Eating Disorders Support Group

Hey everyone,

I'm sorry to just jump right in here asking for support, but I don't know where else to turn. My pdoc is looking to medicate me once again for anxiety but he wants to use the same drug he's used twice in the past with no effect except skyrocketing my weight up 15lbs in 2 weeks. He's not willing to change the drug, only increase the dose. Which leaves me terrified that the higher dose will inflict even more damage on those all too important numbers without any benefit to my anxiety levels.

It almost did me in back then and with everything else going on in my life right now (and the fact that although I'm informed my diet is very highly restricted, I've never managed to very successfully eliminate berries and watermelon in the summer and right now the carbs/sugar are keeping my weight 8lbs higher than I was before I started the berry binging, last week so I'm already freaking out and trying to figure out how to compensate for it) I'm very concerned about my reaction, I've told them that I can tolerate many side effects but weight gain, however minor, is one I can't but I think that fell on deaf ears. I'm chronically suidical, sometimes dangerously, as it is although nobody on my mental health team seems to take it seriously since I've never made an attempt.

I guess what I'm asking, is does anybody here have experience with gabapentin/neurontin and does anyone have any tips for dealing with medication induced weight gain both psychologically and physically? I already walk daily and my pdoc appointments are fairly sporadic and at his request, not mine, but I do see a therapist once every two weeks. She works in two different areas several hours and one ferry apart and so her scheduling doesn't allow for appointments any more often unfortunately. I do have her email address although she's mentioned that she dislikes email and so I refrain from using it, viewing it more as a '911' type thing. Any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks everyone!

I am not in your shoes, but I do have bulemia and anxiety. I will tell you that I agree that you should not take a med that will increase weight, as that will definitely lead to increased anxiety!! I am not a doc and do not know all you are dealing with, but there has to be a better way... even if it requires something more natural like self relaxation techniques, walks, outings with friends, animal therapy ect.... I am sure there is a member on here that can help with the med questions. We really care about each other here and I'm glad you have found us. Sometimes just knowing you are not alone can help alot

Thanks, and yes, just knowing that I can come here and share and find people who truly understand instead of ones who just roll their eyes and can't understand the why I'm worried about a few extra pounds is a huge blessing. I've got a laundry list of non diagnosable problems and 3 so far that are, something that looks like bipolar, a 'severe' anxiety disorder, and the always dreaded BPD. But I'm told that my 'extremely high' anxiety levels make it very difficult to evaluate anything else. He hasn't diagnosed me as eating disordered although my therapist essentially has and wants to send me to a dietician(not sure it would help since I know the dietician's idea of foods/calories/meal sizes would have me purging non stop, it's only occasional right now and I'd like to keep it that way!)

I don't care about benzos or anything of the sort which I think is his concern but I really do agree that when weight's a problem, putting me on increasing doses of a med for anxiety(it's not technically an anti-anxiety med, it's an anti-epileptic) that causes weight gain really does sound counter productive.

We've tried the visualization/mindfulness/etc techniques but I find it very difficult to shut my brain down enough to do it. Outings don't go over well since people and going out are behind a good portion of my anxiety.

He wants to medicate the anxiety to help with diagnosis as well as to help me get through some therapy work but I'm worked up just thinking about filling the prescription that can't be good haha, thanks again for your response and hopefully somebody else does feel up to sharing their experiences for my benefit, textbook knowledge just doesn't do it for me

Post edited by: BlackRoses, at: 06/13/2012 08:06 AM