Anti-Anxiety Meds made me a fatty, now I'm anxious about that!

[Xno Kappa]

OP should sue.

[Mojo]

I can relate to a lot of what Emirii said except one thing; don't ever ever stop taking your medicine cold-turkey (especially without telling your doctor). I did it once for a week and had constant nausea & dizziness. I felt like I was dying and couldn't get out of bed. It was a horrible detox. When one of my friends looked into the medication, he told me that stopping instead of "weening off" the pills could cause seizures.

Needs to be restated. It's called SSRI withdrawal, or 'the zaps'. If you've ever stayed up 50 hours straight you might understand how it feels. It's like a popping sensation that goes through your brain, except that it happens constantly instead of just when you've stayed up that late. You also feel completely devoid of all energy and often a bit nauseous.

OP if you want to get off your medication then speak with your doctor and have him help you figure out a good tapering plan (which will depend on your current dosage, it's not always as simple as taking a pill every other day.)

[Mikus]

Exercise. Taking a walk a few times a week is what old ladies do to stop their bones from turning dust. It's not going to help you lose any weight unless you step it up.

Also, tapering yourself off medication without speaking with your doctor first is idiotic, especially if it's helping you as you say.

Assumptions are great. Someone saying they take walks is general. They could walk 2 city blocks or walk for 2 hours straight. Tell my wife that lost 60 pounds and went from a 22 to a 5 in 6 months only from walking 5 miles a day she did it wrong and should've stepped it up.

As individuals we do what we can. I will walk to get started and do a work out video (Gillian Michaels 30 day shred) and build up enough endurance to do the video daily. I did it last Sunday and threw up in my mouth a little bit, got dizzy, and my legs were in pain until Wed. afternoon. I hate walking/running too!

I understand too about consulting your doctor, as I mentioned in other posts in this thread. I don't want to stop taking the meds because it is helping. But I want to stop my weight gain and if this new thing about having my bladder go nuts at night is related I want that stopped too.

[Mikus]

OP should sue.

I'm surprised they didn't make me sign papers when I got the meds!

[Mojo]

I do an exercise video once a week and the wife and I usually get in a 2 mile walk/jog a few times a week. Nice title change too!

What you said. You're also comparing two fundamentally different things. If your wife lost sixty pounds that way, it means that she was obese. Even a small amount of exercise coupled with a good diet can have a tremendous effect on obesity, but once you get down into the overweight range, you need more than that.

[Niiro]

Get addicted to heroin, crack, or cocaine and watch the pounds fly off.

[Mikus]

What you said. You're also comparing two fundamentally different things. If your wife lost sixty pounds that way, it means that she was obese. Even a small amount of exercise coupled with a good diet can have a tremendous effect on obesity, but once you get down into the overweight range, you need more than that.

Let me spell it out for you. I'm out of shape. I'm not going into the gym trying to get into Hulk Hogan shape asap. I'm taking it slow. 2 mile walks. No shit it's not going to happen overnight. Thanks for the insight though.

edit: This thread is not about specifically my exercise habits or anyone else. It's pretty common knowledge if you don't exercise, take something with a weight gain/loss side effect, and don't have a decent diet your weight is going to change. This thread is/was about the medication(s) and how they effect individuals weight.

[Emirii]

I was out of shape too, so when doing vigorous exercises that were literally pushing my bodily limits and not loosing any pounds i was a little worried. After a week of not taking it, I started shedding it (along with the diet of course, which helped too). If you keep exercising the best you can and still gaining weight, it's almost guaranteed to be the meds :/

And I didn't experience any weird things/bad things when I quit my meds. It wasn't the first time I was on those and it wasn't the first time me just quitting them like that either. I guess it's different person-to-person.

