Wellbutrin and weight gain??

IWILLBelieveAchieveInspire

Years ago I was put on Wellbutrin for depression and I remember at the time the doctor called it the "happy, horny, skinny" type of antidepressant. It lived up to all of them for me. I didn't gain weight, i felt happier and my sex drive was crazy good. Each person is individual though and what I experience may not be what you will. If you are unhappy with this medication I would suggest going back and discussing this with the doctor. Perhaps there is another medication that would work better for you. All the best.

Pattimaz

ARE YOU KIDDING ME . 10 LBS IS NOT THAT MUCH AND BARELY NOTICEABLE ?????
FOR SOME PEOPLE WHO ALWAYS MAINTAIN THEIR WEIGHT THIS PRETTY SIGNIFICANT .

charli0329

If you are logging food correctly there should be no weight gain. Constipation and bloating are easily treatable, (and also caused by poor diet and too much sodium intake). Everyone is different, but this is the first I've heard about someone gaining on Wellbutrin, most people lose weight on it. In fact, one of it's "off label" uses is a weight loss type drug. It's actually considered a side affect. It is very important to keep your depression under control so, I don't think you should go off. I think if you log everything diligently for 1 month, *kitten* your diet you might see exactly what's going on. If you don't see any reason for the weight gain AND you don't start losing, then you can take your food diary to your doctor and show him/her. I hate to say it, but you don't just gain weight without eating unless there is something else going on in your body.
Take care.

Then you obviously have never taken an SSRI or been on the Depo Provera shot. All drugs (especially SSRI/SSNI) cause chemical reactions that even on the strictest diet can cause weight gain. You just have to work a little harder in the gym and after it stabalizes so did my weight.

The golden rule to drugs.....EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT. Try different techniques and see what works best. Good Luck!

mikeanddebi1

All I can say is that the weight loss claim is no lie....I have lost 11 pounds in the 3 weeks I've been on it...and that has been traveling and extremely busy. I just can not physically eat as much....and I'm very careful not to and stretch my stomach back out again......

Xingy01

ALL of the SSRI's (selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors) can cause weight gain. I am an RN and I also suffer from anxiety and depression. I take Wellbutrin and Cymbalta....and xanax as needed for panic.

Wellbutrin isn't an SSRI. It also doesn't cause weight gain. In fact, studies have shown that it helps promote weight loss.

ShannonG0306

I have been taking welbutrin now for 3 months and i have been gaining weight daily. I don't eat any differently but do notice i am hungrier. I just lost 122 lbs last year and now it's all coming back because of the welbutrin. I hate it. And frankly it's causing more depression.

ShannonG0306

ALL of the SSRI's (selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors) can cause weight gain. I am an RN and I also suffer from anxiety and depression. I take Wellbutrin and Cymbalta....and xanax as needed for panic.

Wellbutrin isn't an SSRI. It also doesn't cause weight gain. In fact, studies have shown that it helps promote weight loss.

Well studies can be and are sometimes are incorrect. I am sorry but if anything I eat the same as I was when I lost all my weight. Only difference is I have recently added mote fruits and veggies. But every day the scale moves up .5-1 full pound. Every.single.day. The only change has been going on welbutrin.

phillyeskimo

This is an old thread, but I have to put in my $.02
Wellbutrin seems to be making it easier for me to gain weight & harder for me to lose weight. I don't think it is causing me to gain weight, but since being on it I have easily gained 10# & not much else in my life has changed. I, too, am on a very low dose. My doc switched me from Zoloft to Wellbutrin to help curb weight gain, but thus far it isn't helping. I'm going to go in & discuss this with my doc, but I wanted to say you aren't alone. 10# on my frame is a huge weight gain! & while I am to blame for poor decisions I have made I do believe the drug is making it harder to get rid of the weight I have gained. I'm staying on top of my water intake, I haven't changed my eating habits, I have been working out more than I used to, & I still gain. It's sh!tty. So, this isn't offering advice, just giving a similar experience.

maur1237

I have been on 75 mg of Welbutrin generic once a day. Also Lexapro 10 mg. a day.
I have gained 20 lb since a year ago. I tend to lose my appetite when under anxiety so now that anxiety is gone I eat more. I am more seditary on this drug. Little bit more tired. My dreams have gotten really vivid since being drugged. It makes me drink more which I have never done in my life till now. I can't explain the drinking regularly though. It really isn't,'t like me to crave alcohol.

