Undiagnosed Weight Gain, Acne, Hair Loss, Constipation And Bloating
Jul 17, 2012
I'm 19 years old and for about the past 4 years I have been on a roller coaster with my body. When I was 16 I RANDOMLY gained 30 pounds (weighing 135 at that point) in a matter of 6-8 weeks unexplainably. During this time, my hair started falling out, I broke out horribly, I became constipated, and of course depressed. This continued for about a year. I was loosely diagnosed with PCOS by an endocrinologist, but was told by my gyno. shortly after that she was 99.9% sure I did not have it (I did not have any cysts on my ovaries). I was put on birth control and spironolactone (a diuretic that helps with acne and hairloss) and within the span of about a year everything VERY SLOWLY mellowed out. I was told by many doctors that this was probably just puberty and that I was paying attention to what I was eating or that I was stressed, etc. Needless to say, I was working out like crazy and counting EVERY SINGLE MORSEL that touched my lips. The only thing I was stressed about was whatever the **** was going on with my body. I am not very high-strung and I rarely get stressed out. Every doctor acted as if I were making this up or overreacting.
By the end of my senior year, 2 years after all of this nonsense began, it was as if EVERY SINGLE SYMPTOM disappeared. Like night and day. I returned to my normal weight of 105, had NO breakouts, no hair loss, not the slightest bit of constipation or any depression, etc. It was the strangest thing and no one could figure it out. I could eat whatever I wanted and not exercise a bit and I stayed the same weight. No stomach pains or bloating at all. However, in my second semester of college I was thrown another curve ball...it started happening again!! I gained 24 lbs in 5 weeks with no explanation...breakouts began over night, as well as the constipation, etc. About 6 weeks ago I was put on Metformin, but have really had no luck with it. I've lost maybe 3 pounds since being on it...but I've been very active and had no appetite whatsoever, so I'm not sure if it's even helping. 3 lbs means nothing when you can gain it back as easily as I do. I recently have been experiencing slight memory loss and just foggy thoughts I feel like. I can eat 5 crackers, or a salad and feel as if I just ate 10 cheeseburgers and fries. It is crazyyyy. I can find no correlations between lactose, gluten, or any foods to any of this going on.
I have been checked for hypothyroidism, cushing's, vitamin D deficiency, insulin resistance, had ultrasounds done, and numerous other things. All of my levels are not fine, but PERFECT. So once again no one can help me. I have recently read about iodine deficiencies, bacterias/fungus in the stomach, ovarian tumors/cysts, liver dysfunction, and LEAKY GUT! For me, the leaky gut hit the nail on the head as far as ALL of my symptoms go. I'm going to go back to the GI and see if any of these things could be the source of my problem. I just don't understand it coming and going like night and day though. Definitely read up on leaky gut and these other illnesses i've mentioned...they sound a lot like the things y'all have been mentioning, as well.
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I am a 25 year old female and I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's Disease probably around 2012 or so. I take 75MCG every morning and I do blood tests about once or twice a year to make sure my levels are stable. What I need help with are symptoms. My boyfriend has been very supportive, he was the reason I went to get the initial blood test because he said my symptoms reminded him of Graves Disease and it worried him. Well, I went to the doctor and got the tests done and he told me I had Hashimotos. Since then, my boyfriend has told me that he hasn't seen any improvement in my symptoms, in fact he thinks they've gotten worse. I have looked at a lot of different lists of symptoms that people with Hashimoto's Disease can experience and I experience a lot of them. I'll list the ones I experience the most and a little bit of a description to each so maybe someone can help me with what I need to do to feel better because honestly it makes me miserable.
-Hair Loss - Every time I brush or wash my hair there is always tons of hair in the brush or tub. It's everywhere all the time, I shed like the cats.
- Depression - I don't know if it is actually depression, but a lot of the time I feel like I'm just not good enough to be around anyone. I'll find myself crying at ridiculous moments with absolutely no reason for it. I also find myself thinking that people I know (and can acknowledge even when I'm feeling this way) love and care for me, and yet I still think they don't care about me and will abandon me at the drop of the hat, which breaks me down mentally.
