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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 21 of 21. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Emme on June 21, 2003, at 7:48:39
Hi All,
Has anyone tried selegiline and found that it caused weight gain? I'm eating less, exercising more, and starting to gain weight. Here's my mix.
Lamictal 125 mg
selegiline 10 mg (with L-phenylalanine to boost it)
atenolol 25 mg
seroquel roughly 3-6 mg (yes that little)
Provigil no more than 12.5 mg (yes that little)and not every day necessarily.
clonazepam as needed, usually around 0.5-0.75 mgIn the last week I've cut out 2 mg abilify and 75 mg Li.
I'm hoping I can continue to "cull the herd" once I'm stabilized. I've been on Lamitcal, atenolol, and clonazepam for quite a while. I've taken seroquel on and off before, and have taken provigil now and then.
Selegiline (and the L-phenylalanine)is the new one, so it really seems like the obvious culprit. But I don't see weight gain listed anywhere as a side effectof selegiline. The stuff metabolizes to amphetamine, so you'd think it would do the opposite. I recently started taking seroquel again a little more regularly, so maybe that's calming me down and I'm not burning as much nervous energy....
Anybody have input? Thanks.
Emme
Posted by Jets on June 21, 2003, at 9:04:11
In reply to What's plumping me up? AD advice sought., posted by Emme on June 21, 2003, at 7:48:39
> Hi All,
>
> Has anyone tried selegiline and found that it caused weight gain? I'm eating less, exercising more, and starting to gain weight. Here's my mix.
>
> Lamictal 125 mg
> selegiline 10 mg (with L-phenylalanine to boost it)
> atenolol 25 mg
> seroquel roughly 3-6 mg (yes that little)
> Provigil no more than 12.5 mg (yes that little)and not every day necessarily.
> clonazepam as needed, usually around 0.5-0.75 mg
>
> In the last week I've cut out 2 mg abilify and 75 mg Li.
>
> I'm hoping I can continue to "cull the herd" once I'm stabilized. I've been on Lamitcal, atenolol, and clonazepam for quite a while. I've taken seroquel on and off before, and have taken provigil now and then.
>
> Selegiline (and the L-phenylalanine)is the new one, so it really seems like the obvious culprit. But I don't see weight gain listed anywhere as a side effectof selegiline. The stuff metabolizes to amphetamine, so you'd think it would do the opposite. I recently started taking seroquel again a little more regularly, so maybe that's calming me down and I'm not burning as much nervous energy....
>
> Anybody have input? Thanks.
>
> Emme
>
>
> Are you depriving your man in the bedroom? You can probably work off a few pounds in the sack. Do this 4 times per week and report back to us. It will probably help his mental state as well.
>
Posted by Emme on June 21, 2003, at 12:07:11
In reply to Re: What's plumping me up? AD advice sought., posted by Jets on June 21, 2003, at 9:04:11
> >
> >
> > Are you depriving your man in the bedroom? You can probably work off a few pounds in the sack. Do this 4 times per week and report back to us. It will probably help his mental state as well.That was mean and uncalled for.
Posted by janejj on June 21, 2003, at 15:06:27
In reply to Re: What's plumping me up? AD advice sought. » Jets, posted by Emme on June 21, 2003, at 12:07:11
I agree Emme, I hope you find out what is causing your weight gain....I have no experience with any of those meds so I cannot help you...however i know how annoying it can be to gain weight from taking something that is supposed to help you.
Good luck!! Janejj
Posted by HenryO on June 21, 2003, at 15:35:07
In reply to What's plumping me up? AD advice sought., posted by Emme on June 21, 2003, at 7:48:39
Hey jets that was more than a little inappropriate
Posted by jemma on June 21, 2003, at 15:40:50
In reply to What's plumping me up? AD advice sought., posted by Emme on June 21, 2003, at 7:48:39
Hi Emme -
When I took seligilene, I definitely experienced water retention, though it went away as soon as the selegiline wore off. Apparently, it's to do with selegiline's ability to increase nitric oxide, which is a vasodilator. Other than that, I didn't notice any negative effect on weight. Although ritalin makes me ravenous - I always gain weight on it - so perhaps the added dopamine is increasing your hunger.
I hope the selegiline is working well for you. As I told you before, the edema proved to be a problem for me, but only because it made an ankle injury worse. If it weren't for the injured ankle, I definitely would have stayed on it.
