Quit Antidepressant - GAINED WEIGHT! (need advice)

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denizfindigi
denizfindigi Posts: 41
in Motivation and Support
I used to take a antidepressant because I developed vitiligo - a skin pigmentation deficiency last year and the doctor concluded that it was because of me being "over emotional" and "way too stressful". During the start of the treatment I lost a lot of weight and started to feel so good about myself that I was no longer "emotional and stressful". However my vitiligo is under control and I no longer have to take the medication. Just as I stopped I started to feel nausea all the time and started to gain weight. Now I weight a lot more than I have weighted last summer and I am trying to put things back in order. I think right now even though I am in a safe zone mentally my body might be "stressful" due to the lack of the medicine.

Has anyone been here? Do you have any recommendations?

Thanks a lot and feel free to add me.. I am new here : )

Replies

  • moondazed
    moondazed Posts: 73 Member
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    The same thing happened to me as well! I ended up gaining back about 6+ pounds after quitting Cipralex. How long have you been off it for? For me, the first month off I felt sick all of the time and couldn't even eat. However after that I started craving and giving in to all the food (and that's where all my weight gain came from.) This just ended up making me more depressed and triggered me a lot, it was really hard to deal with.
    Anyways, the best advice I can give you is to not dwell on the fact that you gained weight. The worst thing is to fixate on the past because then it will limit you from changing the present and future. If you've moved past the dreaded 'come down phase' of anti-depressants, just focus on eating healthy and working out, and try to keep that PMA up! (Positive mental attitude ;)
  • denizfindigi
    denizfindigi Posts: 41
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    Almost the same situation =)
    The only difference is that the nausea made me eat because that was the only time I was focusing on something other than my digestive system. (and mostly I ate all sorts of comfort food)
    I believe the worst is over and I am ready to make a new start!

    Thanks a lot for the advice
  • unclehofitness
    unclehofitness Posts: 31
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    I had 4 years of anti depressants and recently my dad died of cancer so I got put on a handful of mind altering drugs

    I had done 2 years of sports science into a personal training license thing

    I chose to exercise and I refuse to take drugs, I've been drug free for 2 years now.

    believe it or not, I exercise 40 hours a week and study 20 hours a week.

    "at the end of the day, this is just advice.... you can do whatever the F**K you wanna do!" ......Hodge Twins.
  • unclehofitness
    unclehofitness Posts: 31
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    I've lost almost 40 pounds in 4 months, been keeping to my diet and exercise, its been working for me so yeah...
  • rbiss
    rbiss Posts: 422 Member
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    I never took them long enough for anything to actually work because I really dislike drugs and they made me super sick and that was the end of it for me. Anywho, the doc warned me that they take about 1 month to get established in the system and a similar timeframe to get out of the system. The increase and decrease were supposed to be in small dosages. I am guessing they are leaving your system and to ride out the bad symptoms. I can't speak to the weight gain, but you can work on that when your feeling better.
  • Evelynnn2014
    Evelynnn2014 Posts: 42
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    Personally, antidepressants have really helped me. To the person writing before me, you might be trying to get endorphin highs to fill what you need, because 40 hours seems a bit excessive. But to each his own. It's not shameful to need medicine.
  • unclehofitness
    unclehofitness Posts: 31
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    I just don't want to end up like this friend of mine, this girl who's been on it for 8 years and she could find anything that I say that has no humorous elements to it funny

    she would find anything funny.... not because it's funny but because the anti depressants messed her up.

    I don't want to be like that.
  • unclehofitness
    unclehofitness Posts: 31
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    drugs are a temporary fix, it does not cure the problem, the problem comes from within.... and it's really up to the individual to take control and have to will power it and control it.

    as difficult as that may sound.
  • denizfindigi
    denizfindigi Posts: 41
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    I will take your comment into consideration and focus on exercising - thanks!
  • rm33064
    rm33064 Posts: 270 Member
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    Food is the most abused anxiety drug. Exercise is the most underutilized anti depressant.

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