- Stress - This is probably one of my worst symptoms. I am always stressed out about something, even ridiculous things that shouldn't be stressing me out. One of the biggest things I stress about is what I mentioned with the depression. I feel like my friends and loved ones are going to abandon me at any minute, which scares me and results in me lashing out at them in ways that if I can't control it soon enough may result in them actually leaving, which terrifies me and just puts me into a never ending loop of stress and depression.
- Anger - I can't seem to rationalize other people's behaviors. Completely normal behaviors that don't normally bother me result in me lashing out and screaming at people and saying things that I don't mean to say.
- Memory Loss - This is a really bad symptom. I forget things very quickly. If I don't actively keep it in my mind, I won't remember it. A perfect example, when I was still in college I was walking through town with some people and when we were going back to the dorms I made a comment about a truck I saw. I used to see it all the time and hadn't seen it in a while so I made the comment. The people I was with looked at me really confused and just flatly stated "You said the exact same thing when we walked by it on the way out" and I honestly don't remember seeing it at any point that day. In fact I didn't remember seeing it for around 5 months, and yet they claimed that I made the exact same comment I just had, earlier that day. It really messes with my head when people tell me that I did or said something and I can't remember doing it to save my life.
- Weight - Before I started taking synthroid I weighed 110 lbs, after I started taking it I gained like 30 lbs and I can't lose it. I'm stuck between 135 and 140 (I'm about 5'6" tall)
- Headaches - I get headaches on a daily basis. Sometimes they're really bad but generally they're just a slight discomfort in my frontal lobe area.
- Sleep - It takes me forever to fall asleep and even when I do I can't stay asleep and then I feel exhausted all day when I wake up, as if I never slept at all.
Another thing I've noticed and that is that sometimes I feel like I can't swallow properly, I always feel like I have to yawn to get a lung full of oxygen, and my nails curl downward along the curve of the tip of my fingers on like 3/5 fingers.
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I m 19. I m the type of person well I used to be the type of person who would wake up with the biggest smile at 2am... But recently since the past few months it feels like everything s changed. I find it so hard to go to sleep - I be tossing and turning in bed till 1-2am, and I find it hard to wake at 10am (I honestly have never been able to sleep later than 10am) but recently I ve actually had to force myself out of bed, coz I feel that tired. I feel really less motivated recently too, it feels like I'm going to get nowhere in life even though I'm working really hard with everything I want to succeed in; whether it's my education, whether it's losing weight etc.
I ve been feeling kinda down, sad and lonely lately too. It just feels like I've got no one - I m all alone. I m a very cheerful person and I never felt like this before. I do not have any siblings, I ve got loads of relatives/cousins but I barely get to meet them/talk to them. I feel lonely... Feels like I've got no one.
I suffer from PCOS which makes things worse - like all the excessive hair growth, weight gain, acne etc. It feels like I can't cope with it anymore. I just fake a smile. I cry within.
I just don't know what's wrong with me. I told my mum once and she just started laughing and say you ll be fine, but she doesn't know how I feel! Like I can t explain how it feels, I can t explain it to myself either. I feel lost. Completely lost.
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My husband and I just started back earlier this week trying to lose weight. I am currently at my heaviest that I have ever been 225lbs. I have omitted soda and alcohol from my diet. I have also been drinking so much water that I feel like I am going to float away! My stomach is larger now than when I began. Is there anything that I can do to get rid of the bloating? Or just do I need to keep on the same path?
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I have been experiencing hair loss for the past 3 months and im not sure why. A couple pf months before i started losing hair i was on doxycycline 50mg twice a day for about two months as well as metformin for pcos. I also had my hair chemically straightened with bio ionic retex system. Although i have had the smoothing treatment before and never experienced any hair loss. I have stopped both medications and no longer blow dry or straighten myhair as i used to do it everyday. Even three months after stopping meds my hair continues to fall although it seems to have lessened somewhat. I have lost more than half of my hair which used me so thick long and curly. I went two different derms. First one checked iron, thyroid, lupus, and testostrone levels and everything came back normal. The first derm denied it could be the doxycycline however second derm said it probably was the doxycycline as she has had patients on doxy experience hair loss but assured me it would grow back. She told me to come back in three months but im so worried about it constantly and dont want to go bald. Most of hair loss seems to be on the back of head near neck/nape area and front, my part is also thinning. I dont think its the pcos because i have had that for over 5 years and never experienced hair loss or thinning before plus i heard that is supppsed to begradual mine has been all of a sudden.
