fat girl

[turnaround]

I need HELP and info. I have gained about 20 pounds in the last year. I am a runner and very active. Everything I have read about Elavil seems to point to that as the culprit.

My question is---Once off Elavil, does the metabolism go back to normal? I am working out to death and my diet is good, but this is CRAZY. I have to admit that the Elavil has been a gift from God for my IC, but this weight is making me absolutely nuts!

[leelee88]

While on Elavil the first time I gained 25 pounds went off it and lost the weight and then some.. The Second go around on Eavil I gained 40 pounds and am having a very hard time loosing it. BUT I am also not able to eat the things I was last time. Because the second time I was on Elavil I also was dx with IC. So I think it all depends on your diet and how much you exercise if you will loose it. But I know you can cause I did the first time..I will say though whn I went off Elavil all my pain returned.. My Dr put me on Tofranil that is in the same class as Elavil it is working just a as good for pain control with no weight gain!! Good luck!

[turnaround]

Hey Rhonda-what are you taking in the place of Elavil and does it work as well? Like I said, I am feeling so much better I am kind of afraid of going off it, but this weight issue is killing me!

[leelee88]

I am taking: Tofranil .. It works like Elavil But I have no side effects like I was haiving from Eavil. No weight gain and no tired feeling..

Pronounced: TOE-fra-nil
Generic name: Imipramine hydrochloride
Other brand name: Tofranil-PM


--------------------------------------------------------------------------
It is a member of the family of drugs called tricyclic antidepressants

[SharonA]

Since starting Elavil several years ago, I put on some extra bulk. I am still taking the same amount of Elavil, but I am slowly losing the pounds.

I needed to do something because all my clothes were shrinking while they were being stored in my closet over the years. :lmao: I thought about buying a whole new wardrobe, but decided that I just could not afford to do that. But what I could afford to do is cut back on the unhealthy foods that I had been eating and lose some weight so I could wear my clothes, again. Happily, I can report that I am able to get back into those things that had mysteriously shrunk. :wink:

I am still working on losing more and getting down to a more healthy weight for my height.

[turnaround]

Thanks Sharon and Rhonda. I have clothes from size 2 to size 10. It's crazy what this IC has done to my waistline. I just don't won't to go any further. I am a shorty-just 5 Ft. I am beginning to resemble a basketball with legs and arms.

[motherof4]

I have been on elavil since the the first of march and I haven't gained anything hopefully I won't at all........

[Jereme]

Do people gain weight on the Elavil because it makes them hungry all the time? I could handle gaining some weight if I wasn't hungry all the time. I have taken some meds in the past that make me really hungry and I hate that. I also wonder what you can eat that is healthy since apparently most of the fruit is off the ok list?

[SharonA]

I don't know about most people, but I do know that many on Elavil have reported weight gain, including me. I think for me, it makes me crave sweets and carbs. I have learned that I need to eat more vegetables and less bread. That is really difficult for me because I have always loved bread. Even before IC or the Elavil. I have also had to learn to say "no" when ice cream screams my name to get my attention. It really does call out to me...really. :ignore: Oh, and lets not even talk about cake, pie, cookies, etc. They know my name, too. :tsk: :lmao:

[ABliske]

Relax, the weight will come off if you are working so hard at it. It just takes time. I am now creeping toward 150 (30 weeks pregnant). It's really weird. My normal weight is 115. I can relate to what you are saying. I got a size 8 dress for a wedding I'm supposed to be in and it's like 1/2 as big and I need it to be!!
We can be diet buddies once I have my baby. And check in on how each other is doing. What do you think?

[lisabar36]

I never gained any weight yet from Elavil, I am the odd ball because I seem to loose my appetite with alot of my meds. I started it in September and I lost a few pounds since. I thought for sure since my surgery I would gain a few from not being active, but nope. I just stayed the same. I had to watch myself with weight loss issues as I am a little under weight now and with neurontin I really lost my appetite. I do eat really well now and I do not watch what I eat, but I guess I have a fast metabolism. I wonder if the lyrica is going to put a few pounds on me as I hear its main side effect is weight gain, but I haven't been on it long enough to know. I also never drink soda, not because of IC but because I never liked it, I was always a water drinker, and I don't eat much thats very sweet, I am not that big on sweets, what I love is reesce cups, lol, thats really about it, so that could be why to, but I eat a lot of bread and pasta so who knows.

[kuni_bob]

I gained ~35 lb, due to a combination of Elavil + less activity due to pain. Once I started feeling better, I got more active again & properly controlled my diet, but the scale didn't budge. Grrrr.

