Certainly if it is a mental health emergency, you should take any med that has worked for you--even if you gain weight. Then when things settle down, try to find alternatives.
poster:banga
thread:5053
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20041217/msgs/431356.html