Keeping weight off while on Selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (i.e., Lexapro, Celexa, Zoloft)

I'm on wellbutrin, which is an appetite suppressant as well as an anti-depressant. I definitely haven't gained weight because of the pill.

The thing that happens with most of these medications is that they can limit impulse control, while increasing fatigue. In very high doses, most SSRIs and SNRIs are actually indicated for weight loss, and most of the "new" weight loss prescription medications are a mixture of high dose medications in these classes for this very reason. They are indicated for weight loss because high doses of these medications basically "numb out" the hunger impulse in the brain... much like phentermine does, but without the amphetamine kick.

When you use a term like "impulse control" people often think that, it means things like doing crazy stuff, but it can also mean blind eating/grazing, difficulty holding to routines, things like that. In some rare cases, the thyroid levels, kidney and liver function, and the guts are influenced and thus, can contribute to digestion and absorption issues, but the medication alone is unlikely to cause significant weight gain. IF they cause weight gain, it's likely 5-10lbs of water weight as you adjust to introduction to and increases of the medication, and will mitigate over time as long as you hold to healthy eating habits and adequately hydrate.

The important thing about making sure you keep the weight levels in check is not relying on impulse alone to tell you when you are hungry, when you need to eat, and what you should eat. You have to let logic rule first, particularly if you notice that you might be having issues with impulse.

For me, I think if I take it in the middle of the day the drowsiness I feel from Zoloft doesn't hit me when I eat breakfast and lunch. I just now figured this out that I was eating too much carbs and sugar because my medicine combination was causing me some serious depletion in energy. Now, that I know (from taking it late by mistake) that if I wait a few hours to take zoloft, I am not chowing down on as much. If I do have a bad day, I usually have had a few good days that makes it okay. I haven't added exercise back in just yet to see how it goes. I am just kind of excited seeing my numbers headed down.

A couple of things here. First of all, meds do change your body and you can gain weight without changing anything else. Hate to disagree with the majority here, but they simply haven't done their research on this. Not all doctors are informed. It can change your metabolism, slowing it down, making you burn less during exercise and even though you are doing the same things, you burn less and therefore - might gain weight. That being said, there might be truth to the other things people are saying as well. It's a well known side effect of those drugs that people gain weight. Not necessarily from sitting down and eating a package of Oreos a day, either, I'm talking normally skinny people pack on the weight. If the medication doesn't work for you, try another. If it works and this is the ONLY side effect, then it might be worth examining your diet closer, working on eating foods that boost your metabolism, working on changing your eating/exercising schedule, etc. But if the side effects are not worth it, there are lots of those on the market for you to try. (If you were a stress binge eater and went on one of these and lost weight, especially a lot of weight, it's can be because they stopped binge eating or stress eating. Or, their body system is such that the drug doesn't affect them adversely in that way).

There are a couple of things here: When I was on Celexa for 8 mos, I gained. And gained. And gained. It wasn't helping depression either, and my dosage was far too high to be safe. I was put on Lexapro by a different doctor.

Next, I started seeing a nutritionist and and endocrinologist, and I recommend this for anyone on SSRIs and trying to lose weight. The endocrinologist will take make sure you don't have thyroid issues, and test your hormone and a few other levels. The nutritionist will take your lifestyle into account and develop a diet plan that works to your needs. In my case, I also had high cholesterol, so she found ways of adding more fiber into my diet (which speeds up metabolism and helps you lose weight).

My endocrinologist put me on low-dose Wellbutrin. It has really helped suppress my appetite. It's in combination with the Lexapro and from different doctors, but it all appears to be working well. Report everything back to your psychiatrist so that your medication dosages are copacetic with each other.

I work out 2 days a week (I'm limited due to a huge surgery I had back in May), I have changed my eating habits to HEALTHY and high fiber. I religiously take my meds, including the Lexapro and Wellbutrin. I truly believe it's all of these things combined that have allowed me to drop from 165 on July 1 to 154 on Sept 1.

At a minimum, go talk to an endocrinologist. They'll be able to help determine if it's the meds or another problem.

One other thing, and this sounds ridiculous and I know it, is I read Skinny Girl Solutions. It really has nothing about being skinny but about having a mindset. I'm embarrassed because it was written by Bethanny, who is a Real Housewife of NYC. But it's good. She makes really great points and they're all do-able and down to earth. Basically her theory is don't diet. Eat what you want. If you want dessert, order it, but just eat a few bites. If you want a cocktail, order it, but use ice and club soda in it, with a splash of flavoring and only one shot alcohol. (The cocktails are excellent and very low-cal once you start making them!) But her theory is that you don't need to eat everything on your plate. If you order a huge plate of food, put it in the middle of the table to share, or load what you want onto your smaller bread plate and immediately box the rest. So much of this sounds so obvious, but once you start making healthy choices, and let yourself splurge just a little so you don't deprive yourself (which can contribute to depression), you'll find yourself making a full lifestyle change. I have 10 more lbs to go and I'm not rushing, but building slowly and making sure all my choices are things I can enjoy and always maintain, instead of "dieting."

Part of the problem is that because these drugs affect mood and perceived energy levels, they can change your behaviour in subtle ways - ways that result in either or both decreasing your normal daily activity and increasing how many calories you're eating. It is more than possible for the changes to be subtle enough that you don't particularly notice it. But, it's enough to start gaining or losing weight.

For example, no one really keeps track of how much they fidget during the day. But the difference between fidgeting regularly and being still can add up to a couple of hundred calories a day. Would you really notice a change in how often you take the stairs (presuming it isn't a change from all the time to never), or get up to get a drink of water at work, or get an extra hour or so of sleep? For that matter, how deeply you sleep has an effect. Consider that it often isn't one or two subtle changes. It's several. They add up.

The exact change doesn't really matter. Facts are that if you're gaining weight, you're eating more than you require. You need to eat less or move more to counteract it. Which isn't to say you shouldn't also look into changing meds. Why stay on a med that is causing you to behave in a way that encourages weight gain if you don't have to?