LisaKay91

I always lose 10lbs when i take it. It kicks my appetite and gives me energy. Is your logging tight?

stephanieluvspb

OP might not answer cause she asked it 3 years ago

shrubbypants

I can't believe no one is accounting for the constipation. I have the same issue and the constipation is so bloating that I look like I've gained 20 lbs.

octwade

After years of a crazy, stressful lifestyle I finally decided to try Wellbutrin with the urging of my doctors. I have always been very active and athletic and I have never had a problems with my weight until my sister committed suicide and left me to run and sell her business as well as raise her teenage daughter a year and a half ago. I am also a 4-time combat veteran and besides my husband who is also a combat veteran I have no support network to speak of. But have no worries I am healthy and strong and can deal with just about anything. Part of being healthy is my body started to react to the insane levels of stress by putting on weight...I am not talking about losing my sister and emotional BS just making excuses stress...I am talking about 80+ hour work weeks trying to handle her Estate and my full time job as well as making sure my niece gets a fair chance at life. Even with all this going on I learned a long time ago I have to put my health first so I still cook 90% of all my meals and work out daily. Apparently the stress was just way too much this time around so my body did what it is supposed to do and prepared for the Apocalypse and weight started to appear around my mid section...so I would work out harder...and I would only pack more weight on my stomach...so I changed my workout to include more weight lifting and a little less cardio...more cardio and less weight lifting...more yoga...and it changed nothing...so i counted every calorie in the myfitness app for over a year....according to my garmin watch I burn between 3000 to 4000 calories a day (and from all of my other research this is accurate) I don't stop moving all day on top of workouts....I eat between 2400 and 2800 healthy calories...I am always hungry and the weight in my mid section wouldn't budge. I finally decided to take the advice of my doctors and to try an antidepressant....although I don't think I am a depressed type of person but I am a super anxious person. So I tried Wellbutrin for 3 1/2 months. My weight in the mid section only got worse. I would say prior to the Wellbutrin I was about 10 pounds heavier which took me a year to gain and I gained an additional 10 pounds in 3 months on Wellbutrin. Diet and exercise works for about 99% of the population and most people are not the exception but there are a few people out there that do have a healthy diet and exercise routine. Hormones are a complicated system and your body will adjust and adapt when you apply stress. Run every day and your body will do it more efficiently. I had to learn this the hard way. I am not sure where to start as I already eat healthy and workout so I am actually trying to workout less which is really hard. Stress is my only problem and working out creates more stress. In a normal individual stress from working out would be a benefit but in someone whose adrenal system is as damaged as mine working out and eating less is doing me more harm than good. It is my opinion that the Wellbutrin acted as an additional stress (most anti-depressants have a stimulating effect). If you are super overweight a stimulant would most likely help you get motivated and if you are super depressed the same stimulant could help to get you up and moving resulting in weight loss. If your weight gain is only slight and you live a super stressful lifestyle a stimulant could add to that stress and wreak more havoc on all the stress hormones. The thing that I like about Wellbutrin is that I didn't feel like it was a stimulant it actually seemed to mellow me out some. Again, I think the results vary depending on how overweight you are and how stressed your body is verses depressed. In my situation the small amount of mellowing I felt was not worth an additional 10 pounds. Now I have 20lbs to get rid of and I can't workout harder and restrict calories to get rid of it. I have to somehow trick my body into not being stressed so it stops hoarding fat for the end of times. I took 150mg for one month and then went to 300mg. I just wanted to post my story so people could see that small adjustments to diet and exercise only works in people who have a relatively stress free life and who have probably never had a healthy diet and exercise routing. I also wouldn't expect weight loss unless you are super over weight and depressed which is resulting in you being lethargic and unmotivated.

kshama2001

@octwade sorry about your sister

One can indeed retain water due to stress.

Have you tried yoga, regular meditation, or an activity you find meditating? I prefer pruning or doing trail maintenance in the woods over sitting meditation.

One of my favorite all time youtube video is of this veteran (paratrooper) who was told he would never walk unassisted again.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIXOo8D9Qsc&t=7s

psychod787

Wellbutrin from my research is actually a drug that increases hunger the least as far as antidepressants go. It might cause your NEAT to drop subconsciously. You might figet less... move around less.... just my thought.

octwade

I workout every day...I average around 16k steps 7 days a day between walking my dog, cardio during my workout, and my daily activities. My activity level is not the problem except for over training which adds more stress...This is why I posted so people could see what the extreme opposite of lethargic can be...it can have the same effect but the treatment (working out more, eating less) is actually the exact opposite of what someone like myself needs. This can be hard for people to understand who are not as active and it can be even harder for the highly motivated people such as myself who can't slow down and struggle to relax. Also, I do yoga everyday through and app and or in a studio. I walk/workout/walk the dog/do yoga/work in my garden/listen to music/write/see a therapist for stress but in certain circumstances you just have to wait for your situation to change or get better.

BoxerBrawler

Funny, I just made a post about quitting smoking and Wellbutrin. I recently quit smoking with the aid of Wellbutrin and a vape. I've been successful so far. Only issue I am having is bloat which is normal when you quit smoking. The Wellbutrin is known for causing weight loss in 99% of people who take it. It clearly states this on the label with side effects. So I'm not sure why someone would gain weight on it unless they're eating more than they think. No matter what anyone takes weight loss comes down to calories in / calories out.