Antidepressants & Weight gain.

SkyBlackFitness
SkyBlackFitness Posts: 3 Member
edited November 20 in Health and Weight Loss
Hello.
When I was younger I had to take Zoloft for my depression, and now my family feels I need to go on meds again.
I'm very worried that if I take them again I'll gain all the weight I lost back and more.
Does anyone know any that don't impact weight?
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Replies

  • vespiquenn
    vespiquenn Posts: 1,455 Member
    If you do a search on the forums, you'll find a lot of posts about anti-depressants and weight loss/gain.

    Long story short, they don't directly cause weight gain but alter something in the CICO equation by things such as increasing appetite. Keep an eye on your logging and you should be fine.

    In my personal experience, I have just begun taking Zoloft for the first time in a few years. I'm actually losing weight because my appetite has plummeted.
  • jlscherme
    jlscherme Posts: 157 Member
    Wellbutrin is known for being weight neutral or people lose weight on it.
  • Seffell
    Seffell Posts: 2,244 Member
    If you track your food you won't gain. The only potential side effect is increased apetite.
  • Frequently_Fabulous
    Frequently_Fabulous Posts: 131 Member
    edited July 2017
    Wellbutrin is a med associated with mild weight loss (2-6 lbs).

    The side effects people don't like are fast heart beat, insomnia, and jitteriness.

    You also can't drink alcohol on it- like, FOR REAL. Not only does it lower the seizure threshold (so you are at increased risk of seizure if you drink) but it gives you the MOTHER of all hangovers- with headaches that don't go away with Advil and Tylenol. It changes the metabolism of alcohol somehow- have even one drink and you'll pay for it.

    That said, it worked well for me, apart from the alcohol which I eventually just gave up altogether. Was drug #4 I tried, so don't give up hope if it takes time to tweak your meds! (Also you should totally listen to the Hilarious World of Depression podcast. Welcome to the club) :)
  • ZhivagosGirl
    ZhivagosGirl Posts: 161 Member
    I take Wellbutrin, Abilify and Topamax with just having added Prozac last week. I honestly think the majority of my loss is due to the Abilify which I started last fall. It has taken away my appetite and dare I say my food cravings.
    I don't know if this will post or not but this webpage has a chart with "weight gain liabilities" for common anti-depressants. https://pro.psychcentral.com/how-to-help-your-patients-lose-weight/002215.html
  • mvexplorer
    mvexplorer Posts: 37 Member
    I take celexa and my weight has not gone up in fact it has gone down, and I have better control over my diet. Talk to your doctor about your concerns for weight gain, and they should be able to prescribe a weight-neutral drug.
  • jennybearlv
    jennybearlv Posts: 1,519 Member
    I've been able to lose 60 pounds on Prozac and Geodon. I'm sure one or both increases my appetite, but as long as I log it's not a problem. I would recommend the Prozac also because I've had no noticeable side effects. The Geodon is likely way stronger a med than you would need.
  • MFPSK1977
    MFPSK1977 Posts: 31 Member
    I believe highly in the CICO equation, but some meds make you retain fluid or increase/decrease your appetite. All can affect your journey. Stick to your logging and if you are holding too much fluid, or more hungry than you can bear, ask them to change it. From personal experience I was on one that made me hold fluid. I stopped taking it cold turkey and dropped 20 pounds in 2 days. Crazy stuff
  • HeidiCooksSupper
    HeidiCooksSupper Posts: 3,839 Member
    Depression makes it hard to do things like keep track of what you are eating. I've been on Prozac since it was a new drug and on Welbutrin since at least a decade ago. I've never noticed any particular effect on weight. When my depression effectively treated and extensive psychological counseling over the years, I'm much better able to do what I want to do. So, I say attack the depression head on with treatment!
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    Each person is different and how specific medications affect you is very individual. I have gained and lost weight several times over my 15 years on antidepressants. I have taken Lexapro, Paxil, Zoloft, Wellbutrin, and a couple of others until I finally found Viibryd which is the most effective for me.

    The main things to remember is that you will lose weight if you eat fewer calories than you burn. How medication figures into the equation varies from person to person. Some will increase your appetite which is why accuracy in calorie counting and logging is extremely important. Some will cause a gain in water weight but that levels out after a certain point.

