Weight Gain

[frustrated_kcm]

I'm sorry if this is posted somewhere else and I missed it... but are there certain medications any of you have taken relating to IC that have caused you to gain weight? I really don't know what happened to me but I have packed on about 20lbs since May and I for the life of me cannot figure out what happened? :cussing::cussing:

[cindydi]

The same thing happened to me since my diagnosis. I relate it to lack of activity. I could not exercise or move around alot because of the pain. I was depressed and that made the thought of being active even worse. I take Atarax and topical steroids. I dont know if these cause wt gain. I am now finally (3 years later) feeling better and trying to work on losing the weight, it is tough. Ive been exercising but still no results. Sometimes I feel the xtra belly is from the IC.
Hugs.

[Julie B]

I gained 30 pounds the first year....I always say it was 10 pounds Elavil, 10 pounds going from an active lifestyle to sedentary, and 10 pounds sitting at the computer trying to figure out what was wrong with me.

I don't take Elavil anymore.........still struggle with the weight, but it has remained steady now for the past 5 or 6 years. :-)

[snowgirl]

I'm sorry if this is posted somewhere else and I missed it... but are there certain medications any of you have taken relating to IC that have caused you to gain weight? I really don't know what happened to me but I have packed on about 20lbs since May and I for the life of me cannot figure out what happened? :cussing::cussing:

neurontin is one that will cause water weight retention. I gained 11lbs on it. VN

[frustrated_kcm]

I did forget to mention I have a herniated disc in my back and had problems with it in August resulting in having to take steroids... The neurontin definitely makes me swell...sometimes my hands and feet swell so bad I barely recogonize them. I just started the Atarax about a month ago and that alone made me hit a brick wall. I started walking at a local walking park and also do yoga... still no results :(

[cindydi]

I am on Atarax too. I was wondering if this contributes to wt gain. I always was able to maintain or lose wt w/exercise (prior to IC). Now I am doing the same exercises but no results. Its frustrating.

[katjonez]

I too gained 40 lbs over the first 6 years of my illness. I was in so much pain I could hardly walk let alone work out !!. Then I was finally diagnosed. The list of OK foods seemed so small. I was very careful and stopped eating anything except broccoli carrots chicken noodles and honeydew melon. I think that I ate like this for at least 2 years. Naturally I lost all the weight and then some. I have broadened my diet now. But most of my problem has always been pain so I still have to be very careful or my pain flares even more. Because I do not think they have helped me much I gave up the break through meds like Vicodin. I use Soma and Tylenol for break through pain. They seem to work better for me. I could not live without my heat pads and Therma Care pads.

[mouse]

I gained about 20 pounds since starting elevil and zoloft. I am now running about 3 miles a day and the weight is not comming off. I have to admit though I've been eating alot of sweets and it's funny because I never liked sugar. I am starting to wonder if the meds make you hungrier or crave certain foods. My family is shocked by how badly i am craving sweets now!

[Roxie2007]

Hi I was on Lyrica for a year and also took Elavil and gained 40 pounds from it! I craved sweets too. I'm not on the Lyrica now but take half of a 25mg. Elavil and still have some sugar cravings. I wish I didn't need the Elavil! It's not easy figuring out what pills will really help you and what will hurt you more than help you.

[allipal]

Ugh. I have gained a lot of weight since all my health problems started almost a year ago. I've had two epidural steroid injections and took oral steroids for a cervical disk issue, then am on meds for newly diagnosed IC: nortriptyline, urelle, hydroxyzine, macrobid. I've gained because of meds, because of diet (the IC diet is more carbs than my body can process well), because of depression and apathy (partially due to health issues, partially due to a bad relationship ending). :( I can't seem to snap back into a healthy outlook for all of this.

[JennaS]

Steroids or anything in the anti-depressant/anti-convulsant family can cause weight gain. Everybody is so different. I take Lyrica and have not gained weight but some of the women on this forum gained alot of weight from it.

One of the major things for me was the fact that the IC diet is mostly carbs....

