Antidepressants and weight--your experience

love4fitnesslove4food_wechange

Okay...so I am likely going to take an ssri. I cannot take Wellbutrin because I have a history of an eating dosorder.

I am wondering if weight fluctuations occur in calorie counters who are monitoring their intake or only in those who eat differently as a result of a change in appetite .

What has your experience been?
What do you take? What dose?
Did you begin calorie counting before/after you started the medication?
Did your eating change in a way that can explain any weight changes?
Did your appetite change?

meerkat70

I was pretty big when I last took ADs, and they had no particular impact on my weight. I started losing weight after taking the ADs, but am now off them completely (and have been for some time). I believe the ADs made me feel sufficiently well to be able to tackle the weight.

GemmieNoWobbles

Hey!!
I take Citalopram and have done for about 7 years! I was on a dose of 60mg but now I have whittled it down to 20mg every other few days. I am trying to come off it.
I have to say I think with this one it doesnt really affect your weight all that much but I did go through a phase of being REALLY hungry when I started. But I think once your body gets used to it it should level out.
Good luck, which one are you getting?

meerkat70

Oh, I just remembered too, they can seriously upset your stomach when you first start - so be prepared for that. I had very bad cramps, and a nasty tummy for about a fortnight. I've had that with various ADs as well, not just with one. It may not happen to you, but it is a pretty common side effect. It does settle down once your body has adapted. I guess that would have an impact on weight, albeit temporary.

carolann_22

I'm on 50 mg/ Zoloft for PPD. At first I lost weight on it because I had NO appetite, then I adjusted. I haven't been gaining on it, and I have been able to lose with it although maybe a little more slowly.

mama2shi

Hi there!

I take Lexapro at 10mg a day and have done so for about 5 years. I can't say if there were initial weight issues or not since at the time I went on it I had lost about 30 pounds in a month (I stopped eating because my husband had passed and went into a deep depression). I can't blame the meds for it, so I would say to just listen to your body and pay close attention to any changes and discuss with your doctor.

Good luck!!

love4fitnesslove4food_wechange

She wants to prescribe Zoloft. I walked out. I was afraid. I wanted Wellbutrin but its contraindicated for anyone who has ever had an eating disorder.

monkeypain1984

Hi, im on 150mg's of Amitriptyline and i haven't noticed any weight loss or weight gain and have been on them for the last couple of months. The Dr is hoping the help me sleep and eat better as i have a heard time eating more than once a day. She's said if im not eating better when she sees me next month than she's wanting to put me on another one as well. I hope things work out for you.

amykingsley1

I gained, but not necessarily because I was on them I don't think... I was in this cycle of gaining like 10 lbs a year since starting college....

Why does the doc want to put you on them? Only you and your doctor together can determine if you really need them but having been on them, I will be wary of ever taking them again and will probably only take them if I truly can't function. Maybe some of the people in your life can give you some insight on how you seem to them if you are having trouble deciding.

onedayillbamilf

I have been on a few of them, they have all affected me differently.

Cymbalta- 60mg- decreased appetite but always sweating
Prestiq- (can't remember dosage)- hungry ALL the time, gained weight on it....but it worked for what it was supposed to.
Effexor- 75mg- Loss of appetite, but was super tense all the time
Zoloft-Can't remember what dose- just started taking recently, so far no increase or decrease of appetite.

I guess it all just depends on how your body reacts to certain medicines.

LuciaLongIsland

She wants to prescribe Zoloft. I walked out. I was afraid. I wanted Wellbutrin but its contraindicated for anyone who has ever had an eating disorder.

I gained 50 pounds on Zoloft, Lexapro, Cymbalta and Prosac was the worst. I am on Lamectal. Itt is the only one that is helped and n weight gain.

jilers

I've loss weight while on antidepressianta. I was allgeric to Wellburtin so that was out. I've since levelled out. I'm taking cymbalta which does not effect my hunger either way. When I am down and don;t want to eat. When things are well, I eat healthy. (and sometimes cheat)
I don't want to eat today.

KH_Missfits

I just started Wellbutrin a week ago. Why can't you be on it with your history of having the eating disorder?

I WAS on Celexa. I was breastfeeding and that was the safest one. When i stopped breastfeeding i was switched to the Wellburtrin. We'll see how it works. But i am not for having the meds put on weight!!!

daeljo

She wants to prescribe Zoloft. I walked out. I was afraid. I wanted Wellbutrin but its contraindicated for anyone who has ever had an eating disorder.

I gained 50 pounds on Zoloft, Lexapro, Cymbalta and Prosac was the worst. I am on Lamectal. Itt is the only one that is helped and n weight gain.

I also gained about thirty pounds on Lexapro! For some reason, when I was on it, I just could not control my cravings and was hungry all the time.

