It caused mass weight gain and severe constipation, would you take it? I assume at first glimpses people would probably say they would take it?
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I’ve been unwell to varying degrees over the past 5 years which has resulted in 5 lengthy admissions (and a few sporadic admissions lasting less than a week) I’ve tried quite a few medications, specifically anti-psychotics. I still find it hard to consider myself as unwell, but I know certain things aren’t right. My last admission was 7 months and most of that on a section 3 where they decided to put me on Clozapine. I did tremendously well, even my self harm stopped. But within a few months I had put on a LOT of weight – from a healthy weight to significantly overweight. I stopped it because I couldn’t cope. A few months down the line and things have been getting difficult again. I actually asked for the Clozapine as I just wanted things to be calm and quite like before, able to go out without excessively worrying and all the other good things. But the severe constipation returned and maybe impulsively, I stopped it? I got scared. I am so stuck with what to do now. The crisis team start clozapine as they have to supervise it and monitor your blood pressure half an hour after both doses so it was all quite intrusive seeing them that much. The crisis team dr and a nurse came round to see me, he tried to persuade me to take it and suggested hospital as an option. Thankfully that’s not what he wanted and neither did I, it sort of made alarm bells ring him mentioning hospital. I have a meeting with my normal consultant to discuss whats going to happen. Maybe the weight gain and interference with my digestive system effects me more than some other people, I have quite a bad relationship with food, the pinnacle being when I had people sitting with me to get me to eat a salad and it took so long to just eat a piece of cucumber, the utter disgust and pain was clearly printed on my face.
So, what would you do? People say you have to sacrifice things when taking medication. I don’t even know if my normal consultant would want the crisis team consultant to re-start it like he suggested as yeah, i’ve been very non-compliant in the start. I know now though that I really do need medication and I want it, I can’t cope with the physical symptoms of stress and eurgh, all of this crap. But what if they did give it to me and then I was faced with the weight gain again? It may seem like an easy answer, as it made such a significant difference but it really isn’t and I’m not being shallow. =[ I am so extremely confused and conflicted.
What are the experiences of people who continued with medication that induced a lot of weight but continued with it? And others who stopped. Whats you’re thoughts/reasons...
This is such a tough topic for me, I’d value reading anyone’s opinion or experience!
Thanks if anyone managed to read all of that.
sticks and stones may break your bones but words can tear your heart out.
My first thought would be to say yes because the weight gain can be prevented and the constipation can be fixed with a healthy high fibre diet but that's not always the case.
I've always gone for the easy way out and chosen unhealthy foods that will cause weight gain and then used laxatives to ease the constipation. I'm on cymbalta currently and have chosen the laxative option to ease it for me.
Years ago I was on zyprexa and gained heaps of weight on it but was taken off it by the psychiatrist who put me on due to a tremor side effect. But like I said above there are healthier ways to ease the constipation and eating healthier foods rather than going for the fast/junk foods options that I'm guilty of.
I hope this helps because I think this reply kinda sucks and I didn't say it properly. At the end of the day I think people would say yes they would take the drug just so they stay well.
I'm leaning towards wanting to start it again. The crisis team consultant said that he would introduce it slower and help with the constipation. It was a severe problem, i was eating figgs, plums extra water, I was taking senna and lactulose and I still couldn't go. Of course, I want to be well, so extremely much, maybe its confusing for people to read this but I can't cope with the weight. I'm scared. I put on stones and none of my clothes fit me. I don't even know what is going to happen now and if its even an option in my regular consultants opinion due to my non-compliance, he was scared this would happen. Blah. The gp said to me, the day after I left hospital about how bad my weight was, that it would continue going up and that I was at risk for diabetes, he didn't even listen when I said I had been in hospital for so long. See, I want to take it as I know how much it helps, but when in the situation of being constipated and seeing my weight increase, those thoughts of negativity relating to weight take over.
Thank you for your reply. It has helped that someone has read this, I was worried I would get rude responses if people think its stupid of me to write this.
sticks and stones may break your bones but words can tear your heart out.
I agree with what has been said above and with what you seem to be leaning towards. I do understand how upsetting the side effects can be but it sounds like without the clozapine your life has been pretty severly affected by mental health problems. Obviously it's up to you to decide whether the pros outweight the cons but from what you have written it sounds like they do.
I would say however to discuss it with your care team so that they can support you with it. They can probably get you some help with both the constipation and weight gain. Like has been said high fibre will help and there are things like stool softeners etc (I know it means more meds but probably worth it). Also there are lots of people you can be put in touch with to help manage weight - diet plans, gym memberships etc and they should understand the impact of medications.
