Antidepressants and weight gain
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I am just not a fan of meds, period. This is my opinion only.
I'm not a 'fan' of medication either but for many they are essential.
For example, a few years ago I came off my psychiatric meds because a) I had gained a bunch of weight (15-20% of pre med starting weight and b) I was delusional and overly paranoid and I believed my psychiatrist and greater society were trying to poison/control me with drugs.
I stopped taking my antipsychic (paliperidone at the time) and my mood stabiliser (lithium).
The climbing mixed episode I was bordering on rapidly escalated to a full blown mixed mania with psychosis.
I was hospitalised in the psychiatric ward for 3 weeks and stabilised with olanzapine while my lithium reached therapeutic levels.
It was nearly 9 months before I was well enough to work again. My children were exposed to a degree of madness that no child should have to witness in their mother. My husband had to stay solid and strong for all of us, while working to support the entire family while I lost my mind.
Like prior major episodes I was lucky to make it through alive but we (my family) are all damaged by it.
So, I take my medication; because I am a fan of being able to parent my children, be a reliable partner and work (in the acute medical system) in a rewarding and challenging job that makes a difference to the life's of others and gives something positive to society.
.................
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esquivel121486 wrote: »IDreamskinny85- I can totally relate to what you are going through!!! It pisses me off that when you tell a doctor that you live a healthy life style, they turn and say that you don't just because they don't want to either help or be proven wrong. I have depression and anxiety and medication made me gain weight which now made me even more depressed. I'm done taking medication now i'm going to look for a natural path to healing my depression and anxiety.
It's nice to hear from someone in a similar situation. I just got engaged and I have no desire to even plan the wedding because of my looks. I don't recognize myself and don't want to be in a wedding dress. To add onto it.....my fiance has mentioned concern for my weight. We work out together and I meal prep both our meals weekly. I still can't lose an ounce. I am afraid he will leave me. We haven't had sex in months. I hope the weight comes off soon so I can start planning a wedding and hopefully get laid again.2 -
See this website: https://www.drweil.com/health-wellness/body-mind-spirit/mental-health/why-do-antidepressants-cause-weight-gain/
Also, consider that according to popular theory, most of your serotonin is made in your gut. If you have an overgrowth of bad bacteria, yeast, parasites (yes, even Western countries get them), then it can affect your ability to make enough serotonin.
I really like doTERRA On Guard for the synergistic action of the various essential oils. I have been taking 2 capsules a day for several months and it helped get somethings working better. (Bacteril also works well, but is more expensive.)
FIVE LAC is a favorite of mine for addressing yeast overgrowth.
Pyrantel Pamoate is an anti-parasitic and addresses many intestinal and stomach complaints. It is harmless to humans and works to paralyze the parasites (clove oil in the doTERRA On Guard does teh same thing) so they can pass through your system.
Some easy things to do, that won't interfere with your medication would be to switch to a Paleo / Keto / Atkins type diet and keep your sugar / carbs at around 100 grams total and ensure that most of them are from resistant starch. (This will help keep the cravings under control).
Ref: https://www.precisionnutrition.com/all-about-resistant-starch
Include home made lacto fermented veggies in at least one meal each day. A great resource would be Sandor Katz's "Wild Fermentation".
Alternatively, consider this article which boinks everything I just said on its head:
http://kellybroganmd.com/depression-serotonin/
These articles address your adrenals and your thyroid - maybe look for a doc that treats your symptoms not your lab results?
https://www.yourhormones.com/adrenal-glands/
https://www.yourhormones.com/adrenal-fatigue/
https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/adrenal-wisdom/
https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/thyroid-depression-mental-health/
Whatever you decide, make an informed decision and do whatever you feel is best for you and makes you feel better! Good luck!
OP, please ignore this steaming pile of horse manure. It's complete pseudoscienctific nonsense.
Thank you
I did, I ignored it right away. I have no stomach issues or thyroid issues, so this doesn't apply (nor does it seem very scientific). And yeah ultimately the decision to take meds or not is a personal one, I ignore any advice that generalizes based on personal belief: to those who put down meds in general, please give yourselves swirlies.
To everyone else. Thank you for sharing your personal experiences, it sounds like YMMV... lots to think about. Hugs.4 -
idreamskinny85 wrote: »esquivel121486 wrote: »IDreamskinny85- I can totally relate to what you are going through!!! It pisses me off that when you tell a doctor that you live a healthy life style, they turn and say that you don't just because they don't want to either help or be proven wrong. I have depression and anxiety and medication made me gain weight which now made me even more depressed. I'm done taking medication now i'm going to look for a natural path to healing my depression and anxiety.
It's nice to hear from someone in a similar situation. I just got engaged and I have no desire to even plan the wedding because of my looks. I don't recognize myself and don't want to be in a wedding dress. To add onto it.....my fiance has mentioned concern for my weight. We work out together and I meal prep both our meals weekly. I still can't lose an ounce. I am afraid he will leave me. We haven't had sex in months. I hope the weight comes off soon so I can start planning a wedding and hopefully get laid again.