Bentley2718

I have taken a number of antidepressants over the years. Many of them made me much more hungry. When I wasn't counting calories/exercising, I gained weight. When I was watching what I ate and exercising it was more difficult not to overeat than when I wasn't on those medications, but I didn't necessarily gain weight. The one drug where I did gain a noticeable amount weight while watching calories also causes issues with the salt balance in your body, especially if you sweat a lot (which tends to happen with cardio) so there was a lot going on in my body with that particular drug. (This drug isn't an SSRI, and is not typically prescribed as an straight anti-depressant, so you probably don't have to worry about that much.) I don't think the weight gain is inevitable, but you have to be strategic and use self-control (which is hard when part of you is just telling you "eat, eat, eat" constantly). Also, it's kinda off topic, but some drugs cause constipation, so watch out for that, particularly if you see a fast uptick in the scale. Good luck to you!

ahinescapron

I took Lexapro 10 mg for five years. In that time, I was unable to lose weight. I was calorie counting and exercising, just as I am now. My doc told me that for some people, it causes your body to hold onto weight. I gained from other things, like having babies, but I was unable to lose it when I gained it. I hated the weight-related side effects, but I had severe depression and really needed to be able to take care of my kids. Last summer, it stopped working for me, so I ended up having to switch from Lexapro to a new med called Viibryd (20mg). I have not changed dramatically in terms of what I have been doing, and have finally been able to lose weight again. Viibryd is also good because it does not mess with your libido the way that other meds do. This is just my experience, though, and every person who takes antidepressants will have a totally different one. It is a trial and error thing. I tried a couple of others that just did not work for me, before I originally settled on Lexapro.
I also wanted to say that there will be people on here that tell you that you should exercise and that will make you no longer depressed. I get where they are coming from, but that doesn't work for everyone. I have been an almost daily exerciser for years, and it never got rid of my severe depression. My mom committed suicide at 29, so I don't play around with that family history. I hope you find one that works for you, because I know how much depression sucks.

pbear15

I have been taking Cymbalta 60 mg. for a couple of years. I actually started taking it for pain after an accident but it has made my disposition much better. I read that people who take it usually lose weight but I have not either gained nor lost because of this medication. I do have very wierd dreams however. Good luck.

XXXMinnieXXX

Whilst taking Amitriptyline 200mg I gained 7 stone in a year. Was so hungry plus I think still very depressed and in a bad cycle with eating. Went on mirtazipine 45mg and craved sweet stuff and never felt full, so went down to 30mg and I'm fine now, they've changed my life feel so much better. I only got control of my life and weight once I was on the right one, couldn't have done it without them... So I'd say go for it, but you may have to try a couple to get the right one. They all effect different people differently... Its not a one answer fits all kinda thing unfortunately! X

enlightening

In my forties went on anti-depressants for the first time. Settled on Prozac, which was rather new then. I loved how I felt for the first time in my life. I also gained 60 pounds!

Now on Zoloft and no problems.

klclark7

I was on Zoloft for 2 1/2 years. We increased my meds last June (I can not remember the dosage) and I gained 20 pounds. I don't entirely blame the meds, however, my appetite increased tremendously. I was not counting calories or dieting. We switched meds to Wellbutrin in early December. I did not change my eating habits until Jan. 1. I lost 4 pounds in December. I have since been calorie counting and working out hard. I have lost another 6 pounds this month. I do blame the meds, but not entirely. My eating was terrible. I have never had to watch what I eat until now.

Lyric82

I have been on Lexapro and Cymbalta. I didn't notice too much of a weight gain - but I had other side effects that weren't pleasant.

My dr. now wants to put me on Celexa. I am really against anti-depressants (again because of the side effects) and I am scared that it will make me gain weight.

Anyone had any experiences with Celexa?

TNTwedell

Doctor prescribed me Prozac and within 3 months, I had gained 20lbs - and I hadnt changed my eating habits at all.
I asked to be taken off Prozac & am now on Celexa (20mg) and my weight finally stabilized. I feel great & no side effects for me.
Its been REALLY hard to drop the 20 I gained, and especially since I was really hesitant to go on it in the first place... I feel like so many doctors just prescribe these pills sometimes without fully understanding a patients needs.
I went in for my regular checkup and told my doc I was really stressed out (work, family, etc) and having a hard time calming down, sleeping, etc. so she gave me Prozac??
Now that Im on Celexa, I feel great, but I am also really hesitant to go OFF - not knowing what I'll feel like if I stop. Its a vicious cycle.