The good news is that my metabolism did return to normal once I came off of Elavil, though it took a little while (I was on 100mg/night for a few years and it probably took about a year to bully my metabolism back into shape). As an added bonus, I found it pretty easy to lose the weight because I'm so used to the IC Diet -- I have to avoid foods I love every day, so adding portion control to that wasn't a difficult step at all. :lmao: ;)

Good luck to you!

[Angeles]

we gain weigth with Elavil or any otehr TC antidep b/c they act in the nerve systems so they slow down your metabolism + they make you crave more sweets as added bonus. Not all respond the same way to differnt tc antidepressants and other pain meds but in general they cause constipation etc due to the same fact.
So you really have to eat healthy and forget about unnecessary sweets and carbs. I say unnecesary, meaning the slice of pound cake, bread, sweets.
You still need to eat! but eat healthy.
If you can handle excersice, do it.
I also put on some weight but lost a few pounds when I got the stomach flu (not fun) since then I'm watching more what I eat, specially the extra stuff that is not providing nutirents to my body, like refined sugar. A docotr wrote that when you are on a tricyclic antidepressant, when you eat 1 cookie = 3 cookies.
Again, Elavil can be a life saver when it comes to pain so if you can get away with eating healthier, smaller portions but without starving yourself you may want to get the weight gain issue under control and get the bebefits of the drug. Anotehr option is changing meds...

[lisabar36]

I am only on 25mg at night, that could be why I haven't gained weight. Its a low dose. I found it gave me more energy the next day after I started it. Even with the paxil cr, I found I had more energy.

[turnaround]

Well, I talked to the nurse practioner at my uro/gyne office and she said that being on such a low dose of elavil(15mg), I shouldn't be seeing the side effects I have been.
Now I am really bummed. Like I said, I am a runner; I did the Chicago Marathon this past Oct. and I roller blade and bike and walk and blah,blah,blah. and I am still gaining weight. What the #ell. Anyway, I guess I am going to have to give my beloved 7 grain bread up for awhile and see if that helps. Having no fruit besides blueberries and pears is another pain, but I will persevere. I am so greatful that the IC pain has greatly diminished, so I guess we have to take the good with the bad!

[Jereme]

I really like your attitude. It sounds as if you are able to do the things that you want to do and have this IC under control. That is awesome. I also know what you mean about having to give up fruit. I love to eat fruit and I'm going to try the whole elimination diet thing to determine if there is more than pears and blueberries that I can eat. Giving up fruit and soda is the hardest part for me. I'd also like to have some tomatoes as well. However, just doing that has helped me a lot.

Just a question. Did the Elavil make you a lot more hungry so that you were eating more or did it slow down your metabolism. I wouldn't mind gaining weight if it was just the metabolism, but I have taken medications before that made me so hungry all the time I didn't know what to do with myself. I don't tolerate that side effect very well.

[turnaround]

Hey Jereme-from what I have read about the side effects of elavil is that it does both-increase appetite and slow metabolism. I have started to do interval training to boost my metabolism. Also, at my chiropractors suggestion, I have added Glucosamine MSM to the elavil. I have had significant improvement in my symptoms-enough that I have started to slowly add foods back into the picture. I can tolerate apples if they are yellow. I have started making my own tomato sauce, but add about a 1/2 tsp. of baking soda to the mix and eat a very small amount with prelief and have had no problems. I have been cooking blueberries with pears and making kind of a low sugar cobbler which is YUMMY. There is a ton of things I can eat, so I am trying not to focus on the ones I can't. However, I am still craving carbs in the worst way. I know what you mean about being hungry all the time-it is so annoying to walk around hungry. You know it's bad when I walk past the fridge a thousand times knowing there is nothing in there, but still looking!

[Jereme]

Did you ever try Nortriptaline or Desipramine. Those are secondary amines. Elavil is generally the one prescribed for nerve pain and other conditions but the secondary amines such as Nortripaline and Desipramine tend to have fewer side effects. I did take Desipramine and that didn't make me hungry until I got to doses above 100 MG.

[snowgirl]

I need HELP and info. I have gained about 20 pounds in the last year. I am a runner and very active. Everything I have read about Elavil seems to point to that as the culprit.

My question is---Once off Elavil, does the metabolism go back to normal? I am working out to death and my diet is good, but this is CRAZY. I have to admit that the Elavil has been a gift from God for my IC, but this weight is making me absolutely nuts!

I have gained 25lbs on elavil just like that. Vicky