Posted by jealibeanz on July 19, 2006, at 20:30:59
In reply to Re: getting a good psychiatrist, posted by nickguy on July 19, 2006, at 19:52:49
This isn't uncommon. Many people gain weight from medications. Some more than others. I happen to be in the category of those who gain large amounts for no apparent reason, other than a change in medication. All of the metabolic pathways and mechanisms of AD's are not understood, therefore the weight gain cannot be clearly understood in those who are surely not violating the calories in vs. calories out rule.
I think my body takes this to the extreme. Appetite suppressants would not help or be healthy. I had to force myself to put some fuel in my body at least 3 times a day, but it ended up being mainly veggies, salads, because no food would sit well in my stomach and I was never hungry. I barely ate a few bites of food throughout the day, and all healthy, fresh, lowfat, during the period when I took Effexor. It made me that nauseous. Yet, I was still very very active, with large amounts of exercising daily like I always had, plus a very full day's worth of classes, internship, work, and more.
There may be some byproduct of the drug's metabolism, a major drug-induced alteration of my own body's metabolism, or a combination of the two that causes this to occur. All I know is that any medication with even the slightest bit of serotonin reuptake inhibition (Wellbutrin has a little) causes a major disruption in my own body. Straterra, on the other hand, is only a NE reuptake inhibitor and does not cause this side effect with me.
So, my point is that I definitely know that SSRI's/SNRI's do this to me. Maybe I don't need serotonin, at least not in that method of delivery. That's why I'm interested in EMSAM. At lower doses there's no serotonin involved. If that doesn't help, bumping up to the largest patch gets serotonin into play, and I could see if that helps.
poster:jealibeanz
thread:666496
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060717/msgs/668404.html