Drug
Induced Weight Gain
“I have been
taking Effexor for several years and I feel it saved my
life. However, I also feel my life is being shortened by the
weight gain I’ve had during the Effexor treatment. I have
tried all types of diets and continually exercise but no
help.
The weight
gain was quick at first and finally settled down to gaining
5 pounds a month. I was what you call obese. Anyone meeting
me now would likely think I could lose a few pounds but if
they knew me before they would be giving me a fist bump.
I know some
of my weight gain was from just giving up and nothing really
mattered because there was nothing I could do to lose the
weight. When Jim put me on the
JNK 5 and Optimum Solace I was excited and apprehensive.
I did not want another failure.
I was one of
his first cases using the
JNK 5. Jim told me he blended the new formula to make a
couple of the supplements at a higher strength and a few
lower to give a better balance. That’s my science knowledge
and I’ll leave it at that.
Sometime
during the third week of taking the supplements I
experienced a difference. I weigh myself every morning like
clockwork and it was during the third week I lost 1 pound
one day, another pound the next day and another pound the
third day. No weight loss on the fourth day but the fifth
day another pound lost. I felt hope for the first time in
years.
At this
point Jim had me choose a weight loss program. “Just pick
any of the weight loss programs that have food you can
purchase from them or the grocery” is what Jim told me.
The saying;
“Slow and steady wins the race” certainly was true in my
case. The five pounds of weight gain each week has changed
to losing 5 pounds a week. Jim has asked me how much weight
I would like to lose and I remember my first answer to him.
“I’d be happy if the weight gain just stopped.” Sometimes
now I tear up when buy new clothes to fit my body. It makes
me thing of shopping in the maternity section as I was
gaining weight. Those were the only clothes I could find
that fit me.
It’s been so
many years since I have felt a true accomplishment and I can
say, this is my biggest ever. Covid really opened my eyes to
the health hazard of being obese.
Not being able to do
anything about it was as horrific.
Here I set
now, I feel good physically and mentally. I’m still taking
the Effexor and still taking the JNK 5 and Optimum Solace
daily. More pounds to lose, yes. Will I? YES. Can I? YES.
Thank you Jim Harper for helping us all the past 22 years.”
Margie W. Jefferson City, MO.
Weight gain
caused by the usage of antidepressants was disputed in 2001.
Weight loss was listed as an adverse reaction with
antidepressants but not weight gain. The Road Back was
receiving 100’s of emails daily from people that suddenly
began to gain weight while taking an antidepressant. Some
were aerobics instructors, athletes of various types and
more.
Common sense
told me the weight gain was not being caused by diet or a
sedimentary lifestyle.
These individuals were in exercise mode at least 6
hours each day and they had not changed their diet. Dieting
and exercising simply did not work.
In 2004, I
started the company Advanced DNA Testing and we ran 100’s of
DNA test on individuals that were experiencing a wide
variety of symptoms. Weight gain was one area we
investigated but the data was never conclusive. To put this
in simple terms; something was happening to the body that
turned on weight gain and that “thing” was not a poor diet
or lack of exercise.
It took
another 9 years before I finally found the source of
antidepressant induced weight gain. We have a gene that is
called the JNK gene that is the ultimate cause of
antidepressant weight gain. The antidepressant turns this
gene on too much and that starts the cascading weight gain.
The JNK has also been called a kinase enzyme/protein and
various other names by researchers to make this a little
more confusing.
This is a
rather complex subject and I will do my best to make it easy
to understand. I want my readers to know what happened and
is happening within their body.
For some
people; when the antidepressant is first taken the chemicals
used making the antidepressant actually turn the JNK off
even more. These are the people that initially lost weight
when starting an antidepressant. However, within a period of
time this changes and the antidepressant begins to activate
the JNK gene. This can be caused by the antidepressant
activating proteins that reside upstream of the JNK. These
activated proteins move downstream and activate the JNK. The
activating proteins are not causing the weight gain; this
only comes from the JNK being over expressed due to the
proteins or some other source.
The Road
Back has been using nutritional supplements to help with
antidepressant side effects for the last 12 years and that
science is close to the science of weight loss due to
antidepressants but it is only close.
The JNK has
3 routes within the body. They are JNK1, JNK2 and JNK3. Each
route goes to unique parts of the body. JNK1 and JNK2 being
over expressed leads to obesity and insulin resistance. JNK3
protects our body from excessive obesity.
In
developing an approach to help reverse antidepressant weight
gain a natural substance needed to be formulated to reduce
the over expression of JNK1 and JNK2 and NOT reducing the
activity of JNK3.
This weight
loss method is quite different from all other weight loss
approaches. Frankly, most other weight loss approaches that
are diet based will work for you BUT only after you have
chilled out the JNK gene and the upstream proteins that
continually keep the JNK overly expressed.
A frequently
asked question -
How long does it take to begin losing weight? I wish I could
give you an exact answer to that question. There are things
you can do with your diet to help speed this up but still
know way to tell. It may be in 1 week and in some cases it
has taken several months.
The other
frequently asked question – Do I need to stop taking my
antidepressant? NO.
One more
frequently asked question – Do I need to continue taking the
supplements you recommend once I lose the desired weight?
That’s a yes and no answer. For some people the JNK begins
being overly activated again if you stop using the
supplements and the weight gain begins to return. For others
it does not and the weight remains off.
I have
traced the weight gain to a few areas. The person switched
antidepressant, changed their dosage of the antidepressant
or discontinued the antidepressant. Any of these changes can
start the weight gain.
Here are
some things you can do that will help start bringing the JNK
back to normal activity again. Stop or greatly reduce eating
any food containing preservatives. The preservatives
activate the JNK. Avoid frozen fish. The type of fish that
has been boxed and sold in the freezer section of the
grocery. A preservative is used in this fish that activates
the JNK more than most other chemicals.
This is a
weight loss process and is not an instant weight loss
program due to starvation. Don’t do that type of diet. Let’s
make this a healthy diet. With that; start looking at the
sodium amount used in all diet foods you may purchase. Limit
your daily sodium to no more than 2,500 mg a day. Even lower
sodium if you can. Your blood pressure will also thank you!
Not a bad
idea to buy a blood pressure cup and monitor your blood
pressure while you use this method. Chart your blood
pressure and watch it fall into the desired range as your
proceed.
If you are
taking medication for diabetes PLEASE check with your
physician before starting this method. With insulin
returning to normal the medication will likely need to be
reduced as well.
What you
need to do – Take the
JNK 5 and
Optimum Solace daily. Get some exercise daily. Start
watching your calories but don’t go overboard on that. Wait
until you have had some gains and then it becomes easier to
reduce calories.
As Margie
above stated, Slow and steady wins this race. Stop for a
second and close your eyes and imagine you having slow and
steady weight loss. The slow and steady weight loss will
also help the weight loss stay off. This is a journey for
you and it’s ideal if you treat it like a journey. You can
make it to the end. This is not about the vain idea of
losing weight and looking like a supermodel. It is for your
health so we can have you around for a very very long time.
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