My medication was increased just over a
month ago and it’s the reason why I got
better and that’s a good thing
but now I’m putting weight on, which
happens after an increase or a new med is
introduced
Why does this happen?
Some medications can increase appetite,
cause fluid retention, or slowly lead to
weight gain over a period of time due to
fatigue and lower activity.
Drugs that trigger an increase in appetite
work by blocking signals you are full and
you keep on eating, never feeling satisfied.
I haven’t weighed myself as I don’t want to
know what the damage is but I can tell you
I feel as if my clothes have shrunk in the
wash and my tummy is huge
Soon my bra won’t fit, I’ll be uncomfortable
sitting with the extra weight on my front
and my back will get sore
I know this because I have been here before
many times
It’s easy to say the medication is more
important than my weight and I agree but
I’m not walking around with a sign on my
head letting people know it’s the drugs that
made me fat!
My job doesn’t make it any easier when
I’m supposed to look like a fitness model
So what kind of drugs cause weight gain?
Top of the list are anti psychotics, then anti
depressants followed by birth control,
beta blockers, corticosteroids, diabetes and
mood stabilisers
The average weight gain is 10-28 lbs over a
few months
What can you do in this situation?
I’m finding exercise is a struggle because
my body feels slow and heavy, although I’ve
started walking again, my advice would be
to get back to what you were initially doing
especially if you’ve been unwell
If you can exercise as normal, add some
extra in where you can, to counteract the
increase in eating or the decrease in general
day to day activity
It helps too if you have some good food to
snack on, I take my meds at 8:30pm and
by 10pm I’m starving. I feel like I’ve not
eaten all day and I will eat anything
The good news is my taste buds get really
sensitive and everything tastes amazing.
I could eat brussel sprouts and enjoy them
but I’m not going to try and find out 🙂
The other good news is the weight gain
happens in the first few months then it
levels out so if you can get past this point
keep going!
Losing the weight can be difficult and
take some time i.e. up to a year but when
you look at the number of years you will
live it works out at a fraction
So I do understand if you have gained
weight because of a med and I can help
you get through it to the other side
Don’t! Stop taking the medication
Don’t! Stop exercising, even if it’s harder
Don’t! Eat excessive amounts of crap food
Do! Contact me if you want a sensible
approach to eating and exercising while
taking meds
Carolyne
p.s. I will weigh myself this week and I’ll
let you know how much I’ve put on, my
guess is about 7-10 lbs x
