Paxil and weight loss?

Not I...I was doing Body for Life with friends for 6 months. We worked out 6 days a week, ate the plan, etc. They looked fabulous & I didn't lose more than a pound or two. Weaned myself off Paxil slooooowly and have finally been able to lose the weight I gained while taking it.

Do you mind sharing how you weaned yourself (doctor directed? cutting pils) and how long it took you? I feel as if I'm in a similar boat to you and would love to know what you did and how you did it. I may need to do the same.

Thanks in advance.

I don't remember for sure what I did. It's always best to check with your doctor, but I may have gone rogue. What I do remember is that it took a month, so I probably cut a bit more off the pills each week. I don't remember any side effects from slowly weaning. I'd felt awful on the Paxil, so it was a relief to not have the brain zaps, etc. anymore.

i noticed a lot of my wt. gain when i started taking paxil in June of 2010...i stayed on it for about a yr. and noticed that my wt. went way up REAL QUICK...my face was bloated and i just didnt look good at all, so after talkin wit my doctor, she advice me that i could wean myself off by skipping dosage everyother day till i got off and thts exactly wat i did...i noticed a change in about 3 months...i have never felt better...it made me feel horrible and I couldnt lose an ounce, IT WAS TERRIBLE..GOOD LUCK!!!

Having had a lifetime of depression, I have been on many antidepressants over the years. Paxil is the only one, besides the old fashioned tricyclics that they don't use anymore, that made me GAIN huge amounts of weight. I would talk to your doctor and ask about changing.

As for getting off ANY psychiatric med, you really need to let your doctor know you are going off. Some of them can cause quite significant problems in weaning off. If you cannot talk to your current doctor about getting off GET A NEW DOCTOR YOU CAN TALK TO! It is really important to have a good doctor who will listen to you. Then, go off the meds following the doctor's advice. If you skip every other day, for some medications that will be WAY too fast. So don't do what someone else posted here. For some of my medications changes, I had to skip one dose a week- cutting down by 1/7ths not in half right away! So get medical advice whenever changing or stopping psych meds!

Nobody seemed to answer this question. So I will ask it again. HAS ANYONE LOST WEIGHT WHILE TAKING ANTIDEPRESSANTS OR SIMILAR PRESCRIPTION DRUGS?

I have only been on an AD for 30 days now but while on it have continued to lose (I think since starting them I lost 9 lbs over 30 days which is in line with the rate at which I was losing before). Doctor told me it is largely your own efforts and not the medication that will cause gain or loss, although the ADs do have a tendancy to either slow you down or speed you up depending how you react on them. Hence your own efforts then need to be changed accordingly based on how the meds affect you.

Nobody seemed to answer this question. So I will ask it again. HAS ANYONE LOST WEIGHT WHILE TAKING ANTIDEPRESSANTS OR SIMILAR PRESCRIPTION DRUGS?

i have been on paxil for years, and yes weight gain can happen. But to directly answer your question. Yes I have lost almost 30 lbs. BTW I am on 30mg. per day.

I gained 100% of the weight I'm trying to lose after I started Paxil, and it only went up until I weaned myself off five years later. I never really connected my weight gain with Paxil, but after I had stopped taking it I got crazy motivated and lost 30lbs over the next three months. Was the motivation and going off Paxil connected? I have no idea, but that's what happened to me. Good luck either way.

I have been on Citalopram (generic Celexa) which is the newer replacement for Paxil and I haven't had any problems losing weight. So I suppose it depends on the person.

I haven't ever taken paxil but I started on Zoloft 18 or so years ago. I was 19 at the time. I immediately lost weight (about 15 lbs) without changing my life style. I tended to eat to make myself feel better when I was depressed, so with the anti-depressant... No more comfort eating. I changed over to Effexor when I was 21 (had nothing to do with weight, other side effects of Zoloft) and have been on it ever since (with a mood stabilizer for bi polar disorder). I've gained about 30 lbs in these last 18 years. I don't contribute that to the anti-depressants I've been on. Its contributable to very unhealthy eating habits, no exercise and getting older. Over the course of those 18 years, I have lost weight (20+ lbs) a couple of times and then went back to my bad habits and gained it all and then some. I started MFP about 2 1/2 weeks ago and have lost 6 lbs so far. So my answer to your question would be: yes, I've lost weight on anti-depressants. It is possible that the type has something to do with it. (Maybe I wouldn't be able to lose weight on Paxil.)

I lost almost 50lbs while on Paxil. Back then I was using WW religiously. Once I hit around 240lbs I basically stopped and now have been hovering around 250-260. My script was recently increased to 30mg due to some panics and have found comfort. I have noticed though that my cravings have increased but I think it may be due my body adjusting to the new dose. Anxiety and depression take a toll on the body. The mind is powerful and am sure it wrecks with metabolism and other systems. Good luck to you!

I gained A LOT of weight on paxil Now, i have always been heavy, but paxil definitely put me at my heaviest. I too weened off of it. Doctor recommended taking only half a pill and then after that i was taking the half pill every other day until i was completely off. Already i notice the difference. I will never go back on it again.

Get a prescription for Hydroxyzine 25mg, take it for a week, then start cutting down, while still taking hydroxyzine. I can guarantee pretty much no withdrawal with this method, it's like a miracle.

I was on Lexapro for quite some time. I lost weight at first because the first couple weeks I was nauseous and lost my appetite. I had already put on a little weight a while before when I switched to a beta blocker blood pressure pill.

I didn't lose while on it but I was not fully and consistently following my plan. So it has more to do with that than the medication. I weaned off fairly quickly as my dose was low. I had little withdrawal issues so that was good. My anxiety is still under control now. We still have no reason why I was having panic attacks. They seemed random and agoraphobic related from what my counselor said. I still can have some anxious moments but I seem to do fine stopping them with breathing and positive thought changes.

Oh and I had not noticed any head zapping but I was truly worried about it because I was weaning off fast for reason of missing an appointment. Well actually they rescheduled on me then again at the last minute and I never called to make a new one. When I did they said I've have to start all over. So I started breaking the pills up and drinking even more water to help flush. Green tea too. Those may help since I didn't have that symptom.

i know both of my sisters gained a lot of weight taking that.