Loosing weight on Seroquel?

hi slz,

I dunno if there is any info on the net, I haven't looked to be honest.

I put on weight with seroquel too, like most people.

There can be various factors in seroquel weightgain.

Firstly, an insane craving for simple carbohydrates ie. sugar. What I do with these is make berry smoothies with oats, yogurt, milk, banana. The fruit help the sugar cravings and the low GI foods help stop the sugar crash. It helps break the cycle. I have a smoothie each morning for breakfast. Go for low gi foods.

Secondly is the insane appetite for anything, including the smelly dead carcass of a horse. Water can help, keeping the belly feel full. Distraction can also help - brushing teeth, keeping busy. Walking is great because you can get yourself a couple of kms away from the fridge. Again, go for low gi foods.

Thirdly is Sero's sedating effect. It is hard to go do a high intensity workout when you are having trouble staying awake. Just do what you can... gentle yoga, short walk, stretches, housework, weights. You might have to do less intensity but do as high as you can, and exercise more frequently for a bit longer than you otherwise would.

I don't know if weightloss is realistic on seroquel but I know from personal experience that weight stabilisation is possible.

I put on 4kg - even though I fought it all the way. BUT I'm not gaining any more weight now.

Good luck with it. Seroquel is a challenging med - but a good one psychiatrically.

That's brilliant Tortoise, you have given me hope! :)

I'm 143 pounds but 5' 2" so a bit of a beachball really. I was always 99 pounds before I went on medication and got a few years under my belt. My doctors goal weight for me is 120 pounds. My dream weight would be 110 pounds. But I think it is realistic for me just not to creep up any further than 143 pounds. The only way to stabilise my weight is to keep trying and lose weight :|

I have been at about 210 (way to heavy, goal would be 160) for 2 years. I have been on Seroquel XR200mg for about a year. The sugar cravings are crazy wild. Tortoise I will try your suggestion of protein with sugar. (does peanut butter and chocolate count :P ) I drink so much water that I pee every 45 minutes and know ever bathroom location in a 20 mile circumference. LW, I also have a protein smoothie every morning and occasionally for dinner when I can't think of anything else to eat. I have been walking (or trying if no rain) to walk about 30 minutes every day. (my bladder can go any further!) Sometimes I get in 2 walks, just to get out of the house. So I haven't lost any weight, but I haven't gained any either.

Keep your mind set that you won't gain weight, use all the tips you can gaither, walk, do some sit ups, leg lifts, etc whiled watching TV, brush your teeth after meals, sleep regular hours, you know all that good stuff.

Good luck, post your efforts and any 'magical' methods you figure out. :)

Remember to read the labels on "smoothies" and "protein drinks" because a lot are loaded with sugar. I was told to look for 20g of protein or more per serving.

Yes, peanut butter and chocolate would count, but some chocolate has caffiene in it. Hershey's publishes caffiene content of their products, but I've lost the link. Probably better if you put the peanut butter on your finger, lol.

I've found that if I'm happy with myself and how I look, it's easier to lose weight. Maybe that just means I'm not depressed and emotional eating?

sorry, didnt mean to put former. Meant to say just Professional. I keep thinking to myself I will be former if I don't fix this seroquel issue

Hey guys,

looks like i can really benefit from this group because of all of the support. I officially took a leave of absence today to work on my bipolar. Between the 30 pounds I have to lose a the change in meds is going to be so hard, so I pray I have your support, thank you for caring tortoise11. I'm on day 2 of 2 100 mg (one in the morn one at night)

BTW, here are the list of my meds:

klonopin, 2-3 mg (2x p day)
Lithium
Weening off of seroquel and cold turkey Depakote

do u guys think lithium is making me gain weight?

HI everyone! I have gained more weight since starting exercising for one month. I am going to contact my dr to stop the Serequel.

I am having a hard time thinking about calling my pdr because his receptionist is so nasty. I am sure he will do this over the phone since it takes over 6 weeks to get an appointment with him. He offered to change my meds when I saw him last and I said no. Now I wish that I would have said yes.

It is so stupid to be nervous to talk to this receptionist but she is so mean and makes me forget what I am going to ask. She is very short. I have high anxity when it comes to talking on the phone!

Well wish me luck that she could be out sick tomorrow.

Sorry this did not pan out the way I wanted it to.

SLZ

Hey slz,

I've lost 38 lbs and have been taking Seroquel XR for over two years. I did it by cutting bad foods out and exercising 4 times a week.

There is a wrong way to exercise and a right way. Look into it, make sure you are getting protein into your diet.

My pdoc said some people can't lost weight on Seroquel and some can. I didn't think it made me gain weight but looking back I think it may have. I am now weaning off Seroquel for other reasons, it sucks because it helped me mood-wise.

Anyway, all the best :)

Keep us posted

Mogs

Please fact-check information on the link and talk to your Dr before taking any supplements. Something as ordinary and "harmless" as a calcium supplement can cause drug interactions.

