I take 200mg of Seroquel every night for treatment of Bipolar Disorder II. It's causing a lot of weight gain, in spite of following a diet and exercise plan that would surely result in weight loss under 'normal' circumstances. I suppose what I would like to know is whether or not ANY amount of exercise is going to make a difference and the types of exercise which have seemed to work best for anyone who HAS had success in this area.

I used to work in a detention center and most of the girls were prescribed this. They came in with these tiny little bodies and rapidly gained weight. The reason that they gained so much weight is that most psychotropic drugs cause an increase in appetite. I noticed the girls had major carb cravings. What is it that you are eating? If you have an increase in your appetite, try to fill it with foods that are healthy, low in fat and will fill you up. You could try having a bowl of oatmeal with a banana and a glass of skim milk for breakfast. What exactly is your diet and exercise plan? Also, how long have you been following it? Remember, it takes time to lose the weight. Don't be too hard on yourself.

From everything I have read as well as personal experience, seroquel makes it very difficult to lose weight. Of the personal accounts I have read, 95% have reported major weight gain as a side effect. I have been on 200 mg of Seroquel and have been sticking to a diet of fresh fish (baked no sodium) and fresh fruit and daily cardio with yoga. This has stopped me from gaining more weight but did not lose a substantial amount of weight. I gained 40 pounds (was very underweight before) so the weight is bothering me greatly. There was one study that suggested drinking 50% of your body weight in ounces of water daily could counteract the profound weight gain from antidepressants and antipsychotics. It is not your fault as the medicine is designed to change how you use and store fat. Unfortunately, seroquel is incredibly affective at inducing sleep. Good luck http://www.psychdrugtruth.com/weight.htm

Omg. Two years ago 2005 I had the same problem. I was on Depo and Seroquel so it was double the trouble. If I would have known Seroquel is very high in gaining weight I would not have taken it. I was a thin girl and in two months I ballooned up like 40lbs or probably more. I am still trying to lose the weight. I was taking it for sleep. I also suffer from depression. Then I spoke to other doctors about it and they told me that Seroquel has a higher chance of making someone gain weight than Depo. That is true for ME because I was on Depo for months and I actually lost weight. I got on Seroquel and I have been struggling to get this weight off for the longest. AND, I got even more depressed once I gained the weight. I went into a shell. I am not a doctor but if I were you I would ask my doctor if there are any other alternatives besides Seroquel. Its 2007 and my metabolism is ruined. You will lose the weight it just takes time. And again if I were you I would leave the seroquel alone. I also stopped taking Depo. I am still on Anti-depressants and meds to sleep but now its because of the weight gain. I am actually trying to work towards not taking any meds at all. I stress to the doctors that I dont want anything that is going to make me gain weight. Now I have to make a total 360 lifestyle change because of some stupid Seroquel.
What makes it even worse for me is that people are capable of losing this amount of weight like in 3months and I have tried almost everything to get it off. LAWL which does not work and is based on muscle loss not fat loss and you will reach starvation mode faster than you think because you are rarely even eating anything and you have to buy their stupid LA Lites which are almost 30 bucks a box. Also LAWL is very expensive and is based on just taking your money. Weight watchers (very realistic and it works but you have to keep at it) and a bunch of other bland diets Ultimate New York Body Plan, Fat Flush and what else which probably messed up my metabolism even more. I never had a weight problem until then. I am still doing Weight Watchers and trying to exercise atleast 4x min and 5x max a week.
From my own personal experience I did not start losing anything until I ditched the Depo AND the Seroquel. I am still not at my goal and I think most of the reason is because of the meds I am taking now.
Sigh...
Good Luck :-)