Diet Pills and Epilepsy

Welcome to the Coping With Epilepsy Forums

Welcome to the Coping With Epilepsy forums - a peer support community for folks dealing (directly or indirectly) with seizure disorders. You can visit the forum page to see the list of forum nodes (categories/rooms) for topics.

Please have a look around and if you like what you see, please consider registering an account and joining the discussions. When you register an account and log in, you may enjoy additional benefits including no ads, access to members only (ie. private) forum nodes and more. Registering an account is free - you have nothing to lose!

P

Porkette

VIP
Messages
2,348
Reaction score
530
Points
223
Hi Folks,

I hope all of you are doing well and I wish you all only the best. I was wondering if any of you have tried taking diet pills along with
your seizure meds and not had any problems. Since I retired in June of 2021 I have put on the weight, and I tried to lose it on my own
but I'm having a hard time and the vimpat I take sure isn't any help. Do you know if it's safe to take diet pills and seizure meds? If anyone
has any info. I would like to hear what you have to say. Thanks for all of your help.
Wishing You only the best and May God Bless You!

Sue
 
It depends on the kind of pills and how they work. Some of them are stimulants (which aren't great for people with epilepsy) and some of them are appetite suppressants (which can be a problem if low blood sugar is a trigger).

It would be great if you could see a nutritionist or registered dietician to come up with a safe and sustainable way to lose weight -- that would be my recommendation if it's an option.
 
Hi Nakmova,

Thanks for your advice and information I really appreciate it. I would like to see a dietician but my ins. will not
cover it they will only cover me if I'm a diabetic. I also dropped a message off with my family Dr. so I will wait
and see what he has to say. Wishing you only the best and May God Bless You!

Sue
 
Good luck Sue! I cut out bread and bread-ish foods (crackers, chips) for a couple of weeks and that helped me lose some extra pounds. I hope you find the right approach.
 
I lost 45 pounds before I got married mostly by doing 2 things. I walked about 1 mile 3 times a week, & I changed my diet completely. I began my days alternating between oatmeal & 2 toasts for breakfast. If I ate toast, I'd drink a glass of milk. My lunch would be a big bowl of steamed veggies or salad, & at dinner I'd eat normally w/my family. I would try to drink about 1/2 gallon of water per day. If I felt like snacking, I would, but I'd eat far less than a full serving--4 or 5 tortilla chips instead of 16, for example. My stomach & appetite shrank IMMENSELY. I can't eat the same amount that I could at one time if I wanted.
 
Hi Sabbo,

I do a lot of walking each day when I'm working but since I've gotten older my energy isn't as good as it was. I drink a lot of hot or
cold tea especially in the evening after dinner because that's when I start to get hungry. I've got to cut out the potato chips they
are my downfall. Once the chips are gone this week that's the end and thanks for sharing your diet with me.
Wishing you only the best of luck and May God Bless You!

Sue
 
I also drink a lot of unsweetened hot tea. If it's black tea, I only add milk. When I'm drinking green tea, I'll add either mint or lemon juice. I also add Benefiber to it to aid with the constipation AEDs cause.
 
Hi Sabbo,
I drink both tea and coffee and I drink it plain with no sugar or cream. I like just the black tea myself but I would
like to try the white tea they make in England it looks good.
Wishing you only the best and May God Bless You,

Sue
 
Sabbo said:
I lost 45 pounds before I got married mostly by doing 2 things. I walked about 1 mile 3 times a week, & I changed my diet completely. I began my days alternating between oatmeal & 2 toasts for breakfast. If I ate toast, I'd drink a glass of milk. My lunch would be a big bowl of steamed veggies or salad, & at dinner I'd eat normally w/my family. I would try to drink about 1/2 gallon of water per day. If I felt like snacking, I would, but I'd eat far less than a full serving--4 or 5 tortilla chips instead of 16, for example. My stomach & appetite shrank IMMENSELY. I can't eat the same amount that I could at one time if I wanted.
Click to expand...
Hi I like the sound of this food plan!! I can't walk as I need a knee replacement but I could eat this way. Thanks for sharing your ideas. Jeanne
 
My mom is broadline diabetic and started going to a nutritionist for help so she wouldn't have to take any sort of meds. She put her on the KETO diet and she lost a ton of weight. I started eating like she has, about 6 months ago, and I've lost around 15lbs. If I was more strict with the diet then I would have lost a lot more. Warmer temperature is coming up so I know I'll be able to walk and get some exercise is coming up which I know will knock off more weight.
 
Hi Val,

I've thought about the keto diet and I've seen keto pills in the stores. When I was on the diet in the past I lost 70 lbs in 4 months
and then my neuro made me stop the diet because I was to thin. Just like you when the warmer weather comes I'm going to get
outside and walk more along with do gardening.
Thanks for your help and I wish you only the best and May God Bless You,

Sue
 
I've told my husband that once warmer weather comes, we HAVE to get out to the forest preserves by our house & walk at least once or twice/week. The rest of the week, we can walk around the block. We'll be gardening, then too--we grow a lot of hot peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, & okra.
 
