Medications for anxiety and depression and trying to lose weight! Needing helpful advise

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tshalee
tshalee Posts: 3 Member
in Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
I have been on anxiety/ depression medication since my husband of 24 yrs left me , 4 yrs ago. Since taking this medication I have gained 75lbs in 3.5 yrs. I have tried to diet, tried to walk off the weight but I have never been so hungry! I tried to stop the medication seeing as it has been 4 yrs and I should not need it any longer but I can’t function without it, so I think it’s going to be on my medication list for life…. How do I lose weight and stop gaining anymore while on this medication. Any advice or helpful tips is appreciated desperately!!!

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  • DiscoveringLisa
    DiscoveringLisa Posts: 112 Member
    edited June 2022
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    tshalee wrote: »
    I have been on anxiety/ depression medication since my husband of 24 yrs left me , 4 yrs ago. Since taking this medication I have gained 75lbs in 3.5 yrs. I have tried to diet, tried to walk off the weight but I have never been so hungry! I tried to stop the medication seeing as it has been 4 yrs and I should not need it any longer but I can’t function without it, so I think it’s going to be on my medication list for life…. How do I lose weight and stop gaining anymore while on this medication. Any advice or helpful tips is appreciated desperately!!!

    You might want to go back to your doctor. There are a whole bunch of different antidepressants and there might be a better fit for you. I've been on them myself and know the difference it can make when you switch to a more suitable one. I know I took one called mirtazapine once and it had me absolutely starving 24/7, it was awful. Another had me asleep constantly, I was a permanent zombie. After some trial and error I found one that worked for me and had no real negative side effects. So yeah, go back to your doctor and explain the weight/hunger issue. Wishing you luck 🤞
  • avatiach
    avatiach Posts: 291 Member
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    I agree, talk to your doctor! Also if you haven’t tried additional (complementary) activities like therapy, EMDR, yoga, journaling—those may allow you to reduce your dose even if you stay on the same medication.
  • Womona
    Womona Posts: 1,605 Member
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    I agree with the other respondents about talking to your doctor. You may also want to start working with a personal trainer and a nutrition coach to help get you where you want to be.
  • littlesnowyone
    littlesnowyone Posts: 19 Member
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    My advice for antidepressants- DO NOT start taking Effexor XR. It is highly addictive and if you run out, you WILL experience withdrawal symptoms.

    I only figured this out when I was in college - I’ve been taking it since I was 11 or 12. Now, even if I miss only one dose, I go into withdrawal.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,910 Member
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    Although the OP has not been back, I agree with the others who say talk to your doctor about a different type of antidepressant - there are plenty that are not associated with increased appetite.
    littlesnowyone wrote: »
    My advice for antidepressants- DO NOT start taking Effexor XR. It is highly addictive and if you run out, you WILL experience withdrawal symptoms.

    I only figured this out when I was in college - I’ve been taking it since I was 11 or 12. Now, even if I miss only one dose, I go into withdrawal.

    I take Cymbalta, which is also an SNRI like Effexor. I start having withdrawal symptoms if I am 45 minutes late for a dose.

    Prior to that, I'd been taking Wellbutrin off and on for 20 years. I say "off and on" because I used to go off it in the late spring and resume in fall when my SAD kicked in. I had no problems tapering off Wellbutrin. It also did not increase my appetite at all. Unfortunately, it stopped working last year. My doctor and I tried a variety of meds before we settled on Cymbalta.

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