Losing Weight While on Antidepressants?

littlemissanguissette

I am on welbutrin as well. I was on Zoloft, then paxil, and my sex drive was gone which is absolutely unacceptable to me, so I switched back to welbutrin [why they switched me in the first place? who knows]. I am also on lamictal.

It is sometimes hard to lose weight while on anti-depressants, but it can be done. However, some medications it is downright impossible to lose weight. Serequel, for example. I did everything I could, and still was gaining weight while on it, so I got off it because I refused to go buy a new wardrobe because of a medication.

There are always other alternatives, you don't HAVE to stay on that one pill, usually. People with Bi Polar however it is hard, because Lamictal and Lithium are the only FDA approved drugs to treat that.

kaitimae

uhm i cant believe im admitting to this over the webz.... but here it goes...

wellbutrin or bupropion (generic form) is like the holy pill lol... its ssri type...

its the only one i know of that doesnt affect your sex drive. it makes you happy .. helps you stop smoking.. and helps with weight loss.... at least thats what i know about it...

it was amazing when i first started... two notes though... uhm make sure you only do extended release... i roller coastered on the quick release ones... and second is i lost a weeks worth of sleep when i first started...

I am SO GLAD you said that about the quick release! I was on those for awhile and it gave me crazy anxiety. I had to pretty much demand to be put back on the extended release - Kaiser didn't want to do it because they didn't have it in their pharmacy... eventually my doc wrote a prescription for me and now I get it at Costco. It's worth it to me to pay a little extra for the extended release though... hated the quick release ones.

julia23

Hello, i'm sorry to hear you're going through a ruff patch.
I was put on anti-depressants and within a month i gained over a stone. They do have the tendencies to increase your appetite but you have to remember that it is the tablets and not you actually being hungry. Though it does depend on the anti-depressant, some people don't change or they loose weight.
Along as your committed you will be able to sustain your weight loss, but if it gets ridiculous go back to your GP and see if there's a similar one you could try! Good luck.

maletac

uhm i cant believe im admitting to this over the webz.... but here it goes...

wellbutrin or bupropion (generic form) is like the holy pill lol... its ssri type...

its the only one i know of that doesnt affect your sex drive. it makes you happy .. helps you stop smoking.. and helps with weight loss.... at least thats what i know about it...

it was amazing when i first started... two notes though... uhm make sure you only do extended release... i roller coastered on the quick release ones... and second is i lost a weeks worth of sleep when i first started...

I am SO GLAD you said that about the quick release! I was on those for awhile and it gave me crazy anxiety. I had to pretty much demand to be put back on the extended release - Kaiser didn't want to do it because they didn't have it in their pharmacy... eventually my doc wrote a prescription for me and now I get it at Costco. It's worth it to me to pay a little extra for the extended release though... hated the quick release ones.

wallmart has 150mg extend release for i think 20 a month... its the cheapest... its their attempt at promoting stopping smoking... and yeah i was supposed to take it twice a day and man oh man was i over the top... id be soo happy then 3 horus later be so sad and miserable lol

ashleigh2311

Have just switched from Prozac to Zoloft (Fluoxetine to Sertraline)

ditto.

i was on fluoxetine for years, starting when i was first admitted to hospital for anorexia.
I came off for a little while (not on doctors orders though oops) but am now back on them, this time on sertraline.

Compared to when i had my eating disorder, and wasnt on any anti-depressants, i am noticing so much of a difference.
It is so much harder to lose weight than it ever has been.

Even though i am hypothyroid, so dont expect weight loss to be particularly easy, it was so much quicker when i wasnt on them.

the weight loss when i was at the same calorie intake and exercise level previously was so much greater than it is now.

Thanks for bringing this up though, it is a huuuuge concern for me, but is slightly comforting to know that i am not alone in my struggle to lose weight whilst on them.

tracylee1980

I have been taking Zoloft for 9+ years now & I haven't noticed it affecting my weight much. I do seem to have a harder time loosing weight since I've been on it though. Thanks for the post! Very interesting.

Lisone

I'm on neurontin for pain management for my neuropathy due to Diabetes.. but, my doctor told me that Neurontin also helps people who suffer from slight to severe depression. It hasn't made me gain weight (I used to be on Zoloft years ago and it DID make me gain and it didn't really help with my depression.. )

fitnessjch

I am on Prozac as we speak (have been for 2 months) and have lost 16lbs in that time

ludeo

would love some friends who are also on anti depressants, need the motivation and understanding . i have noticed weight gain significantly after upping my meds.

dawnee68

I am on a cocktail of 5 different meds for bipolar and have gained around 25 kilos. My metabolic doctor has just started me on metformin which is said to help reverse weight gain in people who take antipsychotic meds etc. would love some friends in the same boat so feel free to add me.

