Weight Gain Due To Meds

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NatalieHedrick1
NatalieHedrick1 Posts: 10 Member
in Getting Started
Anyone have success losing weight that was gained due to medication? I'm on an SSRI and a side effect of the meds is weight gain. Boy they weren't kidding. I've gained 50 pounds in a year since I started. I bless the doctor who prescribed them to me and don't ever want to go back to the way I was before...but I would like the body I had before. Anyone?
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  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
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    It's not the meds but more likely you are hungrier when taking them.

    Plug in your numbers into MFP, it's all about the calorie deficit.

    You can do this.
  • MKEgal
    MKEgal Posts: 3,250 Member
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    Weight is gained through eating more than you burn.
    Weight is lost through burning more than you eat.

    Medicine can affect your motivation (can't get off the couch),
    or possibly your metabolism (burn less than you used to),
    but figuring out how much is needed to support your current weight,
    then eating less than that,
    will lead to losing weight.


    And yes, I've been on an SSRI/SNRI for years.
    Since JAN14 I've lost 80+ pounds.


    Here are some helpful posts.
    Definitely read the first one, sexypants.
    And the last (my blog post) has links to other reliable helpful info.
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10012907/logging-accuracy-consistency-and-youre-probably-eating-more-than-you-think

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/819925/the-basics-dont-complicate-it/p1

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/872212/youre-probably-eating-more-than-you-think/p1

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/833026/important-posts-to-read/p1


    Goal setting, including weight, calories, and macros
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/MKEgal/view/2014-06-08-setting-goals-667045
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,239 Member
    edited January 2016
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    It depends on why you are gaining weight on the med. Are you carefully logging what you eat seeking to meet the calorie goal MyFitnessPal gave you? By that I mean are you are measuring carefully (kitchen scale for solids [ideally digital], measuring spoons/cups for liquids), are making sure the database entry matches up with the foods you are entering, and you are logging every single things you eat or drink, everything.

    If you are doing that, and have done it for a couple of weeks and not lost, then you need to look more carefully at what is going on. If you have not been doing that, and are simply assuming that doing so will not work, then try it first to see what happens. Most medications that cause weight gain do so by increasing a person's appetite, maybe not a huge amount, but the cumulative effect adds up surprisingly quickly. Others cause water retention, but 50 pounds of water retention seems unlikely. Some may effect calories burned. I don't know which category yours falls into, but I would suggest trying logging for a few weeks to see what happens, gain, loss, or maintain.

    EDIT:
    I did some quick google searching, and it seems that SSRI meds may cause weight increase through increasing food consumption. Try logging carefully for a few weeks using a moderate weight loss goal of 1 pound per week to see what happens.
  • NatalieHedrick1
    NatalieHedrick1 Posts: 10 Member
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    So, yes, I am most definitely eating more than I was. I wasn't eating anything before because the anxiety made me nauseated. I guess what I want to hear is that it is possible and the meds didn't just make my metabolism shut down.
  • rhonda6375
    rhonda6375 Posts: 32 Member
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    It is possible. I am on Zoloft and Abilify (gained a LOT of weight) and lost 20 pounds prior. I gained it back because I did not follow through and I have started back. I have lost about 10 pounds so far. It does make me hungrier and seems like I crave sweets more. I never used to even really like sweets. I am not sure I can attribute it to that. I don't feel it has affected my metabolism, just eating more. I am not a success story (yet) by any means, but I feel 100% confident it can be done by logging and exercising. Even by just logging and staying under calories. Best wishes!
  • ObsidianMist
    ObsidianMist Posts: 519 Member
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    I'm pretty sure my meds have contributed to my weight gain, what I take is notorious for it. it increases appetite. so I ended up majorly overeating which resulted in putting on 30 pounds pretty quickly. however I'm down 12 pounds so far since the holidays so it CAN be done! you just need to closely and honestly track what you're eating and stay under your calorie goal. once I started tracking and realized how severely I had been overeating, it's actually been fairly easy to eat at a deficit. I'm not eating everything in sight at night anymore. don't even want to. good luck!
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
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    NatalieHedrick1 wrote: »
    So, yes, I am most definitely eating more than I was. I wasn't eating anything before because the anxiety made me nauseated. I guess what I want to hear is that it is possible and the meds didn't just make my metabolism shut down.

