Weight Gain from Anti-Depressants

Perhaps the anxiety that the zoloft was prescribed to treat caused you to eat more than you used to?

I have been on anti depressants for 13 years now (including zoloft) and I have both gained and lost while taking them. I have come to the conclusion that the pills were not making me gain weight, I was treating the stress in my life along with the depression and anxiety with food.

Are you seeing a therapist in addition to a doctor? Perhaps discussing your weight gain and possible reasons for it, as well as management techniques, can help. Have you been constantly hungry? There are psychotropic pills that are known to increase hunger. I take one of them: seroquel. Very few of them actually slow your metabolism to where you gain weight because of them. Some can affect the decision making part of your brain to where you don't have the same self control as you did, which can then manifest in eating too much food.

Zoloft is regarded as a weight neutral medication and isn't reported to increase appetite (unlike some classes of psych drugs). A fraction of people report gaining weight on SSRI medications like zoloft but it is suggested that the cause is the symptoms of the depression or the depression lifting leading to changes in food intake.

Yes I also wer taking meds to help with my anxiety n depression they made me too put on weight just ask your doc to give u something else that doesn't make you out on weight if it's possible.

I'm one who has gained weight on Sertraline. About 23 pounds. If you spend some time googling sertraline and weight gain, you'll find a pretty big community of people this has impacted. Before I even stated the prescription, my doctor warned me that for most, sertraline is a weight neutral drug, but for approximately 25% of patients it does cause weight gain.

I've spent the last 4-5 months doing anything to lose weight. I've had my metabolism tested by a registered dietician (via a body jewelry I believe it was called), and no matter what I do, I stay within the exact 2-3 pound range. Research is showing me that some people, sertraline directly impacts the way that their body metabolizes food.

We spent about two montha weaning me off of my already fairly low dosage of 50mg a day and I am taking a few natural supplements to counteract withdrawal symptoms and to replace the SSRI. All under doctor supervision of course. I've been fully off for five days now. My doctor warned me it could take some time for the medication to be fully out of my system, so I shouldn't expect the weight loss to be easy, or to happen over night.

Good times!?!? You're not alone

For the most part, anti-depressants themselves don't cause weight loss. However, many of them do mess with your appetite, which can cause you to eat more. I gained my weight before starting meds, and was able to lose just fine while on them, so it's perfectly possible. You'll just need to pay more attention to your calories. You may also need to adjust the times you eat, that helps some people as well. You could eat 10 times a day if you split up your daily calories correctly and it helps you not eat too much.

When I started anti-depressants, I found I was actually losing weight as opposed to gaining! I'm not sure if the pills themselves have some kind of weigh increasing ingredient in - morelike they make you a little hungrier and therefore you naturally eat more? I'm not 100% sure - what I do know is, it's totally possible to lose weight successfully whilst taking them! :]

Wellbutrin made me so nauseous that food was the very last thing I cared about!

Too bad it also pushed my anxiety levels through the roof, though.

In my early twenties I went through numerous antidepressants (including Zoloft) trying to find the right fit. The only one which caused weight gain for me was Remeron. It is a well documented side effect that I was not made aware of and would never have taken it if I had known. I gained 25 lbs in less than 2 months with little to no change to my eating habits. There is some research to suggest that it increases fat mass although the exact reasons (apart from a patient consuming many more calories) why certain antidepressants cause massive weight gain is largely unknown.

An increase in my antidepressant caused me to gain 60lbs in less than 2 months. I was also taking Lyrica at the time. Dropped the Lyrica and dialed back the Cymbalta and I lost the weight again within 6 months.
It could be a combination of meds. Something I for which have to be careful.

Hi guys! I just joined MFP and searched for a topic such as this. I started on Wellbutrin (generic) in late Aug and noticed a total decrease in my appetite. I have to remember to eat. But then when I do eat I feel really sick. I also sometimes feel like I'm on a rollercoaster so I also take xanax when that happens. My friends notice that I'm not eating at all and they're constantly on me for it but I'm just not hungry anymore and tend to forget. I'm about 30lbs overweight and gained 15 of those in the last 9 months because all my ex and i did was eat, take naps, and lay on the couch watching tv so I wouldn't mind at least dropping the 15 and feeling hot and sexy again.

So far I've lost 6 lbs in my first 2 weeks on wellbutrin without working out. Now I'm using the energy (and desire to actually get out of bed) that it gives me and have been hitting the gym hardcore. I want to get myself used to working out so that if the energy dies down and appetite increases I've at least formed a healthy habit. Its a great thing to feel better overall AND be motivated to do something!

I have had the same experience, my current cocktail which include Zyprexa, Luvox, Lyrica and Vallium has seen me gain 60punds in the last year. I have joined MFP to try and keep motivated and lose the weight. I have gotten to the point with the way the weight gain makes me feel that I said to my Dr I would rather be mad than this fat. I know I have to take the medications to be well so I am using MFP to really make a difference in health

You're not alone. I have been on Lexapro for 8 years and have gained about 40lbs. My doctors have said it can mess with one's ability to feel full. I really have to stop and ask am I really hungry. At my most recent physical it was suggested I switch to a weight neutral drug bc he believes it is messing with my metabolism. The amount of exercise and the absolute strictness in diet it takes me to move the scale is an indicator that the meds may be to blame. Keep talking to your doctor bc every body and reaction to the meds is different and it may be a combo of overeating and the meds or may be the meds themselves.

I just took myself off Celexa completely after weaning myself off for a month or so. Since taking them in late-2013, I've gained 40-50 lbs!! I notice already that I don't have the sugary/salty cravings I would constantly have when I was on them. Working out regularly at high-energy aerobics didn't move my weight one bit. Most of the weight gain from the antidepressant has been in my abdomen, whereas I've always tended to gain weight elsewhere and my belly was the one thing that I didn't have to worry about so much. I can only hope that with the cravings controlled, the weight will fall off with exercise. I can honestly say that the antidepressants were worth it at the time when I needed them though.