Lexapro and weight loss

i've been on a number of antidepressants and mood stabilizers over the past nine years for anxiety, depression and PTSD. lexapro was one of three that were weight-neutral for me (the other two were abilify and wellbutrin). celexa and zoloft seemed to up my appetite, which of course could read as a five-pound gain in no time if i didn't watch my calorie intake, but neither seemed to cause weight gain in and of itself. seroquel caused me to gain 15 pounds in a matter of eight weeks, but after i stopped taking it, the weight came off immediately--i suspect a lot of it was fluid retention. cymbalta is the one i REALLY struggled with. i gained 30 pounds in six months with only minor changes to my eating habits--not nearly enough to justify such a gain. now that i'm off all medications, it's taking me quite awhile to lose it (that's why i'm here).

but here's the thing: every medication is going to affect every person differently. some people have NO weight gain with cymbalta, but gained ten or twenty pounds with wellbutrin--a complete reverse scenario from mine. everyone's body chemistry is different. i've learned never to trust what seems to be the 'norm'--the best thing to do is research the medication (including side effects and withdrawal effects, if any, because someday you may wish you'd known) and work with your doctor to make an informed decision about whether the benefits outweigh the risks. when you're really struggling emotionally, it is often the best decision to give the medication a fair shot.

you'll know within six to eight weeks whether it's working AND whether it's affecting your weight. at that juncture your doctor can help you decide whether the medication is working appropriately for you, and he/she can adjust the dosage and/or change medications if need be. chances are, you won't have any problems, and your anxiety will be much better. (also, if you would notice weight gain, eight weeks would be long enough to know if it's real weight and not just your body adjusting to processing a new substance, and it wouldn't be very much of a gain, so it would be relatively easy to reverse.)

as another poster mentioned, just continue to keep a close eye on your food intake. i firmly believe that medications exist that can cause weight gain, but i also believe that when it happens, it's a noticeably disproportionate and rapid gain relative to what the individual is eating/expending. in other words, if you have to question whether it's the medication causing the gain or not, it's probably not . the majority of the time, when people notice a slight weight gain on a medication, it's either fluid retention from hormone/chemical composition changes or a result of minor changes to eating habits.

i hope this helps and doesn't make you more nervous about taking the lexapro... i know a few other people who have taken it who have also done well with it and not noticed any weight gain. good luck to you. feel better

Thank you all SO much! @couture, what are you currently doing to manage your conditions? I'm being treated for GAD, depression, and PTSD as well--though after 8 years PTSD is on the back-burner, and anxiety is the foremost problem. I have found that yoga and exercise work well for me, but not well enough to stave off anxiety when "triggered," hence the mild dose of medication. I haven't tried long-term CBT. Honestly, I just want to manage everything naturally

i'm honestly just taking it day by day. taking multivitamins, practicing yoga up to three times a day, running, trying to get good nutrition from lean protein, whole grains, fruits and vegetables while still allowing myself small treats... running is my go-to when i'm triggered right now. i also started making a list of self-comfort things i can do when i'm upset or anxious. (warm bath, cup of earl grey tea, wrapping up really tight in a warm blanket, cuddling a stuffed animal, journaling, brushing my hair, painting my nails, looking at cute pictures of animals on the internet, lying in legs-up-the-wall pose... some of them are silly, i know!) sometimes they don't help, but sometimes they do.

i'm not doing any kind of counseling or therapy right now, although i've done quite a bit in the past. i've been considering trying to see someone again. it's a good option if you find a counselor who's the right fit for you.

i still have times when i feel like i can't handle life. still have difficult nights and mornings when i don't really want to leave my bed (and the occasional afternoon mini-breakdown, though nights seem to be the worst for me). i just feel like i'm so much healthier without all the chemicals in my body. feeling like i'm doing something good for my health and longevity has really motivated me to stick with the no-meds thing. this is the first time since i was nine years old that i'm not medicated at all for one condition or another. (i take birth control pills and allergy medication, but that's it.)

it's been about a year that i've been off of all my medications. while i was on them, i truly needed them--i wouldn't have gotten through without them. there's no shame in it. i just wanted to give myself a chance to see what my personality would really be like without the meds and to find out if i could handle life on my own. things were finally getting to the point where i felt stable and ready to try. i'm glad i did.

i wouldn't say no to trying medication again in the future if my circumstances change or for some reason i begin to struggle more, but for now, i'm okay with having good days and bad days. the bad times aren't as bad as they used to be. and i'm learning a lot about myself in the process