Which Anti-Anxiety/Depressant Does NOT Cause Weight Gain?

cblevitron

Anything that messes with your hormones has a possible side effect of weight gain.

junejadesky

Meditation.......

BluthLover

Wellbutrin

I have a friend who is an E.R. nurse and she says that every week they have someone come in (usually a woman) who is on Wellbutrin and having a panic attack.

This is interesting to me. I just went off Wellbutrin. I feel like it was making me way worse. I have taken both Paxil and Zoloft. I didn't notice any weight gain with either. Zoloft made me feel too numb though. For whatever that's worth!

SanteMulberry

After years of dealing will every anti anxiety pill out there I finally cut cold turkey and went to a hypnotist, that was over two years ago and I can proudly say I can leave my house, go to the mall alone, I finished college and got my life back. I will never put those chemicals into my body again.

Good for you! There are far too many people who are practically hoodwinked into taking these drugs which can often be very dangerous. Big Pharma has always known that the SSRI class of drugs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) will backfire with about 5% of those who are taking them and those individuals will go into a full-fledged psychotic break. A great many of the shooting incidents are preceded by the shooter being on or having been on anti-depressants. Cops know the truth, but the mainstream media will rarely if ever talk about it (for obvious reasons---guess who the big advertisers are?)

BPayton27

I've been taking Welbutrin since last November and have lost a significant amount of weight despite the fact. I also don't feel groggy, over medicated, etc. I will say though that I sometimes still do experience moderate anxiety.

Bakkasan

While I am off my HRT I need an anti anxiety and paxil is something new to me. So far, no appetite issues and I don't feel like it's making me a zombie or putting weird thoughts in my head. Every person will experience every medication differently.

126siany

There's really no way to know for sure whether a particular antidepressant will cause weight gain in a particular person. This sort of response is fairly individual and may be dose-dependent. One drug in a class may cause weight gain while another might not.

That said, among the SSRIs Lexapro has very few anecdotal reports of weight gain at low doses, but does have more when the dose is raised. Older SSRIs tend to be more commonly associated with weight gains than the newer ones. If Celexa helped your depression but you couldn't tolerate the side effects, Lexapro might actually be a good choice. It's a similar drug but generally has far fewer side effects.

Tricyclics are associated with weight gain pretty universally.

The atypical antispychotics (basically the anticonvulsives) often provoke weight gain, though in some it is dose-dependent. These are not usually a first line of treatment in depression, but are frequently used in bi-polar patients and sometimes added to the SSRIs in intractable depression.

The SNRIs and ENRIs like Effexor and Wellbutrin can actually provoke inappetance, but this is usually dose-dependent. However, they are often not prescribed to people with eating disorders linked to restricting food specifically because they can provoke inappetance.

lisaishotpink

I'm on Klonopin (Clonazepam) for my anxiety disorder, it has hindered my weight loss in no way whatsoever. My fiance' is on Zoloft and he hasn't had any issues losing weight.

seamonkey789

Please do not take medication advise off a forum. TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR. And some of the medication mentioned here is not even antidepressants, they are anti-psychotics

Everyone is different and reacts to medication differently. What makes 1 person gain weight will be weight neutral for another person and the side effects are going to vary for pretty much everyone.

I'm currently taking a huge weight gainer for most people and have not gained any weight and the medication does what it is supposed to for me.

SanteMulberry

All medications have the potential for weight gain. Everyone reacts differently to different drugs. The best thing you can do is monitor yourself.

This is true.

Now, some of the research suggests that antibiotics cause weight gain! I guess it makes sense as that is why they give antibiotics to animals (not as you might think, to fight disease---they are given the antibiotics to increase weight gain). The horrible, disgustingly filthy conditions of factory-raised chickens require that they be given feed laced liberally with antibiotics. Not only do we take in the crud when we eat them but more and more scientists have come around to the view that antibiotics in animal feed (the vast majority of antibiotics that are manufactured are given to animals) contribute to the development of super-bugs. This was a controversial theory when first introduced but mainstream science seem to be coming over to that point of view. I would never eat any chicken that was not naturally raised and free-range.

126siany

One thing with Wellbutrin - don't take it if you can't take it consistently. For me, if I miss one day taking it, I'm okay -- but if I miss two in a row, I find myself very badly depressed!

I'm not glad to hear you get very badly depressed, but I'm glad to read that because that has happened to me a couple times, and it's severe! Good to know I wasn't imagining it. I'm good at taking it daily but a couple times I needed to pick up my refill and was a couple days late.

Good advice.

Wellbutrin has a viciously short half-life and you will definitely know if you miss a dose. Tough dosing schedule too. I think there is a version of Wellbutrin you can take once or twice a day called Wellbutrin XR. This is one drug where the generics DO NOT function the same as the name brand. Get the name brand if you can possibly pay for it.

2Bgoddess

My son has a severe anxiety disorder. He takes 80mg of Strattera. For several weeks after he started, he had very little appetite. He did eventually get his normal appetite back, and it has been 2 years, no abnormal weight gain.

