Topimax and other weight loss drugs

[Guest]

Hi Dr. Garcia,
I've been on Apidex and Wellbutrin for about 2 months for weight loss under the care of a weight loss doctor. I want to start on Topiramate but am concerned about taking that along with the Apidex and Wellbutrin. I'm not sure I really want to discuss my reasons for taking Topiramate with the weight loss doctor. Do you think it's safe to take these drugs together?

[Guest]

Topimax and other weight loss drugs

Hi, KT.

I can't tell how many other elements of the program you have adopted or are considering. But I think if you make a flow sheet about these two issues they will resolve themselves. Since you are working with the diet doctor lets start there: Calories in should be less than calories out to lose weight and 3,500 calories equals a pound. Obviously, this is basic information and you are already aware of it. But how much alcohol do you drink a day? Is the alcohol the calorie problem? Are you depressed or are you taking the Wellbutrin to see if it can control food cravings? If you are not depressed and a significant number of calories come from alcohol, I would suggest you address the real problem of alcohol overuse.

I would also consider no longer taking the Adipex (anamphetamine-like medication) and just trying the My Way Out program. I wouldn't necessarily focus on trying to lose the weight, but rather take this time to learn more about good nutrition, exercise and the role stress plays in an individual's ability to lose weight.

I think with the titration of Topamax suggested in the My Way Program you may find the craving for alcohol goes away and you fill up fast when you eat. Adipex, like the amphetamine group from which it comes, shuts off all desire to eat. Topamax, on the other hand, lets you get hungry and eat but feel full quickly.

I recommend the nutrition book by Sally Fallon "Nourishing Traditions". Or visit the Weston A Price Foundation Website to get a start on healthy eating. It is at www.westonaprice.org.

Exercising at an aerobic range to burn fat also helps brain receptors release the good dopamine which gives you that sense of well being. I think I covered pulse training earlier to get the best effect. Try to avoid getting hungry, angry, lonely or tired when you are giving up alcohol.

Trust your body to be able to heal itself and take the least amount of medication as possible. Hope this helps!

(Also, I would find a primary provider to coordinate this.)

--Dr. Garcia

[Guest]

Topimax and other weight loss drugs

Thank you Dr. Garcia,
I appreciate all of your recommendations.

First off, I agree that giving up or cutting back my alcohol would certainly help with my weight loss but if it was as easy as that for me I wouldn't have found this web site.

I'm actually not that overweight, just heavier than I'd like to be. I've been following the My Way Out Program with respect to all of the vitamins, some of the hypnosis (still getting throught it) but not yet the Topamax. The reason I haven't tried the Topamax is that the book/program highly recommend that you consult a physician and so far my regular doctor was hesitat to prescribe it (at least when I asked her a few months ago). So I was going to try it on my own but concerned with combining it with Apidex.

I guess the bottom line is that I'd like to add Topamax to my program and am happy to drop the Apidex but am hesitant to do that without a doctor's direct guidance. Yet, I'm not sure where to find a doctor that supports this program...so do I just do it on my own?

I have had some success so far with MWO and I have had some success with my weight loss program. My struggle/concern/dilemma is how to combine or not combine the two in a safe manner.

I completely agree with your recommendations regarding exercise. I guess this could be considered an excuse but I'm a mother of two young children, 5&7, working a highly stressful full time job. I do not dislike exercise, in fact, I enjoy it. But time is a endless problem at this point in my life.

And finally, I'm sure that stress does not help in either of my struggles, alcohol or weight loss...however, I'm not quite sure how to eliminate stress from my life and these two factors(alcohol and weight) just add back the stres. What a vicious circle.

I'm probably overstepping my boundaries of your generous advise so feel free to ignore my babbling.


Thanks,
KT

[Guest]

Topimax and other weight loss drugs

hi!i'm in the uk and access to a lot of these drugs is impossible! i'm a single paent of 4, suffer depression for which i take 40mg prozac a day, i'm overweight by about52 lbs,an i drink!
trying to adress these problems but don't know where to start! if you have any advise please help! thanks.jenny.

[Guest]

Topimax and other weight loss drugs

Hi.

It sounds like many you have a very full plate. I never recommend using medications with out your doctor's input. Did you ask your primary caretaker about Campral or Naltrexone? Although the program mentions Topamax, the other medications are approved by the FDA for treatment of alcohol dependence. If your primary has never heard of these medications, provide him or her with the Wall Street Journal article from 8/23/05 and ask about discussing a treatment program using one of the craving blocking medications. If there is still reluctance, ask for a referral to a doctor who is comfortable with the medical treatment of alcohol dependence.

Regarding exercise: a little bit goes a long way. Do you watch TV with the kids? If you do, at the commercials take the opportunity to get up and exercise for the duration of the commercial. Aerobic stepping in front of the TV, squats with weights and power abdominal crunches (I like to call these "dying cockroaches" because these are a great pilates all-in-one abdominal move that also gets your heart rate up.) At work do you have the opportunity to walk stairs? It's amazing if you simply pretend there are no elevators available how much exercise you can work into your daily routine. Stairs do get easier, then you can lunge up two at a time for an extra butt burner.

I hope these suggestions help you get the alcohol and all of the baggage associated with it with it out of your life. Thanks for being part of MWO program.

--Dr. Garcia