Thanks a lot for all your responses!
Is this medication one you will stop eventually or is it ongoing?
Unknown. No end in sight as of now. It's more than one medication. So even if I stop one, I still have the others causing weight gain
I too have gained weight due to medications, and I too find it frustrating and upsetting. I'm not prepared to buy a new set of clothes and most of the clothes I have don't fit. Since a work at home I don't have to deal with dressing for work, and I have exercise wear for going to the gym. But going out for a social occasion is a challenge - so much so that I'm not particularly inclined to go out if I can't wear my old comfy gym attire.
I think the only thing that can be done is to stop taking the medication that causes the weight gain, or find an alternative.
Yeah, that's been hard to accept, seeing your clothing size go up and up and up and up and up. It doesn't end. Also taking out a piece of clothing you haven't worn in a few months and it doesn't fit. I had to have clothes delivered overnight because my old one didn't fit, and I didn't know that until the day before I needed to wear it.
I refuse to have photos taken of myself now because I'm so ashamed of how I look.
@skatemommy - hope it continues to be good news for you!
@Gazpacho and
@Japanfan - what do your doctors say? I have gained weight and lost weight a million times due to medications, and my team have been awesome with advice and strategies (which have included medication changes in some cases). Weight is a major issue for my mental health, so it's really important that it's taken seriously, even though I'm not close to obese.
It's a major issue for my mental health too. One of the drugs that causes weight gain is an antidepressant that's worked pretty well in controlling my symptoms, better than previous ones. But the weight gain is making me depressed, and I feel so tempted to stop taking it.
The doctors had a nonchalant attitude toward it. They see much larger people and much worse cases of weight gain.
Don't do it. The reason is that, if your weight gain is related to a medical condition and/or the meds you take to treat it, most likely weight loss surgery will not be that successful for you.
I know a ton of people, including myself, who have had WLS and the ones with underlying medical conditions rarely lost a ton of weight. The reason being that the medical condition/medicine causing the weight gain is usually stronger than what the surgery does for you. Obviously there are exceptions, but given that being on the medicine is mostly likely temporary, a more temporary solution like the gastric balloon is probably a better option.
As for HGC, it's quackery. There is no scientific evidence that anything about hGC would cause weight loss by itself. It all comes from the 500 calorie diet, not the hormone.
That's the most frustrating thing, that I'm gaining weight without doing the classic things that make people gain weight, and I can't lose weight by doing the things that normally make me lose weight. That's out of my control now. The only aspect I have control over is whether to take the medications.
Yeah, I figured that if HCG worked, they wouldn't need to put people on a 500 calorie diet! I called a weight clinic the other day and they were trying to sell me on HGH (human growth hormone) treatment for weight loss. That's the first I had ever heard of it. Not going to do it because I don't think it will work. I'm kind of ashamed to say that if I thought it would work, I'd do it despite the risks.
I started Belviq last April and am very happy with the results. It is an appetite suppressant, taken twice a day, prescription only. Last April I was 172 and today I am 144. The pill curbs your appetite so you eat smaller portions with less or no temptation to snack inbetween. It is still up to you to eat healthy and not gobble down fattening foods.
Like all medicines there are side effects and some are annoying but so far I've managed to deal with all of them.
Interesting. What type of doctor prescribed it?
You are a dear for asking. (ps my hair looks like hell, even though the eyelashes and eyebrows have come back!)
