Posted by headachequeen on November 12, 2004, at 15:53:03
In reply to Re: Topamax: weight loss/mild depression, posted by merry on November 11, 2004, at 19:59:25
> I'm taking topomax because I'm bipolar and I use it to keep my moods under control. I was using lithium and depakote but they turned me unto this big balloon woman. This made my depression worse. My pdoc switched me to topomax because of it's mood stabalizing effects without weight gain. I haven't gained weight. I lost weight. I am still losing weight. Slowly. It's a bonus to feeling better. I feel happier. I feel calmer.
>
> merry
I remember when I was being treated for what was thought to be depression... every medication that was tried was one that caused weight gain...
well, now that is really helpful...
if I was not depressed to begin with, gaining enough weight to make me feel embarrassed to be seen in public and mine was a fishbowl existence given my job, was certainly going to create depression...
I know there are those on this board who think that people who are concerned about weight and the way they look are superficial, but it is anything but...
try standing up in front of five hundred or more people and making a presentation, or working on television and wondering if someone is going to confuse you with the Goodyear Blimp...
self-image is really important...
and when that weight is not something that can be removed with exercise and restraint...
I could starve myself for a week and not lose a pound (I know because I did just that and often... in an effort to regain control and to fit into clothes that looked suitable for work) and exercise was a lost cause... when you become exhausted carrying all that extra weight up two flights of stairs to your office and studios who can think of a strenuous work-out in the gym...
besides I did that too...
and I went biking and walking and hiking and back-packing and still didn't lose weight...funny, but my neuro, the first one, never mentioned a mood-stabilising effect of Topomax, but as I think of it, I have been much less inclined to fly off the handle these past few months...
there has to be a reason for it...
and don't anyone say it comes with maturity <g>
kat
poster:headachequeen
thread:5053
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20041108/msgs/415114.html