Anti-depressants and weight loss?
Replies
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I have done it ... its slower but can be done ... Currently being weaned off one to start another ... Never stop with out consulting your Dr ... 0 -
Weight loss and exercise are anti depressants! Get off the pills.
Are you a mental health worker?
Quite.
Dear OP, I take 30mg citalopram and am steadily losing weight. I used to take ablify and that is a real weight gainer but fortunately have been able to come off these. When I came off ablify I lost 7lbs in a week and I wasn't even trying!
Good luck chum!0 -
Weight loss and exercise are anti depressants! Get off the pills.
You are full of it. You also have no right to say that people should stop taking a medication they need.
I am so sick and tired of the ill informed BS from people like this. When you hear people constantly say "get off the pills" or "you don't need meds" or "meds are bad" it makes a person ashamed to be on them. Well guess what? Sometimes people need them. Yet they might not get the help they need because it is stigmatized so badly in society still. It is disgusting.
^^ This. Absolutely and completely this.
You need them because you've trained your brain to "need" them. Really, you just want them. You've decided life is easier with them. And that's true. Life is easier when you can take a pill to solve a problem. But it's not BS. I promise you. I was just like you, loaded up on AD's and I started exercising and got off them. I feel great now, mentally, and I will never go back. When I get down or upset, I go for a walk or a jog and it's amazing how the crap just floats away.
Your initial response telling the OP to get off the pills and your follow up response makes it clear that you do not understand all medications, nor do you understand mental health as a whole. While you may have found an approach that applies to you, it will not be applicable to others. I question who made the decision to discontinue meds, you or your doctor? I question this because based on your posting history, it appears you may self-medicate with other things. (and I do not mean weight loss and exercise as you so eloquently stated above)
^^ this!
OP, hope things get better for you. Continue to work with your doctor on best approach to weight loss and medications for whatever you require. Take care.0 -
Ask your DR. I personally don't believe in RX(meds) has more side effects then help,but thats just me and a long story to why that is to back that up.0
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Hi!
I'm a Masters level Social Work student going into my final semester of grad school and taking my licensing exam soon. Just want to preface what I say with that so you know I'm not a full fledge mental health professional yet but I do have a lot of education so take any of the pieces of my post you want that you feel are most realistic and beneficial for you!
- DO NOT go off your medication, if you want to go off it eventually you must work very closely with your psychiatrist to do so in the safest possible way! I am sure you know this but had to throw it out there!
- DO NOT feel ashamed for being on anti-depressants (I say this because some posts on here seemed to be a bit judgmental toward psychotropic meds), it is nothing to be ashamed of, be proud that you are aware of your self enough to be on medication because that means you are taking care of not just your mental health but your overall well being!
- In terms of weight loss, medications effect EVERYONE DIFFERENTLY although yes there are some very general side effects that can impact most people that are on them. That said, you may have to toy around with different healthy eating habits and try to find the ones that work best for you. If possible for you it may be beneficial to seek input from a nutritionist who has experience working with individuals on psychotropic medications.
- Here are some things you could do: drink a lot of water (a lot a lot, 2-3 liters a day), try to have healthy high protein foods (even a protein shake after your workouts would be great) such as Greek yogurt, and try not to eat foods with higher than 9 grams of sugar, keep within your calorie goal each day and if you workout try not to eat back all your cals burned (only half of them at most if your really hungry), tune into your body anytime you feel you need to eat more pause and ask yourself am I really hungry or it's there something else going on here?
Hope some of this helps! GOOD LUCK! YOU CAN DO IT!
This is good basic advice, but there exist some medications that change people's metabolisms and diet and exercise won't much help. The body simply processes food differently. It's better for the individual to switch to a different drug. In an earlier post in this thread, I referenced a book by a psychiatrist who acknowledged that weight gain on antidepressants can be a problem for women because we live in culture obsessed with thinness.0 -
Weight loss and exercise are anti depressants! Get off the pills.
Are you a mental health worker?
ya really ....im on those but not for depression...it is what my doctor started me on for fibromyalgia. let her doctor tell her when and when not to take meds0 -
I found that working with a Counsellor plus my Dr .... with regards to meds was the best thing i have ever done .
She helped me to see the reason i was an emotional eater ... Once i addressed that the rest just fell into place .
