No appetite=no fun

Hi! This post is long, please read it all before responding.

My psychiatrist recently increased my Lamictal (med for anxiety and mood stabilization). Lamictal can cause loss of appetite and sometimes a higher metabolism...which can lead to weight loss.

Well I'm currently dealing with the double whammy of no appetite and a faster metabolism.

I did go to the doctor, who said this was normal and whether this effect stays the same, gets worse, or gets better is unknown.   When my Lamictal was increased 3 weeks ago I was 147.5 (morning, no food).  Now in 3 weeks I am 140 (morning, no food). I'm too tired to exercise. I can't even choke down a saltine cracker before 2pm.  I am a senior at a university with crappy elevators and tons of stairs.  My classes end at 3pm and by 1pm I am very tired due to not being able to eat breakfast or even a class-break snack.  I can drink fluids so what i normally do is get a Starbucks tall passion iced tea SWEETENED right before my first class to get me through that class. the next class is hell though. By 3pm I'm so physically tired that I force down a Clif bar or something high protein/fiber/carb and feel semi-ok until 6-7pm. Then my brain finally realizes I'm hungry and lets me eat with my family at dinner without feeling sick.  Even then I don't feel super hungry like I should after eating so little during the day.

Ok, thanks for reading!  My burning question is: how do I force myself to eat throughout the day?  I want to eat and I want to be healthy, but my body/brain fights me.  I cannot go off Lamictal.  It helps me stay stable so I can get my education and function in society.

Any help is appreciated:)  Also, I will go back to the doctor if this doesn't improve/gets worse in the next few weeks.

Sorry, this one is a duplicate.  This topic is closed, see the other one

you just do it. there's no getting around it. choose your favorite foods and eat those. don't choose one of the lowest calorie beverages at starbucks if you're going to have it. drink a vivanno or something more substantial.

make all of your beverages caloric...ALL OF THEM. cycle through milk, juice, sweetened tea, vegetable juice, etc. 

have boost drinks if you have to...they have a minimum of 250 calories, and the boost plus have 350 i believe. at least if you have 3 of those a day and eat with your family you'll be getting the minimum intake. reliance of these types of drinks isn't ideal but at least it's better than not getting enough calories period. 

eat nuts if you can or peanut butter by the spoonful.

make milkshakes and smoothies with ice cream, yogurt, milk, berries, peanut butter, cocoa powder, bananas, etc. 

there are many things that we dont WANT to do but we do them anyway. like doing homework, reading crappy theoretical articles, babysitting, lol. you just do it because you have to. 

maybe in your head you've built it up as being less pleasurable than it actually would be if you just ate. 

I think you should go back to your doctor and explain that the side-effects are far too severe, affecting your ability to function normally and making you feel worse rather than better.  I'm sure there are alternative medications..... it's your doctor's job to find one that agrees with you, remember that.  Some docs in in the US (as it seems to me) are swayed by incentives by drug companies to push their particular brand but if it doesn't suit you, then it's not appropriate.