on lithium cant lose weight

Hello! I have been diagnosed ocd. I have been on lithium ever since. Besides coping with the drug, a couple of months later I had to cope with weight gain of 35 lbs. I tried to lose, but it is not working. Lithium is doing me good, it’s just that this weigh gain and impossibility of getting rid of any is a bit annoying. What about you? Did you manage to lose any while on Lithium?

I understand very well how you feel. It was the same for me when I first started Lithium. However, I couldn’t cope with the weight gain, so I joined Weight watchers 3 months ago. I have lost little weight, but am enjoying healthy food intake and exercise, and weight watchers meetings, so I get this problem off my mind a bit, especially because I know I am not the only one, and I have somebody to talk to about this.

oh goodness, i was put on lithium and in less than a year i put on 50 pounds. FIFTY POUNDS. i wasnt only on lithium i was on 6 others. ive been depressed ever since. i am only 15 i was 14 when i started taking them. its hard to go from always being underweight to not being able to wear cute clothes or anything. i tried weight watrchers, ive tried everything, nothing works for me bc i have no self discipline. its deppressing and awful. i hate leaving the house. i sit on the computer all day and hide from people. its embaressing, as im sure you know. ive tried everything.. ive lost hope. i will just have to cope with the fact that i am going to be a fat woman for the rest of my life, with no husband or friends. just my cat.

I relate. I have gained 35lbs and can easily see a 50lb gain in a few months time. At first I felt so horrible being 5'4" and 200lbs. I actually felt suicidal. Something Dr's don't consider. People who are sensitive to weight gain can kill themselves over the negitivity and self hate this generates in us.

If I wasn't regularly going to Overeater's Anonymous meetings, I would have done anything to put an end to these thoughts and feelings. OA meetings are places where we are loved back to health, there's no scales, no one expecting you to do or weigh what they want you to, no charge either. I can go to meetings and stay the same weight and work on changing these negitive thoughts, then when I want to, I can take steps to change my food, or my exercize, or whatever it is I need do to reduce my weight. One thing I hear a lot in OA is, "I've tried everything else, and this is the only thing that works." Here's a website, there's meetings everywhere: http://www.oa.org

Don't be shy, everyone is at 1st, but there's no need, because, the 1st time you walk into an OA meeting you are the most important person in the room, but no one will embarass you, as everyone's privacy is completely respected - that's what is meant by Anonymous in the name. & If the 1st meeting you go to is not what you wanted, try another, there are differences.

Since I stopped beating myself up over this weight gain, I am now in the process of gathering info about how lithium effects weight gain and so far have found that it especially effects people who have thyroid problems and take thyroid medication, because lithium basically nullifies the thyroid medication.

Finding this site is part of my research, I wish you well, good luck and take care of yourselves.

My doctor told me that weight gain on Lithium is nothing compared to Olanzapine. I managed to lose 20 lbs while taking both, attending a slimming/exercise club and on my own. Since Septmber, most of it has returned though no one believes me as I'm more toned thanks to the gym. Trouble is that I gave away or had taken in all my small clothes so I've been left with very few sets of clothes for the office. My thyroid function has improved. I so want to lose the weight but am having little success with sub-zero temperatures and the coldest winter in 10 years.