Gardenwalla

This is a great topic which I think applies to a whole lot of people. I know I need my meds but I am really hopeful for losing weight and keeping it off this time.

dtor18

I can't relate personally but I have heard really wonderful things about this book, the Serotonin Power Diet, which helps people on anti-depressants eat the right foods and deal with the appetite changes. It comes highly recommended. Best of luck!

Gardenwalla

Thanks for the tip dtor18! I will check into it.

emzypemzy93

I'm on antiphycotic medication as well and it has caused me to gain about 35 pounds so I know how it feels!! I'm tryin to lose the weight while on the medication too! It can be done

wisa11

Wow, i created an account just to respond (to this really old thread) and do they ever want a lot of info! Anyway, I just wanted to add my experiences:

Cymbalta - no weight gain (or loss) - I think this is common for this antidepressant, I could see it resulting in weight loss if it worked really well for you but for me it was just enough to get my head above water so no exercising (and for the first 3-5 years, I maintained my weight within 3-4 pounds til I had a baby)

After baby, I started in mirtazapine, and thinking it was cravings left over from when I was breastfeeding, didn't worry...gained 15 pounds, which was exactly what I lost the week after gibing birth, so I was basically 8 months pregnant size post baby.

Tried a few things after that (always keeping Cymbalta), sleep is always my real problem so I lost 30 pounds treating just that but unfortunately with sleep you eventually need something long term (i.e. an antidepressant, not sleeping pills) and I'm now on tricyclic antidepressants and an antipsychotic which work fantastic for energy, mood, sleep, etc. (I'm writing this at 6am! 6 months ago, I had not gotten up at 6am...well, pretty much ever) but gaining weight.... quickly! Like 8 lbs in a week and a half. I've cut back my doses til I can see my doctor but don't know what to do anymore. Maybe switch out Cymbalta for Wellbutrin? I was almost at a point where I could exercise, but now i'm more tired with the extra weight. I just don't know what to do. I see a specialist but it takes about 6 weeks for an appointment so i'll see my GP....might ask about metformin too. I just hate piling on the medications, but i'm so close to being a regular person again.

Phrick

Wow, i created an account just to respond (to this really old thread) and do they ever want a lot of info! Anyway, I just wanted to add my experiences:

Cymbalta - no weight gain (or loss) - I think this is common for this antidepressant, I could see it resulting in weight loss if it worked really well for you but for me it was just enough to get my head above water so no exercising (and for the first 3-5 years, I maintained my weight within 3-4 pounds til I had a baby)

After baby, I started in mirtazapine, and thinking it was cravings left over from when I was breastfeeding, didn't worry...gained 15 pounds, which was exactly what I lost the week after gibing birth, so I was basically 8 months pregnant size post baby.

Tried a few things after that (always keeping Cymbalta), sleep is always my real problem so I lost 30 pounds treating just that but unfortunately with sleep you eventually need something long term (i.e. an antidepressant, not sleeping pills) and I'm now on tricyclic antidepressants and an antipsychotic which work fantastic for energy, mood, sleep, etc. (I'm writing this at 6am! 6 months ago, I had not gotten up at 6am...well, pretty much ever) but gaining weight.... quickly! Like 8 lbs in a week and a half. I've cut back my doses til I can see my doctor but don't know what to do anymore. Maybe switch out Cymbalta for Wellbutrin? I was almost at a point where I could exercise, but now i'm more tired with the extra weight. I just don't know what to do. I see a specialist but it takes about 6 weeks for an appointment so i'll see my GP....might ask about metformin too. I just hate piling on the medications, but i'm so close to being a regular person again.

What antipsychotic do you take, if you don't mind sharing? I have bipolar disorder and have taken most of the newer atypicals at one time or another (Seroquel,Zyprexa,Risiperdal, Geodon, Abilify etc). I gained dramatically on Seroquel and Zyprexa but if I'm going to be 100% honest it was because I just didn't give a flying fig about what I put in my mouth. I finally felt better mentally but the cravings for sweets and carbs were INTENSE. Sure I didn't have to gain, but the cravings coupled with being in an already fragile state mentally, are pretty hard to combat. Of course I would not have had I not taken in more than I was burning, but there you go. I had good results when my psychiatrist switched me to Risperdal (good results meaning I stopped gaining, although I still didn't LOSE any of it), unfortunately I had the undesirable side effect of beginning to lactate again (I was about 6 months past weaning my youngest at that point so it was weird to have milk again). Geodon made me so sleepy all the time that I couldn't tolerate it any longer and quit it within a week of falling asleep while driving (!!!!!), but Abilify has been my godsend. I take 20mg a day which is a pretty high dose. We are considering dropping it to 15 and then maybe 10mg, but my doc has more confidence in my ability to reduce it and maintain, mentally, than I do :laugh:. I will still probably give it a shot though.