JNile

I am currently on 200mg of Zoloft and 10mg of Amitriptylene have been for 3-4 months now feeling batter but havent seen much of a change in my weight

nas24

-What has your experience been? Well i was on Wellbutrin for about a year, during the 1st part of me being on MFP, at 1st everything was great, and as you know Wellbutrin can actually make you loose weight, just on its own. This were great, till all of a sudden, Wellbutrin started to make me crazy. It took my already large issue with anxiety, and times it by 100...and then lead to suicidal thoughts. I ended up in the hospital and gained about 7 lbs because during my anxiety episode, i couldn't eat anything and anything that i could eat was junk. I'm off the med now and while its a bit harder to loose weight, I'm doing so much better mentally.
-What do you take? What dose? Wellbutrin 200 mgs (100mg 2x's a day)
-Did you begin calorie counting before/after you started the medication? after being on the medication
-Did your eating change in a way that can explain any weight changes? Lost weight really well...18 lbs to be exact, till i went crazy from the med and had to stop my weight loss journey for a while.
-Did your appetite change? Well it was very hard to eat as much as i was suppose to when i first started MFP and Wellbutrin had a lot to do with that. But after being with MFP for a while, i was able to up my calories and the weight just fell off.

meribethd

Hi! I've taken several different antidepressants/anti-anxiety meds in the past. None of them have really affected my weight much if I am paying attention to calories and exercising. I've been on Paxil, Zoloft, and now Celexa.

If you need to take a medication, i would not let fear of weight gain stop you. First of all, there may be no effect at all. And if there is, there are others you can try. I hope you're feeling better soon.

beduffbrickie

Im on Venlafaxine (brand name: Effexor or Efexor), Never really had any weight problems through the dose im on, just had side effects in different ways.

laurastrait21

I started off on Celexa, hungry ALL the time and gained a lot of weight - but I stayed on for awhile because I figured I'd rather be "fat and happy" than thinner and miserable. I went off for awhile about 3 years into it because I didn't think I needed it.

I was switched to Pristiq and lost the weight I had gained from my prev medication - but always on edge, shaky, and felt like I was jumping out of my skin. Only lasted two weeks.

I've been on Fluoxetine/Prozac for the last two and a half years and I LOVE it. Any problems with my weight have had to do with my own caloric input/output imbalance. I started calorie counting on and off and did not notice any significant differences in my weight loss as long as I keep to my plan!! (and I now know i need this medication and it is worth it!)

Everyone is different -- I'd recommend trying what your doctor recommends, it is hard to know how your body will respond! That being said, stick of MFP and watching your calories in/out and go from there! Unfortunately, it's not always a "quick fix" when it comes to medications.

brittanyjeanxo

What has your experience been? --At first, I could not stop moving. I wanted to clean and run and do jumping jacks and yell. Made it a little hard to sleep, at first, but it all wore off.

What do you take? What dose? --Paxil (paroxetine) 20 mg.

Did you begin calorie counting before/after you started the medication? --After, but thanks to a hospital stay and the medication, I had already lost a good ten pounds without knowing by the time I started.

Did your eating change in a way that can explain any weight changes? --Yes.

Did your appetite change? --Not particularly.

ETA: I do have one strange side effect, though it's very rare--I yawn a lot! Just all the time. lol

momgonekrazy

Hi, I take Amitryptilene. I take it for migraine prevention not depression or anxiety. I've gained 15ish pounds since starting a few months ago. Everything I read about this medication indicated that I would gain weight and I did Started on 75mg but now have added Atenolol for blood pressure/migraine prevention and so I have dropped the Amitryptilene down to 50mg in hopes I can possibly lose what I have gained.

khopkins76

Hi there!

My doctor put me on Pristiq last year, I wasn't worried about gaining weight, as I am an avid runner & have always been good with excercise. And I know how to eat healthy. It made me feel alot better emotionally, and at first it killed my appetite, so I thought "Great! I won't gain weight on this one!!" Well, after a few months I quickly found out that was NOT going to be the case. Despite continuing to work out & eat somewhat healthy, I started gaining weight. I gained about 16 lbs in 6 months. This is unheard of for me, I always keep my weight in check. I went off of it in September, and once I made it thru the holidays, I've now lost 6 lbs this month. I've been told it can take up to a year for your body to re-adjust, but I think I'm finally "de-toxing" and the weight is finally coming off!! Good luck, and hope they find the right one for you! Keep in mind, it all depends on the medicine, and your body/chemistry. I will say it did make me feel alot better but I hated the side effects!!!

alimarieban

She wants to prescribe Zoloft. I walked out. I was afraid. I wanted Wellbutrin but its contraindicated for anyone who has ever had an eating disorder.

I am on Zoloft and have honestly NEVER felt better. I do not believe that it has caused weight gain nor do I believe it inhibits weight loss. I am happy, calm- really just feel great. I hope you give it a try!