Anyone else having difficulty losing weight on antidepressants?

threecheersformcrxo

In early 2012, I lost about 30 pounds and felt great. I counted calories and exercised for only 10 minutes a day using the "10 Minute Solution" workout DVDs. When I was prescribed antidepressants in late 2012, I started noticing that my weight was coming back. In only a span of a few months, I gained close to 50 pounds. I didn't change my routine. No one believes me, and everyone just says I need to work harder. I don't understand why I have to work harder now than just two years ago. I'm only 21 years old and this is so unfair. I'm 215 pounds and I just want to be under 200 again. I can't even do that. Losing weight is nearly impossible for me ever since taking antidepressants. Going off them is not an option.

vegetabletarian

I too am on antidepressants but my weight has been flip-flopping to no end, 1 minute i'm losing, the next I'm gaining, I know that every time I lost a pound for a while I would put on 3 more in the next 2 weeks. With 50lbs though you may want to chat to your doc about seeing if a different antidepressant will work, some have even been known to lower weight, or even see if one is better for you than the other. Even try upping the workouts to 15 mins a day and see if that makes a difference If I can be of any more help or you want someone to chat to feel free to give me a shout We gotta stay strong through both the weight loss and the antidepressants!!

sfbaumgarten

Antidepressants don't make you gain weight, but they may make it more difficult to lose or maintain your weight due to things like increased appetite. Log your food and communicate with your doctor. Don't self medicate and don't give up. You can lose the weight, it just might take a little effort

shmelzy

I am on so many psych meds and I agree it is super hard to lose the weight. Stay motivated though! I gained 100 pounds over the past year and half due to increasing so many meds and it's hard to break habits but i feel better when i get done with a day and can say, "I'm mentally stable now AND working on my physical health being great again..." don't quit now! it is hard but i'm with you 100%. it took years to get stable and i go crazy without them, so i totally understand how you can't go off. message or add me if you want! I can definitely relate.

ilovemypeekapug

I am losing on 50mg of Zoloft a day! At first I was on 100mg and gained weight, so I weaned off. I weaned off quickly, and had hallucinations and migraines, but that's another story for another day.
Kept gaining weight, so I knew it wasn't ALL the medicines fault. I got back on it because, well, I need it. BADLY! I started tracking my calories and discovered I was eating WAY more than I thought I was. Some days close to 3,000 calories! Now that I know how many calories I can have and lose, I'm doing fine. Don't give up! And, don't be like me and quit the meds. Being thin is NOT worth feeling like you're going insane!

caldercl

There are types of meds that have weight gain as a side effect. Talk to your doctor about the issue and be sure to be an active advocate for yourself. Good luck and keep trying

s_pekz

I am on several mental health medications and I have noticed that as I get better my appetite increases. This caused me to gain weight simply because I was eating more. I also began to enjoy going out with friends and other social events that involve food. As I had not eaten that much over the years I suffered, I gained weight really fast and even got stretch marks. But the reality is the weight is not from the medications. Its one of the side effects of getting better. I'm lucky that I had a really supportive friend and while I was getting stretch marks and super self conscience about them, she used to remind me that they were scars of recovery and health. She said they demonstrated that I was finally getting the help I needed. I still look at them that way even though now I can finally focus on my physical health and get the weight down. My advice would be to focus on getting your mental health in check and then worry about the weight. It all takes time.