I have been trying to about 1.5 years to lose weight and zero and I think it is a med.

[Maraya1969]

I even joined a gym about 3 weeks ago and have a trainer once a week. I do about 20 minutes on the bicycle and then weight train on the machines. I end up sweating all over. I have been going 3-4 times/week

And I have lost ZERO pounds. I have cut down on my eating and gone for things like no fat yogurt. I have had my times with cake but I did that before the exercises.

So I started going through my medicines and I found on called Mirapex , (Pramipexole) that I take for restless legs and that one I have been on for about 2 years. It does say weight gain can be a side affect.

I'm going to stop it and find something I can take if I have a bad attack of that hellish symptom.

My question is: Has anyone ever taken this and gained weight?

Or is there a list somewhere that tells you what drugs do not make you gain weight?

Thanks so much!

[dixiegrrrrl]

2. I look up every prescription I take for weight gain side affects.

Looking up side effects sometimes does not show weight gain issues
but looking up something like ...." bananas weight gain side effects" is specific enough to produce information.

In your case:
"does pramipexole cause weight gain" google search was instructive.

I stopped one med for that reason, and the doc admitted ..."well, some people have had that side effect"
AFTER I bought the drug and used it for 5 days.
So now I look stuff up before I pick up any new script.

[Maraya1969]

3. Since I wrote that post I have not had the terrible late night

feeding frenzies that I was having. I'm not even that hungry and as of yesterday I had lost 2 pounds.

It's amazing. I never thought that tiny little drug could cause me such problems.

Thanks for your help Dixie!

[dixiegrrrrl]

4. There is something else that I do...

I told my "prescriber" ( as Big Pharma calls doctors nowadays)
that if I needed a drug, I wanted a generic version of the oldest most effective drug.
The last thing I want to take is a newly released drug ( "new" meaning within past 3 years)
My reasoning is this:
The FDA is a wholly owned subsidiary of the pharmaceutical companies.
There have been, for years, constant reportsof drug makers reporting flawed/skewed/dishonest test results of drugs they invent.
WE are the guinea pigs.
So, for most medicines, I want proven drugs, or at least those that have been reported on widely enough by people, so I can check them out.

Does not apply to emergency medicine, btw....that is a different situation.

[TexasBushwhacker]

5. You may not lose weight from exercise alone

but you may lose inches. The number on the scale won't budge, but you'll find your jeans are getting a little loose. Unless you are obese, your weight loss will be slow. A lot of people find a Paleo type diet works well for weight loss. Drink plenty of water.

[LiberalArkie]

11. Yea, it makes it hell. My weight is staying at 173-180lbs but when I get

on my Withings scale my fat percentage keep dropping. My fat level goes up when my weight drops. The fat percentage hovers between 9% and 12%.

So I really go by my fat level rather than weight now. Exercising makes the calculations had to tell what is happening.

[TexasBushwhacker]

12. 9 to 12% is very healthy for a male

Like athlete healthy. It's actually too low for a woman and would effect her estrogen levels, stop menstruation and make her infertile.

[DawgHouse]

6. Have you had your thyroid checked?

Vitamin D levels? Hypothyroid and low vit D can also make it difficult to lose weight.

Good luck to you!

[Maraya1969]

7. Update. I've lost over 10 pounds!

I changed my diet from Atkins to a similar one.

I checked into all the food I was eating and some of them had a lot of calories and carbohydrates so I stopped them

AND I have gotten a trainer and have been lifting weights, basically doing things the increase muscle that burns more calories than fat

Thanks all of of you for your support!!!

[Maraya1969]

9. Thanks! I do not know what type of meds you are on but there

are some that are supposed to make you lose weight. Or course I can't think of any names now. Topimax maybe? Prozac helped me in the beginning to lose weight.

I am still taking all the essentials like Lamictal, Prozac and Klonopin. Just be careful that you will stay mentally healthy through this process.

And in case you are BP know that BP's are famous for stopping their medication which then causes Hell to reign for a time. I've done it myself.

[Maraya1969]

10. Thanks! I do not know what type of meds you are on but there

are some that are supposed to make you lose weight. Or course I can't think of any names now. Topimax maybe? Prozac helped me in the beginning to lose weight.

I am still taking all the essentials like Lamictal, Prozac and Klonopin. Just be careful that you will stay mentally healthy through this process.

And in case you are BP know that BP's are famous for stopping their medication which then causes Hell to reign for a time. I've done it myself.