Mental Health Seroquel (quetiapine) and weight gain

[Eniigmatiic]

Last year in early February I was put on Seroquel (I don't remember the dose, but I wouldn't say it was a small dose) because I was extremely depressed and angry and went about a week without sleeping (that, mixed with a chain of other events and misunderstandings, and I had started to go psychotic).
I'm a short and small-boned person. I noticed maybe after the second or third week that I had put on weight. I gained fifteen pounds, and the irony of it is that most of my depression comes from discomfort with my body (I don't have an eating disorder, but I am definitely weight-conscious and insecure about my shape).

I finally went off of it in maybe early November. I lost about 5 pounds since, but maybe it was just because I started eating less junk, not sure.
I asked a psychiatrist and they said that the weight would drop now that I'm off of it. I've researched this online, and it seems that a lot of people do drop the weight, most start losing weight after a month of being off of it, but I noticed that someone said that the longer you are on it the harder it is to lose the weight.

I've never had a problem with overeating. I do love tasty food that's unhealthy or fattening though. But I eat healthy for the most part.
I've never been a fan of exercising, like at all.

A few days ago I started keeping a diet/exercise log. I'm trying to get myself to do two brisk 30-minute walks daily, and I'm eating like 700 calories a day at this point. I've cut all of my meals at least in half and everything is healthy now (and I hate it ha). I'm allowing myself any single treat once a month.

What should I do?
Do you have any experience with weight gain and weight loss on Seroquel/quetiapine?

 

[herbavore]

It sounds like you are doing the right things both for losing weight and feeling better in general (although isn't 700 calories a bit extreme?) I don't have any direct experience with this but it sounds to me like you will have to give it some time. Just make sure that you don't become overly obsessive about your looks--that is just as unhealthy IMO as eating a diet of junk.

 

[Trying2Iso]

to lose weight try drinking a lot of water.
hemp seeds are a good snack because they fill you up but don't make you fat so maybe try buying a bag, they sell them at Trader Joe's i know that
I ballooned 12 lbs in 1 month on Seroquel i know how fast it makes you gain weight it sucks

 

[SixBuckets]

Extreme calorie restriction is bad for your mental health and your metabolism. It's highly unlikely to lead to permanent weight loss, but it will cause permanent changes in your brain and body that make it easier for your body to store and retain fat. The Minnesota starvation experiment used what was considered to be a "starvation" diet of 1500 calories, and participants experienced depression, food obsession, and self harm. More recent studies have found a link between calorie restriction and changes to leptin processing in the brain. Leptin is the "hunger hormone" that tells you when to eat and when you feel full.

I really empathise with distress over body changes due to antipsychotics, but starving yourself isn't the way to fix it. Only you can decide if the alleviation of symptoms is worth the weight gain.

 

[fatstep]

I gained about 30lbs in 45 days and this was with eating 3 to 4 meals a day to maintain my metabolism and swimming and walking nearly everyday,,,now I just use it to sleep maybe once a week between 100 and 200mg per dose just depending of I'm stimulated or just wanna go to sleep, fuck that shit the weight gain is utterly ridiculous and in the end, just like you, it made me almost more depressed bc my body image with all the weight, its bullshit