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1) Weight Loss- I put Nuvaring in 3 weeks ago & 5 days ago I took it out so that i could get my period (&did) but within this 5 days i have lost 6 pounds. I am 19 years old & weighed 112 but weigh 106 as of today. It is not that I feel disgustingly full, I just don't have any interest in food & when i do try to eat it is almost as if i get sick of eating, if that makes any sense?
2) Acne- I am drastically breaking out on my hairling & chest.
3) Mood Swings- I have extreme highs & lows in my mood to the point where find myself crying for little to no reason at all but then I am over the top loving & happy.
I am just wondering if these side effects are normal to all birth controls or if I should considering switching to a new one
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For the last 30 days I have been extremely sick and in and out of the ER, the GI doctor, as well as my Primary Care Physician.
I have dropped 27lbs so far, without being able to keep little to no food down. Right upper abdomen quadrant pain is constant and sharp, fevers and chills on and off, lack of appetite, burping, indigestion, gas, and so on, and it has gotten to the point that I get dizzy very easily and also extremely tired no matter how much sleep I get.
My doctor put me on an IBS medication though I am not having any trouble with constipation. He asked me to perform tests "Try consuming things like: beer, cheese, peanut butter, milk. If it causes you pain then call and leave a telephone consult and I will get back with you" Beer test- it went alright other than the immense amount of pain it put me in, woke up after just deciding to go to bed, vomiting up with tiny chunks of blood. Cheese, cant eat it without pain, same with peanut butter and milk.
I have tried a very bland diet but nothing seems to stay completely down, I may get a small part of it digested but that is about it everything else comes up.
I have tried coffee, cant have that anymore because I cant drink it without creamer. I am already under a vegetarian diet for the last three years, but it is no use.
I have had a HIDA scan but the doctors said "You're gallbladder is at 60%. There is nothing wrong with you." X-ray, ct-scan, and ultrasound all came back with the same result. Of course, this coming from military doctors, so it isn't like the civilian world.
I have been going back and forth between the doctors for this last month, and I go through this nearly every year, two to four times each year, but this one is extremely long lasting and extremely painful. So painful that I start seeing spots and get very faint thus having to lay down. They gave me stuff for GERD as I already was in speech therapy two years ago because my Larynx closed up on me for a PT test, they accumulated it due to indigestion (something I do not ever get).
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I am 32 female and I am suffering depression for a long time on and off. last 2 months due to medical problems my low mood became permanent depression. Today I saw psychiatrist and she suggested taking sertraline 50mg. she said its my choice as she can't force me.
My main worry is Weight, as I have/had eating disorder I control my eating to stay slim. I am not under weight at all. (in fact in last 2 months I put a bit of weight but scared to weight myself)
I am not such a person that depression caused weight loss, or lack of appetite.
I want to know does sertraline cause weight gain or weight loss. She said any time I can stop it and I am due to see her next month. I know it takes 2-6 weeks to see the benefit.
Please give me your experience especially those who are slim before starting the medication. Did you lost weight or gain?
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I take adderall for adult add i started taking it approx august 2011 while going to school and took it throughout the fall, spring, and also summer 2012 semester. When i first started taking it i noticed a rapid weight loss which is a side effect of the drug and i wanted to lose a few pounds so it was not only helping me concentrate but also helped me lose weight. I do however work out too as i am a very active person, but after taking the medicine for a few months i noticed that i gained all of the weight i lost back if not more and i'm really upset about it. my starting weight was between 150/155 im a 28 year old female im 5'5 with a medium frame. I stopped taking it this past june after my summer class which ended june 28 2012 due to the expensive price of even the generic brand "ampheta" which is what i take, not to mention to see the psychiatrist every few months for medication follow up its around 200$ a visit because my insurance will not cover it so i stopped taking it to save the money until i start classes back up again this august. i was only taking 1 of the 2 doses of the 20 mg a day that are instructed on my script because my classes were so close together. i spoke to my doctor about it and he said 1 pill a day is ok, im pretty sure im on the 20 mg generic adderall xr. here is the question that i have, as i am active i do have a crappy diet which does not help matters, but i am trying to improve my diet. once i start taking the adderall this upcoming august will i have the same side effect of weight loss or does that normally only happen the first time you take it? when i was a kid i took ritalin and when i started adderall in august 2011 my weight dropped to 139.5 which is the lowest i had been since high school. a comfortable weight for me would be between 135 and 145 but i don't want to look sickly thin as i am 5'5, 28 years old 29 in december and medium frame/average build. will the weight come back off once i start taking the med again? please help! i do exercise and im trying to change my appetite but im so upset that i gained it all back.
