Weight Gain from Anti-Depressants

BlueSkiesGirl

Hello MFP community,

I have been on sertraline (zoloft) for about a year for post-partum anxiety and have gained nearly a whopping 40 lbs! Now the time begins to try and lose it...


I'm finding I am not as fit as I was before having my kids and more sore after workouts... also less motivated to work out on meds. The benefits to mental health tho are huge.


I am wondering why the meds have made me gain SO MUCH weight. Anyone else had this similiar experience?

earlnabby

Perhaps the anxiety that the zoloft was prescribed to treat caused you to eat more than you used to?

I have been on anti depressants for 13 years now (including zoloft) and I have both gained and lost while taking them. I have come to the conclusion that the pills were not making me gain weight, I was treating the stress in my life along with the depression and anxiety with food.

Are you seeing a therapist in addition to a doctor? Perhaps discussing your weight gain and possible reasons for it, as well as management techniques, can help. Have you been constantly hungry? There are psychotropic pills that are known to increase hunger. I take one of them: seroquel. Very few of them actually slow your metabolism to where you gain weight because of them. Some can affect the decision making part of your brain to where you don't have the same self control as you did, which can then manifest in eating too much food.

MKEgal

BlueSkiesGirl wrote:

I am wondering why the meds have made me gain SO MUCH weight. Anyone else had this similar experience?

I've been on several different antidepressants over the last 15+ years.
The meds did not make me gain weight, nor did they make me lose weight.
Overeating made me gain weight. Eating less than my body needs made me lose weight.

Low motivation, low self-image, isolation, etc. all contribute to overeating.

kyrannosaurus

Zoloft is regarded as a weight neutral medication and isn't reported to increase appetite (unlike some classes of psych drugs). A fraction of people report gaining weight on SSRI medications like zoloft but it is suggested that the cause is the symptoms of the depression or the depression lifting leading to changes in food intake.

BlueSkiesGirl

earlnabby wrote: »

Perhaps the anxiety that the zoloft was prescribed to treat caused you to eat more than you used to?

I have been on anti depressants for 13 years now (including zoloft) and I have both gained and lost while taking them. I have come to the conclusion that the pills were not making me gain weight, I was treating the stress in my life along with the depression and anxiety with food.

Are you seeing a therapist in addition to a doctor? Perhaps discussing your weight gain and possible reasons for it, as well as management techniques, can help. Have you been constantly hungry? There are psychotropic pills that are known to increase hunger. I take one of them: seroquel. Very few of them actually slow your metabolism to where you gain weight because of them. Some can affect the decision making part of your brain to where you don't have the same self control as you did, which can then manifest in eating too much food.

Thank-you this makes sense! And thanks to everyone else for the input.

suejabin2014

Yes I also wer taking meds to help with my anxiety n depression they made me too put on weight just ask your doc to give u something else that doesn't make you out on weight if it's possible.

lithezebra

I've lost weight on antidepressants. It isn't my metabolism. I've changed the way that I deal with my emotions, which is more possible for me when I'm not being crushed by them. I also meditate, avoid blatantly unhealthy eating, and get some kind of exercise every day, for my emotions.

MeghannVT01

I'm one who has gained weight on Sertraline. About 23 pounds. If you spend some time googling sertraline and weight gain, you'll find a pretty big community of people this has impacted. Before I even stated the prescription, my doctor warned me that for most, sertraline is a weight neutral drug, but for approximately 25% of patients it does cause weight gain.

I've spent the last 4-5 months doing anything to lose weight. I've had my metabolism tested by a registered dietician (via a body jewelry I believe it was called), and no matter what I do, I stay within the exact 2-3 pound range. Research is showing me that some people, sertraline directly impacts the way that their body metabolizes food.

We spent about two montha weaning me off of my already fairly low dosage of 50mg a day and I am taking a few natural supplements to counteract withdrawal symptoms and to replace the SSRI. All under doctor supervision of course. I've been fully off for five days now. My doctor warned me it could take some time for the medication to be fully out of my system, so I shouldn't expect the weight loss to be easy, or to happen over night.

