how do I lose weight on seroquel?

I don't think that there are any tricks.  I know that some people have increased appetite and some have slowed metabolism.  I think exercise is key to compensate for some of that.

I want to apologize for my previous response.  I did not realize that there was more to your question and that you do not have time for exercise.  I don't have other suggestions but probably would have refrained from commenting if I realized my comment would not be helpful.  Sorry.

I also experienced weight gain on seroquel.  I gained 20 pounds in 3 months.  I only take 100mg at bedtime.  I went to a doctor that specializes in weight loss.  I am doing a diet that is only 800 calories a day and on a prescription apetite suppressent.  I am not losing.  My weight is stuck!  I am 5'8.  I went from 155 to 175.  The scale will not budge.  I am questioning if the seroquel is preventing me from weight loss.   I am going to see my doctor next week and hopefully get to the bottom of this.  It is very frustrating.  I am thinking of stopping the seroquel.  However, I sleep great on this and that is why I take it.  It is a toss up sleep or look good.  Tough one!  Good luck!

kkclark and the rest, I too am on seroquel and know the battle.  I take mine at 9-10pm before bedtime at 300mgs.  I get that starving to death feeling kind of hunger that is very addicting that drives me to the refrigerator or a snack if I have one.  Sometimes it is almost like binge eating for me.  I cannot resist! 

I do know if you can tolerate Topamax there is a good solution.  Tompamax sort of levels things out and decreases hunger.  I cannot take topamax due to hairloss but when I was on it I just remember with the seroquel it worked wonderful. 

I am like everyone here and agree seroquel is a good medication for bipolar.  I think better than lithium by far.  It doesn't have many side effects like most.  I am afraid of diabetes with antipsychotics.  I am frustrated with this weightgain and on the walking track all the time.

Now that I have a hurt knee.......I am afraid of really gaining the weight.  Keep on moving while on seroquel or you will extra extra swell. :) one of my favorite little rhymes.  I know quite some people that say seroquel doesn't make them hungry at all.

Another thing you might try is don't buy the food and put it in your house.  That is one way you won't eat it.  If you do buy food like snacks make it healthy.

I am getting depressed over this weightgain so that is just another mental problem.  I am 5'4 and weigh 180. I was weighing 167 a year ago.  It is very hard to lose.

(Best Wishes to you All)

Susan

I have been trying to lose weight for months!  I have great news!  The last two weeks I have lost 8lbs.  I am 5'8 and started at 180.  I am now down to 172.  I drank slimfast for breakfast and lunch.  I would eat a weight watchers meal and veggies for dinner.  I even had a treat once in awhile.  I would have a skinny cow icecream or WW ice cream bar.  I have done so many diets.  I tried the no carb for a  month and only lost 2 pounds.  The biggest thing is I worked out hard for the past two weeks.  I did an hour weight class(Power) three times a week.  I also did 40 minutes of cardio 4 times a week.  I am so excited that I am finally losing the weight.  I still take 100mg of seroquel at bedtime.  I go to my room and read.  I don't near the kitchen.  I will eat if I am looking around.  The serequel kicks in with the food cravings within a half hour!  It is crazy how hungry it makes you!  My advice take the medication right before you go to bed!  Good Luck!   Oh and I drank lots and lots of water!!!

I am bipolar and I have also tried taking Prozac, Depakote and those didn't work for me either. I am currently taking Seroquel, Lamictal, Wellbutrin and Topamax. Like you, I also had a problem with weight gain from the seroquel. I gained 10 pounds. My doctor suggested diet and exercize, but that wasn't enough. I was perscribed Topamax. Although the seroquel causes weight gain...which causes self-esteem issues for me, I refuse to go off of it, because it is amazing! I would suggest looking into Topamax. It didn't make me loose weight, but while excersizing, I lost those 10 pounds, and now I maintain my weight.

Topamax (Topiramate) works.  Plain and simple.  Your appetite will be dramatically reduced and you will be forced to lose weight, no matter what drug you are on.  I gained 30 pounds on Lexapro/Cipralex and am now down about 15, but still on an SSRI.  The weight gain was rapid at first for me, then it plateaued...then it kicked in again and has been steadily dropping at about a pound and a half a week.  It also helps to regulate mood, prevents migraine headaches and treats chronic pain with very few side effects. 