126siany

Please do not take medication advise off a forum. TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR. And some of the medication mentioned here is not even antidepressants, they are anti-psychotics

Everyone is different and reacts to medication differently. What makes 1 person gain weight will be weight neutral for another person and the side effects are going to vary for pretty much everyone.

I'm currently taking a huge weight gainer for most people and have not gained any weight and the medication does what it is supposed to for me.

All true. I've seen several people in this thread mention atypical antipsychotics and even some anxyolitics, benzos, etc.

I think it's Ok to talk to other people about what they've experienced, but ultimately you have to be honest with your doctor about how well any prescribed med is working for you and where you are finding it hard to manage side effects so your doctor can recommend a different drug. And make this doctor a psychiatrist, not your GP. In the US, GPs dispense psychoactive meds but they really shouldn't. One of the rotten things about managed care, as the doc is paid to keep you there instead of referring you out to a more expensive specialist. If you're having trouble with a pyschoactive med, get a referral to a psychiatrist for a better med.

josyjozy

oops double post.

josyjozy

I really just don't know what to say. As a nurse, and also someone on an anti-depressant, there is a lot of bad info here. Please please please ask your doctor their recommendation. Everyone reacts to every drug differently.

Anecdotal, when I was younger, not a nurse, and pretty dumb, I was on Zoloft and controlled fine. I heard that Effexor caused weight loss so I begged my doctor to switch me. It was horrible, I had bad side effects and had to go back to Zoloft.

If you are on an SSRI and it's working for you (controlling your problem) Don't switch! Don't fix it if it ain't broken.


Strattera is for ADHD, not anxiety or depression

jgsparks89

Exercise, Vitamin D and B complex supplements, talk therapy, meditation, yoga... Almost all pharmaceutical treatments for anxiety and depression run a risk for causing either weight loss or gain and it varies from person to person. Because of their mode of action in the nervous system, they inevitably can/will have an effect on your appetite and/or metabolism. My advise is try as many alternatives as possible. No medication is always better than medication and less is better than more.

126siany

Exercise, Vitamin D and B complex supplements, talk therapy, meditation, yoga... Almost all pharmaceutical treatments for anxiety and depression run a risk for causing either weight loss or gain and it varies from person to person. Because of their mode of action in the nervous system, they inevitably can/will have an effect on your appetite and/or metabolism. My advise is try as many alternatives as possible. No medication is always better than medication and less is better than more.

That's really dangerous advice to say that no medication is better than medication. I doubt you'd say that to a Type 1 diabetic, so you shouldn't be saying it to folks who actually do need psychoactive meds.

jgsparks89

Okay....of course there are exceptions.....my point still stands though, TO CLARIFY: If you can live safely without medication via lifestyle changes or whatever, THEN no medication is better than medication and LESS IS BETTER THAN MORE. As an RN, I see daily the DISASTROUS results of polypharmacy from physicians who over prescribe for anything and everything without exploring other options. Pharmacology is a complex science and I sincerely believe professionally that medication for thing that are not immediately life threatening should be done sparingly, if not as a last resort. For people who are contemplating self harm or harming others, of course that is the case....otherwise, we should be more careful about the chemicals that we pour into our bodies.

jgsparks89

Exercise, Vitamin D and B complex supplements, talk therapy, meditation, yoga... Almost all pharmaceutical treatments for anxiety and depression run a risk for causing either weight loss or gain and it varies from person to person. Because of their mode of action in the nervous system, they inevitably can/will have an effect on your appetite and/or metabolism. My advise is try as many alternatives as possible. No medication is always better than medication and less is better than more.

That's really dangerous advice to say that no medication is better than medication. I doubt you'd say that to a Type 1 diabetic, so you shouldn't be saying it to folks who actually do need psychoactive meds.

Okay....of course there are exceptions.....my point still stands though, TO CLARIFY: If you can live safely without medication via lifestyle changes or whatever, THEN no medication is better than medication and LESS IS BETTER THAN MORE. As an RN, I see daily the DISASTROUS results of polypharmacy from physicians who over prescribe for anything and everything without exploring other options. Pharmacology is a complex science and I sincerely believe professionally that medication for thing that are not immediately life threatening should be done sparingly, if not as a last resort. For people who are contemplating self harm or harming others, of course that is the case....otherwise, we should be more careful about the chemicals that we pour into our bodies.

126siany

Okay....of course there are exceptions.....my point still stands though, TO CLARIFY: If you can live safely without medication via lifestyle changes or whatever, THEN no medication is better than medication and LESS IS BETTER THAN MORE. As an RN, I see daily the DISASTROUS results of polypharmacy from physicians who over prescribe for anything and everything without exploring other options. Pharmacology is a complex science and I sincerely believe professionally that medication for thing that are not immediately life threatening should be done sparingly, if not as a last resort. For people who are contemplating self harm or harming others, of course that is the case....otherwise, we should be more careful about the chemicals that we pour into our bodies.

I'd say that's a separate issue though. Yes, I agree that in some cases lifestyle adjustments, talk therapy and the like can sometimes allow people to safely suspend medications or provide great benefits, depending on the specific issue. And yes, people who either don't have consistent access to a medical team and therefore rely on ERs and such can end up on bad cocktails of drugs.