Good times!?!? You're not alone

BlueSkiesGirl

Thanks for this post. Just saw it now... very helpful

dubird

For the most part, anti-depressants themselves don't cause weight loss. However, many of them do mess with your appetite, which can cause you to eat more. I gained my weight before starting meds, and was able to lose just fine while on them, so it's perfectly possible. You'll just need to pay more attention to your calories. You may also need to adjust the times you eat, that helps some people as well. You could eat 10 times a day if you split up your daily calories correctly and it helps you not eat too much.

snickerscharlie

Most anti-depressants with a proclivity to cause weight gain do so due to increased appetite. Very few are known to cause "unexplained weight gain," which equates to weight gain that can't be attributed to eating more than normal.

The good news is that if your antidepressant doesn't cause unexplained weight gain, it means that you are more in control of reversing it.

PinkPixiexox

When I started anti-depressants, I found I was actually losing weight as opposed to gaining! I'm not sure if the pills themselves have some kind of weigh increasing ingredient in - morelike they make you a little hungrier and therefore you naturally eat more? I'm not 100% sure - what I do know is, it's totally possible to lose weight successfully whilst taking them! :]

senecarr

PinkPixiexox wrote: »

When I started anti-depressants, I found I was actually losing weight as opposed to gaining! I'm not sure if the pills themselves have some kind of weigh increasing ingredient in - morelike they make you a little hungrier and therefore you naturally eat more? I'm not 100% sure - what I do know is, it's totally possible to lose weight successfully whilst taking them! :]

If you were put wellbutrin / buproprion, weight loss is more common with it. It tends to increase activity and lower appetite.

snickerscharlie

Wellbutrin made me so nauseous that food was the very last thing I cared about!

Too bad it also pushed my anxiety levels through the roof, though.

dubird

senecarr wrote: »

PinkPixiexox wrote: »

When I started anti-depressants, I found I was actually losing weight as opposed to gaining! I'm not sure if the pills themselves have some kind of weigh increasing ingredient in - morelike they make you a little hungrier and therefore you naturally eat more? I'm not 100% sure - what I do know is, it's totally possible to lose weight successfully whilst taking them! :]

If you were put wellbutrin / buproprion, weight loss is more common with it. It tends to increase activity and lower appetite.

Didn't lower my appetite any! But it's different for everyone. Some side effects don't hit some people. Antibiotics will make me lose my appetite, but it doesn't do that for a lot of other people.

palomapavlova

In my early twenties I went through numerous antidepressants (including Zoloft) trying to find the right fit. The only one which caused weight gain for me was Remeron. It is a well documented side effect that I was not made aware of and would never have taken it if I had known. I gained 25 lbs in less than 2 months with little to no change to my eating habits. There is some research to suggest that it increases fat mass although the exact reasons (apart from a patient consuming many more calories) why certain antidepressants cause massive weight gain is largely unknown.

zoeysasha37

snickerscharlie wrote: »

Most anti-depressants with a proclivity to cause weight gain do so due to increased appetite. Very few are known to cause "unexplained weight gain," which equates to weight gain that can't be attributed to eating more than normal.

The good news is that if your antidepressant doesn't cause unexplained weight gain, it means that you are more in control of reversing it.

Exactly. Same as with many other medicines , yes people do gain weight but it leads back to a calorie surplus. It almost drives me crazy when people blame depo provers ( birth control ) for their weight gain . ( it does increase appetite for many , which causes them to eat at a surplus. There's millions of people online who directly blame the medicine so these people are convinced that its indeed the medicines fault when in reality they have eaten at a surplus)

sistermargret

An increase in my antidepressant caused me to gain 60lbs in less than 2 months. I was also taking Lyrica at the time. Dropped the Lyrica and dialed back the Cymbalta and I lost the weight again within 6 months.
It could be a combination of meds. Something I for which have to be careful.

lintilla42

Yes, this is my life. My weight has been pretty stable since I hit adulthood, but in the past year I've gained 10 kg! I'm on a combo of sertraline (Zoloft) and mirtazapine (various names, inc. Remeron and Axit) for depression and anxiety.

