Help, I am gaining weight, and gaining it fast. It doesn't want to
stop. What can I do? What would you do? I don't want to be fat.
Before they made me take medicine, my weight was normal, now
it is not! Now, I am fat!
Unfortunately, this happens a lot with psychotropic medicines. It
works on the symptoms, but changes your metabolism button
inside of your brain. There are different ways to go about getting
your weight under control.
Those would be, a diet change. If you are drinking soda all day,
let's say, then a logical change would be to limit your soda intake.
If you eat out a lot, you might want to try cooking at home for a
while. If you drink alcohol, you might want to stop, or limit that
too. But, before you start any diet, you should talk to your doctor.
Sometimes, you try all of that and you still cannot get your weight
under control. Your doctor finally tells you that you have a weight
problem and that you should work on losing weight. But,
sometimes, the only thing you can do is change prescriptions. If
one prescription seems to be causing the out of control weight gain, then it is time to talk to your psychiatrist about trying a different
medicine from the same group as the one that you are currently
taking. In my Vocabulary ABC's there are lists of medicines (and
their side effects), so you can get an idea of your options.
Of course, you should always keep taking your medicine until
things are finalized in treatment. I know and understand the feeling
of frustration when the medicine has a weight gain side effect and
you just want to stop right away and get your figure back. But, let
me explain why the doctors and nurses want you to continue
taking your medicine until the doctor tells you that you can stop.
It could be deadly. You don't know how your body will react. When
I say body, I am talking on the cellular level.
You have white blood cells, red blood cells, neurons, dendrites,
and these are just the tip of the iceberg. There is a fine chemical
balance within the vicinity of every cell. There are potassium,
sodium and chloride chemicals that have been adjusted through
the use of medicine to help your brain's system work more
efficiently. But, if you stop a medicine, you may disrupt this fine
balance and could possibly get sick or worse. So, please, if you
want to lose weight, talk to your doctors first.
stop. What can I do? What would you do? I don't want to be fat.
Before they made me take medicine, my weight was normal, now
it is not! Now, I am fat!
Unfortunately, this happens a lot with psychotropic medicines. It
works on the symptoms, but changes your metabolism button
inside of your brain. There are different ways to go about getting
your weight under control.
Those would be, a diet change. If you are drinking soda all day,
let's say, then a logical change would be to limit your soda intake.
If you eat out a lot, you might want to try cooking at home for a
while. If you drink alcohol, you might want to stop, or limit that
too. But, before you start any diet, you should talk to your doctor.
Sometimes, you try all of that and you still cannot get your weight
under control. Your doctor finally tells you that you have a weight
problem and that you should work on losing weight. But,
sometimes, the only thing you can do is change prescriptions. If
one prescription seems to be causing the out of control weight gain, then it is time to talk to your psychiatrist about trying a different
medicine from the same group as the one that you are currently
taking. In my Vocabulary ABC's there are lists of medicines (and
their side effects), so you can get an idea of your options.
Of course, you should always keep taking your medicine until
things are finalized in treatment. I know and understand the feeling
of frustration when the medicine has a weight gain side effect and
you just want to stop right away and get your figure back. But, let
me explain why the doctors and nurses want you to continue
taking your medicine until the doctor tells you that you can stop.
It could be deadly. You don't know how your body will react. When
I say body, I am talking on the cellular level.
You have white blood cells, red blood cells, neurons, dendrites,
and these are just the tip of the iceberg. There is a fine chemical
balance within the vicinity of every cell. There are potassium,
sodium and chloride chemicals that have been adjusted through
the use of medicine to help your brain's system work more
efficiently. But, if you stop a medicine, you may disrupt this fine
balance and could possibly get sick or worse. So, please, if you
want to lose weight, talk to your doctors first.