But to say that ONLY those who pose imminent harm need or benefit from meds is so totally misguided that I simply have no words...

danabromley

I'm on Cipralex and not doing to bad on that. Just stay away from Amitriptyline and Seroquel, I developed diabetes and gained allot of weight on these. Amitriptyline was the worst I couldn't get full I was constantly hungry or so my brain thought. Ativan is good to for a take it when you need it type thing. Sorry if the spellings not quite right.

jgsparks89

I'd say that's a separate issue though. Yes, I agree that in some cases lifestyle adjustments, talk therapy and the like can sometimes allow people to safely suspend medications or provide great benefits, depending on the specific issue. And yes, people who either don't have consistent access to a medical team and therefore rely on ERs and such can end up on bad cocktails of drugs.

But to say that ONLY those who pose imminent harm need or benefit from meds is so totally misguided that I simply have no words...

I just don't believe that taking medication (a serious medical decision) should be taken lightly or for convenience. If you have explored other options and have had no results, then fine...but unfortunately it has become a first choice for most doctors and practitioners (not even in conjunction with talk therapy or other treatments) and that is lazy, thoughtless and dangerous medicine. Misguided? I think not. First hand experience and familiarity with current research NOT performed by pharmaceutical companies? Yeah...

eksproductions

Exercise.

chriss_finch100

Avoid Paxil!!!

bigdawg025

I lost 40 pounds while on Celexa the whole time. I don't believe all the hype about these medications CAUSING weight gain so much as the person themselves not being aware of their diet and exercise. Anyone will gain weight if they're sedentary and eating poorly.

126siany

I'd say that's a separate issue though. Yes, I agree that in some cases lifestyle adjustments, talk therapy and the like can sometimes allow people to safely suspend medications or provide great benefits, depending on the specific issue. And yes, people who either don't have consistent access to a medical team and therefore rely on ERs and such can end up on bad cocktails of drugs.

But to say that ONLY those who pose imminent harm need or benefit from meds is so totally misguided that I simply have no words...

I just don't believe that taking medication (a serious medical decision) should be taken lightly or for convenience. If you have explored other options and have had no results, then fine...but unfortunately it has become a first choice for most doctors and practitioners (not even in conjunction with talk therapy or other treatments) and that is lazy, thoughtless and dangerous medicine. Misguided? I think not. First hand experience and familiarity with current research NOT performed by pharmaceutical companies? Yeah...

You just keep on changing your position until someone agrees with you, buttercup.

That'll work. Maybe. Someday.

I'm not going to continue to point out every way you're wrong and how many times you have amended your position.

I'm just going to advise people to talk to their doctor, preferably one who is experienced in psychopharmacology and not their GP, and go from there.

slkehl

I gained a little when I went on Celexa. I feel great on it, and I don't think it's worth stopping, so I'm willing to put in the work to get the weight off.

missemily1124

I was on Celexa for like 5 years and gained 50 pounds! I am now on Cipralex, which is pretty much the same stuff but I haven't gained any weight on it.

I used to always blame my weight gain on my meds, but looking back, my lifestyle sucked too. Hope you are able to find one that works well for you!

jgsparks89

You just keep on changing your position until someone agrees with you, buttercup.

That'll work. Maybe. Someday.

I'm not going to continue to point out every way you're wrong and how many times you have amended your position.

I'm just going to advise people to talk to their doctor, preferably one who is experienced in psychopharmacology and not their GP, and go from there.

Apparently you are as poorly versed in medical knowledge as you are in logical fallacies. I never amended my position, I simply expanded...I apologize for making a generalization and not specifying every exception to a good general rule. FYI you can't always just trust your doctor, sorry to burst your bubble...a little education goes a long way.

SanteMulberry

Okay....of course there are exceptions.....my point still stands though, TO CLARIFY: If you can live safely without medication via lifestyle changes or whatever, THEN no medication is better than medication and LESS IS BETTER THAN MORE. As an RN, I see daily the DISASTROUS results of polypharmacy from physicians who over prescribe for anything and everything without exploring other options. Pharmacology is a complex science and I sincerely believe professionally that medication for thing that are not immediately life threatening should be done sparingly, if not as a last resort. For people who are contemplating self harm or harming others, of course that is the case....otherwise, we should be more careful about the chemicals that we pour into our bodies.

This is VERY true. It is the opinion of many in the mental health field that psychoactive drugs should always be a last resort. Unfortunately, they are often a first resort for those who go to their physicians complaining of "feeling blue". One of my friends who was going through menopause and normal adjustment to her "empty nest" was given antidepressants. She actually got worse on them (something that many are not warned of) but fortunately, she has been seeing a counselor and has been able to taper off of them. I just read some research that suggests that antidepressants are frequently no better than a placebo at lifting depression. I have also read that several pharmaceutical houses have had to pay big fines because their sales reps were encouraging doctors to prescribe psycho-active medications for conditions for which they were not tested---in effect, encouraging those docs to use their patients for guinea pigs.