# seroquel weight gain



## EndlessHope (Mar 2, 2011)

So I know the general feeling about seroquel on this board. I've been taking 100mg for sleep but I've been waking up 2-4 times a night from extreme thirst and hunger so my doctor is thinking of switching in a few weeks to something else for sleep.

My post is about the fact that I definitely gained some weight from this drug, surely fat, and am generally a lot less lean than I used to be even though I still work out consistently.

My question is, based on experience, does the weight you gained from seroquel ween off once you ween off seroquel? Or is your metabolism, like permanantly slower?

Am I making sense?

Thanks

Ps. If I can lose the seroquel weight once I'm off I'm gonna be really excited


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## CopadoMexicano (Aug 21, 2004)

Ive heard the seroquel promotes weight gain but if your diet is clean and you exercise i wouldnt worry about it. I would watch what i eat and still lost weight on meds like antipsychotics and antidepressants. it was very difficult to do though. you just got to set your mind to it.


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## Noca (Jun 24, 2005)

Seroquel causes weight gain via increased appetite, not from increased fat absorption nor metabolic changes.


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## EndlessHope (Mar 2, 2011)

I heard that it changes the way your body processes insulin. Hence the Carb cravings.

The reason I don't know if its enirely from appetite is because, before I was on this drug I could eat whatever the f I wanted and id still have a six pack. Now my abs are barely visible and this is the first time I have slight love handles in my life. Yet I am excersizing just as much. So it would seem as though it affects metabolism.

Does all that return to how it was prior to seroquel use?


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## Arisa1536 (Dec 8, 2009)

to answer your question, yes the weight will drop if the seroquel was in fact attributing to your weight gain via decreased metabolic rate as well as hunger. 
I was lucky on 100-150 mg i stayed the same weight as long as i exercised five days a week as anything over 50 mg can cause the antipsychotic side effects, dizziness, constant sleeping, weight gain, increased appetite, sleep paralysis and slow responses to things, so yeah it can feel like u are the walking dead on them and on 150 mg i admit i often sleep ate without realizing and i was able to eat what i wanted and that was a lot but maintain my weight because of the exercise

Some people, not everyone but SOME do find it stuffs up their metabolism so its not really accurate to say that seroquel only increases weight because of appetite :no
some people have no energy on them at all and exercise cannot happen and it might be shocking to learn that not everyone eats on them either (i was surprised but it can happen) a few people less than 1% have lost weight 
then again that was only from a website and i do not know how much truth is in that
but the majority of major weight gain cases are from people who take it in excess of 100 mg

I have to take 25 mg for the next seven to fourteen days and my appetite has increased, my calmness and good mood has increased though too and think about it
would u rather be skinny and anxious ridden or a bit overweight but contented and happy? and i know some people have sexual side effects with this drug but because it makes me so relaxed it helps me with those issues and if u were on it at 25 -50mg you would be at a very low risk of those sort of side effects being an issue

So yeah your weight and anything else unwanted u got from seroquel in your dose should return. Your metabolism will come back and your appetite should go down at first because thats what happens when u stop taking something that increases it but u should find within a month your appetite and metabolism will stabilize

seroquel IMHO are okay short term, and by short term i mean anything less than a month for sleeping and anxiety. there are better long term drugs out there


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## Noca (Jun 24, 2005)

Arisa1536 said:


> Some people, not everyone but SOME do find it stuffs up their metabolism so its not really accurate to say that seroquel only increases weight because of appetite :no


Old wives tales!


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## Noca (Jun 24, 2005)

EndlessHope said:


> I heard that it changes the way your body processes insulin. Hence the Carb cravings.
> 
> The reason I don't know if its enirely from appetite is because, before I was on this drug I could eat whatever the f I wanted and id still have a six pack. Now my abs are barely visible and this is the first time I have slight love handles in my life. Yet I am excersizing just as much. So it would seem as though it affects metabolism.
> 
> Does all that return to how it was prior to seroquel use?


Could it be due to aging?


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## Arisa1536 (Dec 8, 2009)

Dr House said:


> Old wives tales!


:lol

I dont know, some people say they exercise and diet and still gain weight :roll might be hard to believe though.
i have not been able to stop eating today, and that was 50 mg of seroquel
the appetite is always there, it never goes away :afr


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## EndlessHope (Mar 2, 2011)

Dr House said:


> Could it be due to aging?


No, I am 21 and blessed with good genetics. I do not think the weight gain is just from appetite, I think it changes the way your brain recognizes food.

But I wrote this thread wondering if the weight would go away, and if the metabolism I had pre-seroquel would return. So any thoughts on that are much appreciated!

