escitalopram (lexapro) and weight gain?

jennie0918
jennie0918 Posts: 69 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I recently got diagnosed with depression and an anxiety disorder and the dr. put me on lexapro but i'm afraid to ttake it if it's goign to make me gain weight. has any body ever taken it and if you have did you gain, lose, or stay the same? .. i am also taking temazepam (restoril) to help me sleep because i wake up all the time. Thank you for any help i can get!

Replies

  • Grognit
    Grognit Posts: 50
    I take it and gained nothing. However I gained 27 lbs when I quit smoking. If you are worried just watch what you eat.
  • MuddyEquestrian
    MuddyEquestrian Posts: 366 Member
    You won't gain much weight on a drug unless you let yourself. You may have to work harder to keep the weight off but by no means will the drug alone make you gain lots of weight. Eat right and continue exercizing and you will be fine!
  • Willkathmum
    Willkathmum Posts: 62 Member
    I was put on mirtazapine (remeron) for anxiety so not the same drug but it is well known for weight gain etc and am very nearly off them now having recovered.
    I did put on weight and perhaps if I had stuck to a diet then I wouldn't have gained anything HOWEVER even with a dodgy diet at times it was only about 10lb! Even though it really annoyed me the drug made me better and that is the most important thing. I am now on a very low dose and have lost half the weight and with exercise I have lost inches too.

    My advise would be take the drug, stick to a healthy diet and exercise but most importantly be kind to yourself and let yourself recover, I feel like a different person to a year ago!
    Take care xx
  • Rehobobound
    Rehobobound Posts: 143 Member
    Didn't gain any weight on Lexapro. If anything I stopped nervous eating. Good Luck! Valerie
  • abigaileepp
    abigaileepp Posts: 4
    I took citalopram for a while and gained 30 pounds and just couldn't seem to stop gaining. When a doctor accidentally refilled my prescription at half dose I realized the citaloprM was literally doubling my appetite! So I could maybe have not gained weight but only by constantly feeling hungry. Switched to escitalopram and am going to see if it is possible to lose the weight without starving myself. All SSRIs do cause weight gain in some people unfortunately.
  • jules6669mfp
    jules6669mfp Posts: 446 Member
    At work, many of the elderly patients are put on Remeron to increase their appetite hence gain weight.
    Bottom line, if a medication is needed and it's helping that's more important. Just have to work a little harder on fighting the "weight gain effect".
  • peterjens
    peterjens Posts: 235 Member
    I gained weight while on lexapro (10 mg) but I wasn't logging my calories. I had sleep issues with lexapro so my doctor put me on bupropion (10 mg) instead. With the benefit of sleep I became more focused on my wellness and with that came finding myfitnesspal and the advice to log my calories and eventual fat loss. I wish you better days.
  • badgerbadger1
    badgerbadger1 Posts: 954 Member
    I gained weight on antidepressants but only because I was overeating anyways for emotional reasons. I also lost weight on the same antidepressants, lots of it. So in conclusion, only calories in vs calories out makes you gain weight. Watch what you eat and you'll be fine. Isn't your mental health important to you?
  • Sweet_Heresy
    Sweet_Heresy Posts: 411 Member
    I've been taking lexapro 10mg for a month now and I had the same worries at first. I've lost 13 pounds since then. Managing my depression/anxiety really helped stop the binge eating/drinking that got me fat in the first place. Lol.

    No worries, OP, you will be fine.
  • meganmickmeow
    meganmickmeow Posts: 29 Member
    I take it for depression and anxiety and it has helped me a lot! I don't think it caused me to gain any weight. I have other medical conditions that caused that.

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