Nothing else works in my opinion.  Hope this helps.

Good luck

i am bipolar as well, and have taken seroquel for years.  i also gained and enormous amount of weight as soon as i went up over 200mg.  i tried EVERYTHING to get rid of the weight, and finally got some help this year.  the pounds are literally melting off now.  my doctor has me taking two fiber capsules   (over the counter) each morning and night.  i am also taking 1000mg of fish oil (also over the counter) 3 times per day.  that controls my appetite...even those late night seroquel binges.  for the weight loss, she put me on a diet called "the insulin resistance diet"  basically, i eat 5 SMALL meals each day, making sure i balance the carbs and the protein.  basically, for every gram of carbs i have to eat .5 grams of proteing everytime i eat.  and of course the basics, low fat or fat free everything.  it was a bit complicated at first...and took some life-style adjustments like packing my meals the night before.  but well worth it.  i gained 40 lbs, and now only have 7 lbs to go, in just a couple of months.

I echo the Topamax - it cancels out the Seroquel munchies/hunger.  I take 600mg Seroquel XR, 150mg Topamax, 400mg Lamictal and 75mg Zoloft.  Also get your thyroid checked while on Seroquel.  It mentions it in the prescribing info that it can mess with your thyroid levels.  I had normal thyroid levels before being on Seroquel(I do have hypothyroidism normally, but it was treated and I was at normal levels) once Seroquel was added my numbers pushed me to hypothyroidism, which could be part of the problem some people are having with a slowed metabolism.  Your TSH should be at or under 3.0 (and endocrinologist would know this, a family doctor most likely would not and woudl probably go off of lab standards which are not updated)  Anyways best of luck & I am sure it can be done! :-)

I have been going to weight watchers and that is working and really doing alot of walking.  I also have thyroid problems and this has really helped.

weight watchers works great for me.  I also have thyroid problems and I have found unfortunately exercising will also work

I am going through the same probelm. I have a history with bulimia, I was put on Seroquel a little over one year ago and have gone from 125 to 150 ish. I am also on Prozac, I just recently talked to my doctor and she told me that both medications will cause your matoblism to slow down. I am getting tappered off of the Prozac currently, and soon will get switched from Seroquel to another mood stabilizer.  Try talking to your doctor and seeing if there is anything else you could try, unless your content with the weight gain.

I am suffering the same consequence from seroquel. In addition, I also need over 9 hours of sleep at night.  It is a small price to pay for as terribly ill as I get from severe bi-polar, but it makes me feel disgusted with myself too.  I am going to check with my primary doc for some appetite suppressent.  I have heard terrible things about the side effects of topomax, that it is nick-named dopamax.  I am happy to hear that it is helping some of you, maybe I will try it now too.

I'm on Seroquel and Lithium. Now my doctors currently switching me on Abilify. I lost weight while being on Seroquel. The scale didn't go down because I was gaining muslce doing Tae Bo and running 4 miles. Now the scale is slowly going down. So now I've lost about 10 pounds. My usual weight was 130 and went to 156. Now I'm 147. It just takes time. But never give up exercising. But exercise is recommended. Just dieting won't do anything. You should try Tae Bo. Or go running early in the morning. I know it sucks but think about how good it is.

I May Have A Solution... I am also Bipolar, type 2 in particular. After twelve years of just barely keeping my head from falling apart i was prescribed seroquil for the second time in my life.  The first time i was perscribed 100 mgs and after a week i decided it just way over-zombified me, so i quit.  This time i was at the end of my rope and Lexapro alone just wasn't enough so i gave it another shot about a year ago, but this time i decided to split the pills in half.  Aha, the effect has been more than enough to keep moods managable, at least i feel quite a bit more in control that is.  You get a nice sleepy effect at night to deal with insomnia but it wont knock you out too hard. I have gained only ten pounds in the course of this year and his weight has been stabalized for a few months. It may help that i don't eat sweets or junk food, though i do eat carbs and meat.  I have done much research and beleive that doctors are unwittingly being talked into over perscribing these medications by the well trained drug company representative/salesman.  Fellow Bipolars unite to Be Carefull of what chemicals we allow to rearange our delicate brain chemistry. Research Research Research.