Rash on lamictal. afraid of weight gain on other meds

So I was just diagnosed as bipolar 2 last week by my psychiatrist. He put me on lamictal and by day two I noticed some red bumps on my arm. I called him today and he told me i need to stop it obviously. I'm currently taking 20mg celexa, klonopin as needed for anxiety, 100mg of topamax, and 7.5 mg of dexedrine daily for adhd symptoms. He wants me to get off of the topamax because he feels like it isn't the best at stabilizing mood. I had been on it before, but I noticed i wasn't stabilized until about 250mg. Anyway I know he's going to want to try me on other meds, but I'm so afraid of weight gain. I already have issues with food cravings and wanting to eat a lot... luckily the topamax and dexedrine help that. I exercise a lot and eat well to maintain my body and I don't want something just putting on weight despite that. I think that would make me more depressed. Now I know you're going to say something like that's the price to pay for being stable.... Well the thing is I'm an exotic dancer, starting to get into modeling, and am a dj(all of which being attractive and fit is important). This is my livelyhood and I can't have a medication making me fat. I know a lot has to do with your chemistry and I also know that i tend to eat more and not give a crap when I'm depressed. I don't want to have to starve myself and go to the gym for hours just to keep myself from gaining weight on this crap. Has anyone had any good experiences with anything other than lamictal? Do you think having topamax and adding something else at a low dose would be just as effective without the weight gain? Blahhhhh.

Anybody????

Hi

First thing is I realise it can be disconcerting when no one replies but guests also read the posts and cant reply which is the reason for a high post count compared to number of replies.

Anyhow- unfortunately there is variation between ppl with weight gain and meds. I gained a lot, some of which I still have but am now on a combo that is weight neutral for me - mine is lithium, lamotrigine, aripiprazole and sertraline. You cant have the lamotrigine because of rash but the lithium and aripiprazole are both mood stabilisers. I am by no means saying these will be suitable for you but they are names you could ask about. I think that in the end this is a conversation you will need to have with your Dr. I know the weight gain is really tough and I can understand you not wanting it esp in light of your career. Explain all that to them and tell them it is important that weight gain is not an issue. Remember you can also stop things with your Drs advice if they cause weight gain and try something else. There is a lot of trial and error with all of this.

Best wishes

Cracked

Thanks for your reply Cracked.

I guess there are a lot of factors when it comes to weight gain with these kinds of meds. I've taken all kinds of anti-depressants and never really gained weight...though it's hard to tell because at the time I didn't have the best habits. I tend to eat when I'm depressed as well, so when I'm happier I lose weight as I use exercise as a stress reliever. I know most people tend to not eat when they're depressed. Also i guess it would also depend on the other medications you are taking along with the mood stabilizer. I want to change from the celexa to wellbutrin at some point since i noticed a big difference in mood on that. The reason i didn't switch is because I still had anxiety....well honestly, I still had anxiety on celexa but I got over my panic driving just through my own mind and willpower. The constant fluttering has still been there though. That's what the klonopin is for. I figure if I'm taking things that are known to cause weight loss/weight neutral maybe adding a mood stabilizer that is iffy would be ok. When I am mentally stable I eat very well...lots of protein and veggies and I exercise regularly. Honestly my job itself keeps me from getting fat. I just get scared when I hear about people not making any lifestyle changes and putting on 20 lbs. I've heard good things about abilify...a friend of a friend swore by this med. I'm just thinking if I stay on a bit of the topamax and add something else maybe they'll help eachother in strength and keep the weight gain at bay.

Yeah it can be a real nightmare figuring out and juggling meds. It can take time to get sorted so be patient and be prepared to try more than one type of med.

I hope that you find some things that work for you.

Cracked

There is a risk with any medication that you could gain weight. However just because weight gain is a side effect it dose not mean you will get that side effect.

A lot of people gain on quietapine but I lost weight since being on it. I was on aripiprzol once and that also didn't make me gain weight, although it did make me very sick and dizzy.
I know people who are on lithium and they have not gained weight.

My advice would be give other medications a try and if you find they make you start to gain aproch your dr about trying something else.