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I started Mirtazapine (Remeron) a couple months ago. I was on Zyprexa before that. I read about weight gain people had on Zyprexa and asked my psychiatrist to look for an alternative. He prescribed me Remeron, and after I asked if there would be any weight gain he said no. I took his word for it, since we have had a really good connection for the past 10 years.
However, I noticed my appetite increased, and kept increasing with each increased dose. I've been trying to lose weight for the past 5/6 months since getting out of treatment. I didn't feel like I needed to look research much of Remeron since my I put my trust in my psychiatrist as I always do. Since feeling like my life was spinning out of control and I wasn't losing weight, I decided to put the matters into my own hands. After seeing a dietician for the past 5/6 months, we had tested and ruled out all possibilities for why I wasn't losing weight. We have been working tirelessly trying to figure out the problem.
So as I did research on my own on the medication, I stumbled upon a LOT of frightening news. People gaining 20-90 pounds on Remeron. This scared me to death. Not only that, put I read about TONS of people having increased, incurable hunger from Remeron. I had to get myself off this stuff!
I hadn't been sleeping that well after the last increase to 45mg at night. What I did notice is that my hunger was out of control and I was eating in the middle of the night and in the morning (which I never did before). I felt like I was gaining weight, and felt out of control from the frequent eating. This was the EXACT OPPOSITE of what I had wanted.
So, my question to you is, did you have crazy hunger while on Remeron, and for those of you who have discounted Remeron, were you able to lose the weight? Also, how long did it take, and when did you hunger begin to decrease after you stopped Remeron?
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How many of you gained or lost weight while taking Citalopram/Celexa?
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this is my personal experience of weight gain and loss with mirtazapine.
i was taking mirtazapine for a total of 8 months, in the first 2 months i didn't gain any weight at all and thought i had got away with that particular side effect, but no, in the last 6 months of taking it i put on a total of 21lb. as it turned out the symptoms i had weren't down to my anxiety so decided to taper off the mirtazapine. i have been off it now for 2 months.i had slight withdrawal symptoms but nothing major and i'm now completely clear of the drug. so far in the last 2 months i have lost 7lb of the 21lb i put on. this has been done through diet though, people have said that the weight just drops off when you stop taking mirtazapine but i haven't found that, i have had to work at it. but i don't mind that. 7lb loss is still half a stone of the weight i gained gone, i will keep going till the other 14lb (1 stone) has gone too no matter how it takes. and if i ever need medication again for my anxiety it will NOT be mirtazapine.
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I was taking 100mg for 3 years and had tremendous weight gain and began getting numb toes and fingers. My GP reduced the dose to 50 mg and within the first month I lost a whole kilo and my bp dropped. Now trying to stop smoking too and with Zyban, and sleeping tabs I am getting night sweats and feel generally wiped out, so with gp's consent we are dropping the Atenolol totally and see what happens. Good luck to all out there who have found problems and I hope you find suitable solutions without the side effects.
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I am 22 years old and for about the past 6 months Ive been getting REALLY bloated/constipated the week before my and during my period and it just keeps getting worse and worse as the months go on. I have not had a bowel movement for a week now. My stomach is twice the size it normally is and I weigh seven more pounds than normal. It is so uncomfortable and it has gotten to the point where I am scared to eat or drink anything else because I just do not think it will fit in my stomach; I think I might literally throw up if I try. My stomach feels like it is going to explode
I've tried taking a laxative in the past but that didn't help much (possibly because I only took one does of it?) and yesterday I tried taking a diuretic. The diuretic also did not help. I've been eating fiber one cereal for the past 2 weeks because I though that may prevent it but it did not.
