Posted by Racer on May 12, 2005, at 13:43:01
In reply to Re: Sorry for the misunderstanding, posted by rachel sarah on May 11, 2005, at 17:35:22
> That is ok, I can see why it may have seemed a little insensitive perhaps. But this board said it was about "eating" rather than "eating disorders." Since I have put on 17 pounds I have become obsessed with my weight, and I dont think it is healthy.
>Point taken -- and again, I am sorry that I misread your post. I understand now that your point was very different from what I thought it was.
> I will try and keep a food diary of what I eat, but I don't think I am over eating and I think I do a hell of a lot of excercise. Thanks for the advice any how, but I think people who have issues with food or weight should be free to express their concerns.
And I don't doubt that you're *not* overeating -- I've experienced that myself. When I was first put on Paxil, I was actively anorexic, overexercising, eating roughly 400 calories per day on a good day. Without changing any of those behaviors, without eating more (although it was much harder, because the Paxil caused such cravings), I gained weight. In fact, I gained a significant amount of weight right away.
And my doctor told me that it was because I was not watching what I ate! If I just watched what I ate, and did some exercise...
Obviously, that's a crock. I'm so thankful that my current psychiatrist does understand that anti-depressants really do cause weight gain. Apparently, despite all the studies that have shown just exactly that ADs cause weight gain, most doctors still won't admit it. It's a time honored tradition in medicine to blame the patient. Helps the docs feel so much better about themselves...
The reason that I suggested the food diary wasn't to show you that you were eating more than you think -- because I don't believe that. I believe that your drugs have caused you to gain weight. The purpose was to prove to a doctor who might doubt you that you are, in fact, NOT overeating, that it is, in fact, the drugs that are doing this. If you have something that you can show him, to stop him if he tries to say that you're overeating, to make him engage in the discussion, maybe it will be easier for you to get the help that he *should* be offering.
For what it's worth, I've read studies about two different drugs being used to help combat the AD-induced weight gain: Topamax, and Glucophage. Neither are perfect, but maybe one of them would be helpful in your case, depending on the exact mechanism involved in your weight gain.
The other question I have is whether you're seeing a therapist? Can you discuss body image issues with a therapist? Or check for a support group in your area? If you are open to 12-step programs, Overeaters Anonymous is supposed to be good; otherwise there are groups like ANAD, NEDA, etc who have support groups in a lot of areas, or Weight Watchers -- despite the focus on weight loss, their program can be helpful for some people with eating disorders, since it's based on fairly reasonable theories of nutrition.
Let me say one last time that I'm very sorry for misreading your initial post. Can we make a truce now?
poster:Racer
thread:496327
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/eating/20050314/msgs/496906.html