Best Antidepressants?

julesyb1982
julesyb1982 Posts: 136
edited November 3 in Chit-Chat
I've gained most of my weight since starting antidepressants. I'd say I'm almost more depressed now that I'm so fat. Anyone have recommendations of an AD that worked well and didn't increase weight gain?

I have taken:
Wellbutrin (allergic reaction)
Zoloft
Prozac
Cymbalta
Risperdal
Lamictal
Effexor
Abilify
Xanax (for anxiety)
Klonopin (for anxiety)
Celexa - currently on
«134

Replies

  • ChasingKatie
    ChasingKatie Posts: 331 Member
    Vitamin D
    Magnesium
    Exercise
    Vegetables

    Not being funny, Ive taken many on your list, above is what works for me now.
  • NeonHeartz444
    NeonHeartz444 Posts: 227
    I was on Celexa, but I found it didn't help me at all.

    Vitamin D
    Magnesium
    Exercise
    Veggies. :)
  • pinkraynedropjacki
    pinkraynedropjacki Posts: 3,027 Member
    St Johns Wort.

    Borderline manic depressant here & it's the only one that has worked for me.
  • TheNoLeafClover
    TheNoLeafClover Posts: 335 Member
    St Johns Wort.

    Borderline manic depressant here & it's the only one that has worked for me.

    I'm seconding this. St. John's Wort has been a great help to me.
  • Nicolee_2014
    Nicolee_2014 Posts: 1,572 Member
    I've never had severe depression so I can't really relate but the exercise, fresh air, good food suggestions sounds good. Good luck :flowerforyou:
  • michael1976_ca
    michael1976_ca Posts: 3,488 Member
    i'm on
    zeldox
    venlafaxine
    clonazepam

    it took the doctor a few years to find the right combo for me
  • iheartbiology
    iheartbiology Posts: 104 Member
    Light therapy
    Daily intense exercise (>30min)
    >2000 mg Omega3 daily
    Good sleep habits
    And no more processed food.

    This worked so well I actually missed how lazy I was allowed to be while depressed. I couldn't justify not doing things b/c I had almost too much energy.
  • laurynwithawhy
    laurynwithawhy Posts: 385 Member
    Vodka
    Wine
    Exercise

    Theres this company called 4-life, they specialize in vitamins and healthy products. I don't really buy into it because it's a MLM company and I hate those, but they do make these Stress Formula pills that work amazingly. Not sure what is in them, but they helped a lot. I'd recommend looking into it. At least it's a natural product.

    ETA: I'm not trying to be glib or advocate self-medicating with booze. Even though I do it.
  • twinketta
    twinketta Posts: 2,130 Member
    Love your profile picture...light at the end of the tunnel :smile:

    There are so many AD`s it really would be hard for anyone on MFP to suggest which one is best for you.

    I suppose it is like the whole`dietary` advice, the calories and exercise that works for one may not work for another.

    All you can do is find a good doctor that you can talk to and hope that they do not just pick up the dictionary of medicines to offer you the support you are looking for.
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
    Sunshine.
  • alexandriax03
    alexandriax03 Posts: 289 Member
    None. They ALL increase weight. No matter what your doctor says or what the drug label says. They're full of crap.

    I started antidepressants, benzos, and beta blockers 3 years ago for my panic and anxiety disorder.

    I've been on:
    Zoloft (SSRI)
    Celexa (SSRI)
    Lexapro (SSRI)
    Prozac (SSRI)
    Cymbalta (SNRI)
    Effexor (SNRI)
    Pristiq (SNRI)
    Propranonol (beta blocker)
    Ativan (benzo)
    Klonopin (benzo)

    I was 97 lbs when I started the meds 3 years ago and I am now 195 lbs. I've basically doubled my weight due to the meds. Not only have the meds caused me to gain 95 lbs but they made me develop insulin resistance and reactive hypoglycemia due to the rapid weight gain. If I could, I would sue the pharmaceutical companies for creating these drugs. They cause more harm than good.

    I currently take 10 mg lexapro, 12.5 mg pristiq, and 10 mg propranonol. I was on 40 mg lexapro, 100 mg pristiq, and 40-50 mg propranonol daily before but have weened myself off and my next step will be to stop taking them completely.

    Yes, they help but the benefits do not outweigh the cons.

    I'd look into CBT… cognitive behavioral therapy. I did it and it was very effective. Expensive but worth it.
  • maybeazure
    maybeazure Posts: 301 Member
    I've lost 62 pounds on Effexor. I probably gained a bunch on it too though. Most of the antidepressants on your list don't have big weight gain side effects. You can lose on them. Or gain. It depends on your diet mostly. I will agree with those that say exercise makes huge difference in mood.
  • AllonsYtotheTardis
    AllonsYtotheTardis Posts: 16,947 Member
    antidepressants never caused me to gain, but the depression caused me to eat a lot more.

    Honestly, since I've been off meds, the thing that worked best for me was taking up running. I was surprised at the effect it's had on my GAD / SAD
  • 43932452
    43932452 Posts: 7,246 Member
    Donuts or sex .. j/k .. vitamin D is supposed to be good especially for those if us in the sun void areas that suffer w/ SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder). Other minerals in ones diet might help as well but I'm not familiar with those.

    Added: I agree with those who mention exercise. I'm in a better mood when I get mine!
  • prattiger65
    prattiger65 Posts: 1,657 Member
    15 years ago I was diagnosed with depression. I was prescribed Prozac and I took it for nine months. I haven't taken s pill in 14 years. In my experience the very best medicine for depression is a balanced diet and plenty of exercise.
  • atb0821
    atb0821 Posts: 458 Member
    I think Effexor is made out magical unicorn farts and fairy dust. It's been absolutely amazing for me and hasn't affect my weight one way or another.

    But I do second the idea of tons of exercise for endorphins, and an Omega 3 and Vitamin D supplement.
  • willnorton
    willnorton Posts: 995 Member
    lose weight....get healthy.....LOOK UP, GET UP AND DONT EVER GIVE UP!
  • zombilishious
    zombilishious Posts: 1,250 Member
    Exercise
    Eat clean
    Have sex...a lot...preferably not alone
    Smoke weed
  • menatschin
    menatschin Posts: 15
    Exercise
    Eat clean
    Have sex...a lot...preferably not alone
    Smoke weed

    Agreed except the weed part. I know several people who have wasted their lives due to thee pot smoking. Amotivational Syndrome is real.
  • xoemmytee
    xoemmytee Posts: 162 Member
    I agree that you should focus on managing your depression with your meds and therapy. I gained 15 pounds while on prozac then zoloft. It took a while to get the weight off but I lost it and them some. Know that yes, you will gain weight from the medication but it can be reversed when you come off it. Focus on loving yourself no matter what you weigh. You are taking the medication to help yourself get better mentally. Then you can work on your physical self. It is never to early to start living a healthy lifestyle, but don't worry about what the scale says, it will only hinder your mental progress. I know this is all easier said than done but know that you're not alone. We've gotten through this and so can you.
  • KateEMD
    KateEMD Posts: 101 Member
    It's different for all. I am on Citalopram right now and it works great for me but please don't get a medication just because it makes you gain weight.The medications have to do with your body makeup and what works for you. Anti-depressants are for just that: to not to be depressed. They are not there to make you fat or make you skinny. Yes, some of them make you gain weight but sometimes that is because you are finally not depressed and your body wants to eat again.

    Take the medication for what it is and leave the weight gain out of it. If the meds help you not be depressed, they are doing their job. It is then our job to make our outsides feel as good as our insides do.
  • EmilyJackCO
    EmilyJackCO Posts: 621 Member
    I took Effexor for 2 1/2 years and ... well, yeah - it didn't help that I drank a LOT while I was on it, but it did put my severe depression in remission for several years. But, the side effects were NOT worth it for me to go through it again.

    Though my depression was solved, I eventually developed huge problems with general anxiety disorder. I was covered head to toe in hives that would not go away no matter what. They put me on a combination of hydroxazine and Lexapro. That worked... I quit the hydroxazine once they went away, but took the Lexapro for another year. I did not gain any weight then.

    The last year has been extremely hard - and my depression returned with a vengeance. I tried the Lexapro again in March/April, and had horrible effects because it was clashing with a mandated change in birth control (progesterone and I DO NOT get along) and quit immediately. But I started taking it again now that everything is stabilized, and it is working really well. And I have lost the rest of my weight to goal in the last six weeks. However, it has developed the interesting side effect of killing my appetite almost completely, so that may have helped.

    I am also on Doxepin for insomnia - and again, no weight gain.

    To be perfectly fair and honest though - even with medications, it all does come down to calories in/calories out. I hate to say that, but being on repeated rounds of Prednisone (we all know the evils of that), I didn't gain more than a few pounds of water weight from the retention. Log accurately, honestly and stay under your calorie goal, and it will work. Even with the medications.

    Caveat to all of this: I have become extremely sensitive to very low dosages of medication. I take the lowest prescribed dosage of just about everything. I'm only on 10mg of Lexapro and 20 of Doxepin, so YMMV.
  • PeanutButterLuver71
    PeanutButterLuver71 Posts: 220 Member
    Effexor & running.
  • dcarr67
    dcarr67 Posts: 1,403
    My wife has tried most of them for anxiety. Paxil helped the most but she put on the weight.
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
    Sexercise.
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
    I think this is a dialogue you need to have with your doctor, or perhaps on a bb that specializes in depression. Because everyone is SO different when it comes to what works for them, and the last thing you should do is switch antidepressants because of a suggestion on a fitness web site.
  • 1ZenGirl
    1ZenGirl Posts: 432 Member
    There are plenty of people on MFP that have never really suffered from clinical depression. I think if you exercised and ate well and that was what worked for you my guess is you would have tried that a long time ago. I'm truly not dissing the people that encourage these things because they ARE natural mood enhancers. But the reality is clinical depression is a medical condition that while certainly can be helped by these things, sometimes pills help. Understand it took a lot for me to say that as I hate Big Pharma.

    But I digress....

    I gained weight on Paxil. Big time weight about 80-90 pounds. It took me 5 years to even wean off of the crap because of the side affects when weaning off. Once I went on Buspar my world totally changed. I didn't gain weight and my symptoms lifted. I finally started to realize what it meant to live without depression. Now--I likely had more anxiety than depression. Only your doctor and you will know for sure. But I hope and pray you are getting therapy. A good therapist and the right drug will go a very long way.
  • tesha_chandler
    tesha_chandler Posts: 378 Member
    Exercise, sunshine, 5htp, fish oil, garlic supplements.. different things works for different people. Onions, garlic and tomatoes have been proven to be mood boosters!
  • AlongCame_Molly
    AlongCame_Molly Posts: 2,835 Member
    Vitamin D
    Magnesium
    Exercise
    Vegetables

    Not being funny, Ive taken many on your list, above is what works for me now.

    This. Since having started exercising regularly and eating better, I haven't needed the Prozac I was on.
  • RllyGudTweetr
    RllyGudTweetr Posts: 2,019 Member
    I love the advice to just exercise and cheer up to clear clinical depression.

    http://www.ted.com/talks/ruby_wax_what_s_so_funny_about_mental_illness.html
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