Good luck on your journey ..:flowerforyou:0 -
I am DEFINITELY not going to stop taking my medication, I know I need it and am not going to stop just because someone on here tells me too. Its very encouraging that others have managed to lose weight, and I will use it as motivation! If anyone wants to add me, feel free to
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I shall do my best to ignore the crazies and simply tell you of my experience...
I do not take Paxil and never have so I can't offer anything for your specific medication. However, I have been on Prozac for close to fifteen years and added in Wellbutrin several years ago. This combo is my magic "cocktail" for keeping my depression under control. As I am able, I decrease my dosage of Prozac and am fine to increase it if I've hit a particularly rough patch. I don't need to leave my children motherless because I'm too proud to take my meds!
I have lost weight (close to 70 lbs at this point) while taking my medication. It can be done! I've had a few times of falling off the wagon and doing a bit of emotional eating, but I've managed to climb right back up and keep going (a good reason to take your meds). If you truly feel that the Paxil is making your appetite out of control, by all means talk to your doctor! I'd wager that the extra weight is not helping your depression.
Best of luck to you!0 -
I should really stay away from this forum as some people here drive me crazy:
There are cases where anti-depressants are prescribed far too fast and sports and proper nutrition, psychotherapy or changing things in one's life and environment work just as well or better. But to assume that this is the case everytime is just ignorant.
It is great that you don't stoned and wasted anymore (and I hope that this is not what you refered to when you talked about anti-depressants), but to tell somebody to just work out and lose weight and forget about the pills is irresponsible. Your second post is even worse implying that the OP is just to weak or lazy to confront her problems. You have no right to judge her and a real depression is for sure different that feeling a little bit down. It is a real disease that is mostly not something that you trained your brain to have. It is a damn disease like any other. So get yourself educated before posting accusing, irresponsible stuff like that. I think we as a society need to gain awareness what it means to be mentally ill. I think there are many things contributing to these diseases but as someone having people I love that need to take antidepressants in order to manage their life and feel remotely happy, I find it so terribly offensive hearing advices like "Go of the pills", "Solve your problems" "Lose weight and do sports" "Take a walk in the woods" or "Go out to meet friends".
Oh and by the way I had really bad issues with blood sugar, but since I changed my nutrition and started to work out it's all gone. So to all of you who take insulin or metformine or whatever: "Just drop it and start a healthy life" #ironyoff
Sorry, but the continous stigmatization of mental disorders and the great advices to stop taking meds really get to me.
And to the OP: I think you should talk about that issue with the doctor that prescribed the meds: Maybe you can indeed switch meds or he might explain why you gain weight on these meds. I think knowing the mechanism makes it easier to find a way to deal with it. Does it affect your metabolism or your appetite?0 -
Hey everyone,
I'm wondering if there are any woman out there who are on any type of anti depressant who has managed to lose a lot of weight. I'm on paxil, and I need to lose 120 lbs but I big side effect of the medication has been weight GAIN, and I can't switch meds. Just looking for support or success stories from people who have dealt with this.
Thanks!
One thing to remember is that anti-depressants tend to have a side effect of increased appetite, as do steroids. People often don't realize that they are eating more than normal, because they feel so much hungrier than normal. It also does affect your chemical balance. Be patient, continue to take your meds and count your calories. Also, are you seeing a counselor? In combination with anti-depressants, counseling can be very helpful for depression. It is a real, physical condition, so don't be embarrassed about it.0 -
I am DEFINITELY not going to stop taking my medication, I know I need it and am not going to stop just because someone on here tells me too. Its very encouraging that others have managed to lose weight, and I will use it as motivation! If anyone wants to add me, feel free to
Wish you the best.0 -
I have been on literally almost every other anti depressant over the past 8 years. Nothing has worked long term, paxil doesn't work well either but my body can not handle the withdrawal, I've tried.0
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Weight loss and exercise are anti depressants! Get off the pills.
I've been at a healthy weight for years, and have exercised daily for years as well. I've been a pretty healthy and happy person for those years as well. This year I was diagnosed with brain cancer and had surgery to remove a tumor. I'm on a very high dose of anti-seizure medication because of this. One side effect of the anti-seizure medication is mood swings, and I'm also dealing with the very scary prospect of dying of this cancer at some point in the next few years. This has caused me to need an anti-depressant.