My current cocktail of meds is so much smaller than it was in the beginning, at one point near the start of my roller coaster ride I was taking 26 pills a day now I'm down to just 3 meds in 4 pills a day (well 5 if you count the magnesium supplement I take).

I'm telling you this to also tell you that there are options. If you find that an antipsychotic/antidepressant combo is working for you but you are finding the rapid gain, maybe instead of ADDING Metformin (which is a drug primarily taken by diabetics and women with PCOS, if you didn't know, to help control insulin related function), maybe you could switch to a different antipsychotic. Not all of them will cause increased cravings in all people, so finding the one that works best with your individual brain chemistry is a worthwhile effort. Additionally some of them (Seroquel and Zyprexa specifically but I believe the others as well to a much lesser extent) are strongly linked to developing diabetes, which is why you're supposed to have bloodwork drawn so frequently when you're taking them. Not being able to battle the cravings only makes the probability greater so finding one that doesn't cause these cravings or that doesn't cause them as intensely is a better option if possible.

Capricorn_1

Wow - I'm so glad I found this forum. I have an appointment with a psychiatrist next week to discuss an antidepressant prescription. I've been increasingly depressed for the past 3 years, but have been resistant to medication because I experienced significant weight gain (30 pounds) from taking Paxil about 20 years ago. When I started taking Paxil, I was in my 20s and never had a weight issue. Once I went off it, I started exercising and the weight came off no problem. But now, I'm in my 40s and at my heaviest, thanks in large part to self medicating my depression with sugar, carbs and a sedentary lifestyle in front of the tv. I'm hoping the psychiatrist can steer me towards a prescription that is at least weight neutral and lifts the fog of depression.

I know different drugs work differently on people, but I feel like I'm in a catch-22. I can't keep sinking in this depression, but I can't continue to gain weight, yet one is fueling the other. I appreciate the insights you all have shared. it's just comforting to know weight loss is possible while on medication. Thanks!

cary1975

I am trying to share my experience with as many sites as possible, because when I had problems with not being able to stop gaining weight while on, and after I stopped, taking Lexapro, I couldn't find many answers out there.

I just have to say that ANYONE who experiences symptoms with mood or anxiety, and has issues with gaining weight, or an inability to lose weight, EVEN WHILE exercising and counting calories should see their doctor and demand a thyroid panel.

I wasted over a year of my life on antidepressants and anxiety meds, when truly what I needed was thyroid meds. But since I wasn't overweight or obese (yet) I had trouble having my doctor take me seriously.

And when you get your thyroid results, DON'T trust the lab normal ranges. My TSH was absolutely normal, but my free T4 and free T3 were low, and this was my problem. My primary care doctor would have said my test results were "normal" but an experienced endocrinologist knew from my symptoms, which included more than just weight gain, that medication would help me. I am now on Armour and am finally...FINALLY losing weight, about two years after my weight gain started. And guess what...after taking it for a month or two, my mood and my anxiety were completely gone.

It can be so frustrating and overwhelming to know your body isn't doing what it is supposed to, and to have everyone tell you, just watch your food intake, make sure you exercise...and yet none of this makes an impact. It starts to make you feel like YOU must be doing something wrong, when in reality it is out of your control, and you need medication to turn things around.

I am not the only one with this experience, I have a friend with Hashis, and she just found this out after years of mood symptoms. I truly believe that before anyone is prescribed antidepressants, vitamin levels and thyroid panel should be required. A lot of times thyroid issues result in low vitamin levels, EVEN IF you eat healthy. So make sure you advocate for yourself and get these checked!

ohmygodtherearenomoreusernames

I was put on Risperidal and it made me gain weight like crazy. I talked to my doctor about it and he was understanding and put me on Lamictal which he said can actually cause weight loss. It hasn't made me lose weight, but it's set me back to normal so I can lose weight when I try. You might ask your doctor if he's willing to try another anti-depressant with you.