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?