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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 14 of 14. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Dona on July 24, 2001, at 19:12:58
I was recently started on zyprexa to augment prozac after a suicidal attempt. It has definitely helped but I have gained 16 lbs and I cannot tolerate the weight gain because of knee problems. I am trying it with Axid but don't really think it is helping. Does anyone know if there is a way to lose this weight and not gain while on zyprexa?? Is geodon the same as zyprexa? Or is topamax a possibility?? Any advice would be appreciated.
Posted by Zo on July 24, 2001, at 19:54:54
In reply to How to NOT gain weight on zyprexa????, posted by Dona on July 24, 2001, at 19:12:58
> I was recently started on zyprexa to augment prozac after a suicidal attempt. It has definitely helped but I have gained 16 lbs and I cannot tolerate the weight gain because of knee problems. I am trying it with Axid but don't really think it is helping. Does anyone know if there is a way to lose this weight and not gain while on zyprexa?? Is geodon the same as zyprexa? Or is topamax a possibility?? Any advice would be appreciated.
My god, girl, you find the answer to this one, let me know! Axid didn't work for me either, and I had to go off Zyprexa, became Insulin Resistant - and fat.
And, I didn't find Geodon to work at all well. YMMV. As for Topamax, my reading of the board says it's really a mixed bag, but there does seem to be weight loss.
Zo
Posted by JohnL on July 25, 2001, at 3:10:43
In reply to How to NOT gain weight on zyprexa????, posted by Dona on July 24, 2001, at 19:12:58
> I was recently started on zyprexa to augment prozac after a suicidal attempt. It has definitely helped but I have gained 16 lbs and I cannot tolerate the weight gain because of knee problems. I am trying it with Axid but don't really think it is helping. Does anyone know if there is a way to lose this weight and not gain while on zyprexa?? Is geodon the same as zyprexa? Or is topamax a possibility?? Any advice would be appreciated.
I found that my initial weight gain levelled off after about 6 or 8 weeks, and then slowly reversed. I have since lost all the weight gain. It took me a while to realize that my increased appetite was false, and my urge to snack was false. Zyprexa makes me feel hungrier than I really am, and more often than I really am. So anytime I eat or snack I purposely have to remind myself to eat less than desired.
Another trick is to simply drink a large glass of water before meals and snacks. That way your tummy is already half full when you eat, and there just isn't room for all the food that you falsely think you want. Simply fill up on water, and then go ahead and eat.
John
Posted by Zo on July 25, 2001, at 19:40:18
In reply to Re: How to NOT gain weight on zyprexa????, posted by JohnL on July 25, 2001, at 3:10:43
> I found that my initial weight gain levelled off after about 6 or 8 weeks, and then slowly reversed. I have since lost all the weight gain. It took me a while to realize that my increased appetite was false, and my urge to snack was false. Zyprexa makes me feel hungrier than I really am, and more often than I really am. So anytime I eat or snack I purposely have to remind myself to eat less than desired.
>
> Another trick is to simply drink a large glass of water before meals and snacks. That way your tummy is already half full when you eat, and there just isn't room for all the food that you falsely think you want. Simply fill up on water, and then go ahead and eat.
> JohnAnother trick is to not be a woman. Sorry, dear John, love you on the board but. . .would that it were that easy. Ain't no tricking hypoglycemia. . .
Green with envy :)
Zo
Posted by JohnL on July 26, 2001, at 3:58:32
In reply to Re: How to NOT gain weight on zyprexa???? » JohnL, posted by Zo on July 25, 2001, at 19:40:18
> Another trick is to not be a woman. Sorry, dear John, love you on the board but. . .would that it were that easy. Ain't no tricking hypoglycemia. . .
>
> Green with envy :)
>
> ZoHi Zo,
Yeah, you may be right. Weight gain for some people has been a lot more troubling than for me. Still though, if you think about it, if you half fill the tummy with water before eating, there just isn't enough room left to eat all you want. Since Zyprexa causes a fall appetite, water can counteract it by creating a false fullness. But as we all know, mileage does indeed vary considerably. I have always had a high metabolism rate, so in that regard I probably have an advantage in dealing with any weight gain.
John
Posted by Zo on July 26, 2001, at 14:51:49
In reply to Re: How to NOT gain weight on zyprexa???? Zo, posted by JohnL on July 26, 2001, at 3:58:32
Actually, to get serious for a minute, my body got into serious Insulin Resistance. . .and Zyprexa was such a terrific med for me. Damn. Even tried the Axid twice a day. . .no help. Am still scheming for some way to tolerate it. The low blood sugar hunger was overwhelming and unstoppable.
Zo
Posted by rod on July 27, 2001, at 7:51:21
In reply to Re: How to NOT gain weight on zyprexa???? Zo » JohnL, posted by Zo on July 26, 2001, at 14:51:49
> Actually, to get serious for a minute, my body got into serious Insulin Resistance. . .and Zyprexa was such a terrific med for me. Damn. Even tried the Axid twice a day. . .no help. Am still scheming for some way to tolerate it. The low blood sugar hunger was overwhelming and unstoppable.
>
> ZoHi,
maybe this makes sense. Since I take Zyprexa I got fat (was always skinny, could eat what I want), feel desperate, and have a blood sugar level which is on the lower limit (70 - 80 mg/dl). Little to no reaction when I eat a lot of pure sugar (have a blood level meter by my own).
