Wellbutrin and weight gain??

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.