Is it possible to lose weight while on antidepressants?

ivanna3298
ivanna3298 Posts: 6
in Health and Weight Loss
I have been on Paxil for 2 years now and I workout 4-5 days a week at the gym for 50 minutes and yet I don't see any process or weight loss. I have a proper healthy diet and I seem to just stay at the same weight. Does anyone else here take medication and is it possible to lose weight while on it?

Replies

  • MagicalGiraffe
    MagicalGiraffe Posts: 102 Member
    Hey, I'm on an SSRI called Celexa. I gained a stupid amount of weight when first on it, but I think that was multifactoral. Now I've gotten back to the weight I was before I started taking it and plan to lose more. At the end of the day, it all comes down to a calorie deficit but a deficit which you find managable as to minimise relapsing into bad habits. Mathematical!!
  • Phrick
    Phrick Posts: 2,765 Member
    yes it's possible, I've done it (see ticker, although not all of that time was on antidepressant meds - some of the time was on other gainers such as lithium)

    Weight loss has little to do with the amount of exercise you do, how much you lift, etc. As they say, "you can't out-run a bad diet," - it's about how much you eat. If you've been seeing little progress over the past 2 years, you're eating more than your body is burning. It sucks, but it's truth.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    Yes
  • pander101
    pander101 Posts: 677 Member
    Yes, it is very possible. You might find the problem be with the amount of food you are eating, not the antidepressants. Are you using a food scale? Many people find if weight loss has stalled that they are eating more than they think because they don't measure accurately. They just guess. Measuring cups are not accurate for solids. Also, if you are using MFP to calculate calories burned during exercising and then eating those calories back that is another possible problem. MFP overestimates calories burned. I reccomend a heart rate monitor or only eating back 50-70% of the calories burned. I'm also on antidepressants. They are usually an appetite stimulate. Weight loss is simply calories in vs. calories out.
  • segovm
    segovm Posts: 512 Member
    If antidepressants kept people from losing weight we would just ship those to third world countries instead of food...
  • evee7340
    evee7340 Posts: 24 Member
    It is possible...I'm on three meds--Fetzima (SSRI); Wellbutrin, which supposedly helps with weight loss and really does reduce my appetite; and Abilify, which is known for weight gain--and I'm losing pretty well.

    However, also remember that everyone reacts differently to medications. It won't help you lose or make you feel better about not losing, but try to keep in mind that there's nothing "wrong" if that's how your body reacts.

    Maybe try switching to another med that doesn't affect weight as a side effect? Fetzima, the one I'm on (which is in the same class as Paxil) was shown not to affect weight (gaining or losing) in clinical studies, plus it doesn't have the sex side effects that Paxil can, if that's an issue for you too. I used to take Paxil and it worked okay but switched to Fetzima maybe six months ago, and it's worked SO much better for me.

Categories