anti-depressants and weight change!
alexhendryjnr
Posts: 3 Member
OKAY I know I may be looking for excuses but when I started my anti depressants over 9 months ago I dropped weight like god knows! I went from 14st to 10st!!! And now I've came off them I've balloon'd up to 13st! Could this be due to anti depressants?? Will I need to stay on them to stay skinny?::
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Replies
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That increase is too big to blame on one variable. How is your diet? Do you workout? How often? etc etc.0
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Yes, antidepressants can affect weight (up or down).
No, you don't have to stay on them to lose, it's the same as regular weight gain
Just stick to your program 0 -
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alexhendryjnr wrote: »OKAY I know I may be looking for excuses but when I started my anti depressants over 9 months ago I dropped weight like god knows! I went from 14st to 10st!!! And now I've came off them I've balloon'd up to 13st! Could this be due to anti depressants?? Will I need to stay on them to stay skinny?::
No way. Don't take meds that you no longer need! Weight loss is all about calories in and calories out. What is your logging like?0 -
alexhendryjnr wrote: »OKAY I know I may be looking for excuses but when I started my anti depressants over 9 months ago I dropped weight like god knows! I went from 14st to 10st!!! And now I've came off them I've balloon'd up to 13st! Could this be due to anti depressants?? Will I need to stay on them to stay skinny?::
Medication does not make you lose or gain weight. It changes your appetite to make you susceptible to doing one or the other.0 -
1) People vary in how they respond to drugs
2) Drugs vary in how they affect people. E.g. among the SSRIs, paroxetine is known to cause a lot of weight gain compared to others. Tricyclic antidepressants and monoamine oxidase inhibitors also tend to cause gain.
Do I want to get in a big debate about this on an internet forum, no, I don't.
Point is, OP, just log and you'll lose the weight just fine.0 -
1) People vary in how they respond to drugs
2) Drugs vary in how they affect people. E.g. among the SSRIs, paroxetine is known to cause a lot of weight gain compared to others. Tricyclic antidepressants and monoamine oxidase inhibitors also tend to cause gain.
Do I want to get in a big debate about this on an internet forum, no, I don't.
Point is, OP, just log and track and you'll lose the weight just fine.
Wasn't trying to start a debate- I was honestly curious what you meant. Thanks.0 -
1) People vary in how they respond to drugs
2) Drugs vary in how they affect people. E.g. among the SSRIs, paroxetine is known to cause a lot of weight gain compared to others. Tricyclic antidepressants and monoamine oxidase inhibitors also tend to cause gain.
Do I want to get in a big debate about this on an internet forum, no, I don't.
Point is, OP, just log and track and you'll lose the weight just fine.
Wasn't trying to start a debate- I was honestly curious what you meant. Thanks.
No problem 0 -
Thanks for your replies guys! X0
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- Talk to your doctor...
Antidepressants are not supposed to be taken for such a long period of time. Seriously talk to your doctor, and I'd suggest seeing a psychologist with a minimum of experience for more advice. AND QUESTION THEM. Not random people on a blog.
That being said, of course it can make you gain weight, it can do a lot more than that too. Go read about the side effects of your medication.0 -
- Talk to your doctor...
Antidepressants are not supposed to be taken for such a long period of time. Seriously talk to your doctor, and I'd suggest seeing a psychologist with a minimum of experience for more advice. AND QUESTION THEM. Not random people on a blog.
That being said, of course it can make you gain weight, it can do a lot more than that too. Go read about the side effects of your medication.
I see a physiatrist reguarly, she said there may be a link between change in medication and appetite but just seems to brush it off, I've booked an appointment with the nurse on Friday, hopefully she can tell me more. for some reason people don't admit that medication causes people to gain weight, like the pill for example, doctors say there's no link between the pill and weight gain but we all know you put the pounds on like crazy with them things!0 -
- Talk to your doctor...
Antidepressants are not supposed to be taken for such a long period of time. Seriously talk to your doctor, and I'd suggest seeing a psychologist with a minimum of experience for more advice. AND QUESTION THEM. Not random people on a blog.
That being said, of course it can make you gain weight, it can do a lot more than that too. Go read about the side effects of your medication.
9 months isn't a long time to be on antidepressants. In fact, it's been said you should wait several months after your symptoms have improved to discontinue them. And you have to taper off; suddenly stopping can be hazardous. Also, the medication itself does not cause you to gain fat, but it can increase your appetite which, with some diligence and self control, can be overcome. Good luck, OP, and talk to your doctor!