This sounds exhausting, having the entire weight of your future together resting on your weight.
Hugs.
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If you look up the information on reputable websites for your medication, you can find out exactly how it might cause weight gain and then you might be able to find a way to mitigate the issue. Sites like WebMD, Mayo Clinic, nih.gov, or the manufacturer of the medication could shed some light on it for you.
Do you find yourself depressed in reaction to certain situations or does it just come in for no reason at all?
I used to be on anti-depressants when I was younger, but they didn't really do much for me. I trained myself to change my perception of certain things, and the issue was solved. No more depression.
It's not always a medical issue, and it might pay to keep in mind that we are one of the unhealthiest nations (obesity, diabetes, heart disease, etc) and also the most overmedicated. If meds were as much of a silver bullet as some would like to believe we wouldn't be as far down this path of bad health as we are.
A lot of the time meds treat a symptom rather than the cause. Take blood pressure medicine, for instance, it helps to lower it, but you may also be able to reduce sodium, lose weight and change your diet which would take care of it. Or type 2 diabetes, how a nih.gov study showed that 81% of type two diabetics were able to reduce their medication or get off of it all together based on dietary change, specifically going on a ketogenic diet.3 -
Not necessarily. It depends on what is causing them. I used to have those too, and I know it is not something you would ever want to go through. I stumbled upon what was causing them by accident. I used to eat a lot of msg, and I cut that out, why I don't recall, but I stopped eating it.
A few years later I started eating it again with spicy Asian noodles I would make, and after about a month they began to come back. The noodles were the only thing I would put the stuff in. I remembered I had first started getting them when I would buy noodle bowls from an Asian store where I used to live.
I tried cutting the msg out, and they went away again. I looked it up, and it turns out it does cause panic attacks in some people. Thank God for that too, because they were about the worst experiences I've ever had to live through.
But if meds are doing it for you, more power to ya. If I had gotten meds for them and it worked, I would have stayed on them. Anything to avoid having them anymore.2 -
Not necessarily. It depends on what is causing them. I used to have those too, and I know it is not something you would ever want to go through. I stumbled upon what was causing them by accident. I used to eat a lot of msg, and I cut that out, why I don't recall, but I stopped eating it.
A few years later I started eating it again with spicy Asian noodles I would make, and after about a month they began to come back. The noodles were the only thing I would put the stuff in. I remembered I had first started getting them when I would buy noodle bowls from an Asian store where I used to live.
I tried cutting the msg out, and they went away again. I looked it up, and it turns out it does cause panic attacks in some people. Thank God for that too, because they were about the worst experiences I've ever had to live through.
But if meds are doing it for you, more power to ya. If I had gotten meds for them and it worked, I would have stayed on them. Anything to avoid having them anymore.
Sounds like you were having an adverse to msg and not an anxiety attack at all.
Obviously treating this with medication would be inaffective.
Correct diagnosis and treatment is essential.
For many medical and psychiatric conditions medication is part of the correct treatment.
Not a every one is lucky enough to be able simply avoid a food additive and be asymptomatic.
4 -
Not necessarily. It depends on what is causing them. I used to have those too, and I know it is not something you would ever want to go through. I stumbled upon what was causing them by accident. I used to eat a lot of msg, and I cut that out, why I don't recall, but I stopped eating it.
A few years later I started eating it again with spicy Asian noodles I would make, and after about a month they began to come back. The noodles were the only thing I would put the stuff in. I remembered I had first started getting them when I would buy noodle bowls from an Asian store where I used to live.
I tried cutting the msg out, and they went away again. I looked it up, and it turns out it does cause panic attacks in some people. Thank God for that too, because they were about the worst experiences I've ever had to live through.
But if meds are doing it for you, more power to ya. If I had gotten meds for them and it worked, I would have stayed on them. Anything to avoid having them anymore.
Sounds like you were having an adverse to msg and not an anxiety attack at all.
Obviously treating this with medication would be inaffective.
Correct diagnosis and treatment is essential.
For many medical and psychiatric conditions medication is part of the correct treatment.
Not a every one is lucky enough to be able simply avoid a food additive and be asymptomatic.
Agreed, these decisions are between a person and their doctor(s); when someone says they're "not a fan of medication" without knowing anything about a person, I would like to see what they say after they contract a flesh-eating bacteria and see how long they are opposed to antibiotics. Psychiatric meds are a bit less cut and dry but no less necessary and lifesaving for some kinds of depression in some people. So honestly I regret making this thread, I don't want to give medicine-deniers yet another platform for judgment and unsolicited advice.
Also update, I decided not to go on meds for now. My depression is different from others', and can be managed through other means; but I am still in favor of medication for those who would benefit from them. Everyone deserves a shot at a full life.5 -
If you look up the information on reputable websites for your medication, you can find out exactly how it might cause weight gain and then you might be able to find a way to mitigate the issue. Sites like WebMD, Mayo Clinic, nih.gov, or the manufacturer of the medication could shed some light on it for you.
