Lexapro and weight loss

i have been on lexapro for about 3 years now (20mg) and i actually lost 30lbs during my first 6 months of taking it - granted this was not some miraculous weight loss as i was exercising and trying to shed the pounds. lexapro has been pretty weight-neutral for me.. given that i was diagnosed with PCOS i'm attributing my weight issue over the past year, year and a half, to that, not my use of lexapro.

I had horrible side effects the worst being that it made my depression and anxiety WORSE not better. I also had problems with mood swings and extreme fatigue. Basically it made me bat *kitten* crazy lol. Coming off the lexapro was horrible. I was physically ill and in bed for a week, I also had uncontrolable panic attacks. Weight gain was minimal but I was so sick I barely ate. Effexor and wellbutrin caused bad side effects also.

Since I was having so much trouble with meds I decided get to the root of the problem and I went to a counselor. It took a lot of work but I have been off meds completely for two years and I have been doing very well. Lexapro, effexor, and the like were just temporary fix for some deep issues. Looking back I think I wanted meds to work so that I didn't actually have to face the real issue.

I'm so glad I didn't stay on it for long. I thought it was weird my dr told me I could go off and on because I always heard the opposite. But I thought maybe because it was such a low dose. I think dr's are too quick to prescribe those types of meds and they don't think about the side effects it has on some people. I was just so desparte to lose weight that I was reaching for anything to make me lose - but couldn't handle the piercing headaches.

I have been on Lexapro for 4 years 10 milligrams and although I agree that I haven't gained an extreme amount of weight, it's definitely harder to lose. Please message me if you would like some ideas though.

I took Lexapro years ago and struggled with a few of the side effects, one being increased headaches. I recently started taking them again and now I'm dealing with different side effects. I have actually lost all sense of an appetite to the point that I either forget to eat or don't feel like it. I'm not sure if this is just my body adjusting to the new meds. Has this happened to anyone?

I took 5mg Lexapro for almost 3 years. I gained at least 25 lbs. I work out 5 days a week and watch what I eat. I am a runner, but nothing will seem to work for losing the weight. I am now switching to 10mg prozac to see if I can get back to my normal weight. Wish me luck!

I was taking 10mg Lexapro for about 3 months and gained weight. My diet nor my activity level hadn't changed, but I kept gaining weight. It makes me sick it's so frustrating. I went from 130-135 to 155 (I am 5'6''). NONE of my clothes fit anymore!

My doctor prescribed Wellbutrin along with an increase in dosage of the Lexapro to try to help me stop gaining and hopefully lose some but I decided I don't want to risk it so I weened off the Lexapro by taking half the 10mg pill (5 mg) for about a week. I haven't experienced any side effects from weening off it at all. I started taking the Wellbutrin though.

It's only been less than a week being off it and I hope I will eventually start losing this weight. Everyone out there who has gained weight from Lexapro- you are not alone!

I just started taking Lexapro 3 weeks ago at 5mg. My first week and a half was spent constantly feeling so tired toward the middle of the day I could hardly think about anything but sleep. After that though, the fatigue wore off and everything seems to be going fine and side-effect-free. The only strange thing I've noticed for me personally is my all day long lack of appetite. Every so often I'll get an intense sense of hunger that lasts about a minute or so, and then the rest of the day I don't even think about food - so much so that I keep forgetting to eat other than a snack, maybe two, throughout the day due to boredom eating. I've never been the type to even come close to forgetting about food, so I'm starting to think it's less of a "I'm eating less because I'm less depressed" and more of a medication side effect. It's only been 3 weeks so I'm not sure about weight loss effects, but not eating all day is bound to cause unhealthy weight loss, but weight loss nonetheless.

I take Lexapro 5mg and have been for the last 6months for postpartum anxiety. I have gained 10lbs on my little 5ft frame. It seems like no matter what i try the weight just keeps creepin up I'm starting Herbalife hoping that will help some. Anyone with luk on Herbalife?

I personally did not like herbalife. I tried it for my sister who was thinking of selling it. It tasted awful and I got more protein out of making a whey protein shake. I love my protein shakes and have one just about every morning but could not get myself to drink the herbalife ones. Even with the personalized protein powder I think I was still only getting like 8 grams of protein. If you want to to protein shakes as a meal replacement you might just try buying protein powder and looking up some recipies. I use Jay Robb Whey Protein. I would figure out what you calories a day should be to lose at a healthy rate and set your goals in MFP for that. Give it a good month to see to see results before you decide its now working. The fact your postpartum could also mean you need to give your body some time for the hormone levels to settle down.

