Anti-Depressant cause weight gain

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  • dakotawitch
    dakotawitch Posts: 190 Member
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    I put on some weight with Cymbalta. Part of it was that I had weird cravings for salty and sweet things which I indulged a bit too freely. At the same time, not being a crying suicidal mess was enough of a tradeoff that the extra pounds didn't bother me so much. I'm still on the Cymbalta, but I no longer have the intense cravings and I think the weight gain has leveled off. You may just need to try a different med, or a lower dose. While many AD and anxiety meds do lead to (not directly cause, but lead to) weight gain for many people, I don't think we have to accept that being heavier than we are comfortable with is the price of having our sanity and mental well-being intact.
  • ChangingAmanda
    ChangingAmanda Posts: 486 Member
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    I'm on Pristiq and lost about 5 lbs the first couple weeks due to loss of appetite and slight nausea. After that I was back eating and gaining at my normal rate. After 3 months on it I finally felt more normal than I had in a very long time and started MFP. It's been just over 95 days on MFP and I've lost 22 lbs. Aside from the initial side effects above, the only other one I've experienced are some really weird dreams - not disturbing but just off the wall.
  • RiverDancer68
    RiverDancer68 Posts: 221 Member
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    I guess I am a rarity, I lose weight on AD's. I've been on Prozac (lost 25lbs) and Wellbutrin (lost 20lbs). I completely lose my appetite when I'm on them. I decided I wanted off of them, and started yoga. I feel great now, and weaned myself off last year. I still have anti anxiety meds for "emergencies," but honestly I feel so much better from the exercise. This is not for everyone, my depression wasn't life threatening nor did it make me housebound, so it was easier to come off of (please consult your MD if you decided to do what I did :smile: ). Plus, I got in great shape :drinker:
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
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    A girl I know had anorexia and had mostly dealt with it when she had a traumatic incident occur to her at 16. She was immediately plunged back into the anorexia and her weight plummeted to 88 pounds. The docs put her on several anti-depressants (including Seroquel which is known to cause large weight gains) and she has gained about 120 pounds since then. The bio-chemistry seems to be that some of them raise blood sugar levels to the point where "diabesity" is triggered because virtually everything eaten is turned to fat by the very high insulin levels (many diabetes researchers feel that obesity and Type II diabetes is essentially the same disease). She is now a Type II diabetic. I doubt that she feels that she has been helped much. She still seems miserable.
  • Mich4871
    Mich4871 Posts: 143 Member
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    My weight has been at a stand-still since getting on anti-depressants. A bit of up-and-down but nothing drastic.


    This has been my experience as well. I didn't connect the meds to the plateau until very recently. (I'm on Zoloft), I spoke with my Dr. and she lowered my Zoloft dose and added in Wellbutrin which is known to help with weight loss. I just started this combo and I'm hoping to start seeing a loss again in the next couple of weeks.
  • laserturkey
    laserturkey Posts: 1,680 Member
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    Remeron was HORRIBLE for weight gain. When I stopped taking it I dropped 50 pounds so fast I thought I had cancer or something, but it was just what I had gained due to the medicine, apparently. Since then, I have been on Wellbutrin, which has NOT caused ANY problems with appetite or weight. (Yes, my weight has gone up and down in that time, but completely independent of that medication.)
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
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    i blame Seroquel for my weight gains but i have to blame myself to i ate so bad that if i looked back and i have i ate really gross. i got type 2 diabeties too from this way of living. i'm now on zeldox which is working wounders i've lost and gained. the only side affect is if you miss the med you get real sick

    Yes--Seroquel is notorious for causing large weight gains.
  • krissy_krossy
    krissy_krossy Posts: 307 Member
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    I went on Zyprexa and Seroquel (two meds notorious for weight gain) within a couple months of each other. I was simultaniously on Depakote and lithium (more weight gain.) 90 pounds gained in a year.
    I'm off meds now and have been able to lose weight. Nothing worked while on them, though. It took a couple months for me to be able to lose weight even AFTER stopping them, but things are finally moving in the right direction. As far as feeling unmotivated, the more I exercise the better I feel and then the more I exercise. It was hard to get started, though.
  • droneofvelvet
    droneofvelvet Posts: 290 Member
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    Hi everyone,

    Thank you for your replies. It looks like the situation isn’t totally hopeless for losing weight after taking medication. I wish I could find a happy balance between a perfect medication and being able to achieve my body composition goals and just feeling generally healthy and happy.

    For those of you who believe that it is impossible to gain weight from taking a pill you are very lucky to not have to go through with it. It was the only thing stopping me from taking a medication that gave me my life back last year. But if you insist, it must have been the small meal and an apple sauce that I ate that packed on the pounds. I really could not find the hunger while on these. I’m not sure how it works and until you show me some scientific evidence I don’t believe you know how they work completely either.
    On the last note, how do you all motivate yourselves to stay active and eat a balance diet? I’ve got the sleep everyday thing down finally, eating breakfast, those general good health and weight loss golden rules. Sometimes I am super motivated for a couple weeks and then after that I feel like giving up and doing nothing about my situation.
  • bransko1982
    bransko1982 Posts: 11 Member
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    I'm taking Pristiq - one of the common side effects with this one is a decreased appetite, and I've definitely got that.
    I've been losing consistently, but not super fast. I'm also working out 4-5 days a week, taking a crap load of vitamins and supplements, and eating better. These meds were super potent right away but seemed to loose their effect after a few weeks, and so I had to increase my dosage - then, same thing, they seem to have lost their potency.
    I'm almost off the anti-depressants all together now, it been since September for me - doing counselling and self help workbooks have def. helped out, you dont want to be totally reliant on medication
  • bransko1982
    bransko1982 Posts: 11 Member
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    I'm on Pristiq and lost about 5 lbs the first couple weeks due to loss of appetite and slight nausea. After that I was back eating and gaining at my normal rate. After 3 months on it I finally felt more normal than I had in a very long time and started MFP. It's been just over 95 days on MFP and I've lost 22 lbs. Aside from the initial side effects above, the only other one I've experienced are some really weird dreams - not disturbing but just off the wall.

    same for me here
  • Kellyeee2013
    Kellyeee2013 Posts: 221
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    There are anti-depressants that do not influence weight like Well-Butrin (but you had a reaction), and I have heard good things about Effexor too (I work in the field). Perhaps speak with your Doctor about switching? It is tricky finding one that works at all, let alone the ideal one without weight gain.

    I guess it is a matter of how severe the depression is. If it can be treated with good diet, exercise, and therapy (studies should that anti-d's are no more effective for mild depression and CBT therapy is).

    It might just be a matter of weighing the pros and cons and which you want more, unfortunately. Can you speak to another professional about this? I would do that. Not many people on here are going to have the expertise to help you in this situation.

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