I had a 3 month follow-up with my primary care physician (PCP) today. It was really pointless. The first thing my doctor said to me was, “Do you know you’ve gained weight? You’ve gained 9 pounds since I’ve last seen you.” Obviously I’ve gained weight. I wanted to say to her, “No shit”, but instead I remained mostly calm but a bit snappy. I talked to her about it; it was not a conversation I wanted to have, but I didn’t really have a choice. She asked why I was gaining weight. First of all, that’s a stupid question. Then, I explained how I started gaining weight when I started taking Clozapine; I told her that weight gain is a side effect and I’ve been struggling with it for a while now. Anyway, I’m home now and trying not to eat over this. Thanks for letting me vent.
My Side of the Pole
I'm a 32 year old married woman who has been dealing with Bipolar disorder since the age of 14. This is all about my life, diagnoses, and treatments. If you have any questions, just ask me. I hope that others with Bipolar Disorder or PTSD can relate to my blog and find it helpful.
My Side of the Pole 
How frustrating! I can’t even believe she brought up your weight at all!
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I understand her bringing it up, but I don’t like how she talked about it with me. When I mentioned that my psych meds were causing weight gain, her response was as if what I said isn’t true. She had no compassion.
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My steroids cause weight gain but my therapist knows better than to bring it up. I mean, if your anxiety isn’t off the charts just going to your doctor to begin with, this would clench it for me. I hate sitting in the waiting room even!
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I understand and agree
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Don’t you just love doctors! When I complained of a shoulder ache, my doc said, “It’s hell getting old.” Well, thanks doc, I didn’t know that.
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Doctors really can be a pain in the ass.
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I hate the issue of weight when it comes to doctors. I remember having this overweight doctor tell me I needed to lose weight myself. I wanted to say, “And how long has it been since you stepped on a scale? My medicine causes me to gain weight, what’s your excuse?” But I didn’t. lol
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That made me smile. Thank you. I do understand the weight issue, but there needs to be a better way to talk about it. Doctors need to learn compassion and they also need to understand that there are side effects to our psych meds.
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Glad it made you smile. My doctors fuss about my weight, but they can use it as a “tool” to see if I’m really taking my meds. lol If I stop, my weight drops suddenly! When taking it, my weight holds steady regardless of what I do or don’t do.
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I refuse to be weighed by anyone – unless I am undergoing a medical procedure that my weight is vital information for. When they tell me to step on the scale, I am honest and tell them I have anorexia and it is triggering, so no I won’t. Most just say okay. A few have tried to make a fuss about it but these places have no understanding of my mental health and what affects me.
Believe me when I say I understand how this situation feels. Weight is a sensitive topic. I hope you can find a way to do something you enjoy instead of engaging in unhealthy habits.
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I do that with one of my doctors that I see every other week.
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she must be so stupid, doesnt she realise all psych meds have weight gain as a side effect? This isnt your fault! xxx
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