Hmm sorry I have never heard that about SSR and Whey -- but I also was not on Lexipro very long so it may be something you would want to research or ask your doctor about. Things do change with your body as you having babies and mature so maybe what used to work won't be as effective now - you may just need to change things up until you see what does work. Good luck!

Okay... I feel like I have to chime in here, because it seems like there's a lot of incomplete information, people just starting Lex, people who didn't experience a change, people who gained a bit but overlooked it-

I am a super active, athletic person- I eat well, and I've always had washboard abs, even if my butt got a little chunky. I spent most of my adult life at 134 lbs max.

I've been on Lexapro for almost a year, and AT FIRST- it does give you more energy, makes you almost hyperactive, and you lose a little weight. THEN, you slowly, slowly, slowly start to change. If you search a little more on the internet, you will see the same thing, over and over again, people who never typically carried weight around their abdomens suddenly had fat stomachs and love handles.

In a little under a year, I have gained 25 lbs. This is unheard of for me. I eat well, I exercise (I'm talking running, rock climbing, horseback riding, elliptical, weights, crossfit, you name it- I can do it). And I gained it all around my midsection. It's embarrassing and to claim this isn't from the medication is preposterous. My PCP also claimed that the weight gain would be 'about 5 lbs' and laughed away other people's reports that they had gained 20lbs, attributing it to their own laziness or increased appetite. I felt the same way, thinking that surely, anyone who exercised as much as I did wouldn't gain weight. Well, I did, and how. It's to the point where I either have to buy all new pants, or get off the medication to get my life back. I'm currently in the process of weaning off of the medication. I notice not many people come back to report how quickly they lost weight after discontinuing their SSRI, or how much they lost, but I'll try to be one of those people, if anyone is interested. Good luck!

My doc told me that there was no way my weight gain was from the Lexapro. Which I found hard to believe, considering nothing has changed except my weight! Its really upsetting that now that I feel back to normal Im getting bummed about this extra weight.

Oh great. This thread is not making me feel very good. I was just prescribed 10mg Lexapro for long term depression and anxiety. Now I'm concerned all my hard work over the past 2 months will be wiped out. Here's hoping I can stick with my path and keep my goal in mind, even with changes.

Here's the thing. If you do a little bit of searching, you will find that the KIND of weight gain is a giveaway that the medication is causing it. Many doctors recommend Lexapro because it's supposed to be 'weight-neutral' or at the very worst, make you gain 5 pounds. However, the recurring theme I've noticed for people who say they feel that Lexapro has caused them to gain weight is that the weight comes on rapidly, doesn't respond to exercise and diet, and gathers around the midsection. The common phrase is that you "look pregnant." Now- I've always been someone who gains weight around the thighs and butt, while keeping a flat midsection. However- since starting Lexapro, I got a nice ol' spare tire. Then everything just ballooned, but the midsection is the worst. I was on 10mg, then 20, but the weight gain was consistent through both doses. After gaining 25 lbs in 11 months, I decided to start weaning off. However, my symptoms of anxiety returned, so my doctor prescribed Viibryd.

Viibryd is supposed to be similar to Lexapro but genuinely have fewer side effects.

I just started it 3 days ago and am off of the Lexapro completely. I find that the Viibryd has a much better effect overall- anxiety is gone, but I don't feel like I'm in a zombie haze, which the Lex started to make me experience. Lexapro seems to sort of dampen everything, but ultimately wasn't working that well for my anxiety or making me feel particularly good- just fat and numb.

Everyone is different, but I've had no negative side effects from the Viibryd except for mild stomach upset if I don't take it with food. Quite negligible in the scheme of things.

Now, to the point: Why do I think it was Lexapro causing my weight gain?
1. I am a very, very active person. Even as heavy as I am now (159 lbs, up from 134 in Feb 2013) I can easily run 7 miles at a 5 or 6 mph pace. I rock climb, I horseback ride competitively. I do something cardio or strength every single day, with one rest day. I am constantly under my calorie requirement (by exercise deficit, not insufficient intake) and the food that I do eat is healthy. I rarely snack and I never eat junk food.
2. 25 lbs in a year is UNHEARD of for me. Especially considering #1
3. The fact that the weight has gathered around the midsection
4. The fact that my bra size went up two cup sizes, but the strap size has remained the same; there is something in the medication that synthesizes the glandular increase that pregnancy induces, etc. Something about Lexapro made me puffy overall.