Has this happened to anyone else before? Does anyone have any suggestions about what to do for a long term fix? I was thinking maybe try eating activia or taking Metamucil?
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I will be 8 weeks tomorrow and I have never been so constipated and bloated in my life. Do anyone know of any remedies for some relief?
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Me and my partner have had unprotected sex since we have been together, however this isn't a problem (so I Thought) because I have the implant and so far had it for 2 years .. I've never had a problem before but recently I haven't come on my period for two months, which I know is a side effect of the implant but i've always been regular with it anyway Hoyt I've been experiencing bloating, constipation, headaches, nausea gas sand and shortness of breathe, all of which I'm told are signs of pregnancy.
I did a wilkos own pregnancy test and it showed to be negative so why am I experiencing all these problems? Would it be best to try another one?
I've talked to my doctor and he believes there is no way of me being pregnant because of the implant however I've heard of people who have been pregnant while having it.
Im very confused and wondering if anyone could help? I'm also having my implant taken out on Monday!! Very undecided whether I wasn't that done now or not...... I don't have other signs like darker areolas or tender breasts however have had pains as though I was about to come on my period but I haven't and that was two days ago!
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I am a 20 year old female who has been losing weight these past two months with the help of a South African weight loss company which specializes in healthy eating and life changes.
For the past two weeks the scale's numbers have increased rapidly without me changing any of my eating habits. I thought that my period might be the culprit, but the weight gain has persisted and my period is almost a month late.
During the past eight days I have experienced severe bloating (my stomach is three times as large as normal), excess gas, constipation, dull and aching abdominal pain and swelling around my vulva and vaginal entrance.
I am experiencing fatigue and my shoulders as well as legs feel stiff and painful. I drank something to help with the constipation but barely anything happened except for the fact that my body secreted a lot of mucus.
I went to the clinic to test my urine (I have a history of bad bladder infections - Was treated for it earlier this year). The test came back clean except for having high levels of protein in my urine. I do experience a burning sensation when I need to urinate.
I am currently trying to get a medical aid but it won't be activated before the first half of next month. I haven't had any other examinations done professionally except for blood tests 3 years ago. These showed that I have high levels of iron, was insulin resistant and that a few cysts were detected on my ovaries.
I would like to know what may be wrong with me and if there is anything I can do to relieve my symptoms until my medical aid can be used.
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I was in an automobile accident the 1st of april and was healing nicely until stomach pain became unbearable. I went to multiple hospitals, had enemas performed, painful exams...only for a doctor to finally order a CT scan and xrays to discovery my intestines are extremely bloated and slowed to nothing as well as a kidney stone having developed....my question is I'm currently drinking mineral oil to combat half the problem, but I was previously told to take dulcolax suppositories and am not sure if I should combine them with the mineral oil?
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My period ended 11days ago now a few days ago I started to experience swollen breasts and bloating and constipation. Could I be pregnant?
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I've posted on here about my now-frequent bouts of constipation. Have relied on Stool Softeners which have done the trick. I eat veg, not keen on fruit and can't stand fruit juice, Have upped my water intake: good results. But I don't want to take these for long periods.
Well for some reason I was remembering my dear ol' mum and her issues around constipation. I believe she, myself and one sister had this tendency: the rest seem to go as often as a racing Greyhound!!
Well, I remember my mum each morning making up a small concoction of Epsom Salts, mixed to a paste with water then washed down with a cup of tea. Within half hour she was flying past us to the loo!
When I was feeling completely bunged up, I did wonder if this might work for me. But I have to say, as great as she was, my mum had some funny ideas about medicines etc, so wondered if this was just one of her many 'alternative' ideas she'd come up with herself! She would have been 95 now, and died (not from constipation!!) at 81, so she had a good innings.
Well, that funny lil ol' girl was doing something right for once! I read a really good article about Epsom Salts and their health benefits. The article name-dropped Gwyneth Paltrow and Victoria Beckham soaking in E'salt baths to reduce bloating (what? on them two - who they kidding?!). But more importantly it went on to mention soaking in a bath with the salts to help aching joints......
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I have pelvic pain in the middle of pelvic area, constipation and bloating.. I have had ct scan and nothing shows up..i also had a stool test done and that was clear of anything.. I am having a colonoscopy soon but I am worried about what this could be..
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