Help! Please!

I am really freaking out. Big time! I gained this 8 lbs between my birthday at the end of October and then all the holidays. I didn't think it would be much trouble to take it off.

However, I am concluding that my metabolism has slowed down. I have been very good about drinking protein shakes for breakfast and lunch and a low carb dinner, some sort of meat and veggies. I've been doing very well With my exercise and  I gained 2 more lbs!

Is is possible for medication to change your metabolism? I started taking Ambein because I just can't take life with no sleep any longer. That's the only thing I can think of that's different. There should be no reason in the world for me to have gained those last 2 lbs. I remember when I went on a cruise and gained weight and as soon as I went back to my regular  eating habits, it fell right off again.

Another problem is my dr. retired and so I am without a dr. until March. I probably need to have my thyroid checked. I had it checked not that long ago, but that was before I started gaining weight without enjoying goodies first.

Please advise which blood tests I need to ask for . I'd like to be  more specific besides "I need my thyroid checked" when I finally get to see a dr. 

Oh and one more thing, I can't remember how to get into my signiture . I guess I need to change my ticker :~(  Can someone please direct me how to do that?

thank you VSG friends!

This must be discouraging and I know you have been having issues with feeling hungry. not a pleasant situation and i'm not sure how to advise. what frisco was saying about putting the brakes on your digestive process by having the raw vegetable snacks makes sense. And I hope you are journaling all your food so you have a true picture of what you are eating. I know i forget if I don't do it twice a day. And reach for the protein something when hungry.

Regarding the thyroid, an endocrinologist has more refined and sensitive tests than your family doctor has. I had low thyroid many years ago and maybe 10 years ago saw an endocrinologist at a university teaching hospital for detailed tests. they came out normal. you might check into that if you think its thyroid. its common. might have to get a new main to get a referral. I am on my third one in three years as two left the office practice in our rural area. Hopefully I have one for the long term now.

Anyway i don't know what thyroid tests you would ask for but my favorite site for medical info is www.mayoclinic.org. they have pretty good information. might see what they say about diagnosing thyroid issues. I have a very slow metabolism which was determined by a resting metabolic rate test at a sort of health test place that caters to body builders. resting rate - like if  i sleep all day - is 936 calories to maintain. I got this test at a place called Fitness Wave but I am told that lots of health clubs and college athletic places have the machine. cost about $50. might be worth checking into.

CAn't help you with the ticker - i am computer idiot and can't remember how i did mine. But i sure hope you can get the tests you want and information you need. And I might mention my surgeon says its very normal to regain 10 to 15 1bs after a couple of years and not to get too concerned about it. don't know what your bmi is but if its still acceptable, you might just concentrate on healthy habits.

let us know what you find out.

diane

I don't have a lot of advice, but would love to give you a big hug.  How discouraging to be gaining without an explanation I had that problem in mid-December.  Never figured out why, but went up 6 pounds in 2 weeks without changing anything & then whoosh, down 7.

Other than thyroid, what is your sodium intake like? Do you think sodium could be a culprit? 

Until you can gtet your thyroid checked, definitely journal what you are eating and the times.  It might help you figure out what is going on.  You will get through this!

I was looking and it is possible to gain weight from the Ambien.  Sometimes people eat at night and do not know it.  Drugs can cause weight gain, not sure about Ambien, but would suggest you talk to the pharmacist. 

To help sleep I used some herbal stuff call Calmicin,  it is Valarian and some lemon Balm extract.    Also Magnesium Citrate can help relax you.   Are you on an antidepressant, or fibromyalgia med?  those can cause weight gain also, in addition to steroids and a host of others.  My Endoctronolgist had a list of drugs that cause weight gain, maybe your doc has one.

edited to add:  One of my friends gained alot when she started taking Lyrica.... check all your meds.

I don't have access to an endocrinologist. I live in the middle of nowhere and the doctor situation here is ridiculous. We don't even have a cardiologist. It's very hard to get a doctor around here.

I know about people eating and not having a memory of it after taking Ambien. Luckily for me, I take it and get in bed and wake up in the same position in about 5 hours. So much for "you must be able to spend 8 hours in bed to take this medication." And I did have a resting metobolic test taken when I had the band. My band doctor does that automatically. My resting rate is low .It's 1200 calories.

I am not on an antidepressant or any other medication like that.

One thing I do remember was when  I tried getting off my protonix, I lost a few lbs. I went under 130 for awhile which seemed really odd to me because I wasn'****ching what I was eating all that carefully. I finally gave up and started the protonix every other day when I couldn't stand the heartburn any longer. I am going to stop it again and see what happens.

Lucky for me, I don't fight hunger. The sleeve is still working well and it's not a big deal for me
to just drink the protein drinks and not feel hunger in between meals. I fight head hunger in the evenings, but I've been drinking herbal tea or having 5 almonds and not been snacking. I have been determined to take the weight I gained off and that's why this is so maddening.

Next week I am going to up my cardio. I am not buying new pants!

Yes, Ambien has a side effect of weight gain and it is not just due to sleep eating. May I suggest that you look at taking Valerian Root to help you sleep instead? I've had great success with it.

Another thought regarding the ambien - it used to make me hungry i think, i took it nightly for many years as i had lifelong insomnia. sometimes i woudl get up and eat crackers and peanut butter - i was fully aware that i did this; it was not unconscious sleep eating. but since you take that pill on an empty stomach it may make you feel hungry. I got to the point where the ambien wasn't working very well for me and i tried another prescription sleep aid that didn't work either. my problem was that in the evening i would get racing thoughts and feel really wired and my mind would just be so busy and i couldn't stop it even if i was physically very tired. This was a lifelong thing. I finally asked my doctor about an antianxiety med i had taken years ago and she suggested an alternative which is cholmazipan which is a generic - maybe for klonipin. Its a vallium related drug with multiple purposes but it has helped me tremendously. I can now read and get drowsy and fall asleep without ambien 90% of the time. Anyway, I don't know what your sleep issues are but this helped me and i fear ambien has some appetitie impact even if you know you are not sleep eating. gl . Diane

I too used Ambien but my surgeon took it away from me.  I still had some and in the past year used it when on vacation or those occasional evenings when it's 1am, I'm wide awake and need to wake up by 6am for work.

A product that a friend turned me on to several years ago is Elavil.  It won't put me to sleep but once asleep it puts me back to sleep if I wake up in the night.  at 100 mg, it's an anti-depressant.  At 15-25 mg it's a sleep aid.  My tablets are 10 mg and I cut it into quarters.  One quarter will have me going back to sleep for around 6 -7 hours which is perfect.  

Sassy, I'm sending hugs your way.  I know that this is really tough on you, eating well, exercising and having difficulty getting these pounds back off!

I've taken elavil before and it makes me crave sugar all day long the next day after I take it..

I don't know why I would have weight gain from the Ambien. I have actually taken it for years, just more often lately.

I will ask the dr. about the other medication cholmazipan mentioned when I see her in March.

Valerian does make me sleepy but I still can't fall asleep.

Headed out to the gym to exercise my brains out and hopefully I'll drop a lb.

Elavil is used as a sleep aid, in lower doses as you mentioned, but it is widely known to contribute to weight gain and difficulty losing weight. This effect is more pronounced at higher doses, but I'm sure that some of this effect remains at the lower dosage. It is also used for chronic pain in doses of 10-50 mg/day and people have gained weight at these lower dosages. To be quite honest, I would not take elavil, if I was concerned about weight issues.. Trazodone might be a better option.