Paxil and weight gain

LeeMay63
LeeMay63 Posts: 36 Member
edited November 25 in Health and Weight Loss
I have been on Paxil since the loss of my only child and have gained 20 lbs. Is anyone on any antidepressants and have gained weight? If so, have you been able to lose and how? No matter what I do, I just can't lose.

Replies

  • kk_inprogress
    kk_inprogress Posts: 3,077 Member
    Antidepressants can (a) cause changes in appetite and (b) cause changes in mood that lead to different eating patterns. Any water retention caused directly by the med would be minimal (not 20lbs), so there is a likelihood it has to do with your diet.

    When you say "no matter what you do," what are you doing/trying?

    What are your stats?

  • LeeMay63
    LeeMay63 Posts: 36 Member
    I am eating healthy,no junk food,smaller potions,etc.Until I started taking Paxil I barely weighted 100 lbs.Have always been skinny. The weight is mostly my stomach,thighs,buttocks,etc.
  • kk_inprogress
    kk_inprogress Posts: 3,077 Member
    What are your stats? What is your calorie goal? Do you weigh your food?

    Eating "healthy" and "smaller portions" are completely arbitrary. You can still overeat your calories and it would cause weight gain.
  • daniwilford
    daniwilford Posts: 1,030 Member
    I have been on Paxil for over 16 years. I gained weight because I ate too much and moved too little. Since March, I have lost 55 pounds with no change in my Paxil dose, by eating less and moving more. Put your numbers in MFP, set a goal to lose .5 pounds a week, accurately weigh and enter your intake to meet the calorie goal and you will lose weight.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    edited November 2015
    This content has been removed.
  • LeeMay63
    LeeMay63 Posts: 36 Member
    Thanks for all the help.
  • LeeMay63
    LeeMay63 Posts: 36 Member
    I will just keep trying to lose. My average calorie intake is around 864. I had been on Wellbutrin before,gonna ask for it again. I'm also on Lamotrigine and Remeron which is great if you need help sleeping. I researched Remeron and the side affects (like Paxil ) are weight gain. I was diagnosed with severe depression after my only child passed away and am on these antidepressants to help.Gaining weight is not helping.But I will keep trying to eat healthier, weigh my food and myself. Thanks everyone for all the advise.
  • scolaris
    scolaris Posts: 2,145 Member
    I'm really sorry for your loss. What you are doing is hard. Lots of good help here. Best wishes to you.
  • LeeMay63
    LeeMay63 Posts: 36 Member
    Thank you....
  • V_Keto_V
    V_Keto_V Posts: 342 Member
    daniwilford wrote: »
    I have been on Paxil for over 16 years. I gained weight because I ate too much and moved too little. Since March, I have lost 55 pounds with no change in my Paxil dose, by eating less and moving more. Put your numbers in MFP, set a goal to lose .5 pounds a week, accurately weigh and enter your intake to meet the calorie goal and you will lose weight.

    This, SSRI associated weight gain is often over exaggerated. First & Second generation anti-psychotics are more problematic for weight gain & induction of type 2 diabetes. In addition, a few select atypical "antidepressants" that antagonize serotonin 2C subtype receptors are also problematic for weight gain but used adjunctively for those with poor appetite/undereating.

    Bupropion can cause a modest amount of weight loss (5lbs or so) being an amphetamine like ketoamine derivative with norepinephrine & dopamine reuptake inhibition. Not necessarily a true substitute for paroxetine; consult with a physician or druggist before making any therapeutic changes. Bupropion does Not require washout & is now actually marketed as a weight loss agent in combo with Naltrexone (all for a patent/BRANDING of 2 meds that already exist...the redundacy & waste of shelf space kills me).
  • sorourke125
    sorourke125 Posts: 1 Member
    Paxil is also the most sedative of the ssris. Your calorie intake seems low to me but makes sense if you're tired or not moving around much. Might want to consider shaking things up a bit with strength training and a diet to match (i.e. eating more protein). It's generally more effort with cooking more and working out but that extra muscle helps burn calories throughout the day, even when you're sleeping.
    More importantly, I wish you all the comfort in the world through your grief. Loss has many psycosomatic effects on the body... so I wouldn't worry so much about why you're gaining weight but how you want to live the rest of your life.
  • LeeMay63
    LeeMay63 Posts: 36 Member
    Thank you so much. I appreciate your reply.
  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,446 Member
    edited November 2015
    Paxil is known for its effect on weight. Whatever the mechanism is. Responses are very individual, too, whatever the stats say. I went from 145 to 198 in three months on that drug (over a decade ago). It's a legitimate reason to ask to go to another drug. Whether it's because of water retention, reduction in non exercise activity, whatever - this drug is making it harder than it has to be for weight, for you.

    I'm very sorry for your loss.
  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,446 Member
    I don't know about Remeron or how it might interact with Paxil, but it is worth addressing all of this with your doctor.
  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,446 Member
    edited November 2015
    I forgot to mention - don't try to go off it cold turkey or without medical supervision :/ Paxil can have strong discontinuation effects. You might get another drug to take to buffer those effects, while gradually reducing the dose of the paxil.