    If your metabolism shuts down, then you are dead!
  • harrybananas
    harrybananas Posts: 292 Member
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    Confirmed, it's the meds.
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
    edited January 2016
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    ObsidianMist wrote: »
    I'm pretty sure my meds have contributed to my weight gain NO, what I take is notorious for it. it increases appetite <<<Most likely this>>>. so I ended up majorly overeating which resulted in putting on 30 pounds pretty quickly. however I'm down 12 pounds so far since the holidays so it CAN be done! you just need to closely and honestly track what you're eating and stay under your calorie goal. once I started tracking and realized how severely I had been overeating, it's actually been fairly easy to eat at a deficit. I'm not eating everything in sight at night anymore. don't even want to. good luck!

  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
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    harrybananas wrote: »
    Confirmed, it's the meds.

    No.
  • _runnerbean_
    _runnerbean_ Posts: 640 Member
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    SSRIs don't effect your metabolism but can effect your appetite. If you eat at the MFP maintenance calories you shouldn't gain weight. You admitted in your post above that you are eating more- that's why you gained weight, not the meds. It's great that your anxiety is reduced, you should now be able to use MFP to count your calories to lose weight if you wish.
  • NatalieHedrick1
    NatalieHedrick1 Posts: 10 Member
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    Thanks guys. I've been about 50 calories under each day so far per what my fitnesspal says. I even had a drink tonight because I was so far under. Thanks so much for responding.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,239 Member
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    If you set up MFP for a weight loss goal, that number that is given includes the calorie deficit you need already. Within 50 (above or below) is a good range to shoot for.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
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    Prednisone causes crazy water retention on top of the ravenous appetite so even if you control your calories you get all puffy
  • NatalieHedrick1
    NatalieHedrick1 Posts: 10 Member
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    So how would one get rid of water retention?
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,239 Member
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    NatalieHedrick1 wrote: »
    So how would one get rid of water retention?

    Generally remove the cause (sodium over consumption), time, and drink lot of water. If it is medication that is causing it, I would not suggest stopping it, so that leave drinking more water. I don't know if it would help in this case since water retention outside of meds is likely different.
  • NatalieHedrick1
    NatalieHedrick1 Posts: 10 Member
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    That's funny how drinking more water will get rid of water retention.
  • MemFox
    MemFox Posts: 35 Member
    edited February 2016
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    Ok so I'm on SSRI's too.. And my weight gain started pretty much straight after I started taking them. To date I've put on 12 kgs.
    I am tracking everything I eat, hubby bought me a polar loop to track all my steps and sleep and all, I am consistently under in my calories every week yet I cannot shift any weight. I have been using MFP on and off since I had my first son 7 years ago. It has always worked for me in the past but this time nothing is working.
    I do believe it is the meds keeping the weight on. I am not any hungrier than I have previously been, and I am aware what I put in my mouth..
    I'm ready to see a dr about it.
  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,088 Member
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    harrybananas wrote: »
    Confirmed, it's the meds.

    Nope

    Weight gain - calorie surplus
    If someone has gained 50 lbs it is because they ate at a calorie surplus. Yes maybe the meds increased their appetite but in all, they decided to eat the extra food. The meds didn't magically make the weight appear.
  • aj_thomas81
    aj_thomas81 Posts: 1 Member
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    I've gained 10 since changing heart meds a month ago, so I've started tracking calories again. My doc explained the new med not only slows my metabolism, it also increases insulin resistance (and thus appetite). I'm sure it's doable, but it's frustrating because I've been gaining at 1300-1500.

    I'm also sure everyone who is discounting a medically recognized side effect thinks they're being empowering :(

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