    Awareness and accurate logging will get you through this. Just remember that no medication will cause you to gain fat without a calorie surplus.
  • runlikeagirl1985
    runlikeagirl1985 Posts: 178 Member
    I think you need to meet with your doctor and figure out what medication works for you and your symptoms. I found once I was on the right one and my mood stabilized that it was easier to concentrate on my goals. Pretty much all the medications out there will say "may cause weight gain/loss", they affect everyone differently so no one can suggest one that will be right for you, so go by how you feel on them and if you know the side effects ahead of time you can plan on how to deal with them if/when they show up.
  • MilesAddie
    MilesAddie Posts: 166 Member
    runlikeagirl1985 wrote: »
    I think you need to meet with your doctor and figure out what medication works for you and your symptoms. I found once I was on the right one and my mood stabilized that it was easier to concentrate on my goals. Pretty much all the medications out there will say "may cause weight gain/loss", they affect everyone differently so no one can suggest one that will be right for you, so go by how you feel on them and if you know the side effects ahead of time you can plan on how to deal with them if/when they show up.

    I agree. Different antidepressants are prescribed because they affect people, well, differently. What's important is to get meet with a mental health professional who takes the time to compassionately listen and understand your specific struggles and works with you to address them. The right antidepressant, combined with the right form of therapy, will get you to a place where you can safely focus on achieving your weight related goals. In my personal experience with mood disorders, specifically major depression, it was my inability to take care of myself, not my antidepressant's side affects, that caused my weight gain.

    Having said all that, once I found the right combination of therapy and meds, in my case topamax and Wellbutrin, I was able to confront my issues, turn myself around, and eventually address my weight gain.

    Hope all goes well.

    (Note: Before Wellbutrin, I tried Prozac, and Trintillex)
  • yourfitnessenemy
    yourfitnessenemy Posts: 121 Member
    gebeziseva wrote: »
    If you track your food you won't gain. The only potential side effect is increased apetite.

    I've been trying to lose on Prozac for months, never go over 1200 cals a day. I cannot lose on it. I just had my dr lower my dose and I'm finally starting to slowly lose.
  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member
    SkyBlackFitness wrote: »
    Hello.
    When I was younger I had to take Zoloft for my depression, and now my family feels I need to go on meds again.
    I'm very worried that if I take them again I'll gain all the weight I lost back and more.
    Does anyone know any that don't impact weight?

    The effect of anti-depressants can vary a lot per person (and per specific medication). Some people have no appetite when depressed and put on weight when their appetite returns while on meds, while others tend to eat more & more when depressed so medication helps in their case.

    If other people are noticing you're depressed enough to need to go on meds, then it's probably a good idea.
  • goldiejdb
    goldiejdb Posts: 63 Member
    I lost a lot of weight when I was on Lexapro.

    Years later & my doc is starting me on Zoloft....I'm a little nervous but I'm hoping for the best
  • ChelzFit
    ChelzFit Posts: 292 Member
    I have been on Zoloft and now Lexapro and have not had any weight gain. I don't know if the dosage has anything to do with side effects, but I am only on 10mg. I also take trazadone for sleep. When I first started Lexapro I was sick to my stomach for the first month.
  • Nykkismommy21
    Nykkismommy21 Posts: 224 Member
    Wellbutrin un the past for me didn't cause weight gain.Neither did prozac.Although I stopped Prozac, because at the time before I was seperated from my now ex, it caused a low sex drive. But it could have just been the relationship, but I doubt it. My sister lost weight too while on prozac, but she also tracked her calories through mfp. Celexa, Zoloft and another, I can't remember started with an L, those caused slight weight gain. And I didn't feel any less depressed with them either. I loved Wellbutrin and thinking about going back on it too, soon as I can get in to see my doc. Although something to remember is we are all different and react differently too. Good Luck!
  • must_deflate
    must_deflate Posts: 183 Member
    If you're still reading this thread, I've always read that Zoloft and Paxil are the worst of the SSRI's for weight gain, with Prozac and Lexapro being the least likely to affect weight.

    Having said that, I am not sure about Lexapro.
    I've been on Lexapro for 11 years and I'm now working on getting off it because I'm pretty sure its the reason I have not been able to maintain my weight for the last 10 or so years.
    I'm not completely off it yet, but I have noticed I am less hungry. Might be best to try Prozac if you need an SSRI.
  • must_deflate
    must_deflate Posts: 183 Member
    Spradlz wrote: »
    S I have since discounted the Zoloft and have started to see a slight decrease in my body fat after the first month of being off.

    Hi Spradlz-- It's been 6 weeks since you posted that and I'm wondering whether you're still losing weight while off the Zoloft?

  • Ree13x
    Ree13x Posts: 46 Member
    about 5 years ago I was on Remeron. It didn't directly make me gain weight, however I found while on it that I just really didn't care too much about a lot of things - weight loss included. So if the drug allowed me to feel happy when I ate a piece of cake for example, I had no real incentive to not eat the cake. I also had a lot less energy so I didn't do too many outdoor things exercise included. The drug was great for the depression to a point (leveled out my mood), but really bad for the rest of my life and I eventually stopped using it.
  • h9dlb
    h9dlb Posts: 243 Member
    When my mother died I spiralled into deep depression. My doctor tried several medications but only mirtazapine worked. I also piled on the pounds without my diet changing. My doc said he often prescribes mirtazapine to people who are unhealthy underweight.

