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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 13 of 13. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Maxime on December 1, 2007, at 21:26:34
A friend of mine wants to know what causes weight gain with Nardil? Does it make you crave food? Or is it metabolic? I was on it briefly and I think it made me retain water ... I was puffy on it.
Any input would be great.
Maxime
Posted by Marty on December 2, 2007, at 1:36:24
In reply to What causes weight gain with Nardil?, posted by Maxime on December 1, 2007, at 21:26:34
> Any input would be great.
Hi Max,
Carbohydrate cravings in part and in that case Chromium (Cr) can help. It's even said to have some antidepressant PROPERTIES for atypical depression.
Take a look on pubmed for Chronium, depression keywords.
/\/\arty
Posted by Molitor on December 2, 2007, at 11:09:23
In reply to What causes weight gain with Nardil?, posted by Maxime on December 1, 2007, at 21:26:34
In my case, it's appetite and decreased activity -- not a good combo for maintaining a steady weight. I got some puffiness when I'd raise the dose, but the bulk (ha!) of the weight gain was simply caused by consuming too many calories.
Now, it does make you crave food, especially sweets, but my real problem was with portion control. I just eat bigger portions because Nardil turns off the little thing that says "I'm full/satisfied". The insidious part is that you don't conciously feel like you're eating more. Without Nardil, I'd go through about a gallon of Orange Juice a week, and a can of Grapefruit juice. With Nardil, I'd go through two gallons of OJ, and maybe 3-4 cans of Grapefruit juice. I never realized I was drinking more, just buying (and carrying) more.
Plus, when Nardil's working as an antidepressant, everything in life is just more fun, including eating.
Posted by Phillipa on December 2, 2007, at 11:55:45
In reply to Re: What causes weight gain with Nardil? » Maxime, posted by Molitor on December 2, 2007, at 11:09:23
Maxie what if a switch turned on and you didn't care about weight anymore cause it's a part of depression that would be great wouldn't it? Phillipa
Posted by stargazer2 on December 2, 2007, at 14:13:28
In reply to What causes weight gain with Nardil?, posted by Maxime on December 1, 2007, at 21:26:34
Probably more metabolic than poor choices as the cravings for carbos and sweets are off the chart. Foods like bread, ice cream, candy just replace the other healthier food I should eat.
I have a pot belly, something I never had before no matter how much I ate.
My feet/ankles got puffy but that quickly resolved and no other edema is evident now, so it probably is a metabolic issues that casues carbo and sweet cravings. My portion size has not gotten bigger just my interest in stuff that makes you gain weight. Little ability to control it.
Stargazer
Posted by Molitor on December 2, 2007, at 14:35:02
In reply to Re: What causes weight gain with Nardil?, posted by stargazer2 on December 2, 2007, at 14:13:28
> Probably more metabolic than poor choices as the cravings for carbos and sweets are off the chart. Foods like bread, ice cream, candy just replace the other healthier food I should eat.
>And you've got the double-whammy because the diet restrictions can eliminate a lot of "satisfying" foods. I know they've made the food restrictions more liberal, but I still can't bring myself to place the trust of whether or not my head explodes into the hands of the guy in charge of cheese freshness at Dominoes.
Posted by bulldog2 on December 2, 2007, at 16:57:07
In reply to What causes weight gain with Nardil?, posted by Maxime on December 1, 2007, at 21:26:34
> A friend of mine wants to know what causes weight gain with Nardil? Does it make you crave food? Or is it metabolic? I was on it briefly and I think it made me retain water ... I was puffy on it.
>
> Any input would be great.
>
> MaximePossibly hypothroid? More docs need to run thyroid panels when patients are on meds know for weight gain.
>
>
Posted by Phillipa on December 2, 2007, at 17:50:19
In reply to Re: What causes weight gain with Nardil?, posted by bulldog2 on December 2, 2007, at 16:57:07
Maxie good point about the thyroid as I've gained about 20lbs with no med changes or eating changes. but my thyroid has been out of wack last level normal low end. Phillipa
Posted by Jedi on December 3, 2007, at 3:08:29
In reply to What causes weight gain with Nardil?, posted by Maxime on December 1, 2007, at 21:26:34
> A friend of mine wants to know what causes weight gain with Nardil? Does it make you crave food? Or is it metabolic? I was on it briefly and I think it made me retain water ... I was puffy on it.
>
> Any input would be great.