Thanks


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## Arisa1536 (Dec 8, 2009)

EndlessHope said:


> No, I am 21 and blessed with good genetics. I do not think the weight gain is just from appetite, I think it changes the way your brain recognizes food.
> 
> But I wrote this thread wondering if the weight would go away, and if the metabolism I had pre-seroquel would return. So any thoughts on that are much appreciated!
> 
> Thanks


Yeah i answered your question  


Arisa1536 said:


> So yeah your weight and anything else unwanted u got from seroquel in your dose should return. Your metabolism will come back and your appetite should go down at first because thats what happens when u stop taking something that increases it but u should find within a month your appetite and metabolism will stabilize :boogie


as far as something better for sleep 
Have u tried or been given the option of zopiclone? or ambien?


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## Mandula (May 12, 2011)

I was on 600mg of seroquel. I was warned up front that I would put on weight on this medication so straight away I changed my diet, started exercising more and recorded everything I ate (calorie counted). In 3mths I out on 15kg (more than i have ever weighed). I spoke to my psychiatrist and she said she has never known anyone to loose weight while on seroquel, no matter what they did.

I have been off seroquel for 5mths now, have a personal trainer and a strict gym routine. I have a diet set out for me by a nutritionalist and am on mineral supplaments. I also don't drink alcohol. I still have not lost any of the weight.


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## Bacon (Jul 4, 2010)

ya gained weight on it. it sucks


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## pixel2010 (May 13, 2011)

Hello all, this is my first post.
I have been on seroquel for 6 years. I have been on 200mg at night for about 3 1/2 years and can take more during the day if i need to. It doesn't seem too bad, as I was at around 1000mg (600 at night, 2 x 200 during the day) at my worst. :um
I was about 80kg when i started but gradually gained up to 100kg about 1 year ago. I think this is mainly because i eat too much and don't excercise enough. But, in the last year or so it has started making my nose get really badly blocked  , so i have to use nasal sprays.
Does anyone else get this?


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## anntoot (Jul 8, 2012)

*How I lost 20lbs on seroquel*

And it didn't take me a year to do it either!

I wanted to share what I learned to try to help people deal with the adverse affects of this medication. It was alot of trial and error
Yes, I gained tons on it. No diet and exercise was not working.... not even a little! I was frustrated and considering flushing my medication. But I kept researching and trying different things. Then I stumbled on something that actually worked for me. I had to share it! So I wrote a page on google, to tell everyone how. I hope you have success! The best tool is knowledge!

https://sites.google.com/site/weightlossonantipsychotics/home


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## dscraigvt (Mar 18, 2014)

I first worked up to 400mg IR Seroquel. It was later reduced to 300 mg. I am a male and started out at 185 pounds. Once I started Seroquel my weight went to 225. I was binging all the time and believe that my metabolism slowed down. I lost all the weight through practically not eating but then gained it all back again. I was using Seroquel basically for sleep. I was determined to get off the drug. I was weaned off slowly until I was off completely. When I got down to 25 mg and 0 mg, I could no longer sleep. I would be ready to get up for the day at 2am. I did NOT have trouble falling asleep. I tried being off the Seroquel for two weeks and sleep just didn't improve. I just couldn't stand it and my psychiatrist, treating me for bipolar, said that it might not. Anyway, I had to go back on it. I am now at 50 mg and it does not seem to affect my weight. I had already lost 30 pounds and have continued to lose weight on 50 mg.


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## tieffers (Jan 26, 2013)

Your metabolism is just fine. It's not the drug itself causing the weight gain - it's the increased appetite and extra food you're eating, I'm sure you're aware.

The one time in my life I was truly overweight was on seroquel, and the extra pounds went away as soon as the drug left my system and my appetite returned to normal. Yours will, too.


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## will22 (Mar 28, 2011)

EndlessHope said:


> My question is, based on experience, does the weight you gained from seroquel ween off once you ween off seroquel?
> Am I making sense?
> Thanks
> 
> Ps. If I can lose the seroquel weight once I'm off I'm gonna be really excited


I also took an atyptical antipsychotic that increases appetite by being an H1 histamine antagonist like Seroquel (it was Zyprexa). I gained 50 pounds in about 5 months. A year and a half later I've lost 45 of those pounds. A good amount of it should come off fine just because you're not eating as much. With the rest of the weight, I'd advise just paying attention to portion size and doing daily exercise.

It will come off, it might take a long time, and good on you for deciding to come off it


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## purechaos (Dec 18, 2013)

I jumped from 115 to 140 pounds. It was the most insane hunger I have ever felt. I dropped 20 pounds in a month after stopping.


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