Do you think I should just "get off the pills"? You don't know everyone's story, don't be so judgemental and give blanket advice about stopping medications that may be very essential.0 -
I should really stay away from this forum as some people here drive me crazy:
There are cases where anti-depressants are prescribed far too fast and sports and proper nutrition, psychotherapy or changing things in one's life and environment work just as well or better. But to assume that this is the case everytime is just ignorant.
It is great that you don't stoned and wasted anymore (and I hope that this is not what you refered to when you talked about anti-depressants), but to tell somebody to just work out and lose weight and forget about the pills is irresponsible. Your second post is even worse implying that the OP is just to weak or lazy to confront her problems. You have no right to judge her and a real depression is for sure different that feeling a little bit down. It is a real disease that is mostly not something that you trained your brain to have. It is a damn disease like any other. So get yourself educated before posting accusing, irresponsible stuff like that. I think we as a society need to gain awareness what it means to be mentally ill. I think there are many things contributing to these diseases but as someone having people I love that need to take antidepressants in order to manage their life and feel remotely happy, I find it so terribly offensive hearing advices like "Go of the pills", "Solve your problems" "Lose weight and do sports" "Take a walk in the woods" or "Go out to meet friends".
Oh and by the way I had really bad issues with blood sugar, but since I changed my nutrition and started to work out it's all gone. So to all of you who take insulin or metformine or whatever: "Just drop it and start a healthy life" #ironyoff
Sorry, but the continous stigmatization of mental disorders and the great advices to stop taking meds really get to me.
And to the OP: I think you should talk about that issue with the doctor that prescribed the meds: Maybe you can indeed switch meds or he might explain why you gain weight on these meds. I think knowing the mechanism makes it easier to find a way to deal with it. Does it affect your metabolism or your appetite?
:flowerforyou:0 -
I am on 20mg do Prozac and I have currently lost 41lbs in the last 100 days! I have been eating 1200 calories a day, doing 30-40 minutes of cardio a day and drinking 100+ oz of water a day! I also quit smoking 5 months ago! It can be done! Less calories + more moving = weight loss! I intend to lose another 80lbs for a total of 120 lbs loss in a year (October) YOU CAN DO IT!!!
Nicely done!! Congratulations.0 -
It actually makes me angry when someone says 'you don't need pills' Generally these people have no idea what real depression is. Let me explain. E.G PND; Hormones. Exercise helps. But it's not going to stop a flood of emotion coming over me. Or help me sleep at night. Unless you are a doctor who knows the case, I would advise with all good will to keep your fingers away from the keyboard. Also did you know you can't just 'Stop' taking them? You have to wean yourself off otherwise you end up very ill.
Anyway, back to OP. I'm on 100mg of Sertraline and 15 mg of mirtazipine. It seems to be dropping off. They are all different and finding an AD that is right for you is hard enough let alone finding one that will allow you to lose weight on them so I do feel your pain. I guess I just got lucky. Best of luck to you, have a chat with your doctor and explain your anxieties and worries. xxx0 -
It IS possible to lose weight & maintain that weight while on anti-depressants. As many other people have said, be healthy with what you eat, work-out regularly- and I would also suggest yoga. I've found it helps reduce stress while getting a little workout in too!
Best of luck to you.0 -
I did lose weight while on Paxil, yes.
I thought it would be a good idea to quit it without tapering my dosage slowly, and boy, I had the most terrible withdrawal experience of my life. I had hallucinations, couldn't get out of bed without almost fainting, couldn't keep any food down, and could not live my life normally for weeks. No driving, no leaving the house, no exercise, nothing.
Please do not quit any anti-depressant or other medication without devising a plan with your doctor!
When I lost weight the first time, I was taking several medications. It did not seem to hinder my progress at all! Good luck, OP, you can do it (safely)!0 -
Getting off all my meds has been the best thing ever.
I highly recommend if you CAN, please do.
Big Pharma NEEDS you on them; YOU need to be off them asap.
Best of luck in your endeavor.0 -
Getting off all my meds has been the best thing ever.
I highly recommend if you CAN, please do.
Big Pharma NEEDS you on them; YOU need to be off them asap.
Best of luck in your endeavor.
