anti depressants and weight gain?!

bumblebeez86
bumblebeez86 Posts: 208 Member
edited November 21 in Motivation and Support
Hi all

I must admit i have not been actively losing weight or trying to for a while.
However since i started my anti depressants 11 months ago i have gained 24lbs.
I have never been this heavy not even 9 months pregnant!
Anyone else in the same situation?

Thanks in advance

Due to possibly come off them soon but i have been feeling down recently with one factor being weight and self esteem now

Replies

  • lilac_bunny
    lilac_bunny Posts: 137 Member
    I did put on weight on anti depressants. They can increase your appetite. Also with the one I was on it made me very sleepy so I moved around less. They don't actually physiologically cause weight gain though so so long as you stick to calories it shouldn't affect your results.
  • Graelwyn75
    Graelwyn75 Posts: 4,404 Member
    I can relate. I gained a little more than that while on an anti depressant called Cymbalta aka Duloxetine. Seems these medications affect everyone differently. I had never been over 145 in my life (5'10) so it was a huge shock. I believe some was down to the medication and some was down to the fact that once on the medication, I lost all motivation to go out. I went from being extremely active and fit to sitting around all the time.

    Admittedly I had been inactive before and never gone above a certain weight but yeah. I took myself off them gradually and it took me over a month to get walking again without pain in my calves and a total of around 7 months to return to my previous weight. I am now back to using exercise as my main means of controlling my mood. I know some people don't believe these drugs can inspect metabolism and hormones but I certainly do l and so does my former PT.

    Good luck with dealing with the issue. I know that I am unlikely to ever go into an anti depressant again as none of my experiences have been positive.
  • cowgoo
    cowgoo Posts: 58 Member
    I lost close to 100 pounds in 2012. I was on medication that made me gain weight but I was still able to lose. In 2015 I gained 70 pounds. It's absolutely possible to lose while on medication
  • KaroshiQueen
    KaroshiQueen Posts: 213 Member
    I gained about 50 lbs while on Abilify, but I was also drinking a lot of alcohol so that didn't help. I've quit drinking and changed to Wellbutrin, which I like much better.
  • Liftslikeagoddess
    Liftslikeagoddess Posts: 44 Member
    I was on fluoxetine for a few months; came off them because I hated the way they made me feel. But I didn't gain weight on them, in anything, it made my appetite completely go.
  • Panda8ach
    Panda8ach Posts: 518 Member
    I've been on Venlafaxine forever! Lol
    Increased appetite but they don't make you gain weight... Just make you want to eat EVERYTHING!! :D Please don't come off them suddenly, taper off :/ Good luck with your journey :)<3
  • jrskillings
    jrskillings Posts: 14 Member
    Bipolar here, been on many different antidepressants since I was diagnosed 15+ years ago.

    It depends on the antidepressant. Abilify, for example, is one that can cause weight gain. On the other hand, Wellbutrin is known for weight loss. Some haven't been around long enough to know.

    You also have to take into account differing body chemistry. One person may lose pounds while another balloons.

    There are many things that can cause your weight gain, many of which are related to depression. If you haven't changed your lifestyle, it's possibly the medication. It makes it harder to lose weight, however, rarely impossible.

    I know weight gain is a terrible side effect and the extra pounds really create self esteem problems, but please be very careful about going off them. Please talk to your doctor if you have ever had suicidal or self harm thoughts. The medication may not help everyone, but it can be a matter of life or death for some.
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  • dg5319
    dg5319 Posts: 1 Member
    After losing 50lbs and maintaining a steady, healthy weight for the past couple of years... I've now gained 40lbs since starting on Venlafaxine... The big gain came after 4-5 months on the meds. I'm not sure if my metabolism has changed or if I was just getting lazy or both... Now I'm logging everything and exercising crazy hard... A few pounds have started to come off, but not as much as I'd like for the effort I'm putting in.

    I'm considering Wellbutrin as my backup plan, but I don't want to switch meds since these have been great other than the weight gain... I'm going to stay at it for a few more weeks and see where things are at... But I'm definitely feeling frustrated now that I've gained back close to what I lost two years ago... and knowing how much work it'll be to shed.
  • Panda8ach
    Panda8ach Posts: 518 Member
    dg5319 wrote: »
    After losing 50lbs and maintaining a steady, healthy weight for the past couple of years... I've now gained 40lbs since starting on Venlafaxine... The big gain came after 4-5 months on the meds. I'm not sure if my metabolism has changed or if I was just getting lazy or both... Now I'm logging everything and exercising crazy hard... A few pounds have started to come off, but not as much as I'd like for the effort I'm putting in.

    I'm considering Wellbutrin as my backup plan, but I don't want to switch meds since these have been great other than the weight gain... I'm going to stay at it for a few more weeks and see where things are at... But I'm definitely feeling frustrated now that I've gained back close to what I lost two years ago... and knowing how much work it'll be to shed.

    Hey... I know it's hard and Meds affect everyone differently but I'm on Venlafaxine and I'm not only losing weight but I'm feeling mentally stronger! You can so do this!! :)<3
  • TaraTaraTara76
    TaraTaraTara76 Posts: 89 Member
    I was on paxil at one point about 5 yrs ago and i gained a TON. Soon as I quit it, all the weight came off. It only made me feel like a zombie or even sadder...a hot mess...and it ruined me on antidepressants. Need to be on them but it was such a bad experience that I never want to repeat.
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