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Drugs and Weight Gain

Lisa Eirene

About Lisa Eirene Lisa lost 110 pounds through calorie counting and exercise. She swims, bikes, runs, hikes and is enjoying life in Portland, Oregon. Her weight loss story has been featured in First Magazine, Yahoo Health, Woman's Day and Glamour.com.

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15 Comments

  1. kat

    Thanks for talking about your personal experience. You always seem so honest in all your posts but this is that extra-personal sort- so thanks, it takes alot to put that out there!

    Also- way to go on rocking those stairs! Woohoo!

  2. Kellie

    I have OCD. I put on a lot of weight with my meds. I was on a high dose of SSRI’s. I decided to go off after doing Cognitive Behavior Therapy. I started working out more and eating better and the weight came off. I now manage my OCD by making sure I work out, sleep well and eat right. Hang in there, the weight will come off.

    1. hundredtenpounds

      That’s good to hear! Thanks!

  3. Slowly But Surely

    Thanks so much for sharing this! I hate how doctors just try and cure everything with drugs. My doctor is awful about that – I wonder if they make a commission on the prescriptions they write?!?

    There was actually a story on this exact topic on the Today Show yesterday- http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/36202611/
    It seems like the drug companies are cognizant of this problem and working to change the way they make drugs (and hopefully the weight gain side effects).

    You look great regardless, and I am constantly amazed at how fit you are – all of that exercise is definitely working! 🙂 Keep up the great work and I can’t wait to hear how life off the meds is working for you!

  4. Kelly

    Wow…that is so interesting! It is crazy to think what medicine/pills can do us. I will NOT take medicine unless I absolutely NEED it and I feel like I am healthier for that! My husband is the same way. We usually rely on more natural remedies. What a great post!

    1. hundredtenpounds

      @Kelly-good for you guys! I’m going to try the natural route this time. Exercise is pretty effective too.

  5. starleigh

    Hi Lisa, I was just checking out your blog and found this post … wow, it totally hits home for me! My situation is a little different because I was never overweight at all until I was about 30. Which is about when I started taking antidepressants. I gained about 30 lbs. the first year that I took them. And I strongly suspected that was the cause, but doctors refused to believe me. They said it was just that I was feeling better so I had more of an appetite. But I never had a low appetite before that!

    Anyway, it was because of the weight gain that I decided to get off the pills around that time … and it took a while because, as I’m sure you know, you become very dependent on them and can experience awful withdrawals.

    The bad thing is, after I got off them, I did lose weight but everything else fell apart — I had constant anxiety, worried about my health, a bad breakup … and eventually went back on a different medication.

    Ever since then, I’ve gone off and on meds and finally concluded that I pretty much need to be on them. I’m emotionally pretty stable & happy now. BUT … I still weigh about 30 lbs more than I should!! It’s so frustrating — to have to choose between feeling normal, and being the weight you want to be. (Which, for me, is not even anything unrealistic … I just want to be the size I used to be.)

    Sorry to write a novel on your blog; it just brought up all the frustrations I’ve had over the years about meds/weight!

    1. Lisa Eirene

      No worries, I like novels. 🙂

      I had to make that same decision…”Do I suffer from anxiety but weigh what I want? Or gain weight but not have anxiety?” It’s a ridiculous dilemma but I struggled so long with my weight that it was an easy decision. Once in awhile I regret it (like when my anxiety starts to give me endless insomnia) but I think I made the right choice. Exercise helps the anxiety a lot.

      It’s also very frustrating that doctors don’t inform patients of weight gain with medications. I talked to my doctor a lot and I specifically asked about weight gain. She said there was none. YEAH RIGHT!

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