[dverba]

i just checked the lyrica web site and weight gain is a common side effect. I have gained about 30lbs over the last couple of years. I do not work out at all because of the ic and the fibro. but i know i could do more to help with the weight problem. right now in my life i feel so over whelmed with my illnesses that i do not want to deal with the extra weight. the crapy thing is my husband just lost 20 pounds working out at the gym and he looks great. 10 more pounds and we will weight the same!!!!! i swore when i was 19 that would never happen and now here i am 38 and it is just aroung the corner. my husband shows no compasion in this area because i do not work out at all. i guess i see his side but i sure wish he could see my side as well.:confused:

[snowgirl]

Deanna

Understand exactly how you feel. I am on 600mg neurontin and gained 11lbs right away. I asked the pain md and they said yes it causes water retention. I stopped my elavil because of 25 lb gain there. I used to work out a lot in my 30's........... my 40's no I have not worked out. I would be so tired and struggling to get my 40 hours in at work that after work exercise was out of the picture. Now because of financial SS disability I live with my parents. I wish I had the money to join ymca. That's what is hard is I used to be able to now I can't. Anyways my weight is the most ever right now. I don't eat a lot but I eat late at night. I find after I take my Neurontin I crave food late at night. Both of my parents have made remarks actually both last week before my hydro about my weight to me. However, the remarks were not said in such a nice manner. I also have a friend of 20 years on SS for bad back we worked together. Walked in her house couple weeks ago to visit and she said Vicky you have to lose weight. OK well so does she and she said it. I was hurt by her approach......... coming right out and saying you have to lose weight. I felt it could have been handled nicer. So, I am constantly getting remarks from my parents. I am heavy and it is a health issue at this point with high bp. None of my md's gp, uro, gyn, therapist not one of them have ever said anything about my weight to me. Just my parents. End of post I truly understand. Vicky

[bmendoza]

I have been taking elavil also and I believe in the side effects it says that you will have increased hunger and it would probably be for sugar. I already have a problem with sweets i didn't need any help for meds. I also think that with most of us out there it is also going from a very active lifestyle to an almost sedentary one.

[allipal]

You know what's strange? I've actually been a LOT more active since the beginning of this summer and still am not losing anything. I've stopped gaining, but I need to start losing. I'm exercising at least 3x weekly and usually 4-5x weekly depending on my schedule with is so much more activity than I got before. My eating has calmed down the past month, too, and yet still no loss. :( I'm supposed to see my parents this Christmas and I haven't seen them in a year... I'm not looking forward to their reaction about my gain.

Has anyone been successful at doing low-carb IC diet? My system really doesn't process carbs well. It's really hard doing low-carb without nuts, spices, salad stuff, etc.

[mary124]

I have gained about 10lbs with Elavil, but since my weight loss last summer (don't know why I loss the weight--almost 40lbs)- anyway that is all that I have gained. I do crave sweets but not often but when I do watch out!! I do walk but since I injured by ankle that has limited me to some degree, but still I try and stay somewhat active; between job and home.

[dverba]

Vicky,
I am very sensitive about my weight as well. It is hard when you know you do not look the best you can and have. If I had never been thin I do not think this would be such an issue. My husband sees changes and I know he does not like them. You realy need to tell these people in your life that you need thier (positive) suport.

[frustrated_kcm]

Vicky... I fully understand your situation. All my life I have been a fitness girl... I was a cheerleader, ballerina, gymnast, aerobic instructor, and body builder... before I was diagnosed with IC in 2003. After my cysto/hydro .. and my introduction to a huge succession of medications before settling on those I take now... I began gaining weight in 2004 but managed to continue working out and being active... since 2006, I slacked some on the fitness routine because of the pain and the constant need to void when it became necessary for me to leave my job. I, of course, went through depression... but made it back to a fitness regimen ... until this past April/May! The most annoying thing is that my mother was the one constantly making the comments about me getting "fat"... and "my you are huge now". When I finally broke down and told her I was tired of EVERY time I saw her she had to comment on my new found weight in some sort of way. I told her I was no longer in my 20's or even 30's .. that yes I had always been fit before.. but that was no longer the case. My health problems had changed my life in a way I could never go back from and that if all she ever had to say when I saw her was something about my weight... then maybe I wouldn't see her. Sad but true. I cannot help my current situation and can only do what my body allows me to do. I accept that and move on.

[PFDorIC]

I'm on Atarax and birth control--and gained 10 pounds the month after I started on Atarax. Thing is, I'm 28 and used to be the same weight I was in high school (before the Atarax); I never had to diet or exercise and was a size 0/2. I now work out every day--and have lost only about 3 of the 10 pounds. I don't think I want to go all the way back to being as skinny as I was (I was a little too), but it's still frustrating to have it out of my control.