After three days of not being on Lexapro, the constant feeling of bloating and puffiness has gone away and my energy level is up (but not like the intial hyperactivity I had while getting used to Lexapro). I am giving Viibryd a week and if I weigh more or the same at the end of that week, I am going to find another medication because I suspect it's simply my personal reaction to the SSRI function. Some people report LOSING weight on both Lexapro and Viibryd, so this is all individual, but no one should let their doctor tell them that 'It's not the medication.' and suggest that we are just being lazy or unhealthy. Here's an idea of the weekly activities I have been engaging in for the past week, and will be engaging in for the next week. Keep in mind that rock climbing, bouldering in particular, burns about 500-700 calories an hour. It's a very intense activity. I'm doing more of it this month in preparation for a climbing trip in April.

Sunday: Equine Massage (100 cal/hour) x 4 hours
Horseback Riding (trotting, cantering, jumping) (250 cal/hour) x 1 hour
Nike Fit workout (264 cal/hour) x .5 hours

Monday: Running @ 6 mph (350 cal/hour) x 1 hour
Bouldering (500 cal/hour) x 1.5 hours

Tuesday: Horseback Riding (250 cal/hour) x 1 hour

Wednesday: Bouldering (500 cal/hour) x 2 hours
Running @ 6mph (350 cal/hour) x .5 hours

Thursday: Horseback Riding (250 cal/hour) x 1 hour
Nike Fit workout (264 cal/hour) x .5 hours

Friday: Bouldering (500 cal/hour) x 2 hours

Saturday: Running @ 5 mph (300 cal/hour) for 1 hour (approx 4-5 miles)
Horseback Riding (250 cal/hour) x .5 hours
Equine massage (100 cal/hour) x 3 hours


So you get the idea. I also didn't list random things like pullups, a few scattered weight exercises, etc. Could I possibly exercise more? Sure- if I quit my job and gave up sleeping. It's not me. It's the medication.

As far as losing motivation to exercise... Lexapro did do that to me a bit- I had to force myself to do my activities and not as many of them got done, but so far with the Viibryd I feel positive and energized and it's much easier and more fun to do my exercise. If I don't lose any weight this week, I will know I can't take SSRIs because frankly, it's very uncomfortable having gained this much weight in this particular way. It's just not me.

I've only been off of the Lexapro for four days, and on a different SSRI so I won't know for about a week what the result of all this exercise will be. Some people don't gain much weight on Lexapro, but for those that do- diet and exercise do not matter. I hate to say it. I didn't eat more or worse or exercise any less. I gained weight no matter what I did, and I gained it steadily.

I will say that even having only been off for four days, I feel significantly less bloated, which is helping already. I'm tracking my weight very carefully and if it goes up at all, I'm off of all SSRI's. I'll keep you guys posted. I'm training intensely for a climbing trip so my exercise regimen is going to be intense- so intense that if I don't see any difference at all, I will know all SSRI's do this to me. But if I DO see a difference, I'll know it was just the Lexapro.

Will definitely be updating.

So, it's been about two and a half months since I've stopped Lexapro. I've been better about calorie counting, and exercising (not as much as I should though!), and I've lost 10 lbs. This is with stretches of not counting calories for 5 days or so, in between a streak of 6-8 days. Contrast that with when I was trying to loose weight while on Lexapro. I had to count every single calorie, every single day in order to loose 10 lbs. However, I am still on Wellbutrin, which gives me more energy and I move around some more, but the majority of the weight is still there. (I was also on Wellbutrin while on Lexapro, so I think my body is still trying to sort itself out).

And like others have said, I gained the majority of the weight around my mid-section/chest, and some in my face. Now, I appear a bit thinner, but I still have the big belly pooch, and my chest is still rather large (it was before I gained weight, but I increased several cup sizes and two band sizes while on Lexapro). I'm back down to my pre-Lexapro band size, but my cups are still rather large. I'll try and update every so often like loveabulldesi.