Antidepressants & Weight Gain

memecade
memecade Posts: 19
edited September 27 in Health and Weight Loss
Hey all,

Just wondering if anyone else out there has taken antidepressants/antianxiety meds and experienced weight gain. I have been on 2 different medications for the past oh, 5 years or so. Since I've started taking them I've gained approx 40lbs. I don't know if the meds have anything to do with it or if it's just the sedentary lifestyle and terrible eating habits. The two meds I have been on 1) Effexor 150mg and 2) Lexapro 10mg. Both list weight gain as a possible side effect but in very rare cases. For about a week or more I have been trying to ween myself off of them. I've cut my dosage by 1/4 and now by 1/2 and hope to cut it down by 3/4 of a pill before going off of the Lexapro 10mg completely (hopefully).

Just wondering if anyone else had experienced this...

Replies

  • EllieHall
    EllieHall Posts: 21 Member
    I experienced weight gain with Lexapro and Wellbutrin. I have not had a problem with Zoloft.
  • scmusicbiz
    scmusicbiz Posts: 35 Member
    Zoloft is very bad for weight gain; avoid it like the plague! I'm on Celexa now, and it doesn't seem to cause such problems. A friend told me Efflexor made her lose weight, which sounds like a good thing, but it also killed her libido, which is not.

    Be sure you discuss any changes in your meds or dosage with your doctor.

    Good luck!
  • oddyogi
    oddyogi Posts: 1,816 Member
    I am on Zoloft and have been steadily losing fat with my new lifestyle. :)
  • DarkAngel864
    DarkAngel864 Posts: 229 Member
    I was on Cymbalta and noticed a huge increase in my appetite. I'm not on Prozac and have no had any problems, love it!
  • lnosgood
    lnosgood Posts: 92
    I never had a problem with the lexapro, but then again i think it all depends on the person. If we're eating right to begin with we won't gain any weight. But I don't know any depressed people who eat correctly. Most of us are emotional eaters who eat all kinds of bad things when we're feeling down. Hence the weight gain. LOL. I'd just stick to your normal medication schedule and start watching what you eat. You may be surprised. =)
  • shelld70
    shelld70 Posts: 106
    I was on Abilify for a short time and gained 6lbs in 2 wks. Different meds can mess with your metabolism. Now I am on Cymbalta and had some weight gain at first. Now that I am working out and eating healthy it's helping combat not only the depression but that nasty side affect of weight gain. The doc may tell you the med does not cause weight gain, but check out all of the side affect info. More often than not, it does. Also, are you weaning off by yourself or with the docs help? Don't do it without the docs help! It can really mess you up. Been there, done that. Not pretty!

    Good luck to you! Thanks for bringing up this topic! : )
  • memecade
    memecade Posts: 19
    Thanks for all the feedback!!! :) Good to know I'm not the only one who has experienced the "very rare side effects."
  • Jeanne3651
    Jeanne3651 Posts: 84 Member
    My husband has been on Lexapro for several years and had no problem with weight gain. I'm on Zoloft, trazadone and Geodon for depression and anxiety. I'm bi-polar. I found I gained more weight without the meds than with the meds. You should talk to your doctor about your concerns and consult him before making med changes.
  • updowngirl
    updowngirl Posts: 31 Member
    I was on zoloft several years ago and gained 30 pounds--I went off slowly and took the weight off---I recently have had anxiety attacks again and tried lexapro 10 mg--it helped a lot over the last year and a half, but again I've packed on 40 lbs! So I am doing as you are, slowly backing down to 5 mg and will consult with my Dr about getting off it. I feel like it kills my metabolism--in fairness though, the excessive emotions result in emotional eating.......it is a puzzle figuring out cause and effect.
    I just started MFP so I'm hoping to replace the drug with better food choices and exercise increases and see if I can stay off it with improved lifestyle. Good luck-I'll add you to my prayers.
  • Qarol
    Qarol Posts: 6,171 Member
    I took Effexor for a while and was gaining weight like crazy. When I mentioned this to my doctor, he said he was not surprised as Effexor can cause increased appetite. I was horrified. No amount of antidepressant will help me if I feel fat! So I asked to be taken off them.

