Meds and Weight Gain

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Have you ever been on a med that caused you to gain weight? I was on Depakote and I forget how much weight I gained but it was enough to where I went from a size XL in shirts to a size 16 in jeans. Now I'm on Lamictal which doesn't cause me to gain weight.

I have high cholesterol so I don't think they would put me on something that causes weight gain.

Also does anyone have experience with Topamax?
 
Hello. I am on Topamax--have been since 2002. Its annoying side effects are short term memory loss & "word loss" when you're talking. It may cause kidney stones if you don't drink enough water.
One (less common) side effect that has been most troubling for me is hair loss. That's because I had lost most of my hair in an allergic reaction to Tegretol.
 
Hi Fashion,

I was taking Depakene the brand name for Depakote and it can cause anorexia for some people where a person can gain or lose weight. I lost 70 lbs. and in 4 months on the drug and I had to go off of it. While I was on Topamax I lost weight also. Then after going on vimpat I started to gain weight. As Sabbo mentioned be sure to drink a lot of water because Topamax can cause kidney stones along with other seizure meds like Tegretol. I wish you the best of luck and May God Bless You!

Sue
 
I was on Depakote a long time ago. I believe weight gain is one of it's more common side effects. I have seen it referred to as depabloat. It did cause me to gain weight, but what got my doctor to eventually take me off of it was it lowered my white blood count. I was bruising even more easily than usual.

When I got off of depakote, I was actually on a cocktail with it and Topamax, which I eventually got off of. I had the cognitive side effects with that one (referred to ad Dopamax), where I felt like I was in a fog much of the time, AND I had the opposite experience as I had with Depakote. The Topamax totally killed my appetite and I lost weight, so much so that people later told me they thought I was anorexic.

As you probably know, though, everyone's experiences with meds are different, but it is good to know of the potential side effects.
 
Lamictal is supposed to be "weight-neutral" but I've heard stories of both weight gain and weight loss on it. I've gained weight on it, though I think my aging and slowing metabolism is also a factor. Hoping to shed some of the unwanted pounds this year.
 
I lost a lot of weight on Topamax (nearly 100ibs) before being taken off in Nov.
Since then I'm back on Depakote (extended release this time) and I've gained about 40ibs of that back
 
I am on Depkaote AND Topamax currently.

Before I was on Depakote and Keppra. My dosage of Depakote was so high that in 5 months I gained 50 pounds. I went from 155 to 205 pounds, the heaviest I've ever weighed :( . My doctor was taking me off Keppra anyway since it wasn't working, and put me on Topamax. The interesting thing about Topamax is it causes you to lose weight. So with the Topamax and Depakote together, the effects of each medication work against each other. I've lost about 20 pounds down to 185 and my weight is now stable.

That Depakote made me an absolute EATING MACHINE. I was constantly hungry. Now with the Topamax instead of the Keppra it just seems like I never have an appetite. I'll feel absolutely starving, and then I'll take 2 bites of a meal and feel disgusted. I just can't enjoy food anymore.

Something else to keep in mind, and of course side effects are different for everyone, but the Depakote has been giving me pretty bad diarrhea and stomach aches as of late. I am hoping to come off the Depakote to be honest...
 
I had SEVERE cramps (no diarrhea, though) from Keppra, so I was taken off of it within a week.
 
I have always had issues with my weight, I dont blame meds but more me liking sweet stuff too much and not eating as well as I should lol.

I was on Topamax back in 2006 - 2008, i lost a lot of weight while on it as well. I can't remember how much but it was alot over the 2 years, all mainly due to not feeling so hungry as I hadnt changed my diet.

I put most of the weight back on over time & ended up going from approx 70 kg - 96kg. I had routine blood tests in early 2016 which show I had high cholestoral so my GP who was concerned about my weight sent me to a dietition. I started seeing a dietition who taught me how to eat properly. I also had a change of meds in May 2016 where my neuro added Zonegran which he said could affect your appetite but not like topamax.

So between my change in diet, the zonegran and the fact i walk everywhere I lost 30 kg in 12 months. I'm now between 65kg - 67kg & have been able to keep at that weight for the last 12 months.
 
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I've been on several different meds and dosages through the years but while I was on one (not sure if one was Topamax but I'm not on it not} I was eating anything I could get my hands on. I always had food in front of me. My husband would tell me to watch how much I was eating so I'd just wait until he went to bed and eat half a gallon of ice cream and who knows what else - no lie. I gained over 60lbs. I was wearing a 7, the size that I should be wearing, but put on so much weight I went up to a 14 or larger. I had to go out and buy a whole new wardrobe.

A few years later I was having trouble with my VNS and meds that I pretty much stopped eating. I tried to but couldn't do it, food just made me sick. I went down to a 3 and at times that was too big that I had to get children's clothes. It took about a month to get things straitened out and after we did I started eating and went back to up to a 7.

Since I've lost the weight I've been paying attention what I'm eating and managed to keep it off.
 
I've been lucky . Even if weight gain has been a listed side effect of any medicine I took, it didn't affect me.
 
resaebiunne said:
I am on Depkaote AND Topamax currently.

Before I was on Depakote and Keppra. My dosage of Depakote was so high that in 5 months I gained 50 pounds. I went from 155 to 205 pounds, the heaviest I've ever weighed :( . My doctor was taking me off Keppra anyway since it wasn't working, and put me on Topamax. The interesting thing about Topamax is it causes you to lose weight. So with the Topamax and Depakote together, the effects of each medication work against each other. I've lost about 20 pounds down to 185 and my weight is now stable.

That Depakote made me an absolute EATING MACHINE. I was constantly hungry. Now with the Topamax instead of the Keppra it just seems like I never have an appetite. I'll feel absolutely starving, and then I'll take 2 bites of a meal and feel disgusted. I just can't enjoy food anymore.

Something else to keep in mind, and of course side effects are different for everyone, but the Depakote has been giving me pretty bad diarrhea and stomach aches as of late. I am hoping to come off the Depakote to be honest...
Click to expand...

That was how I felt on the Topamax. I hope that if/when you come off the Depakote, this side effect of the Topamax doesn't take over. Wishing you the best of luck.
 
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