Has anyone had any luck losing weight while on Seroquel

[Chancer]

My friend is on anti-psychotic medication and has managed after an increase in weight to not only lose it but, keep it off!

She describes it as "never feeling full". So she would eat a good meal but, then would still crave more food. She said the secret to beating the weight increase is to make yourself a meal which YOU KNOW is a healthy sized meal and then use your self-control when you get hungry again to tell yourself "I am not hungry, it's the meds making me feel hungry"!

I know this sounds quite simplistic but she gained 2 stone (28lb) and managed to lose it and keep it off so she is at her normal weight of 9st at her height is within a healthy range so it can work!

The basics are that although you have eaten a good healthy full meal, something in the meds is telling you that you are hungry....if you use common sense then you will learn that you aren't really hungry!

To use an analogy with drug addiction...you think you need the drugs (psychologically) but, in actual fact YOU DON"T..,your psychologically addicted!

I would use a food diary and write down everything you eat (like a diet etc) then you will start noticing patterns off eating that you know full well you don't need so you can start adjusting your eating pattern and retrain your brain (and your tummy) exactly what you need and don't need.

I don't understand why this is not explained better by psychiatrists when they prescribe the drug as it would probably stop many people who benefit from the meds to stay on them

[evemurmur]

Certainly not me. I gained a BUNCH of weight on seroquel, although it definitely helped my insomnia. I switched to ambien for this very reason.

[geemore10]

I gained a ton of weight when I was taking Seroquel (like 25 pounds or so), but the good thing was that I lost all of the weight once I stopped taking it. It probably took me 2 months to get back to my normal weight.

I did try to manage my eating/diet and exercise while I was on Seroquel, but that didn't really work. Stopped taking it because of the weight gain, and like the previous poster, I've started taking Ambien and have never looked back.

[Inspector Lewis]

Hi

I was 10.5 lbs when I was born, and have been up to almost 300lbs since, I'm taking lots of meds that inc the ones that are supposed to make you put weight on, it's true they do.

But in the words of Billy Connelly, if you want lose weight ,eat less, do more, simples!

Chancer is right however, it's in the mind.

I have come to terms with being over weight, I just love my food and am prepared to pay the price of being over weight to continue a happy life.

Ladies and Gentlemen, It does not matter how you look in the long run, it's what's inside that counts.

And what's inside me at the moment is a big bowl of Chile Con, Tiger Bread and Butter and I'm already feeling hungry again, it's all in the mind.

Off to the kitchen, I'm sure I heard something out there.

Lewis

[SunshinyDay]

I just saw your post after I made my own.

I wonder the same thing.

[Kelly15120]

I powerift and weigh 350 and this shit could make me gain another 100 pounds.....I take 25-50 mgs for sleep.....no tolerance buid up but the dam hunger is CRAZY......down a big ass protien drink to curb it.....

[mushmush33]

Hey there...so, I guess from what some people on here have said, it's always possible to lose weight while on seroquel...but let me tell you, im 5'0 tall and have weighed about 105 lbs my whole life...but when I started seroquel, I was constantly craving and eating like a banshee...I think I gained like 25 lbs and couldn't lose it for the life of me. However, I think the drug is actually quite useful, and works very well. Im sure your a strong enough woman to lose the weight you gained on your own, but on the other hand, if you also feel like the seroquel isn't working well enough and it isn't worth it, then I would talk to your doctor. Either way, good luck

[DCAPA]

In my profession I have seen this drug do amazing things for people who have tried nearly everything else. The downside was in almost every case each individual gained significant weight. Whether it was a direct result of the medication or the side effects made regular activity and exercise difficult. We had some individuals taken off the drug because the weight gain caused serious heart problems but then of course they lost the benefits. There were also so withdrawal issues coming off this medication.

[j2thalea]

I'm just going to be honest. As a thin adult who grew up as a chubby child, you HAVE TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR WHAT YOU PUT IN YOUR MOUTH.
True, one of Seroquel's trademark side effects is carbohydrate craving, but you can CHOOSE to ignore it and still eat responsibly.

Do you want to know what REALLY works to become slim and stay slim? COMPLETELY cut SUGAR out of your diet. Including grains, which your body quickly converts to simple sugar anyway. Once you know longer eat "crap," you simply stop craving it, no matter what drugs you are on. Replace sugar with healthy fats such as: avocado, coconut, tree nuts, and organic butter, dairy, eggs, and meat/fish. The foundation of your diet should be vegetables (mostly), and some low-sugar fruits.