- Jemma
Posted by HenryO on June 21, 2003, at 15:43:18
In reply to What's plumping me up? AD advice sought., posted by Emme on June 21, 2003, at 7:48:39
It is not the Lamictal or the Provigal. I don't think it's the clonazepam either. Anti-psychotics seem to put the most weight on me. Have you considered backing down on the over all cocktail and boosting the Lamictal? 125mg is not a big dose for Lamictal. It seems to work best in the 200 to 300 range. It is weight nuetral and sex side effect nuetral. It even seems to regulate my sleep. I am posting all over the place that it is the best thing I've ever been on.
Posted by Emme on June 21, 2003, at 16:24:02
In reply to Re: What's plumping me up? AD advice sought., posted by janejj on June 21, 2003, at 15:06:27
Posted by Emme on June 21, 2003, at 16:29:05
In reply to Re: What's plumping me up? AD advice sought. » Emme, posted by jemma on June 21, 2003, at 15:40:50
Hi Jemma,
You know, I was just starting to wonder if there might be some water retention.....especially since I'm not eating more. I could try eating some diuretic foods like strawberries. If I can back it down to 5 mg maybe that would help. The selegiline does seem to be having some positive effect on the depression.
Emme
> Hi Emme -
>
> When I took seligilene, I definitely experienced water retention, though it went away as soon as the selegiline wore off. Apparently, it's to do with selegiline's ability to increase nitric oxide, which is a vasodilator. Other than that, I didn't notice any negative effect on weight. Although ritalin makes me ravenous - I always gain weight on it - so perhaps the added dopamine is increasing your hunger.
>
> I hope the selegiline is working well for you. As I told you before, the edema proved to be a problem for me, but only because it made an ankle injury worse. If it weren't for the injured ankle, I definitely would have stayed on it.
>
> - Jemma
Posted by Emme on June 21, 2003, at 16:43:18
In reply to Re: What's plumping me up? AD advice sought., posted by HenryO on June 21, 2003, at 15:43:18
Hi. Yeah, I mentioned upping the Lamictal at my last appointment. She suggested we might consider doing that after making other changes (I dropped abilify and Li and added selegiline).
I tend to be really sensitive to medication and often need flea-sized doses. We end up with tiny doses of several meds to try to head off side effects. I do seem to tolerate Lamictal pretty well. I agree it's a good drug. I find it activating though and may always need to have drugs like clonazepam and/or seroquel in place to keep my sleep intact and to deal with anxiety and agitation.
The problem is that in the past I've titrated up at only about 7.5 mg/week because I've had mild rashes during titration. Recently I have been in baaad shape and we needed to do something a little quicker, hence the selegiline. I'm hoping once I'm on a more even keel we can gradually get to a more simplified mix. But at the moment selegiline seems to be helping a bit.
Emme
> It is not the Lamictal or the Provigal. I don't think it's the clonazepam either. Anti-psychotics seem to put the most weight on me. Have you considered backing down on the over all cocktail and boosting the Lamictal? 125mg is not a big dose for Lamictal. It seems to work best in the 200 to 300 range. It is weight nuetral and sex side effect nuetral. It even seems to regulate my sleep. I am posting all over the place that it is the best thing I've ever been on.
Posted by wendy b. on June 21, 2003, at 21:29:36
In reply to Re: What's plumping me up? AD advice sought. » HenryO, posted by Emme on June 21, 2003, at 16:43:18
Hi Emme,
I don't know your diagnosis, and what each of these meds is being prescribed for (i.e., which symptoms). But, if you want to contain your weight, you might seriously think of upping the Provigil. I lost 18 lbs. when I went on it 6 months ago, and I'm maintaining that. I don't think this is untypical. If you are sensitive to meds, that's ok, but at least 1/4 of a 100 mg tab would be interesting to try. You can always cut back. It has been a great drug for me in other ways, too, particularly for attentional problems, and for brightening my mood. I was always scared to try the Lamictal because I have very sensitive skin, and would probably experience the rash even at a low dose.
I hope this helps a little,
Wendy
Posted by Dr. Bob on June 22, 2003, at 15:04:45
In reply to Re: What's plumping me up? AD advice sought., posted by Jets on June 21, 2003, at 9:04:11
> Are you depriving your man in the bedroom? You can probably work off a few pounds in the sack. Do this 4 times per week and report back to us. It will probably help his mental state as well.
