Weight gain on methadone
Has weight gain been an issue for you on methadone?
Do you find your pant sizes increasing?
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| Methadone & Weight Gain |
When I first began methadone, I weighed a nice 130lbs, wore size 7/8 pants, I am 5'5" so I wasn't beyond skinny nor was I fat at all, even after being pregnant I went back to my normal weight. I had a flat stomach and I was in shape due to the nature of the job I held in the mining exploration industry.
From the time I started dosing, my first dose being 35mg, until my 3rd month, which by then I was at 90mg. well in that span I had gained a grand total of 70lbs and an additional 10 thereafter. So ya it makes you gain weight!
I remember going to the clinic and wearing my nice size 8 capri's and three months later the same ones would literally not even get up over my thighs. The frustration I had felt and the anger as I threw my capri's straight into the closet and pulled on some joggers to go get my drink (and obviously buy bigger clothes!:-()
I can understand the frustration someone with a food addiction would have or a thyroid disorder. It makes you feel horrible, your self-confidence and self-esteem plummet and you feel like you will never come out of it.
I had asked the doctor why I had gained so much in such a short amount of time, but of course he said it was because I am now healthy, eating better and no longer running around to get my high. Really? Who says I was running around and not driving?
I have to admit though that you do get ridiculous cravings for sweets, and would wrestle anyone to the ground just to satisfy it!
Tim Horton's loves me and I admittedly love their maple pecan danishes, before this it was sour cream glazed donuts! Mmm donuts (Drool:-P)
The amount of sweets I began eating was not enough to warrant a 70lb weight gain in that short span though and it was hard to take.
Methadone does slow down the metabolism, and if you aren't one of those lucky people who have a lightning fast metabolism to burn food off, then this dip in metabolism is likely to affect you greatly.
Now some of you may be saying "Hey I didn't gain a thing" and to that I would say "Rub it in why don't ya"
No I would ask what dose you are at and how far up you had gone?
Generally higher doses mean higher pant sizes!
If you are over 60-70mgs then you most likely will have gained weight, but if your dose is less than 60-70mgs you may not have experienced it. Currently I am on 104mg and still dropping until I have reached a range where I feel good and the pounds begin to melt away!
This occurs with a lot of other side effects one faces as well. Many are unsure as to why we gain weight or retain water, but from what I have read it seems that the hypothalamus may have something to do with it and other side effects as well.
The hypothalamus is responsible for certain metabolic processes and other activities of the autonomic nervous system.We will be speaking of the hypothalamus in future posts also when we speak of other side effects.
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| Hypothalamus |
So now, not only do I have to accept myself and the trauma that has occurred in my life, but now I have to learn to accept my new body, which at times, is extremely hard to accept. I love the fact I no longer have to be part of a life of active addiction, I no longer have to fear withdrawals, I can focus on work and my child while taking care of my emotional and mental health issues caused by many, many years of abuse. So I guess when it comes down to it, a little bit of weight gain is not such a big deal! Just some days it is!
So what can you do about reducing your waist line?
*You can begin by drinking more water
*Eating water based fruits/vegetables such as watermelon, grapes, celery, etc. These will also help a little with the sugar cravings,
*Try to slowly taper your dose down, if you find that you can't due to withdrawals at lower levels, then try to increase your exercise, by walking more, biking or other activities.I enjoy kickboxing.
So have you experienced weight gain at all from a medication? What were some ways you were able to drop your pant size? Please feel free to share any experiences you have had with us?
This is a little poem about being on the 'Done and how
my pant size has grown
my need for new skinny jeans has now been overthrown
I can hear the cries of my ever growing thighs
Getting off the couch requires many tries and
I hate what the plus-size tag Implies
-Chixx-
For articles on addiction, including methadone and weight gain:
I guess the really long comment I wrote never posted :( We both seem to be having that problem. I gained so much when I got on methadone, like 20 pounds in the first few months and then another 40 gradually over a couple years but I was also maturing and I was tiny and under fed before I got on meth. I lost 20 pounds since 2012 and now have found my stable weight between 160-165 pounds at 5'3. Although Im pretty sure it would be less then that if I wasnt on meth. Thankfully my dose was rarely over 60, its only now that Im pregnant that I went over because of withdrawals and it not lasting, plus I already had a split dose. Oh and I got weighted at the OBGYN office today and found out i gained like 8 pounds in a month. I was freaking out a little, but I know its normal. I was just surprised since I had only gained like 5 pounds in 5 months. So now in total since getting pregnant I've gained about 10-13 pounds and Im 26 weeks pregnant so I guess that's not too bad but I don't want to gain a massive amount either because I worked hard to lose those 20 pounds last year. I cut most sweets and cereal from my diet but now that I'm pregnant I allowed myself to fall back into that but no more lol I know its the meth giving me those cravings so I try to just eat candy instead when I just have to have sugar way less calories, my favs are fruit roll up or fruit by the foot lol. I also want to know why people on meth seem to have such a hard time with their teeth. I use to never have cavities or problems with my teeth but since being on meth Ive been plagued with one problem after another. Its literally driving me crazy I value my teeth so much and been spending ridiculous amounts at the dentist. The fear of having bad rotten teeth keeps me up at night.Wish I knew what to do about it. Love your post as always and if you ever want to guest post on my blog just let me know I would love to have you. Take Care and remember you look FABULOUS ;)
ReplyDeleteNo it didn't unfortunalety! It sounds like you can definetly understand the weight gain! Its hard to get this weight off. I read in alot of forums about this being a major problem with all on methadone, not so much men but the women for sure! You are right too about the sweet tooth because I have a major one, as well as stixx! Crazy sweet tooth!As for the teeth, i hear you on that and i will write a post on that too! Your teeth crumble like sand, drugs cause that too, but not so much as methadone! Having bad teeth affects your self esteem, i know because mine are bad from years of abuse, luckily the damage is more in the back but...still it affects you! Drink lots of water if you can to keep your mouth moist, it has a tendency to dry it out! Thanks as always chelsea for commenting! xo
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