    & +1 that 800 calories is not enough :/
  • MindyBruno
    MindyBruno Posts: 535 Member
    I also took Paxil and gained weight. I switched to Lexapro years ago. Kept the weight on because I was eating too much. 7 months ago I started cutting back on calories, logging here and losing weight. Ask your doctor about switching to Lexapro. It is a newer class of SSRI and might work better for you. I am sorry for your loss.
  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,446 Member
    tomatoey wrote: »
    Paxil is known for its effect on weight. Whatever the mechanism is. Responses are very individual, too, whatever the stats say. I went from 145 to 198 in three months on that drug (over a decade ago). It's a legitimate reason to ask to go to another drug. Whether it's because of water retention, reduction in non exercise activity, whatever - this drug is making it harder than it has to be for weight, for you.

    I'm very sorry for your loss.

    Also - up until that point, my weight had been stable within a range of 130 to 145. Was always normal-weight, until that point. It was a shocking and very fast spike.

    After going off Paxil - PLUS - just walking more (but with no other change to diet), it settled down to a range between 178 and 155ish.

    My deliberate weight loss effort started at 178, and I got down to 124 with no problem (i.e. Paxil fat doesn't behave differently than other kinds of weight. I worried about that and have heard others worry as well, but it's just fat. I haven't been on any other drug since, but I think there are other SSRIs with less risk of this and people have for sure lost weight on SSRIs. But I do think this one (or maybe the Remeron or the combination, possibly) is having a particular effect on you.
  • LeeMay63
    LeeMay63 Posts: 36 Member
    @tomaroey Thank you very much for your reply. I have a doctor's appt. on the 24 th and will ask about taking something else( maybe Lexapro ). Thanks again for the advise, I really appreciate your thoughts.

    @MindyBruno. Thank you, too. I feel better knowing I can lose weight. Will keep on trying.
  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
    You said you weighed less than 100lbs when started, and have only gained 20? You are eating under 900 calories a day and still want to lose weight? I am sorry but these are not healthy goals.
  • motivccess
    motivccess Posts: 201 Member
    edited November 2015
    Bupropion can cause a modest amount of weight loss (5lbs or so) being an amphetamine like ketoamine derivative with norepinephrine & dopamine reuptake inhibition. [/quote]

    trust me, comparing wellbutrin to an amphetamine is like night and day
  • LeeMay63
    LeeMay63 Posts: 36 Member
    edited November 2015
    I weigh about 137 now. I wrote the wrong amount by mistake. I've gained about 37-40 lbs. I would like to get down to around 120,125 lbs. I am just not used to being this heavy.
  • motivccess
    motivccess Posts: 201 Member
    Some ssris can increase appetite...but not really. Maybe you feel better and are more comfortable overall--and eating is easier/more satisfying. Prozac is weight neutral. So are effexor and other snris. Wellbutrin is an atypical anti-d. It's all right tho. It works better as an add-on. I guess it depends on the severity of your depression. The worser it becomes, the harder it is to treat. I definitely think maintaining a healthy, balanced diet rich in vitamins and nutrients and drinking a lot of water can help a bit.
  • LeeMay63
    LeeMay63 Posts: 36 Member
    @motivccess I have started trying to drink more water and eat healthier,no junk food. To be honest,I am on 4 anti-d. Have been having a hard time dealing with my loss.My daughter ( Heather ) really suffered in her last days. She had Cystic Fibrosis & Diabetes.She was my life being that I was a single mom. Anyway,Sorry for the rambling, Not feeling like my old self is just hard all the way around. Thank you for your response
  • motivccess
    motivccess Posts: 201 Member
    edited November 2015
    LeeMay63 wrote: »
    @motivccess I have started trying to drink more water and eat healthier,no junk food. To be honest,I am on 4 anti-d. Have been having a hard time dealing with my loss.My daughter ( Heather ) really suffered in her last days. She had Cystic Fibrosis & Diabetes.She was my life being that I was a single mom. Anyway,Sorry for the rambling, Not feeling like my old self is just hard all the way around. Thank you for your response

    I am truly, truly sorry. I am sure Heather is a wonderful person and your love for each other will always remain untouched. ::Gives you a long hug:: <3
  • daniwilford
    daniwilford Posts: 1,030 Member
    edited November 2015
    Sounds like Heather has a wonderful mother, no doubt she was a wonderful person. Paxil is most effective on anxiety based depression. Since your depression would appear to be triggered by a loss, there may be medications or other treatments that would have less side effects with bearing to weight gain. In my decades long struggle, I have been to therapy many times. Have you tried a Grief Recovery program? It was one of the most helpful things I participated in.
  • LeeMay63
    LeeMay63 Posts: 36 Member
    @motivccess & @daniwilford. Thank you so much for the kind words. ❤️
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    Remeron made me starving all the time. All the time. But once I created a calorie deficit, the weight came off.

    All SSRIs mess with the brain balance. All work differently for different people.

    Track what you eat. Get out of the house. A nice walk can do wonders.

    I am very sorry for your loss, I can't even imagine. It might also benefit you to try a support group for people who have gone thru similar losses. It can be a great comfort to talk to people who have been thru similiar issues and it can be a great comfort to hear people who have walked thru their loss and moved forward

  • LeeMay63
    LeeMay63 Posts: 36 Member
    I have a stepper that I got from Walmart and sometimes I do go for a walk. I'v tried going to Compassion Friends, but all it was was a lady selling a book. Everyone was just talking to each other like it was a friendly gathering while I was pretty much crying. I left and haven't gone back. I pretty much just stay at home and cry by myself instead. Thank you so much for the advice,though. You are very nice to respond.
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