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lemonsnowdrop wrote: »- Talk to your doctor...
Antidepressants are not supposed to be taken for such a long period of time. Seriously talk to your doctor, and I'd suggest seeing a psychologist with a minimum of experience for more advice. AND QUESTION THEM. Not random people on a blog.
That being said, of course it can make you gain weight, it can do a lot more than that too. Go read about the side effects of your medication.
9 months isn't a long time to be on antidepressants. In fact, it's been said you should wait several months after your symptoms have improved to discontinue them. And you have to taper off; suddenly stopping can be hazardous. Also, the medication itself does not cause you to gain fat, but it can increase your appetite which, with some diligence and self control, can be overcome. Good luck, OP, and talk to your doctor!
This is actually true - 9 months is not a long time to be on antidepressants. For recurrent episodes you can be kept on them for 2-5years (at least) and some experts argue that some people will need to be on them their whole life.
Going back on topic - OP, some antidepressants can either suppress or increase your appetite which is what leads to weight loss/gain, it simply comes down to eating less or more! Pleased to see you've booked in to see the nurse, it really is best to come off antidepressants under supervision. They will be able to help you a lot more than any of us can with this and if it is something you are really concerned about perhaps ask for a referral to a dietitian.0 -
lemonsnowdrop wrote: »- Talk to your doctor...
Antidepressants are not supposed to be taken for such a long period of time. Seriously talk to your doctor, and I'd suggest seeing a psychologist with a minimum of experience for more advice. AND QUESTION THEM. Not random people on a blog.
That being said, of course it can make you gain weight, it can do a lot more than that too. Go read about the side effects of your medication.
9 months isn't a long time to be on antidepressants. In fact, it's been said you should wait several months after your symptoms have improved to discontinue them. And you have to taper off; suddenly stopping can be hazardous. Also, the medication itself does not cause you to gain fat, but it can increase your appetite which, with some diligence and self control, can be overcome. Good luck, OP, and talk to your doctor!
I think you just like to be right, don't you?
Well in this case she is right. 9 months is not a long time to take antidepressants. It can take up to 6-8 weeks just to begin to see the improvement in mood, and that's assuming there is no need to change the dose. You take them as long as your doctor recommends and taper as noted above. Stopping your medications just because you feel better can lead to a relapse of symptoms. A psychologist is not going to help with medications because they provide therapy, which is also important for mental health treatment but not for the psychotropics.
Weight gain/loss side effects of medications can absolutely happen, for a variety of reasons, and should be discussed with the doctor. But yet, learning to adjust your intake, increase activity (nice side effect of exercise is improved mental wellbeing!), all of that can help counteract the side effects.0 -
- Talk to your doctor...
Antidepressants are not supposed to be taken for such a long period of time. Seriously talk to your doctor, and I'd suggest seeing a psychologist with a minimum of experience for more advice. AND QUESTION THEM. Not random people on a blog.
That being said, of course it can make you gain weight, it can do a lot more than that too. Go read about the side effects of your medication.
Are you aware of the fact that some classes of anti-depressants, like SSRI's or SNRI's are prescribed as part of pain management protocols and are taken long-term?
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- Talk to your doctor...
Antidepressants are not supposed to be taken for such a long period of time. Seriously talk to your doctor, and I'd suggest seeing a psychologist with a minimum of experience for more advice. AND QUESTION THEM. Not random people on a blog.
That being said, of course it can make you gain weight, it can do a lot more than that too. Go read about the side effects of your medication.
This is a very misinformed blanket statement that should not be advisory unless by an MD. Many individuals are prescribed long term anti-depressants for a number of reasons, under the careful care of a medical team including MDs and psychiatrists. Seeing a psychologist is not actually the way for the OP to go because psychologists do not prescribe medications and cannot advise her in this capacity.
OP, sorry your thread got hijacked. I stand by my previous statement that you don't need to be on an anti-depressant for weight reasons - it's all about CICO.0 -
- Talk to your doctor...
Antidepressants are not supposed to be taken for such a long period of time. Seriously talk to your doctor, and I'd suggest seeing a psychologist with a minimum of experience for more advice. AND QUESTION THEM. Not random people on a blog.
That being said, of course it can make you gain weight, it can do a lot more than that too. Go read about the side effects of your medication.
