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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.