Bipolar Medication and weight gain

Yum.

Taking/not taking medications regularly isn't even a question for me. I take my meds. I guess I'd be classed as BP1 and relapses aren't nice. I'm relieved I was allowed to titrate down to a relatively comfortable level with the option of taking a bit more (a set amount) for a night or two if I'm highly stressed or not sleeping.

@Sneezy

@Dimity BP2. Rotating shifts makes the timing much harder, especially the night drowsy ones. Doctor has recently given the ok to be lenient with timing or even skipping one or two medications every now & then.

I want to know causation, not correlation. What factor/s is playing up the weight gain or difficulty with weight loss? It might be a whole interaction of everything, but it doesn't make it any less frustrating. I wanted to know from another person on medication's perspective

@Sneezy causation ... not easy...

The particular antipsychotic I take increases appetite (I ate like a horse when I started it). It's associated with higher blood sugars, insulin resistance and risk of diabetes. I don't know the biochemistry or pharmacology of why. Other antipsychotics I used to be on loused up my hormones at the time. I don't know the endocrinology or gynaecology of how or why. I know the meds that have been effective for me are supposed to work on dopamine A2 receptors effectively reducing dopamine sloshing around the brain so maybe my poor old brain was seizing on meagre dopamine highs from caffeine and eating but I really wouldn't have a clue. Some interesting research I came across recently said my med promotes populations of obesogenic microbes in the gut microbiome at the expense of another known subset of microbes. It named the species and strains so I'm trying a broad spectrum probiotic with the beneficial bugs. I try to include fibre and pulses in my diet.

I do think my sleep cycle affects my wellbeing. It must be a lot harder for you with rotating shifts.