ETA: I take 100 mg of Seroquel every night, and I stay slim following the above advice.

[LoveMyPups]

I have not taken it however my sister has and she gained well over 30lbs

[robynz]

What do you recommend switching to if you did not have luck with Seroquel? I am experiencing the same things?

[ac1977]

Not sure how this is used as a weight reduction. A doctor I went to gave me these as an anti depressant. And all it did was put me to sleep. I think I literally slept for days on end. Did not like that at all. Got off that crap after a week.

[charismajul]

@mycosmicmuffin19 : I take Seroquel - 100 mg - at bedtime, for sleep. I LOVE sleeping every night! And by luck and not wisdom, about the time I started taking Seroquel, I added L-Glutamine to my daily supplement. I found out about it from alcoholics who use it to quell cravings for alcohol, which is primarily sugar, no? It makes my blood-sugar rock solid, and instead of gaining weight, I have lost 25 or so lbs. But here's the deal: for it to really work, it is necessary to take MUCH more than the dosage recommended on the label. Always use powdered, not pills, L-Glute. I buy mine at vitacost.com, and take 15-20 GRAMS/day. That's 3-5x that amount of 1 serving, depending upon which brand you buy. My doc not only knows I do this, when I mentioned that I was taking it, she is the one who said, "you really have to take a lot more for it to be effective." So that's my story of how I lost weight while taking Seroquel. Hope it helps you, or someone!

That is great advice! I am going to try. Do you buy it at at a drugstore, with the herbal remedies? I hate the weight I have gained, and I don't have great self-control. Someone said they ate oatmeal, but I need butter and sugar. Well, I don't NEED it, but otherwise it tastes icky. It comes down to how much you want to 'suffer' (can't think of another word) to lose weight. To me, cutting out sugar is suffering.

I have a question, I always hear people say to cut out soda. What about diet soda? If I am supposed to cut out diet soda, what should I drink (besides water, I know that). Is nutrasweet or other sweeteners ok?

One more thing @MaggieA do you get any side effects from the L-Glutamine? At the higher doses? I have been trying melatonin and getting killer headaches, so I am nervous about side effects. Thank you!

[charismajul]

Has anyone tried kickboxing at a real boxing arena. I have been wanting too, but I wanted to lose some weight first (doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but I didn't want to look like a fool, while everyone else is in shape) I just think that is what I would enjoy, I can't run because of shin splints. Don't have alot of motivation to do dvd's at home. I lost 60 lbs before by doing Billy Blanks 5-6 days a week, but I just can't get myself to do it. I think going to a place I pay for would help. I lost alot of weight going to a club when my kids were young.

But to be honest, in both instances, the weight finally came off when I quit the meds. First it was nortriptyline and then it was seroquel. I have been out of seroquel for a week and I can't sleep, tried melatonin and got killer headaches. Even ambien alone, I still feel panicked when I wake up if I don't take the seroquel with it. Gonna try to cut down to 50 mg instead of 100mg, but I have tried that in the past and try 50 mg, can't sleep and end up taking another 50 mg. I am gonna try some of the ideas on here also.

[Denise44]

I lost weight on Seroquel. But Seroquel made me so tired that I had to take Adderall in order to function! so the weight loss may be a product of the Adderall. @j2thalea is right. Cutting out sugar makes a huge difference...if you can do it. It's SOOOO hard! @charismajul - Benadryl May help you sleep. Seroquel actually functions a lot like an antihistamine when it is taken in low doses.

[jholden40]

A friend of mine was on Seroquel for sleep and anxiety issues, and found the weight gain issue quite problematic. In the end, they resolved it with a combination of intensive exercise and self-induced vomiting. If I recall correctly, they followed this regime for about three years. It worked insofar as they lost a fair amount of weight. Unfortunately, the major downside was that the stomach acid in the vomit caused a fair amount of damage to their teeth. I guess the trick is find the right balance, otherwise you run the risk of getting slim, but at the cost of having a mouth resembling that of a crystal meth addict.

[artemis]

I have been on many anti psychotics, and every one resulted in weight gain. I craved sugar and junk food all the time. I could not stop eating them. I spoke to my psychiatrist about this, and he cut out the meds. Just kept me on Celexa. The weight gain after that just came from eating junk food because I was lazy, but the intense cravings left. I joined Weight Watchers and went from Size 22 to Size 10 jeans. That's how I got my weight off.

[seashells]

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