Side effects of medication.

@Fee1 Hey Fee1 yes the dreaded weight gain ..... disjointed sleeping patterns ..... I also get tremors in my hands ....Dont know what the answer is ...... greenpeax

thanks for the tag @Fee1

Hello @Bezak482 , @Bunniekins

you are not alone my friend

I think Weight gain and medication is a issue for nearly everyone

@Bezak482, a food diary sounds like a good idea

they say eating low GI foods help you to feel full for longer

I was given a list of foods that are low in carbs by the dietican

seem to still get restless legs quite a bit, i do too @Bezak482 , they say it is a lack of salt or lack of magnesium

other members might have some ideas too @Fee1

@Appleblossom, @eth , @CheerBear , @Former-Member , @Faith-and-Hope

Hi @Fee1 @Shaz51 @Bezak482 @Bunniekins I've been on psych meds for 11 years now and it took nearly 9 to get me onto a balance of meds that work much better for keeping me balanced and also stop having some of my side-effects.

I had really bad hand tremors for a few years but since I changed psychiatrist when I moved here and she immediately took me off one I'd been on for over 4 years, the tremors have stopped. It was so hard when I had them and I had all but given up hope that they would ever cease. I couldn't even use an ATM or eftpos for food and cash. Had to take a friend with me to help towards the end. My previous psychiatrist had always said it wasn't that med causing them and had played around with different doses of another one to no avail. I'm sorry but I can't name them here because of forum guidelines but want you to know there is hope.

I also had steady weight gain for most of those years (some psych meds lead towards pre-diabetes) but since I was put on another med for increasing my response to insulin I have been more stable with the weight and did lose a bit, tho' it's hard to keep it off now that we're in isolation and I'm not getting to my regular exercise class.

Also have had bad constipation since my psych meds were changed but I now use a powder that you can get at chemist or supermarket which helps keep that under control.

And periodically bad cramps in my legs with occasional restless legs at night which I find calcium, magnesium and D3 supplement really helps prevent.

So it's a balance between the psych meds (quite a cocktail of them in my case), other meds for side effects, and some supplements which help. And a bit of exercise. And overall I am managing to prevent most of the problems now.

Just want you to know there is hope, but it takes a lot of patience and trial and error and adjustment periods (up to 6 weeks) to changes of meds.

Hi @eth wow you have had quite a journey. I have never had tremors. I have tried all of the anti psychotics and the one I'm on now is the best. A while ago a new one came out and the govt psych suggested I try it. I had a bad reaction after one pill. It seemed to damage my nervous system and now I often twitch as I drop off to sleep and it wakes me up. Big pain. Well I'm glad you have a good new psych and the tremors have stopped. Best, Fee1.@Shaz51, @@Greenpeace, @Bezak482.

Hi @Fee1 , I'm sorry you and others here are struggling with medication side effects. I suppose medication is a hit and miss, and different for everybody of course, depending on the dosage, what medication, and so forth.

I've tried a few now, different dosages too (I obviously can't say the names because of the rules). For me, they made me feel sick but I never vomited.

The ones I'm currently on, I was on a high dosage but I had to go back down, because the day I started that high dosage, I felt awful - dizzy, getting really cold and sweating (but a cold sweat not a hot sweat), tremors and blurred vision and a dry mouth (they were tolerable, they weren't that bad). Now I'm on the same one but a lower dosage, and the side effects are still there but not as bad. I feel a little better mentally but I definitely haven't improved and I also still feel bad at the same time, so it's confusing. I'll speak to my Psychiatrist about the meds.

I did have this one medication that I was on for about 2-3 weeks from memory that was the worst for me with the side effects. These made me feel extremely sick before, after, and during I took them, I never vomited but I didn't feel like eating because even if I ate something healthy, I still felt terrible, and I felt dizzy, even when I go on my walks I had to stop for a minute. That was awful and made me depressed. We had a family friend over when I was on those and I just felt sick the entire time regardless of what I did or didn't do.

But I would suggest keeping track of your symptoms, if they're tolerable and whatnot, and if you feel any different mentally, and discuss it with a therapist like a Psychiatrist if you have one.

Best of luck, I hope the symptoms go away and you feel better, and can find medication that works for you, without troublesome side effects. Take care.