>
> MaximeHi,
I think it is probably a combination of all three, plus some other things. I really crave the sweet carbohydrates, especially chocolate (no it doesn't kill you, even in high quantities). I know that my metabolism is lowered, because I am very active all day and can still gain ten pounds in a couple of weeks. That's about 35,000 extra calories; hard to eat that much. I also have some edema in my lower extemities that I don't have when I'm off Nardil.The other things are the atypical depression itself, which usually makes you gain weight. Not funny-a side effect of the medication to fight my disorder is a symptom of the disorder itself.
The augmentors I take, clonazepam and Seroquel, can also add to weight gain.
Be Well,
Jedi
Posted by rskontos on December 3, 2007, at 10:35:40
In reply to Re: What causes weight gain with Nardil? » Maxime, posted by Jedi on December 3, 2007, at 3:08:29
Maxine, I am not on Nardil but another Ad and I have experimented with going off of it too see a) if I just felt lighter and I did. I have researched the weight gain issue and the research is listed but I have found in practice the doctors dismiss it. Like somewhere else the people exist that gain the weight and I wonder if they just don't want to have to acknowledge it to have to deal with. WHen I mentioned to my doctor that I was noticing gaining weight she just dismissed it. I know that to anyone experiencing depression that gaining weight is not a great thing. Yeah I know the arguments that I would rather be un-depressed and have a few lbs then skinny and depressed. Well I want to be both. Not depressed and at least my pre-med weight. And as we are a country that everyone claims is the fattest country how about not using meds that adds to that fact. Because I know that being overweight when I have lost 20 lbs in the last 3 years of weight I needed to lose is going to depress me more. I haven't lost a lot of weight yet but I feel lighter so I feel like the AD's (mostly all of them no matter the type) make you retain water and gain weight I don't how a combination of ways most likely. I don't want to replace one problem with another. Anyway that is my take on the subject. I think it is the drug makes you crave sugar, makes you retain fluid more, and reduces your active level maybe. rk
Posted by Marty on December 3, 2007, at 11:34:01
In reply to Re: What causes weight gain with Nardil? » Maxime, posted by Jedi on December 3, 2007, at 3:08:29
> The other things are the atypical depression itself, which usually makes you gain weight. Not funny-a side effect of the medication to fight my disorder is a symptom of the disorder itself.
Chromium has been found to reduce cravings in atypical depression and is also thought to have an antidepressant effect for people suffering of this illness. Some recent research paper about it on pubmed, but I guess you already know all that.
/\/\arty
Posted by Jedi on December 3, 2007, at 13:09:11
In reply to Re: What causes weight gain with Nardil? » Jedi, posted by Marty on December 3, 2007, at 11:34:01
> > The other things are the atypical depression itself, which usually makes you gain weight. Not funny-a side effect of the medication to fight my disorder is a symptom of the disorder itself.
>
> Chromium has been found to reduce cravings in atypical depression and is also thought to have an antidepressant effect for people suffering of this illness. Some recent research paper about it on pubmed, but I guess you already know all that.
>
> /\/\artyHi Marty,
I have tried chromium picolinate for the carb cravings from Nardil. It didn't seem to help me much at the time, but I think I will give it another try with the dosages used in the studies(600 micrograms).
Thanks,
JediReferences:
J Psychiatr Pract. 2005 Sep;11(5):302-14. A double-blind, placebo-controlled, exploratory trial of chromium picolinate in atypical depression: effect on carbohydrate craving.Docherty JP, Sack DA, Roffman M, Finch M, Komorowski JR.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=ShowDetailView&TermToSearch=16184071&ordinalpos=2&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum
Posted by Jedi on December 3, 2007, at 13:21:00
In reply to Re: What causes weight gain with Nardil? » Marty, posted by Jedi on December 3, 2007, at 13:09:11
Biol Psychiatry. 2003 Feb 1;53(3):261-4. Effectiveness of chromium in atypical depression: a placebo-controlled trial.Davidson JR, Abraham K, Connor KM, McLeod MN.
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710, USA.BACKGROUND: Chromium picolinate (CP) has been reported to benefit patients with symptoms of atypical depression. METHODS: A placebo-controlled, double-blind, pilot study of CP was conducted in 15 patients with DSM-IV major depressive disorder, atypical type. Patients received 600 micro g of CP or matching placebo (PBO) for 8 weeks. RESULTS: Seven (70%) CP and zero (0%) PBO patients met responder criteria (p =.02). Other outcomes were consistent with greater effect of CP. Three patients on CP failed to show any improvement. Chromium picolinate was well tolerated. CONCLUSIONS: Chromium picolinate shows promising antidepressant effects in atypical depression. Its mechanism of action may relate to 5HT2A downregulation, increased insulin sensitivity, or to other effects.
PMID: 12559660 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
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