gaining weight

[jillc39]

does anyone else take pregaberlin and finding they are gaining weight. my tummy is huge, really getting bigger every day. my gp shrugged it off with, oh yes, it does, but that's just a side effect. ok for her, but I cant get into any of my skirts or trousers.

[fbirder]

I take gabapentin, which is very similar. I've been losing weight, but that's because of a major lifestyle change when I was diagnosed as diabetic.

[Gambit62 Administrator]

weight gain/fluid retention does seem to be an issue with gabapentin/neurontin/pregabalin.

moving to a low carb diet - which I presume is what @fbirder has done in relation to diabetes does seem to help prevent weight gain.

your GPs attitude is a bit irritating in terms of not being very patient orientated but it can often be a case of trying to offset one set of side effects against another set of side effects or the condition that you are trying to treat but really they should be talking through alternatives with you rather than just ushering you out of the door. May be that the dispensing pharmacist might be able to make some suggestions if you aren't getting anywhere with the GP.

[fbirder in reply to Gambit62]

moving to a low carb diet - which I presume is what @fbirder has done in relation to diabetes does seem to help prevent weight gain.

Gosh, no. I eschew all fad diets including the diet formally known as Atkins. As a physical scientist I'm a great believer in the law of conservation of energy - If I consume food that has more energy than I expend then that extra energy will be deposited as fat.

So I have a watch that measures how much energy I consume and an app that allows me to enter all the energy I consume. As long as the first is less than the second then I should continue to lose weight.

I agree with your opinion of jillc39 's doctor. To not offer any advice on how to combat the problems posed by the drugs they prescribe is atrocious. I can't believe that their practice doesn't offer advice.

[Gambit62 Administrator in reply to fbirder]

low carb - or at least avoiding carbs that are quick release - is a recommended strategy for diabetics - as is generally avoiding refined foods - which is where most of the quick release carbs come from. Porridge good, refined white bread bad, though that isn't actually about weight gain or loss but control of blood sugar levels.

[fbirder in reply to Gambit62]

Ah, yes. Knowing the glycemic index of the carbs you eat is a good idea. That's one reason I switched from toast and marmite to porrige for breakfast.

[TomAinger in reply to fbirder]

Dear fbirder,

I am afraid you are quite wrong about energy in/energy out and I don't believe in fad diets either. I CHANGED my diet two years ago and the change is miraculous. I would say that I eat more calories than I did before but have lost all my excess weight and feel much healthier about the state of my liver ad internal fat stores. I am not a scientist but do read avidly. I have learnt to ignore 'scientists' with vested interests in the food industry and 95% of all media reports on diet. Robert Lustig: Sugar: the bitter truth is totally convincing on youtube. I read a disturbingly good book recently by Prof John Yudkin: Pure, white and deadly. He suggested that sugar, and specifically fructose (1/2 of refined sugar) is a major cause of metabolic illness. Please take the time to read the latter and listen to the former.

[jillc39]

many thanks for all advice - I despair with my gp