weight gain from medication ? ?

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Rayfelle
Rayfelle Posts: 3
in Health and Weight Loss
hullo~
Im usually pretty horrid with forum posts so i'll just jump into it

recently i put on a good 15 pounds from the antidepressants i'm on and i've become so fed up with not being able to get it off. I've done the whole "stay away from processed foods" and "get your 6000 steps in" thing and its been over a month and i've been hovering around 160. (i used to hover around 145)
i'm fed up i hate it im just so done
nothing is working and i feel like if i asked to be switched to another medication again it would only get worse
i feel stuck and i just dont know what to do
if anyone's been in this situation before your input would be really helpful ? ?

tl;dr
Is weight that you gain from medication supposed to be this hard to get off?

Replies

  • bv109
    bv109 Posts: 83
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    antidepressants do not directly cause weight gain. you are gaining weight because you are eating more. and you are not losing weight because you are not eating less. your meds may be causing you to crave food.
  • dorisopen9
    dorisopen9 Posts: 94 Member
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    antidepressants do not directly cause weight gain.
    I'm afraid you're wrong. Some classes of antidepressants are associated with weight gain, more than the amount of food eaten accounts for. Several studies have confirmed this for example for the SSRI; some also seem to cause a craving for simple carbohydrates which can case significant weight gain in anyone prone to insulin resistance (i.e. a lot of the population).

    Unfortunately, there is no simple solution for this.
  • loricrowder
    loricrowder Posts: 2
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    I am going through the same thing only with Prednisone. I have been on it for 1 and half years for asthma. I have put on a lot of weight. Prednisone causes cravings and makes you retain water. It doesn't help that I was in a wheel chair all last summer due to a dislocated and broken ankle. Be patient and keep at it, it will come off I have lost five pounds but it took two weeks.My health is depending on me loosing the weight. Like my doctor said I am fighting an up hill battle. Just know you can do it if you stick with it.
  • Rayfelle
    Rayfelle Posts: 3
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    thanks for the input guys

    I guess its just hard when you're prone to being negative and not seeing the results you expect
  • TheLittleFangs
    TheLittleFangs Posts: 205 Member
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    antidepressants do not directly cause weight gain.
    Sorry but as PP has said, this is incorrect. Antidepressants, and anti psychotics, some, can directly affect the way your body metabolises food.

    To the OP. It is hard, I have recently come off Olanzapine which contributed to a gain of 30lbs (and put me at risk of metabolic syndrome) and I am hoping it will be easier to lose now. It is possible - the losses will be slower and you have to be strict. What is important is you keep up with the exercise, this will help your mood immensely and who knows in time you may be able to come off them. I am still on Duloxetine but I am hoping to lose 56lbs even whilst on it, and I am still Propranolol a beta blocker. Don't give up. Great things are possible when you put your mind to it.
  • Arne_becomesxXx
    Arne_becomesxXx Posts: 504 Member
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    I had the same problem. Gained 5-6 Kilo just because of antidepressants (and a lot more from beer...but thats another topic).
    And its very hard to get them off again.
    Now I don´t use this stuff anymore and hope it might be easier.
  • easeintofitness
    easeintofitness Posts: 25
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    Speak with your doctor and weigh the risks and benefits of switching to another antidepressant less associated with weight gain. Mirtazipine has a unique mechanism of action and may be a drug you can ask your physician about that may be a better option for you. Do not discontinue your current medication without supervision and instruction from your physician. Immediate discontinuation of many antidepressants can result in unwanted events.
  • chloeealicee
    chloeealicee Posts: 204 Member
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    antidepressants do not directly cause weight gain.

    ignorance like this makes me so angry
  • maradanielle
    maradanielle Posts: 47 Member
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    I am in the same boat. I started Mirtazipine about a month and a half ago and have gained about 10lbs. It stinks! there are some days when no matter what I eat I still feel hungry. I have never had this much trouble. But, I am trying because I Have noticed that I feel better (other than being hungry) and I sleep just a tad better. I keep hoping that everything will even out once I find my sweet spot.
  • janatarnhem
    janatarnhem Posts: 669 Member
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    [/quote]

    ignorance like this makes me so angry
    [/quote]

    Whilst this does not make me angry, it does make me sad, that those who do not suffer with illness have no empathy with those that do! I was browsing through the blogs and forums and came across someone talking about how great they were, that they could do the dieting and fitness, they were the "genetically elite". Now that made me angry!
  • attackhamster
    attackhamster Posts: 58 Member
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    Could you talk to your doctor about switching to a med without a weight gain side effect? Wellbutrin is a good one, a lot of people actually lose weight on it!

    I'm sorry you're going through this, I know how tough it is!

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