My mom mom stuck to the KETO diet, and a general diet, very well because of the medical reasons. What ever a portion of food was listed as then that's what she put on her plate. She lost a ton of weight really fast.

I'm not keeping to the diet nearly strict as she is because my weight doesn't need to come off asap. I'm just doing it so I can wear smaller clothes. So if I want another spoonful of something, or something with carbs in it, then I might eat it. I just don't do it all the time. I'll be exercising more when it warms up because there isn't much I can do in the house.

Thank you Sue
 
Another thing I've been VERY strict about is whole grains. I ONLY eat 100% whole wheat bread when at home. Also, I very rarely eat rice although there is plain boiled rice at almost every dinner to eat with the curry & lentils. Instead, I eat one whole wheat pita bread. I eat white bread or pita ONLY if there's no other choice.
 
Hi Sabbo,
If I eat to much grain I end up having seizures so I stick to regular white bread and I cut back on the pastas all together
or I end up with seizures. What really triggers seizures for me is eating to many potato chips.
Thanks for the info. I wish you only the best and May God Bless You!

Sue
 
Be cautious when taking any new medication or supplement, especially when combined with seizure medication! It would be the best to consult with a healthcare expert, such as those from https://medicalweightlosslehighvalley.com/, before starting any new diet. It's also important to remember that diet pills and supplements aren't a substitute for a healthy diet and regular exercise. Making healthy lifestyle choices, such as eating a balanced diet, is the most effective way to achieve a healthy weight. Good luck!
 
Hi LeessWeeneys,

Thanks for the info. I spoke with my family Dr. and he told me that the stimulants in the diet pills could trigger seizures for me so
I am just going to cut back on my meals of course with the Super Bowl yesterday and all the pizza and chicken wings that didn't help. :)

Welcome to the forum! Everyone here has been a wonderful friend and a great help to me and I've had seizures for many yrs.

Wishing You only the Best and May God Bless You,

Sue
 
Be cautious when taking any new medication or supplement, especially when combined with seizure medication! It would be the best to consult with a healthcare expert, such as those from https://medicalweightlosslehighvalley.com/, before starting any new diet. It's also important to remember that diet pills and supplements aren't a substitute for a healthy diet and regular exercise. Making healthy lifestyle choices, such as eating a balanced diet, is the most effective way to achieve a healthy weight. Good luck!
Click to expand...

Definitely be cautious, even with supplements. My supplements are my seizure medication. In my case my it would be impossible to get the extra vitamins I need from my healthy diet.

Yesterday (15th Feb.) I achieved 26,828 steps (over 10 miles of walking) and today 14,898 steps, according to a walking App. I use.

medlineplus.gov

Pyridoxine-dependent epilepsy: MedlinePlus Genetics

Pyridoxine-dependent epilepsy is a condition that involves seizures beginning in infancy or, in some cases, before birth. Explore symptoms, inheritance, genetics of this condition.
medlineplus.gov medlineplus.gov

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Diagnostic pitfalls in vitamin B6‐dependent epilepsy caused by mutations in the PLPBP gene

Vitamin B6‐responsive epilepsies are a group of genetic disorders including ALDH7A1 deficiency, PNPO deficiency, and others, usually causing neonatal onset seizures resistant to treatment with common antiepileptic drugs. Recently, biallelic mutations ...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

www.frontiersin.org

Intellectual Disability Associated With Pyridoxine-Responsive Epilepsies: The Need to Protect Cognitive Development

Pyridoxine (vitamin B6)-responsive epilepsies are severe forms of epilepsy that manifest as seizures immediately after birth, sometimes in utero, sometimes months, or years after birth. Seizures may be treated efficiently by life-long supplementation with pyridoxine or its biologically active...
www.frontiersin.org www.frontiersin.org

Here is my story regarding vitamins: https://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/threads/40-years-on-vitamin-b6.11674/ (it is now - at the time of posting this - almost 52 years on vitamin B6). I have a rare metabolic condition known as 'PNPO Deficiency'. This was confirmed via a genetic test.

**DO NOT ALTER ANY MEDICATION WITHOUT YOUR DOCTOR'S CONSENT**
 
HI Andrew,

Thank yo for all of the info. you sent me. Just like you I've been taking B6 for many yrs. and I also take B12. I do a lot of walking
at the store I work at but not as much as when I was working in public school. One thing that has helped me a little is my hrs.
at work don't give me any time to have lunch so that's one meal cut out for the day.
I wish you only the best of luck and May God Bless You,

Sue
 
Hi Simplychli,

I couldn't agree with you more. Years ago I was overweight but then I was put on Depakene (Valproic Acid) and I lost
70 lbs. in 4 months. I would eat 3 meals a day along with some snacks but nothing helped me gain the weight back
I had to go off the med because it was causing the medical form of anorexia where the med was burning up the calories
really fast. I was fine with my weight until I retired but I have been keeping myself busy going for walks and trying to
keep the weight off. I wish you the best of luck and May God Bless You!

Sue
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom