Wellbutrin and weight gain??

Know this is an old thread, but happened upon it and FYI - Wellbutrin is not an SSRI (or an SNRI). It's an aminoketone (ie kind of in its own class when it comes to anti-depressants).

Wellbutrin can cause fluid retention which dissipates when you stop taking it.

Try to avoid excess salt intake and make sure you're getting lots of water, potassium, and magnesium in your diet, and it'll help prevent this in the future.

Hmmm, my doctor called it "weight neutral" and I lost about 10 pounds when I started taking it. Turns out being less stressed caused me to want to exercise more and eat foods that were good for me, because I had a better outlook on my future. Maybe you didn't stress eat when you were anxious/depressed?

Constipation is my only side effect, and hoo boy that is rough. Try blueberry oatmeal smoothies, foods high in magnesium, avoid iron supplements if you can because it makes you constipated as well (go for food sources of iron), and last but not least GRAPES! Grapes were my magical cure. There are others that I've heard people swear by, like apricots or prunes.

Nurse Becky...

Careful there; Wellbutrin is not an SSRI OR an MAOI. It is in a class of its own, working specifically on the inhibition of the re-uptake of dopamine and norepinephrine. I'm not sure if you were suggesting that the medication works to alleviate anxiety or not, but the textbook answer is that it doesn't. In fact, it is known to increase agitation and sometimes exacerbate the symptoms of people who are already anxious.

Everyone else...

I know I'm a tad late to the conversation but I, too, have been experiencing weight gain with Wellbutrin. At first, I thought I was just imagining things but the scale continued to state otherwise. I gained 20 pounds in 4 months. This is incredibly frustrating. I was formerly on Prozac which caused weight gain and it took me about two years to lose it after I quit the drug. I began exhibiting some depression issues during grad school and when my doctor suggested an AD, I refused. Not only had I experienced undesired side effects from Prozac, the weight gain that it caused made me feel even worse. My doctor insisted that Wellbutrin tended to have the opposite effect and suggested that maybe I could even lose my last 5 pounds while on it.

Since my doctor was so adamant that I could lose weight, I didn't believe my eyes when I began to gain. After doing some online research, I found that it is relatively common to have the adverse effect of weight gain while on Wellbutrin. I keep a meticulous food journal (not always on MyFitnessPal, but I do keep one). I kept my eating relatively under control, but I was also craving sugars non-stop. I finally quit Wellbutrin last week as I had had enough.

I believe that drug manufacturers lie about things like this in order to entice us to take their medications. This was my third experience with an antidepressant and I can say that the negative side effects have always outweighed any mental/emotional benefits (or imagined benefits). I am done with them. I'd rather deal with this on my own. I don't need body image issues (caused by antidepressants) making me feel even worse!

Kellymac518,

Wellbutrin is considered to be "weight neutral," but lists weight loss as one of its main side effects and weight gain as a more rare side effect. I am sure that getting to the bottom of the real statistics of weight loss vs. weight gain in people who have taken these drugs is all but impossible - why would the manufacturer ruin their weight loss reputation? As someone who has researched the anti depressant market rather extensively, I found it interesting that many years ago, Prozac used to claim that weight loss was a side effect when in fact, more people gained than even stayed neutral. Today, we know Prozac as a medication that typically causes weight gain. There is some general speculation that drug manufacturers list weight loss on some drugs as side effects just to boost their sales. I do not doubt that some people lose weight on Wellbutrin since it works on inhibiting the reuptake of the neurotransmitters norepinephrine and dopamine (these are the same chemicals that are increased in the system when one uses a stimulant such as Adderall (speed)).

I do see your point. However, after age 30, losing weight tends to become more and more difficult. Call it body changes, responsibilities, less focus on the superficial and more focus on the important.... whatever. Either way, I am quite familiar with my body and I can say that Wellbutrin made it pretty much impossible for me to lose weight no matter how much I worked out or how little I ate. I tried more than a "little harder" to lose weight and I gained more than "some weight." Twenty pounds in 4 months is quite significant for my 5'4" frame. I know; the math doesn't add up if I am working out more and eating less. It doesn't make sense. All I can say is that this was my experience. I have always been conscious of my weight and I can pinpoint exactly the times when I have had a difficult/impossible time maintaining and one of those times was when I began Wellbutrin. No, I did not assume that I could suddenly eat everything I wanted because I was taking the drug. Like I said, I do keep a meticulous food and exercise journal and always have. I have read story after story online written by people who had the same results. I cannot explain it, I can only speculate.

I am so glad that Wellbutrin is helping you. I personally did not notice any difference. I had a sore throat for 2 weeks but after that, there was no change in my energy or my mood. I did feel more hungry, however.

I am really, really looking forward to the day when punctuation becomes popular again. It pains me to read these comments without the proper capitalization of letters! Please, be the one who stands out in your age group and fight against the trend. It will make you appear like an educated leader.... just do it!!!

ARE YOU KIDDING ME . 10 LBS IS NOT THAT MUCH AND BARELY NOTICEABLE ?????
FOR SOME PEOPLE WHO ALWAYS MAINTAIN THEIR WEIGHT THIS PRETTY SIGNIFICANT .

All I can say is that the weight loss claim is no lie....I have lost 11 pounds in the 3 weeks I've been on it...and that has been traveling and extremely busy. I just can not physically eat as much....and I'm very careful not to and stretch my stomach back out again......

I have been taking welbutrin now for 3 months and i have been gaining weight daily. I don't eat any differently but do notice i am hungrier. I just lost 122 lbs last year and now it's all coming back because of the welbutrin. I hate it. And frankly it's causing more depression.

This is an old thread, but I have to put in my $.02
Wellbutrin seems to be making it easier for me to gain weight & harder for me to lose weight. I don't think it is causing me to gain weight, but since being on it I have easily gained 10# & not much else in my life has changed. I, too, am on a very low dose. My doc switched me from Zoloft to Wellbutrin to help curb weight gain, but thus far it isn't helping. I'm going to go in & discuss this with my doc, but I wanted to say you aren't alone. 10# on my frame is a huge weight gain! & while I am to blame for poor decisions I have made I do believe the drug is making it harder to get rid of the weight I have gained. I'm staying on top of my water intake, I haven't changed my eating habits, I have been working out more than I used to, & I still gain. It's sh!tty. So, this isn't offering advice, just giving a similar experience.

I always lose 10lbs when i take it. It kicks my appetite and gives me energy. Is your logging tight?