Originally Posted by
disappear
I don't think you're silly for writing this and can completely understand why you'd find these side-effects so upsetting. I have been on medications before that caused severe constipation and I had a very hard (heh) time with it - it makes you feel poorly, and all you want to do is poo! Laxative-wise, I found that Movicol helped where Senna and other OTC medications didn't. You can ask for it from the pharmacist, but I'm sure you know that laxatives aren't great for long-term use, so ask your doctor first. As said by others, lots and lots of water with a high-fibre diet are something that might help a bit. Though I read somewhere that if your body isn't used to lots of fibre, it's best to introduce it slowly and build up otherwise it can make constipation worse.
I'm not sure how to help with the weight-gain; the medications I've been on have lead to some weight-gain but not significantly... even that, I found distressing. It's a little more difficult when the medication causes weight-gain rather than appetite-increase, because that's harder to control. But I would definitely ask for a referral to a dietician to help you formulate a meal-plan that would hopefully keep you full but not lead to weight-gain, and also to see your doctor about an exercise plan - perhaps exercise on prescription.
It would be a huge shame to have to spend another long spell in hospital because you stopped taking the Clozapine. I wish there was another medication that would help you without causing such distressing side-effects, but it sounds like you've tried most of them and Clozapine really does help. I think it's worth trying to put lots of plans in place to see if you can manage the side-effects before deciding to stop the Clozapine. Tale care. xxx