    To be honest with hindsight exercise is the best antidepressant out there, it's free and it makes you lose weight
  • whitpauly
    whitpauly Posts: 1,483 Member
    edited September 2017
    I gained on Zoloft very rapidly 50 lbs in 3 months,also made my heart race and had chronic stomach trouble,quit taking it after 2 years and the excess weight was mostly gone within a couple of months,I think these meds just effect people differently cuz my brother takes Zoloft and he's still thin
  • must_deflate
    must_deflate Posts: 183 Member
    edited September 2017
    h9dlb wrote: »
    To be honest with hindsight exercise is the best antidepressant out there, it's free and it makes you lose weight

    Exercise is great-- and probably the first thing to try-- but sometimes it's not enough by itself.

  • EatingAndKnitting
    EatingAndKnitting Posts: 531 Member
    h9dlb wrote: »
    To be honest with hindsight exercise is the best antidepressant out there, it's free and it makes you lose weight

    And for a lot of people out there it doesn't do anything or not nearly enough to help. Plus when you're depressed it's hard to care about yourself enough to have the discipline to exercise to get any benefits from it.

    Don't try to shame those of us who need meds to survive. You might not have intended to, but by calling it the best antidepressant that's what your words did. I'm not ashamed, I'm very open about my mental illness, but someone else might be.

    As for weight gain, not all meds will cause weight gain. I gained a lot of weight on Abilify, I wasn't tracking my calories though, so I can't say if I was overeating then as well or not. I can say that I tried Weight Watchers while on Abilify. I tracked my foods as best I could without weighing everything, calculated all my recipes, stuck to my points faithfully, and lost and regained two pounds over two months. I previously lost 70 pounds on WW (which I gained back when my bipolar disorder got worse) and the only thing that changed was adding Abilify to my meds.

    I can't prove it, of course, but I believe it affected my CO part of the equation, because Abilify is classified as weight neutral.

    I switched to Geodon, and have lost 45 pounds. Every drug affects every person differently. There are a million (exaggeration) different psych drugs. It's not likely that you'll find the right one(s) the first try. If one doesn't work, there are others. It took me five years and a lot drugs to find my cocktail.

  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Another vote for Wellbutrin.

    For me, exercise is more effective as an antidepressant, but because Wellbutrin is a little speedy, it helps me get out there and exercise.
  • rickiimarieee
    rickiimarieee Posts: 2,212 Member
    Exercise is great, until you're so depressed you don't even want to get up out of bed. I've been there. Girl if you need medicine to make you feel more whole or more happy you take that medicine! You can only go forward from here! Most pills that "make" you gain weight though are just increasing your appetite so it's normally not the pill it's just the overeating! Just watch your calorie intake!
  • rickiimarieee
    rickiimarieee Posts: 2,212 Member
    But don't quote me on that because I don't know about that medicine but some pills mess with your hormones and retain water so that could possibly be an option of that medicine!
  • crackpotbaby
    crackpotbaby Posts: 1,297 Member
    jesslla wrote: »
    h9dlb wrote: »
    To be honest with hindsight exercise is the best antidepressant out there, it's free and it makes you lose weight

    And for a lot of people out there it doesn't do anything or not nearly enough to help. Plus when you're depressed it's hard to care about yourself enough to have the discipline to exercise to get any benefits from it.

    Don't try to shame those of us who need meds to survive. You might not have intended to, but by calling it the best antidepressant that's what your words did. I'm not ashamed, I'm very open about my mental illness, but someone else might be.

    As for weight gain, not all meds will cause weight gain. I gained a lot of weight on Abilify, I wasn't tracking my calories though, so I can't say if I was overeating then as well or not. I can say that I tried Weight Watchers while on Abilify. I tracked my foods as best I could without weighing everything, calculated all my recipes, stuck to my points faithfully, and lost and regained two pounds over two months. I previously lost 70 pounds on WW (which I gained back when my bipolar disorder got worse) and the only thing that changed was adding Abilify to my meds.

    I can't prove it, of course, but I believe it affected my CO part of the equation, because Abilify is classified as weight neutral.

    I switched to Geodon, and have lost 45 pounds. Every drug affects every person differently. There are a million (exaggeration) different psych drugs. It's not likely that you'll find the right one(s) the first try. If one doesn't work, there are others. It took me five years and a lot drugs to find my cocktail.

    I gained a bunch on abilify too. Belly area mostly which is not somewhere I normally store weight.
  • Archcurl
    Archcurl Posts: 239 Member
    I gained on Cymbalta. Now on Prozac and it's fantastic :)
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