weight gain and antipsychotics

hsieh · Nov 9, 2005

i'm a psych nurse. i believe the anti depressants and anti psychotics eventually stimulate the appetite so people eat more. they also have a sedative effect so people move less.

lucianne · Nov 10, 2005

I'm not trying to be harsh, but think about what you are asking. The point of these assignments is not simply getting information about topics you've been assigned, but learning how to do lit searches and how to find the information you need so that you know how to find reliable information in the future.

There are plenty of research articles on weight gain and antipsychotics/antidepressants. If you are in school, you should have access to your school's nursing database or medline and can do a search there. You can even find good information doing a web search as long as you use sites with some professional credentials. Most of us don't keep a list of references/links on different topics handy and would have to do a search ourselves. If you don't know how to search effectively, ask your librarian for help. If your school doesn't have a health science library and you don't know how to do a search, then let me know and I'll try to help you.

Again, I'm not trying to be harsh, but you are the umpteenth student who has come here asking for help on an assignment. If it were something difficult to find and you had tried, I'd be happy to help you refine your search or offer other terms you might try, but for something as simple as side effects of meds you should be able to do this yourself.

stnursebee · Nov 10, 2005

lucianne - I have already got information on the side effects of antipsychotics I was merely asking for other input from other nurses. The weight gain issue is what I am really doing. I'm new to this site, and of course dont know anyone here, and therefore I would not beable to know that references are not kept by yourselves. I do know how to complete a research, and have been doing this all a long. Research articles are released all the time and was hoping for more key words to use my searches. I appear to have received all your frustration towards students, and I'm sorry to upset people as I would never do that intentionally.

I seem to have gotton this site all wrong. Maybe I shouldn't be here. It was not so much the response that I would potentiallly get, but the contact with other student nurses and nurses. I only found this site a short time ago and I joined straight away hoping for support, friendship and guidance as we have something in common. Again I apologise for any frustrations arised. I did not read any information on the site first, I just joined straight away. I clearly see what a mistake I have made.

hsieh - thankyou for your reply it was very kind of you.

cindyRN 2006 · Nov 10, 2005

I know that Depakote (that is actually an anticonvulsant)and used in the treatment of bipolar will increase appetite/weight. Wellbutrin is currently in clinical trial for the treatment of weightloss. So I think it just depends on the drug class. I hope it helped. Please do not think you have come to the wrong site, you have not. Just like in the real world some of the nurses have forgotten what it is like to be a student and want more information than you can find in a book.

Luciann, How long have you been a nurse? Maybe you need to look back to when you were a student or just learning you field and be a little more kind to others. Oh I am not being harsh or anything am I? Grow UP.You should be ashamed of yourself.:imbar

lucianne · Nov 10, 2005

Let me say again, I was not and am not trying to be harsh or unwelcoming. I am not frustrated with students and in fact teach psychiatric clinical classes because I enjoy students. I may be guilty of assuming that you, like many other students (and practicing nurses), had not already done some research and was asking for clarification or professional experiences. I am frustrated with people who come to sites like this asking for information that they could just as easily find for themselves. In those cases, supplying the answer is ultimately NOT helpful as they may 1) not get correct information, and 2) will not learn the material as well as if they had looked it up and read it themselves. You know, give a man a fish and feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and feed him for a lifetime...or however that goes.

I'm sorry if I hurt or embarrassed you. Certainly don't judge this whole site by one response. Some people will agree with you that I am being "mean" or uncaring and they are welcome to that opinion. They don't know me and neither do you.

As for your question, it might have been more effective if you had said "Here's what I've found out so far.... Have any of you found this to be true or do you know of any different research I might look for?"

That said, have you searched for or found information on metabolic syndrome or psychotropics and hyperinsulinemia?

lucianne · Nov 10, 2005

Sorry Cindy, I am not ashamed of myself and refuse to turn this into personal attacks.

cindyRN 2006 · Nov 10, 2005

Luciann, You turned it into a personal attack when you made the assumptions about the original poster/ and the "umpteen students" that have come to this site to gain insight into your expierences. You are not ashamed of yourself because of your arrogance. I don't mean to be harsh (haha) I thank god I do not have a clinical instructor like you who is not willing to help. Maybe you have not been a teacher long enough and realize yet that every question gives you an opportunity to expand on that persons knowledge. I am sorry you don't see that and hope for your students sake that some day you will evolve.

stnursebee · Nov 10, 2005

Thankyou Cindy for responding to my thread. Any information is always helpful.

Lucianne - in response to you saying that 'you are frustrated with people who come to sites like these for information etc' Well just to let you know that this is the first site that I have joined on a professional level. Personally I am a memeber to another site with women who share the same condition that I have, and am naturally used to learning from others. Just to clear something up I am NOT looking for the answers, only different pathways to follow. I agree that gathering and learning the information is the best way. As stated before I was only looking for other suggestions. There could have been something that I had missed or not thought of.

For the record I did not state that you were 'mean' and 'uncaring'. And it works both ways you dont know me either. You dont know what my situation is, or if I am doing well on my course or genuinely struggling.

You have suggested that I should have written the question a different, basically more specific. This is my first professional thread that I have started after my introduction threads, and answering a thread by another student (you can check this if you like). So basically this is one of my first threads here. I wasn't sure how specific to be, so I started off generally, and would have become more specific in time if I received any responses. This site is all very new to me and I had no idea that there were sites like this one.

Thankyou for the keywords Lucianne I do appreciate any guidance. I have come across these but I have not put them into a search.

Thunderwolf, MSN, RN · Nov 11, 2005

Whoa, whoa, and whoa. We need to be a little more tolerate and respectful here. If a reply can't be posted respectfully, do not post a reply. It is that simple. New members join daily. Older members can provide feedback and/or refer the new member to a better matched forum that will supply the need better. New members, who are students, who have questions may want to utilize the forum Nursing Student Assistance forum...that is why it is there. Most of our new members do NOT know this. Please refer there. In asking about psychotropic medication weight gain... much has to do with having antihistamine properties which promote it, especially the older meds. If you want to learn more about psychotropic med side effects, like weight gain, one needs to look at the med's pharmacological properties. This will give you the answers you seek. Do a search on that for each of the meds of question. Lastly, we all learn from each other, hopefully professionally.

nurseroofe · Nov 14, 2005

Hi Stnursebee,

There are a number of psychotrophic meds that cause weight gain, but as you will see in your text books some meds will list both weight gain & weight loss as side effects. They may have different effects on different people. The antipsychotic "zyprexa" is notorious for causing rapid weight gain in most people who take it. My patients tell me that it increases their appetite and causes carb craving. They wake up in the middle of the night and eat. It is unfortunate because it is a very effective antipsychotic that is also used as a mood stadilizer, antianxity, & sleep aid. Most patients stop taking it because of the weight gain.

Good luck in your studies.

lovinghands · Nov 14, 2005

I think the most disturbing weight gains that I've seen have been associated with Clozaril. Anyone else find this true? It is devastating to see a patient finally stabilize on a medication then develop health issues as a result. I can understand, not promote, why some patients discontinue their meds.

My facility is slowly beginning to open their eyes to the health risks related to prescribed psychotropics. We have a dozen or so meds with protocols for care (labs, txs, diet) and include these in the pt's discharge instructions. We definitely need to place more emphasis on health promotion and maintenance.