The other thing is that psychiatric meds can be so complicated (as I'm sure you know) but your psychiatrist might be able to find way to minimise the dose of clozapine you need to help reduce the side effects.
I hope a good balance can be found for you!
xxx
Always seem to get things just that little bit wrong.
"don't wish, don't start, wishing only wounds the heart"
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
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
I agree with the above. Perhaps it's best to see a deititian before stopping the Clozapine if it really helps you that much. But I can understand from personal experience such side effects can be really distressing.
I have my meeting today and I'm feeling scared. Woke up too early and I threw up =[ maybe from anxiety? Just a barrage of negative thoughts now and it's making me cry. Have been trying so hard to keep making positive steps, even if its just taking my dog out or cleaning up but all my efforts feel pathetic. Would love to hibernate for a while. Why does it feel so damn hard and draining just to do 'mundane' things! Worried regular consultant will say no to re-starting the clozapine due to me impulsively stopping it last week (if you miss 3 consecutive doses they have to re-titrate it again which takes 2 weeks) Will be happy when today is other and I can get back under my covers.
Thank you for people understand the conflict that is attached to all of this. My GP gave me senna and lactulose but I didn't realise I was to take it everyday. It got so bad at one point I could barely walk to the GPs I was in so much pain!
Just to explain: I stopped it around a week ago during the time they were increasing it because I was stressed with the effects. Have had a difficult week which is proof I shouldn't have stopped it. Have been referred back to my normal consultant to discuss what we will do and will go back to the crisis team if I go on it.
sticks and stones may break your bones but words can tear your heart out.
i would take the pills cause i'm already pretty large ^^ and plus i know how to take care of myself when i'm constipated, which is not convenient. if i was sure it would make me 90% better i would do it. i mean, if you felt better and less depressed you can better handle it. i would rather be happy and constipated than depressed and have good bowel movements. i don't think constipation and weight gain would make me feel so terrible and hellish as i often feel, but that's just me
- Judge someone not by how they treat their equals but by how they treat their inferiors. -
- Light a man a fire, warm him for a day. Light a man on fire, warm him for the rest of his life. -
Warum schreist du nicht? Warum verschenkst du dich? Warum qualst du dich? Wenn der Regnet fellt weist du es.
Well, I wasn't heard due to extreme miscommunication and he didn't feel confident prescribing it. I didn't say I wasn't going to take it, I tried to tell him I was worried about how they would start it - in hospital or with the crisis team and how that affects my heart. Intimidating having two men sit across you staring when you're heart is pounding. Probably my fault anyway as I was silent most of the time, just can't talk to him. Went a bit hysterical last night, well very. Anyway, I will try his plan until next April/May when I am transferred to my in-patient consultant and if needed, discuss the clozapine then. At least I know there is something out there that helps and I will be happy when he leaves in two months time and I get my normal consultant back who knows me, not just from briefly flicking through notes.
sticks and stones may break your bones but words can tear your heart out.
In my opinion i would take it. I already suffer with extreme constipation anyway and i am on tablets that could make me more constipated. But i try and drink lots of water and lots of fibre but ive found that a little bit of junk food helps aswell.I also take fibregel was gives extra firbe. Ive also found that excerise helps alot even if that doesnt make you loose weight which it didnt with me it made me stay the same. And your doctor could help you with a food plan that will help with your weight gain and constipation.
I feel that if tablets are going to make you better then its worth take but i also know that when your in great pain with constipation you cant cope with the tablets. but you gotta try and stay stress free aswell because that won't help.
You said you had noticed a 'bad week' since you stopped taking the clozapine. I was wondering if he had suggested anything else? What have you/your team come up to help you deal with how you are doing at the moment?
He was weary of prescribing it in case I stopped it. I started Olanzapine again last night. I guess in a way that is the best thing at the moment, the clozapine requires weekly blood tests and starting it is quite difficult and the last thing I need at the moment is to start something and for whatever reason again, stop it. The support staff will 'look after' my olanzapine for me. I think it's because chirstmas, then new years shortly followed by my birthday are shortly arriving and thats always a difficult time for me. My therapist said about going back to 3 sessions a week so I am going to discuss that with people this week and maybe start that again in the new year. I really don't know why I had such a bad night on monday, it was scary that I was like that. I spoke to the crisis team last night and they said they were concerned and will always be there to help, I thought it was best to go through with being discharged from them. Things will be ok, I have a lot of insight and am communicating with all the professionals, people know I am having a tough time, just have to pick myself up and keeping trying continue with the little steps I was making before.
Thanks everyone for reading and replying to my thread, the support and in put has been helpful. The clozapine is there if things start to slip too much.
sticks and stones may break your bones but words can tear your heart out.