[Guitarman]

Oh man, DO NOT go off your meds cold turkey. I've been on cymbalta for 4 years now and have a strong addiction unfortunately. I miss a day and I feel like my body is tearing apart. Nausea, dizziness, weakness, headaches. A DJ on my local radio station talked about the same thing one night and compared it to coming down off meth use, and I believe it.

i gained about 40 lbs over the years while on the meds, so I understand the problem. Just recently i've taken initiative and started reshaping my body. Really, you just have to take initiative and get off your ass more than you are now and shed those pounds.

As for your hunger, try hoodia. I'm someone that loves to eat, so hunger was a HUGE issue for me, until i took hoodia. Make sure it's from south africa and real stuff, theres alot of fake shit on the market. I take some from vitamin world:
http://www.vitaminworld.com/hoodia-2...complex-015025
and it's amazing. I did some research before buying it and there's no side effects from studies done on it. I went from being a guy that gets hungry an hour after i eat, to being completely full 12 hours after a meal. It's unreal. Just make sure you eat small meals every 5 or so hours no matter how full you feel on the hoodia, so your body can keep its metabolism up. I really strongly recommend this stuff. It's the ONLY thing that's helped.

[Tyche]

Did the doctor prescribe a diuretic with the SSRI? Maybe try an SNRI (meridia, obesity drug, sometimes prescribed for antidepression). Hell, some people take SNRI and SSRIs together, but it seems to be dependent on the provider. I've had instructors say "hell no", and providers who do it on the regular.

[Mikus]

On Guitarman's advice I went to Vitamin World today to get the Hoodia. The woman working there was extremely helpful and knowledgeable. She asked why I wanted Hoodia so I told her. She understood and asked me about my diet and what other vitamins I take(multi, b complex, magnesium, potassium)and the amounts. She pointed me in the direction of getting CLA(Conjugated Linoleic Acid) and Glucomanan(natural Konjac Root). She said the CLA helps fight the fat and help metabolism. The Konjac Root is to suppress appetite. She said most can go 12 hours between meals, but you should maintain to eat many small meals with fruits and vegetables throughout the day.

Also, I drink a ton of coffee which I know is horrible. It's the one thing I've tried to quit many times but I haven't been able to stay off it. She advised I up my magnesium intake to 1000 milligrams a day to help with the coffee tearing my stomach up. I have enough of the CLA and Root for almost 2 months so we'll see what happens. Thanks everyone for the comments.

[BaneTheBrawler]

Needs to be restated. It's called SSRI withdrawal, or 'the zaps'. If you've ever stayed up 50 hours straight you might understand how it feels. It's like a popping sensation that goes through your brain, except that it happens constantly instead of just when you've stayed up that late. You also feel completely devoid of all energy and often a bit nauseous.

OP if you want to get off your medication then speak with your doctor and have him help you figure out a good tapering plan (which will depend on your current dosage, it's not always as simple as taking a pill every other day.)

This. Whenever you are taking serious drugs you NEED to consult your doctor about ANY changes in dosing. Anti-anxiety meds literally fuck with your brain. That's some serious shit. Talk to your doctor.

I get that you understand this, but I frequent a health-related forum, and we get questions like this all the time... and hopefully if I say it enough times in enough places, people will talk to their doctors. Because that's invariably the answer. Sure, patients with similar ailments can give you tips and tricks on how to deal with whatever, but at the end of the day, nothing gets done unless you talk to your doctor about it.

Also, eating smaller portions more frequently would probably help. It's easier on your digestive system (believe me) and if you do it with the right foods it can keep you full throughout the day and less inclined to eat junk food. Then again, I may not be the best person to take advice from on this matter. I, too, have a weight problem... but mine is reversed. I'm losing weight when I'm not supposed to. No, that is not a good thing and no, you do not wish you were me. Being me is pretty shitty right now. Literally. Shitty.

Anyway, with the coffee, try staging yourself. I used to drink Mtn. Dew as if it were the only liquid on earth. When I realized the caffeine wasn't helping with the aforementioned shittiness, I decided it had to go. So I started drinking caffeine-free sodas as well. Then eventually I stopped drinking Mtn. Dew entirely, and started drinking Gatorade in addition to soda. Then just Gatorade. If that flavored water crap weren't so crappy, I'd do another phase. Although, it's been a while since I've tried some. Maybe it's time for another taste. Anyway, you could do the same for coffee. Slowly switch to decaf, then maybe hot chocolate, then maybe just chocolate milk. Because everyone loves chocolate milk.

