Paxil, getting so discouraged!

Phoenyxlove

I was first put on Paxil in January 2010 due to severe panic attacks and anxiety. My daughter was 7 months old and I didn't know what was happening to me, it was terrifying. The medication really worked great (i was on 20mg) but the downside was I gained 35 pounds and fast. I came off of it a year later and never really lost any of the weight I had gained.
Fast forward to this August when I had my second daughter and the day I came home from the hospital I had a panic attack and the constant anxiety kicked in. I went to see my doctor right away before it got bad. I had to be in a good place to take care of my family. I talked to the doctor about any other medication that wouldn't cause weight gain, but unfortunately that is a side effect for all anti-anxiety meds. We decided to start and keep me at 10mg of Paxil this time and I feel completely back to normal, it's a nice low dose so that I still feel like me.
I lost my pregnancy weight 11 days after I had my daughter and I was so happy. When she was 6 weeks old I started exercising and keep a food journal here on MFP. Over the weeks i have been feeling great, like i should be seeing results any minute now. My daughter will now be 3 months old this week and this weight has not budged. I am just getting so frustrated because I feel so great after a wonderful workout and eating healthy and every morning I get on that scale and it just doesn't change. I'm really thinking of coming off the meds and I will hopefully start to see a change, but what scares me is that if the panic and anxiety resurfaces it takes 3 weeks to take effect. I'm just at a loss right now and I really don't know what I should do. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

ironanimal

If a med is adversely affecting your metabolism, have your BMR tested so you can adjust your food intake accordingly - calculators only work for people with no special circumstances.

Also, what is water retention like taking this?

FlaxMilk

Talk to your doctor again or see a psychiatrist. While weight gain can be a side effect of these medications, people have different reactions and it's possible another medicine will not cause you to gain weight even if it is a possible side effect. I'm glad you are feeling better though.

graced111

I have a friend who went on paxil with the same results. Her doctor put her on wellbutrin. She lost the weight and is doing great.

FlaxMilk

You may also consider asking your doctor (or ask your doctor to find out if he/she doesn't know) if there are any types of diets that respond well to Paxil. For instance, some doctors suggest with certain psychiatric medications to limit carbs due to the way they are processed in the body with the medicine. Your doctor can look into this for you or tell you how to look into it yourself.

tdbad1

Oh girl, do i ever know that ship(never mind a boat). Ive been on meds like that for years. In addition to taking insulin which at times defeats it's self. Over the past 10 years ive gained 150 lbs. Ive always been heavy, but im beyond that now.
I agree with talking to a specialist, and trying different meds to find one that doesn't contribute to weight gain. BUT...please don't give up on them. Trust me, the well being of your emotions and how they effect your growing family trumps EVERYTHING.

Have you been taking measurements; hips, waist, bust? noticing any differences? I would suggest mixing up your excersize routine, or have a "fasting" day to kickstart your system. (only one day though) or do the opposite, have a day of eating what you want...again, only one day. sometimes doing something out of the ordinary wakes up our metabolism and gets things moving again.

I recently started a program that works absolute wonders for me. While i don't feel it proper to promote it in this forum, id be more than willing to share it in private if you'd like.

Phoenyxlove

The last time I came off of it my anxiety didn't come back right away like I thought. I had my next panic attack months later while I was taking care of my father who was dying from cancer. I think it's really stress in my life that brings these attacks on. Does anyone know how long it takes once stopping the medication, that you will start to see weight loss?

FlaxMilk

If the Paxil is the cause, you would start seeing weight loss once it has left your system. You can find out the half life pretty easily to find out how long that is. But please don't stop your meds without your doctor's assistance--you can get sick or have serious side effects from stopping meds on your own. Your doctor may want you to try something else or taper you off in some manner.

FlaxMilk

Also, since you were able to lose weight while on Paxil, you may want to ask your OB if hormones could be the reason before stopping a medicine that helps you otherwise. :flowerforyou:

Phoenyxlove

Thanks so much! But what is halflife?

I'm definitely going to talk to my doctor about wearing, not sure what she'll have me do since I stayed at a low dose anyway. I actually never lost anything while on paxil, I've only ever gained! I lost all my pregnancy right as I started to take the paxil, then I put back on 2 pounds and I've been just stuck since then. No matter what I do the scale isn't budging!

Bassgirl51

Since both of theses attacks happened post pregnancy it could be a anxiety rush from hormone swings. Come off the meds very slowly and see what happens. You my not even need them anymore.

You might also see a dr that specializes in female hormones to see about having yours tested and see if something is out of whack.

Wellbutrin is the only anti depressant known to not cause as much weight gain as the others. As far as I know it is not an anti anxiety one.

Half life is the time it takes for half of the drug dose to drop.

FlaxMilk

Yes, unfortunately some people are just sensitive to certain medications. It happened to me too with a different med (it's how I ended up on MFP! Rapid weight gain that wouldn't budge no matter what I did.) If you do need an anti-anxiety med if you go off all meds altogether, I strongly encourage seeing a psychiatrist as they will be better versed in these matters. It's disappointing to me that a doctor would say about an antidepressant, "Well, they all cause weight gain." They all have the possibility to, but just because one did does not mean all will.

Phoenyxlove

That's a good idea. I never really thought of seeing a hormonal specialist.

LaLouve_RK

I have been on Paxil (30mg) for more than 13 years. Paxil was and is the only anti-anxiety that worked for me. Sadly, yes, when I got LESS ACTIVE, ate bad during a period, I took so much weight! Paxil is one of my past problem, still I felt good (not with my body though).
But before my lifestyle changes, it would just prevent further weightloss, but I was very active, and ate very well.

Sadly, there's no miracle on living with Paxil. But at one point, you will be able to get off the pills. I stopped them on November 2011 and never thought I would be that well. It's not perfect, but I am off the meds!

Take it slow, and eventually, stop them. It's your best bet.

hevhoyda

Antidepressants can cause weight gain in some people, as a pharmacist I'd recommend discussing the issue with your doctor and seeing if he/she would be willing to switch you to another antidepressant. Either way, if you decide to stop taking Paxil do so slowly do not abruptly stop or you will experience severe moodiness and/or anxiety.

prettymomma16

I was on paxil as a teen (who was very active at the time) and still gained 30 pounds. I never lost that weight and became more depressed which has caused more weight gain, health problem and more depression. I am now 25. I hear you and feel you on this one! What a catch 22. I have since switched to prozac on the lowest dose of 10mg. I am slowly weaning off (under doctors supervision) by taking one pill every other day. I really hope it helps with my weight loss! I wish you all of the best with your journey! You can do it! :-)

prettymomma16

I also wanted to say I know how difficult babies can be. While they bring so much joy they are also alot of work and sleepless nights which can add to anxiety. Just watch your mood and make sure you are getting lots of sleep before deciding on coming off your meds

whitneyas

I don't know what it's like to be on these drugs or to have a panic attack, but my sister had been on Paxil and had a terrible time with it. (Once she went off she lost a bit of the weight, but she wasn't trying to lose weight.) One poster had mentioned that maybe it's the hormones after pregnancy since it sounds like that's what triggers it a lot. Do you talk to a therapist to maybe explore where the anxiety is coming from? That may help a lot if you haven't sat down and talked with someone... that time away once a week to just tell someone everything that is stressing you out may help with the anxiety. (And you may already be doing that!) And like the post above said, weaning yourself off can be difficult (it was for my sister.) One blogger that has talked a lot about her struggles after having two babies is dooce.com (you have to read her old stuff, the new stuff is way different!) Good luck to you!