    I'm not currently on any medication. I probably should be, but my therapy seems to be helping so I'm going to stay off meds for a while, at least until I lose all the weight I gained on Effexor.
  • memecade
    memecade Posts: 19
    Thanks so much for the info! I've been doing it by myself and haven't really had any side effects other than slight headache/nausea. But I will contact my doctor to see what she says. :) Thanks so much!!! :)
  • memecade
    memecade Posts: 19
    Thank you so much for your prayers!! I've been using MFP for over a month - I LOVE IT! I've found that I have less anxiety the more weight I lose....now 10lbs. I'm hoping that my lifestyle changes counteract my anxiety issues. :) It was very slight social anxiety and I think I ran to the meds for a quick fix instead of working on long term mental health goals.
  • megz4987
    megz4987 Posts: 1,008 Member
    I took lexapro for social anxiety until I got pregnant. I didnt gain anything on it but it was very hard to lose
  • memecade
    memecade Posts: 19
    Thanks for the info Qarol. That's a big part of why I gained so much weight I think - the Effexor and the amount of mgs I was on. It's good to know that there are others who've experienced this (bad for us though since we've gained the weight). Hope you are losing your weight w/ the help of MFP. I am LOVING it.
  • Angiebug1969
    Angiebug1969 Posts: 152
    I had been taking Elavil for migrain prevention... and although it was a low dose, after being on it for a couple of years, my weight DID increase... nearly 15lbs! I don't know if that's the "CAUSE" of my weight gain... but I have adjusted & readjusted my daily caloric budget, I workout regularly (I'm a marathoner), and I should NOT be fighting with the scales.

    Anyway... I've stopped taking it & readjusted my caloric intake that past couple of weeks, and the scales are starting to show a little movement. Let's just hope the migraines don't pop up, huh?!!
  • memecade
    memecade Posts: 19
    I had been taking Elavil for migrain prevention... and although it was a low dose, after being on it for a couple of years, my weight DID increase... nearly 15lbs! I don't know if that's the "CAUSE" of my weight gain... but I have adjusted & readjusted my daily caloric budget, I workout regularly (I'm a marathoner), and I should NOT be fighting with the scales.

    Anyway... I've stopped taking it & readjusted my caloric intake that past couple of weeks, and the scales are starting to show a little movement. Let's just hope the migraines don't pop up, huh?!!

    Yikes, hope they don't Angiebug! It's amazing how much medication can affect your metabolism. I hate it!
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    I've been on Lexapro then Celexa for over two years. Lost a little at first, gained some, but I've lost more.

    I don't know if it makes it any harder to lose weight, but it makes life a lot easier. I'm more likely to binge and/or just stay in bed all day if my depression is unchecked. On meds, I have energy and ambition.
  • BrownEyedG1rl
    BrownEyedG1rl Posts: 625 Member
    I'm on Wellbutrin and I have lost weight instead of gained. I have more motivation now to actually exercise, that's why.
  • britachu
    britachu Posts: 157
    That's pretty much why I am here on MFP. I've been on antidepressants for about 2 years, a variety of combos, and they caused me to gain about 10-15 lbs. I haven't had any other lifestyle changes that would have caused the weight gain, so I blame the pills. It's just going to take a lot of extra work on my part to keep that weight off, though I do have more energy now, which should translate to more exercise!

    Don't stop taking your meds without talking to your doctor.... withdrawls can actually be worse than the pre-antidepressant situation was.
  • runnergirl2027
    runnergirl2027 Posts: 15
    I'm an almost-nurse (graduate Thursday!) and in my pharmacology classes, we studied antidepressants and weight gain! Most of the AD's do have weight gain listed as a side effect - the only one that I currently know of that lists weight loss as a SE is Wellbutrin. My dad gained about 20 lbs in only a couple months on Celexa, and his doc just switched him to Wellbutrin solely for the weight loss attribute.

    And sadly, no form of birth control causes weight gain, as much as we'd like to blame it. I know I've tried to blame it in the past!! Actually, I still do blame it. :)
  • memecade
    memecade Posts: 19
    I'm an almost-nurse (graduate Thursday!) and in my pharmacology classes, we studied antidepressants and weight gain! Most of the AD's do have weight gain listed as a side effect - the only one that I currently know of that lists weight loss as a SE is Wellbutrin. My dad gained about 20 lbs in only a couple months on Celexa, and his doc just switched him to Wellbutrin solely for the weight loss attribute.

    And sadly, no form of birth control causes weight gain, as much as we'd like to blame it. I know I've tried to blame it in the past!! Actually, I still do blame it. :)

    Congratulations on your nursing degree! :) Yay! Thanks for the information - good to know I'm not going crazy! I thought BC did cause weight gain - thanks for dispelling that rumor! Hmmm, wellbutrin causes weight loss? May need to check w/ my dr on that if I can't go without an AD.
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