[i_like_black]

Olanzapine is well known for causing drastic weight-gain, as it makes people who are on it crave carbs. I gained a large amount of weight whilst I was on it (I was on 10mg for around 3 - 4 months, but it didn't work for me), because I just wanted to eat bread, and noodles, and pasta, all the time.

I think risperidone can also cause weight gain.

Personally, I believe that if you think you've found medications that work, then you need to talk with your team to address other lifestyle factors which may not have been issues before. For example, if you're getting lots of headaches (which happened to me when I first started my current medication, lithium), then instead of just accepting it as a side-effect, do things like drinking more water.

It also may be beneficial to talk to your team about possibly seeing a nutritionist, getting some help to be involved in some physical activity, and talking to a GP about your periods - because it could be the medication, and it could be something else - it's really important to check.

For me, now that I'm on a combination of medications that definitely works, it's just about addressing other issues - such as how I've remained overweight due to a relatively shocking diet, and have only lost weight when I've been so low that I haven't eaten at all. Also I'm now getting help to be involved in more exercise, and am doing some other things to address issues that aren't directly caused by my mood disorder.

Point I'm trying to make is, if you feel these medications are working, stick with them, and look at finding ways to manage the side-effects.