Theo

I switched from depakote to Zyprexa because I was gaining too much weight. Olanzapine still makes you hungry but less than depakote. I gained 40 lbs on Depakote. I gain a pound or two every few months with Zyprexa. I switched to one meal a day though with a healthy snack in the morning. Manage weight better from medication side effects with a water flavor-sweetener. When you are hungry, take a sip. Helps for hydration and hunger at the same time.

Because it works. They are designed to simulate human conversation. They are great at repeating/summarizing and reframing situations and empathy- skills of a therapist. Since they know resources, the validity of coping techniques and other suggestions the possibility of the responses being AI hallucinations doesn’t really matter because they are easily tested for practicality by the user, once given. And we can logically test many AI suggestions in our heads to easily determine their validity.

The antipsychotics are more likely to cause weight gain. There are plenty of combinations of antipsychotics and antidepressants that can reduce this. I was on all of the ones you were on but not all at once. Many of the less weight gain producing meds are somewhat expensive like Abilify. They told me Zyprexa was bad for my diabetes but I told them I would just watch my diet (I didn’t) the trade off is better, in other words the benefits outweigh the risks, weight is easier to manage than MH. The problem with some psychiatrists is they sometimes will pile on meds. I like one or two at a time (I am diagnosed with schizoaffective bipolar). You are entitled to as many second, thride etc opinions as you llike. Keep going until you get one that you agree with. Try telehealth as well if you run out of places in your area.