I haven't really been trying to lose weight - up until now, anyway. I know part of the problem with me is food cravings. I find myself grazing in the snack cupboard every night!

The positive effects of this combo are too good for me to abandon it just yet, but I think I do need to eat less and eat better. (Regardless of weight! I've been reading with great interest about the connection between gut bacteria and mood disorders, and the standard Western diet is not great for maintaining gut health.)

socaldee

Hi guys! I just joined MFP and searched for a topic such as this. I started on Wellbutrin (generic) in late Aug and noticed a total decrease in my appetite. I have to remember to eat. But then when I do eat I feel really sick. I also sometimes feel like I'm on a rollercoaster so I also take xanax when that happens. My friends notice that I'm not eating at all and they're constantly on me for it but I'm just not hungry anymore and tend to forget. I'm about 30lbs overweight and gained 15 of those in the last 9 months because all my ex and i did was eat, take naps, and lay on the couch watching tv so I wouldn't mind at least dropping the 15 and feeling hot and sexy again.

So far I've lost 6 lbs in my first 2 weeks on wellbutrin without working out. Now I'm using the energy (and desire to actually get out of bed) that it gives me and have been hitting the gym hardcore. I want to get myself used to working out so that if the energy dies down and appetite increases I've at least formed a healthy habit. Its a great thing to feel better overall AND be motivated to do something!

SamKorosi

I started 300mg of Wellbutrin in June 2014, I found i lost some weight on it. But when I found that wellbutrin alone wasn't enough for my anxiety and depression my Dr added Lexapro in January 2015. I had been on it for only 8 months and I gained nearly 40lbs. I've just come off it and the withdrawal was awful. But I've lost over 10lbs just since i've weened off.
But she's starting me on Zoloft this week so i'm a little scared. I don't need to gain any more weight!!!!!

glow5worm

I have had the same experience, my current cocktail which include Zyprexa, Luvox, Lyrica and Vallium has seen me gain 60punds in the last year. I have joined MFP to try and keep motivated and lose the weight. I have gotten to the point with the way the weight gain makes me feel that I said to my Dr I would rather be mad than this fat. I know I have to take the medications to be well so I am using MFP to really make a difference in health

BethMilledge

Feel free to add me.

hlds

You're not alone. I have been on Lexapro for 8 years and have gained about 40lbs. My doctors have said it can mess with one's ability to feel full. I really have to stop and ask am I really hungry. At my most recent physical it was suggested I switch to a weight neutral drug bc he believes it is messing with my metabolism. The amount of exercise and the absolute strictness in diet it takes me to move the scale is an indicator that the meds may be to blame. Keep talking to your doctor bc every body and reaction to the meds is different and it may be a combo of overeating and the meds or may be the meds themselves.

greenmaria

It's hard for me to know if it's meds or just the stage of life I'm in that have caused so much weight gain. On the one hand, I've been on Lexapro for years now, and my weight has steadily gone up. On the other hand, I'm 41, I've had three kids, I'm more sedentary, and it's the time of life that metabolism slows down.

munky_do

I just took myself off Celexa completely after weaning myself off for a month or so. Since taking them in late-2013, I've gained 40-50 lbs!! I notice already that I don't have the sugary/salty cravings I would constantly have when I was on them. Working out regularly at high-energy aerobics didn't move my weight one bit. Most of the weight gain from the antidepressant has been in my abdomen, whereas I've always tended to gain weight elsewhere and my belly was the one thing that I didn't have to worry about so much. I can only hope that with the cravings controlled, the weight will fall off with exercise. I can honestly say that the antidepressants were worth it at the time when I needed them though.