[Botosi]

Quit the meds, smoke weed.

[Mazmaz]

Quit the meds, smoke weed.

http://images.bluegartr.com/customav...tar39630_2.gif

[Byrthnoth]

On Guitarman's advice I went to Vitamin World today to get the Hoodia. The woman working there was extremely helpful and knowledgeable. She asked why I wanted Hoodia so I told her. She understood and asked me about my diet and what other vitamins I take(multi, b complex, magnesium, potassium)and the amounts. She pointed me in the direction of getting CLA(Conjugated Linoleic Acid) and Glucomanan(natural Konjac Root). She said the CLA helps fight the fat and help metabolism. The Konjac Root is to suppress appetite. She said most can go 12 hours between meals, but you should maintain to eat many small meals with fruits and vegetables throughout the day.

Also, I drink a ton of coffee which I know is horrible. It's the one thing I've tried to quit many times but I haven't been able to stay off it. She advised I up my magnesium intake to 1000 milligrams a day to help with the coffee tearing my stomach up. I have enough of the CLA and Root for almost 2 months so we'll see what happens. Thanks everyone for the comments.

Natural supplements that work are called "medicine." Stay away from that bullshit.

[Tyche]

There's a place for Mg and K supplements, but you should follow your provider's directives for taking them, not a store employee. There's a lot that goes into the need for those supplements other than just "I drink coffee". Most of these electrolytes effect one another in some way or fashion. For example, taking potassium will also effect your calcium reabsorption levels. As usual, see your doc.

[Mikus]

Natural supplements that work are called "medicine." Stay away from that bullshit.

This comment is going over my head. So the the natural Konjac Root which should help suppress appetite is medicine, and I should stay away from it?

I do need to be unlazy and make an appointment with my doc. I already spent the money on the root and cla so I'm going to try it.

[KoD]

You can Go to your Dr. get him to change your meds, Also you can reduce the amount of medication you take when i was on anti Anxity tablet i started two pills aday, and changed to 1tablet every 2days, and if you ever feel more anxity just take another pill, Some cases you can completely stop taking it and you'll be fine,

With working out i suggest daily work out for 10-20min, Boxxing is a good way to burn fat, reasonably cheap buy med weight bag, You don't need any skill at it, aslong as you keep swining @ the bag. Also this will help reduce your Anxity by keeping your mind busy, and reduce the caffine intake

[Mikus]

There's a place for Mg and K supplements, but you should follow your provider's directives for taking them, not a store employee. There's a lot that goes into the need for those supplements other than just "I drink coffee". Most of these electrolytes effect one another in some way or fashion. For example, taking potassium will also effect your calcium reabsorption levels. As usual, see your doc.

My response to this, and to all, is not "you aren't saying what I want to hear so I'm mayad", but I'd like to point out Tyche I agree to an extent. On the flip, this store employee could have a degree in something health related. They could study nutrition and health constantly in their spare time. Or they could not know anything and are just trying to sell.

To go more in depth, I had about an hour long conversation with this woman about my anxiety, diet, and other health/food things. She never pushed anything on me. She said if I wanted the hoodia then great but she'd go with the root/cla. She also wrote down a few things and suggested I do some research and then talk to my doctor about it.

In these instances I think you just need to make a judgement call. Does this person have my best interests in mind or are they trying to just sell me? That's all you can do imho unless you want to ask for their credentials on the spot!

[shaddix]

As Emirii said, it quite possibly has nothing to do with your activity and diet. My advice is to go to doctor and see if he can write a script for something else. Drugs will do funny things, such that you can be in a severe caloric deficit, and not lose any fat at all, you'll just destroy your LBM instead. Too risky.