Please reference all previous posts as to why you as the poster, know nothing about anyone else's health conditions, and should never advise anyone else to stop medications. "Big Pharma". Please.0 -
Weight loss and exercise are anti depressants! Get off the pills.
You are going to get yourself reported for giving dangerous information.
OP - Log your calories faithfully and maintain a reasonable deficit and you will lose weight. The medication likely increases your appetite, and that is why you have gained. Make sure you get plenty of protein and healthy fat to help you with hunger. A good macro breakdown would be 40/30/30.0 -
Getting off all my meds has been the best thing ever.
I highly recommend if you CAN, please do.
Big Pharma NEEDS you on them; YOU need to be off them asap.
Best of luck in your endeavor.
Baloney. :noway:0 -
!0
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I am on 20mg do Prozac and I have currently lost 41lbs in the last 100 days! I have been eating 1200 calories a day, doing 30-40 minutes of cardio a day and drinking 100+ oz of water a day! I also quit smoking 5 months ago! It can be done! Less calories + more moving = weight loss! I intend to lose another 80lbs for a total of 120 lbs loss in a year (October) YOU CAN DO IT!!!
Way to go!!0 -
Weight loss and exercise are anti depressants! Get off the pills.
You are full of it. You also have no right to say that people should stop taking a medication they need.
I am so sick and tired of the ill informed BS from people like this. When you hear people constantly say "get off the pills" or "you don't need meds" or "meds are bad" it makes a person ashamed to be on them. Well guess what? Sometimes people need them. Yet they might not get the help they need because it is stigmatized so badly in society still. It is disgusting.
^^ This. Absolutely and completely this.
You need them because you've trained your brain to "need" them. Really, you just want them. You've decided life is easier with them. And that's true. Life is easier when you can take a pill to solve a problem. But it's not BS. I promise you. I was just like you, loaded up on AD's and I started exercising and got off them. I feel great now, mentally, and I will never go back. When I get down or upset, I go for a walk or a jog and it's amazing how the crap just floats away.
Oh yeah, I can tell by your posts in these forums that you 'feel' just great. :noway:0 -
I'm on citalopram (Celexa) and I've lost almost 30 pounds. Like other people on this forum, the anti-depressants were what gave me the ability to start a healthy diet and exercising. Without that I wouldn't have the motivation to do anything, let alone exercise.
And for all of you saying "Exercising worked for me, so you should go off your meds!" You're an idiot. If it worked for you, that's fantastic. But the world does not revolve around you -- just because it worked for you doesn't mean it will work for everyone else. It would be like me saying "I had chronic migraines for a decade, until I realized they were caused by eating nightshades! Everyone with migraines should stop taking their meds and instead stop eating potatoes, tomatoes, and peppers, and you'll be cured!" It worked for me, but that's actually a pretty rare food intolerance, so it would be foolish and ignorant of me to tell all migraine sufferers that it would work for them.0 -
Getting off all my meds has been the best thing ever.
I highly recommend if you CAN, please do.
Big Pharma NEEDS you on them; YOU need to be off them asap.
Best of luck in your endeavor.
Glad to hear that worked for you. As much I share the view that psychopharmaca are not the right solution for everyone, I would recommend you not to make assumptions about other people as long as you don't know their case. No qualified doctor or health professional would do that and I think you should do it even less. If you knew her exact diagnosis and medical history, your advice would indeed be valid, but that way it is not a good advice. You might describe how you got off the meds, why, why you were on them in the first place and how you manage whatever mental condition you had, but just adviceing her to get off is not a good thing to do. And I for one don't appreciate conspiracy theories about Big Pharma. They are capitalist enterprises that want to make money, they got a lobby and spend a serious amount in PR, BUT medication saves lives everyday and increases the quality of life of many people. Pharma industry doesn't do that out of charity, but that does not mean that most people were better of without that medication. Some actually need it.
And congrats for being able to find a solution to your problems and a way to lead a happy life now.0 -
Weight loss and exercise are anti depressants! Get off the pills.
You're the OPs doctor?
No?
Irresponsible reply.0 -
Getting off all my meds has been the best thing ever.
I highly recommend if you CAN, please do.
Big Pharma NEEDS you on them; YOU need to be off them asap.
Best of luck in your endeavor.
0
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