Does getting fat have anything to do with taking medicine?
I believe everyone is familiar with schizophrenia, and many patients have returned to normal lives after a period of systemic treatment.
But after taking the medicine regularly, there will be a very distressing situation-gaining weight.
Patients often ask me this question worriedly, "Doctor, I have gained 20 pounds in the past 3 months. Is it caused by taking medicine?" "Doctor, I'm too fat, I don't want to take medicine anymore", even some patients In order to return to the previous weight, the medication was discontinued privately, which led to the relapse of the disease.
The problem of weight gain is really troublesome and affects medication compliance and thus affects the efficacy.
So why do you get fat?
There are certain drug factors. First, commonly used psychiatric drugs such as antipsychotics and antidepressants may cause increased appetite and may cause abnormal blood sugar and blood lipid metabolism; second, as the patient's condition improves, the routine of daily life, Diet and sleep return to normal, and weight gain is also very normal, which is not necessarily a side effect of the drug; third, the weight gain caused by other physical problems in the patient.
Sudden weight gain Considering that the patient gains weight after taking the medicine, we can first observe the time when this phenomenon occurs and whether there is a clear correlation with the time of taking the medicine.
The second is the trend and degree of weight change. Sudden and large weight changes may usually indicate other problems. You can consider going to the hospital for a physical examination.
If you exclude the weight gain caused by other organic diseases, you can pay attention to whether your diet, exercise, sleep, and other aspects of your life and rest have changed from the past, whether it is because the intake of calories continues to increase and the amount of exercise is reduced, which leads to weight gain.
Reasonable control of the amount of food and weight changes can be seen as a water tank. Ingesting food is like filling in water. Exercise and natural physiological consumption are like opening a drain. The amount of water in the water tank is like increasing or losing weight.
The effect of psychiatric drugs on the body is mainly to increase appetite, but it does not mean that the body is lack of nutritional intake.
At this time, we should control our food intake and maintain the past food intake as much as possible.
Under the premise of a certain amount, eat more healthy foods with high nutrient density, and reduce the intake of snacks, beverages and other foods that are high in calories and low in satiety.
In order to reduce hunger, three meals a day can be converted into small meals, two extra meals can be added between every two meals, and the food for extra meals should be healthy foods as much as possible, and the amount should be controlled, such as 100 grams of fruit, 10 Gram nuts are good choices.
Increase exercise consumption In addition to a reasonable diet, another method is to increase exercise consumption, so that two-pronged approach, you can maintain a good weight.
Whether it is aerobic, anaerobic, yoga, Pilates, etc., you can try as long as you want. Under correct and reasonable exercise, you can not only control your weight, but also promote physical and mental health, and at the same time play a benign role in the recovery of mental illness. .
Some patients find it difficult to keep exercising.
It is recommended that you start with the sports you are most interested in, and make a small goal table that is easy to reach every week. For example, plan to exercise 2 times a week for 20 minutes each time. After 4 weeks, change to 2 times a week. 30 minutes each time.
With such gradual progress, I believe you will definitely see the results of sports and fall in love with sports more and more.
There is no need to worry about weight gain caused by taking psychiatric drugs.
First of all, you should observe the magnitude and time of the weight change, and then discuss with the psychiatrist, and discuss the next step together. Do not take the medicine on time and on the spot to prevent recurrence of the disease.
Text/Li Ruinan
(Beijing Anding Hospital)