Please be supportive here and don't be sarcastic or post anything that could lead others to feel accused or put down, thanks.
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/faq.html#civil
Bob
PS: Follow-ups regarding posting policies, and complaints about posts, should be redirected to Psycho-Babble Administration.
Posted by Maxime on June 22, 2003, at 16:10:47
In reply to What's plumping me up? AD advice sought., posted by Emme on June 21, 2003, at 7:48:39
Funny, I always thought that L-Phenylalanine caused weight loss ... I wonder if I am confusing it with something else.
Max
Posted by Emme on June 22, 2003, at 16:21:48
In reply to Re: What's plumping me up? confused, posted by Maxime on June 22, 2003, at 16:10:47
Really? I actually don't know anything about it. My pdoc said there was evidence for it boosting the action of selegiline, so we added it.
> Funny, I always thought that L-Phenylalanine caused weight loss ... I wonder if I am confusing it with something else.
>
> Max
Posted by Emme on June 22, 2003, at 16:48:52
In reply to Re: What's plumping me up? AD advice sought. » Emme, posted by wendy b. on June 21, 2003, at 21:29:36
Hi Wendy,
Thanks for the input. 18 lbs lost on provigil? Wow.
I'm somewhere in the bipolar spectrum. I seem to be in between major depression and Bipolar II. I've had very little hypomania, but many other soft signs of bipolarity.
I've used provigil in the past on a sporadic basis - a few days at a time because it seemed to wear me out. It does toggle me out of very sluggish depressed states - makes me more motivated and brightens my mood. But 25 mg made me too wired. I might try keeping it at 12.5 for a few days and see how I handle that. I'm starting to think Jemma was right about the water weight retention because I've had a full, bloated, sloshy feeling.
The Lamictal rash issue really freaks people out (not unreasonable), but it's a good drug and there is clinical precedence in the literature for backing down and carefully retrying it after a non-dangerous rash. I had rashes three times while titrating up on Lamictal. They were really mild and short-lived (24 hours) and I was seen by a dermatologist right away for the first one to make sure it wasn't dangerous. We backed off and then went ahead with an ultra slow titration and watched carefully. So...you might want to keep it as a consideration. If you do try it, be extra careful with sunscreen at first while you see how your skin handles it. I got a scorcher of a burn when I first started it, but have had *no* extra sun sensitivity since then.
Emme
> Hi Emme,
>
> I don't know your diagnosis, and what each of these meds is being prescribed for (i.e., which symptoms). But, if you want to contain your weight, you might seriously think of upping the Provigil. I lost 18 lbs. when I went on it 6 months ago, and I'm maintaining that. I don't think this is untypical. If you are sensitive to meds, that's ok, but at least 1/4 of a 100 mg tab would be interesting to try. You can always cut back. It has been a great drug for me in other ways, too, particularly for attentional problems, and for brightening my mood. I was always scared to try the Lamictal because I have very sensitive skin, and would probably experience the rash even at a low dose.
>
> I hope this helps a little,
> Wendy
Posted by falconman on June 22, 2003, at 19:07:11
In reply to Re: What's plumping me up? AD advice sought. » wendy b., posted by Emme on June 22, 2003, at 16:48:52
Hi,
I was on selegiline (deprenyl) 80mg + about 2000mg of dl phenylalanine for 8 weeks. I never felt hungry, but still tried to eat at least one decent meal a day. I lost half a stone which I've never put back on.
Mark
Posted by cybercafe on June 22, 2003, at 19:09:02
In reply to Re: What's plumping me up? AD advice sought., posted by HenryO on June 21, 2003, at 15:43:18
> It is not the Lamictal or the Provigal. I don't think it's the clonazepam either. Anti-psychotics seem to put the most weight on me. Have you considered backing down on the over all cocktail and boosting the Lamictal? 125mg is not a big dose for Lamictal. It seems to work best in the 200 to 300 range. It is weight nuetral and sex side effect nuetral. It even seems to regulate my sleep. I am posting all over the place that it is the best thing I've ever been on.
hey dude... sorry to jump in... but i was just curious how long you have had success on lamictal for?
Posted by Emme on June 22, 2003, at 20:42:53
In reply to Lamictal » HenryO, posted by cybercafe on June 22, 2003, at 19:09:02
Good question. I'm curious about the average time till Lamictal "poop out".