For example, people with bipolar disorder whould never have any caffiene - drinking 4 cups of tea a day would give enough caffeine to destabilize many bipolar patients.

You are responsible for your own health, be cautious in the advice you read and rely on your Doctors and Dieticians.

Glad to find this forum...

I have been on Seroquel for three years. I take 300mg every night. I have always been an exercise fiend, about 1 hour a day, with a high level of intensity. Put it this way, I can do about 20 pullups. I hate to seem like I'm bragging, I just want to convey that I am one of those people who really kills themselves with exercise. I think my regime is a critical part of my situation.

I don't weigh myself, but my guess is that Seroquel made me put on about 20-25 pounds. I know the slacks I wear to work are quite a bit tighter than before Seroquel. I can also see the difference when I look at pictures of myself from before, and compare them with pictures now.

With me, the Seroquel makes me binge at night like you would not believe. If there is ice cream, or chips, I'll polish off a pint like no one's business. It is not even a hunger feeling, it is just this strange compulsion to eat. I wish I could describe it better, but I'm sure some of you know what I'm talking about. I was never this way before, so the Seroquel has definitely had an effect.

I have been able to lose some of the Seroquel weight, I know because my pants fit a bit more loosely, although I am not back to my pre-seroquel waist size. My girlfriend sees a minor difference too. My guess, is that I have lost about 30% of the Seroquel weight. Like I said, the pants fit better again, but I am not down to the pre-seroquel weight.

I did it with discipline. I already work out about as hard as I possibly can, so I couldn't do anything there. What I did, was stop keeping anything other than fruit in the house at night. Like I said before, my problem was at night, so I just have to accept that I can't have ice cream/chips in the house. Sometimes, I will get desert, but I buy portions that I know I will eat in one night, and accept that. I have simply realized that I can't fight this: I have to keep only fruits/veggies in the house at night, there just seems to be no other option.

What scares me, is what would have happened if I didn't exercise with such intensity, I might have put on 50, even 75 pounds. The exercise keeps things in check, but I am desperate to get back to my pre-seroquel weight. I know my problem might seem trivial, but it is meaningful to me. I also wish that I could find a way to control the eating, so that I could keep ice cream in the freezer again.  Solving one of these problems will solve the other.

If I can lose more weight, I will let everyone know how I was able to do it. I wish all here the best of luck.

I should add that I don't feel drousy when I exercise, but I do it after work. I don't know if I could exercise in the mornings.

I have thought of one possible solution: I am an ADD case, and take ritalin. I have thought of taking a ritalin in the evening, when I take my seroquel. The concern, is that it would affect my sleep, but the seroquel knocks me for such a loop that I doubt that would be too much of a problem. I am desperate for a way to solve this problem, I just don't know what else to do. When I don't take seroquel, if I have to wake up at 4 am for a road trip, I don't have the food issues. It would be really nice to get back to the way I was.

I have thought about reducing my dose, but I am concerned about entering a bipolar cycle.  My bipolar disorder reared it's ugly head when I started rolfing therapy years ago.  I went through a rough 5 years, with the cycles being 4-6 months on, and a year of down time.  It has been stable for about 8 years, and was before Seroquel, I just feel that I need something in case the cycles come back, and my Dr. agrees.  In examining myself I have seen the bipolar patterns in my life even with the cycles controlled, and I need to keep this illness in check.  I have thought about going down to 150mg, I just don't want to enter a new cycle.  I fear creeping into a manic phase and being unaware until it is advanced.

Once again, good luck to all. I look forward to hearing about successful techniques.  Sorry for the long post.

Post Edited (em4161) : 7/24/2012 4:02:36 PM (GMT-6)

It's nice to see I'm not the only one struggling with the weight gain from seroquel. I've been on it for about 8 years and have gained 20kgs. I've always been thin (until the last few years) and i exercise everyday. I only drink water (I've never been able to stomach fizzy drinks), i don't drink alcohol and I don't take sugar in my coffee or tea. I live a relatively healthy lifestyle so the 20kg was just too much. it also snuck up on me over the years until last month when i gained 4kg. Finally, I said enough was enough and went to speak to my doctor about there being a possibility of it being the medication causing the weight gain. In his opinion I'm showing symptoms of pre diabetes! which is scary because i was never even told that was a side effect when i was initially prescribed the medication. I have gone for blood tests today so it's still not certain yet if that is the case. I will only find out tomorrow. In the meantime, I have had my dosage decreased from last week thursday to 25mg at night and I have been put on topamax (another disaster medication apparently but we'll see how it goes). Since last week Thursday I have already dropped 2kg without trying. My appetite has decreased dramatically, and suprisingly I can still sleep at night which was a worry for me dropping to such a low dosage. (After 8 years you become quite dependant on the sedative effects at night).

Seroquel has been an amazing medication in terms of how it has helped me, but the weight gain is just too much for me to handle any more. I really wish i was one of the lucky ones who didnt get the side effects. I'm already getting ridiculously tingly feet on topamax and i'm not up to my full dosage yet. yikes.