Pleas explain why you say that you are insulin resistant, when your level of sugar is low.(shouldn't it be high? when your body got resitand to something which has the purpose to transport the sugar into the cells and therefor the "sugar gets used up"?) maybe I am an idiot.rod
Posted by Lorraine on July 27, 2001, at 11:37:05
In reply to Re: How to NOT gain weight on zyprexa???? Zo » JohnL, posted by Zo on July 26, 2001, at 14:51:49
> > > Actually, to get serious for a minute, my body got into serious Insulin Resistance. . .and Zyprexa was such a terrific med for me. Damn. Even tried the Axid twice a day. . .no help. Am still scheming for some way to tolerate it. The low blood sugar hunger was overwhelming and unstoppable.
I would think that low carb would help this.
Posted by Zo on July 27, 2001, at 22:34:40
In reply to Re: How to NOT gain weight on zyprexa???? Zo » Zo, posted by Lorraine on July 27, 2001, at 11:37:05
> > > > Actually, to get serious for a minute, my body got into serious Insulin Resistance. . .and Zyprexa was such a terrific med for me. Damn. Even tried the Axid twice a day. . .no help. Am still scheming for some way to tolerate it. The low blood sugar hunger was overwhelming and unstoppable.
>
> I would think that low carb would help this.I would think so too, except that I tried a teeny bit of Zyprexa a month after stopping, a month into Atkins diet -- and wham, there it was in the morning, unstoppable, aching hunger. Stopped Zyprexa again, and presto, no blood sugar-type starvation.
Zyprexa was my best med *ever,* to the point that my pdoc and I are thinking about whether taking it with Glucophage with help. If this Omega-3 trial (am BPII) doesn't work out.
Zo
Posted by Zo on July 27, 2001, at 22:40:37
In reply to Re: How to NOT gain weight on zyprexa???? Zo » Zo, posted by rod on July 27, 2001, at 7:51:21
> Hi,
> maybe this makes sense. Since I take Zyprexa I got fat (was always skinny, could eat what I want), feel desperate, and have a blood sugar level which is on the lower limit (70 - 80 mg/dl). Little to no reaction when I eat a lot of pure sugar (have a blood level meter by my own).
> Pleas explain why you say that you are insulin resistant, when your level of sugar is low.(shouldn't it be high? when your body got resitand to something which has the purpose to transport the sugar into the cells and therefor the "sugar gets used up"?) maybe I am an idiot.
>
> rodMy brain is mush right now -- had to add trazodone 2 nites ago, had fallen into a serotonin depression from being on very low carbs - so it's entirely possible *I* have it backwards. Seems like in my reading on the web, Zyprexa causes hyperinsulism, in which everything you eat gets tagged as "store as fat." How this fits in with the terrible low blood sugar-type hunger, maybe you can explain to me! I hope -- 'cause I'm wondering if taking Glucophage with Zyprexa would reduce that symptom, as well as the excess insulin, which is so unhealthy besides making one fat.
Zo
Posted by KarenB on July 28, 2001, at 12:08:48
In reply to How to NOT gain weight on zyprexa????, posted by Dona on July 24, 2001, at 19:12:58
> >Is geodon the same as zyprexa?
Dona,
I bailed Zyprexa for the same reason, the minute Geodon was released. It has been extremely effective for my racing thoughts, obsessive thinking and ruminating. For me, no side effects whatsoever, and NO WEIGHT GAIN!!!! I lost the 20 lbs I had gained on the Zyprexa :], which has made me exceeedingly glad. I have been reasonably thin all my life and that weight gain was very hard to take. Depressing, all in itself.
Geodon is definitely worth a try. For me, Zyprexalard is no longer even an option.
Best to you.
Karen
Posted by Dona on July 28, 2001, at 12:38:51
In reply to Re: How to NOT gain weight on zyprexa???? » Dona, posted by KarenB on July 28, 2001, at 12:08:48
Thanks for the input--I see my pdoc this week and I will try to convince her to let me try geodon. I posted further down about seroquel and if it can be used for sleep along with either of the other antipsychotic drugs. I don't want TDD but I love the sleep that seroquel gives
Posted by SalArmy4me on July 30, 2001, at 23:36:18
In reply to Re: How to NOT gain weight on zyprexa???? » JohnL, posted by Zo on July 25, 2001, at 19:40:18
Topiramate:
The American Journal of Psychiatry. Volume 156(6) June 1999 pp 968-969 Mood Stabilization and Weight Loss With Topiramate
"...In these patients, the substitution of topiramate for valproate resulted in significant weight loss. Mr. A, with bipolar disorder, experienced no loss of thymoleptic efficacy; Ms. B, with unipolar depression and impulsivity, experienced increasing depression and anxiety. Anxiety has been reported as an adverse effect of topiramate [1]. Like other thymoleptic anticonvulsants, topiramate has significant effects on gamma-aminobytyric acid function [2], but the mechanism of its effects on weight is unknown. Further study should clarify topiramate's utility in treating mood disorders."
ALAN GORDON, M.D.
LAWRENCE H. PRICE, M.D.
Providence, R.I.
Posted by Diz on November 19, 2003, at 22:36:06
In reply to Re: How to NOT gain weight on zyprexa????, posted by Dona on July 28, 2001, at 12:38:51
I also have a very large appetite on zyprexa. I am also taking celexa so I am not sure if they are acting together to make it worse. I find I need carbs before bedtime, or I have a lot of trouble falling alseep.
This is the end of the thread.
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