Lamictal was so terrific when I hit 75 mg, but the effect faded. Now that I'm over 100 mg, there seems to be less cycling, but I'd love to have the great AD effect from it again. I'd like to increase it, but then I wonder if it would just keep fading out no matter what.
Emme
> > It is not the Lamictal or the Provigal. I don't think it's the clonazepam either. Anti-psychotics seem to put the most weight on me. Have you considered backing down on the over all cocktail and boosting the Lamictal? 125mg is not a big dose for Lamictal. It seems to work best in the 200 to 300 range. It is weight nuetral and sex side effect nuetral. It even seems to regulate my sleep. I am posting all over the place that it is the best thing I've ever been on.
>
> hey dude... sorry to jump in... but i was just curious how long you have had success on lamictal for?
>
>
Posted by Emme on June 22, 2003, at 20:45:53
In reply to Re: What's plumping me up? AD advice sought., posted by falconman on June 22, 2003, at 19:07:11
Hi Mark,
Did you get any benefit from selegiline? What made you stop after 8 weeks? The weight loss?
Emme
> Hi,
> I was on selegiline (deprenyl) 80mg + about 2000mg of dl phenylalanine for 8 weeks. I never felt hungry, but still tried to eat at least one decent meal a day. I lost half a stone which I've never put back on.
> Mark
Posted by HenryO on June 22, 2003, at 23:51:05
In reply to Lamictal » HenryO, posted by cybercafe on June 22, 2003, at 19:09:02
I have been on it for only about five months now. But it takes a while to work up to a therapeutic dose. I was told to expect that to be between 200 and 300mg. I went up 25mg a week. So far more has been better. I have liked it all along. I have a current post asking about Lamictal's susceptibility to poop out. I don't know about other peoples experiences with it or its method of action. I think its pretty new. I felt really bad after I completely let the old cocktail wash out of my system before the Lamictal started working. It was pain like I've never had before. I also get pretty bad seasonally. That's why I am going to keep increasing my dose up to 300mg. Most of these meds do a much better job of preventing depression than they do at curing it. Stability leads to stability and instability leads to instability in any system. My pdoc told me that one. I like it a lot. All in all, side effect wise (it's nice to have a libido), energy wise and mood wise I actually feel good. And that is no small thing.
I hope Emme keeps upping the dose because I think that at some level the drug overwhelms the disease. So that when you have a spike in your disease it doesn't poke up throught the medication. To say that another way, it gives you enough psychic reserve(distance between disease and med level) to be able to handle the stressors which would normally unbalance us. I'm sort of rambling here but this is my take on what I'm doing with meds.
Posted by elleff on June 24, 2003, at 18:57:38
In reply to What's plumping me up? AD advice sought., posted by Emme on June 21, 2003, at 7:48:39
> Hi All,
>
> Has anyone tried selegiline and found that it caused weight gain? I'm eating less, exercising more, and starting to gain weight. Here's my mix.
>
> Lamictal 125 mg
> selegiline 10 mg (with L-phenylalanine to boost it)
> atenolol 25 mg
> seroquel roughly 3-6 mg (yes that little)
> Provigil no more than 12.5 mg (yes that little)and not every day necessarily.
> clonazepam as needed, usually around 0.5-0.75 mg
>
> In the last week I've cut out 2 mg abilify and 75 mg Li.
>
> I'm hoping I can continue to "cull the herd" once I'm stabilized. I've been on Lamitcal, atenolol, and clonazepam for quite a while. I've taken seroquel on and off before, and have taken provigil now and then.
>
> Selegiline (and the L-phenylalanine)is the new one, so it really seems like the obvious culprit. But I don't see weight gain listed anywhere as a side effectof selegiline. The stuff metabolizes to amphetamine, so you'd think it would do the opposite. I recently started taking seroquel again a little more regularly, so maybe that's calming me down and I'm not burning as much nervous energy....
>
> Anybody have input? Thanks.
>
> EmmeHi Emme
My experience of the Selegiline (15mg) plus l-phenylalanine (500-1000mg) combination is that I have lost weight because carbohydrate craving and bingeing have decreased substantially. I'm not affected by oedema, but I have heard of it being a problem for some.
regards
elleff
>
>
>
>
This is the end of the thread.
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