I thought you might be confusing anti-depressants with sleeping pills but see that there are indeed concerns with taking some anti-depressants long-term: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/mad-in-america/201106/now-antidepressant-induced-chronic-depression-has-name-tardive-dysphoria
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Well I've been on antidepressants for years. Some of them have lead to increased appetite which is a more common side effect. But have you considered that you are still depressed? Depression can lead to overeating and weight gain. Maybe the antidepressant is helping your mood enough that you are able to control your intake more. Still I agree you should discuss this with your doctor. I don't see losing weight as a reason to stay on them but if it is depression than you may benefit from staying on them longer.0
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kshama2001 wrote: »- Talk to your doctor...
Antidepressants are not supposed to be taken for such a long period of time. Seriously talk to your doctor, and I'd suggest seeing a psychologist with a minimum of experience for more advice. AND QUESTION THEM. Not random people on a blog.
That being said, of course it can make you gain weight, it can do a lot more than that too. Go read about the side effects of your medication.
I thought you might be confusing anti-depressants with sleeping pills but see that there are indeed concerns with taking some anti-depressants long-term: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/mad-in-america/201106/now-antidepressant-induced-chronic-depression-has-name-tardive-dysphoria
The key here is SOME anti-depressants. These category prescriptions should be discussed at length with a doctor.0 -
As mentioned, some do have side effects (wellbutrin, etc.). But it could be that now you're feeling better, you're just eating more (was loss of appetite a side effect of your depression as well?).0
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- Talk to your doctor...
Antidepressants are not supposed to be taken for such a long period of time.
um no
that is between you and your dr.
some people will always be on some sort of medication. or they die
op: yes, some medications lead to weight loss and some to weight gain. I gained 50 lbs on one 10 years ago. and as soon as I stopped taking it, weight fell off of me.
so now you need to log your food and eat a calorie deficit. and you will lose the weight
you certainly do not need to stay on the medication if your dr says your good to go without. you just have to make some changes in your life0 -
alexhendryjnr wrote: »OKAY I know I may be looking for excuses but when I started my anti depressants over 9 months ago I dropped weight like god knows! I went from 14st to 10st!!! And now I've came off them I've balloon'd up to 13st! Could this be due to anti depressants?? Will I need to stay on them to stay skinny?::
While the anti-depressants could have decreased your appetite and/or made you want to move more, the most likely reason you gained weight is due to eating more than you burned. In that scenario, you don't need to stay on anti-depressants, but to better monitor what you eat and how much exercise you get.
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- Talk to your doctor...
Antidepressants are not supposed to be taken for such a long period of time. Seriously talk to your doctor, and I'd suggest seeing a psychologist with a minimum of experience for more advice. AND QUESTION THEM. Not random people on a blog.
That being said, of course it can make you gain weight, it can do a lot more than that too. Go read about the side effects of your medication.
This is wrong.
Some (like me) people need to take antidepressants long term, possibly forever. If a person has had more than one period of acute depression, their doctor may consider having them on a maintenance dose for good to help prevent relapse.0 -
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- Talk to your doctor...
Antidepressants are not supposed to be taken for such a long period of time. Seriously talk to your doctor, and I'd suggest seeing a psychologist with a minimum of experience for more advice. AND QUESTION THEM. Not random people on a blog.
That being said, of course it can make you gain weight, it can do a lot more than that too. Go read about the side effects of your medication.
Scary and untrue. You don't know her situation well enough to make this statement.0 -
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when I took them I had no appetite, I lost a lot of weight. after I got used to them I started eating again. I was able to lose weight and maintain my weight for 5 years without them. you do not need to take them forever, its about how much you eat. you probably just feel more hungry now.0
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Not exactly. Wellbutrin tends to cause weight loss, not because of appetite suppression (or not only), but it also increases NEAT to a small extent. Depression creates psychomotor fatigue, and norepinephrine alleviates that.ncboiler89 wrote: »alexhendryjnr wrote: »OKAY I know I may be looking for excuses but when I started my anti depressants over 9 months ago I dropped weight like god knows! I went from 14st to 10st!!! And now I've came off them I've balloon'd up to 13st! Could this be due to anti depressants?? Will I need to stay on them to stay skinny?::
Medication does not make you lose or gain weight. It changes your appetite to make you susceptible to doing one or the other.0 -
There have been meds that made me gain (Celexa, grrr) and meds that made me lose. They affected my feelings of hunger a LOT as well as my energy levels. Also Wellbutrin just was kind of speedy overall. When I got off it, the weight I'd lost on it came right back.
If you are gaining, adjust calories down and exercise up to compensate. I currently take Lexapro which does not affect my weight at all.0
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