Do you find yourself depressed in reaction to certain situations or does it just come in for no reason at all?
I used to be on anti-depressants when I was younger, but they didn't really do much for me. I trained myself to change my perception of certain things, and the issue was solved. No more depression.
It's not always a medical issue, and it might pay to keep in mind that we are one of the unhealthiest nations (obesity, diabetes, heart disease, etc) and also the most overmedicated. If meds were as much of a silver bullet as some would like to believe we wouldn't be as far down this path of bad health as we are.
A lot of the time meds treat a symptom rather than the cause. Take blood pressure medicine, for instance, it helps to lower it, but you may also be able to reduce sodium, lose weight and change your diet which would take care of it. Or type 2 diabetes, how a nih.gov study showed that 81% of type two diabetics were able to reduce their medication or get off of it all together based on dietary change, specifically going on a ketogenic diet.
And similarly, someone with situational depression might benefit from pharmacological intervention if they can't remove themselves from a situation. A friend of mine was in an abusive relationship and until they were able to get their ex to move out they had to be on pretty intense antidepressants to stay under control. Once the ex moved out things got better, but the meds were necessary to bridge that gap. It's not always either-or.
You bring up a good point, that sometimes solutions come from hard internal work and changing attitudes/perceptions. For me, I benefit from mindfulness etc, but I do have periods of poor functioning because I'm in a general state of stress all the time (6 years of grad school hello) plus periodic hormonal swings cause really bad symptoms, so that's why I would consider other solutions; but yes there are other ways I manage my depression. Mental health is just a hugely complex beast, and depression is so different from one person to another, and sometimes the symptoms can interfere with daily functioning and prevent someone from being able to treat the causes. And sometimes the causes are biological. Or sometimes the causes are unsolvable. It's great that you found non-drug ways to handle your depression, but the same might not work for every person.4 -
I struggled with depression several times in the past, it runs in my family. With my first bouts I was able to control it with vitamins and herbal supplements. But, I eventually needed to get on medication in order to feel normal again. I started with Wellbutrin as that is what my mom had taken so my doctor started me on that and it was awful. It actually made my depression worse. I then switched to Lexapro and it was amazing. I felt like myself again for the first time in a while. I did not experience any problems with weight gain while I was on Lexapro. I weaned off of it over 10 years ago when I wanted to get pregnant with my first child and I haven't needed medication again since then. Medication can definitely be helpful in some cases. I would just talk to your doctor about your concerns of gaining weight and be vigilant. And just know that sometimes it can take some time to find the right Med and dose for you.2
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See this website: https://www.drweil.com/health-wellness/body-mind-spirit/mental-health/why-do-antidepressants-cause-weight-gain/
Also, consider that according to popular theory, most of your serotonin is made in your gut. If you have an overgrowth of bad bacteria, yeast, parasites (yes, even Western countries get them), then it can affect your ability to make enough serotonin.
I really like doTERRA On Guard for the synergistic action of the various essential oils. I have been taking 2 capsules a day for several months and it helped get somethings working better. (Bacteril also works well, but is more expensive.)
FIVE LAC is a favorite of mine for addressing yeast overgrowth.
Pyrantel Pamoate is an anti-parasitic and addresses many intestinal and stomach complaints. It is harmless to humans and works to paralyze the parasites (clove oil in the doTERRA On Guard does teh same thing) so they can pass through your system.
Some easy things to do, that won't interfere with your medication would be to switch to a Paleo / Keto / Atkins type diet and keep your sugar / carbs at around 100 grams total and ensure that most of them are from resistant starch. (This will help keep the cravings under control).
Ref: https://www.precisionnutrition.com/all-about-resistant-starch
Include home made lacto fermented veggies in at least one meal each day. A great resource would be Sandor Katz's "Wild Fermentation".
Alternatively, consider this article which boinks everything I just said on its head:
http://kellybroganmd.com/depression-serotonin/
These articles address your adrenals and your thyroid - maybe look for a doc that treats your symptoms not your lab results?
https://www.yourhormones.com/adrenal-glands/
https://www.yourhormones.com/adrenal-fatigue/
https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/adrenal-wisdom/
https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/thyroid-depression-mental-health/
Whatever you decide, make an informed decision and do whatever you feel is best for you and makes you feel better! Good luck!
OP, please ignore this steaming pile of horse manure. It's complete pseudoscienctific nonsense.
Kelly Brogan should lose her license, for all the garbage she spews. She's a horrible human being but makes a heck of a living charging thousands for appointments and consultations.1 -
Ugh. I'd suggest that you rely on your doctors and therapists for their advice instead of entertaining back-seat diagnosticians and advice that seems to come from pre-conceived agendas and emotionally-based biases (mental health stigmas, pharmaceuticals are inherently bad, etc). I think it's important that you prioritize for yourself the different aspects of health (for me, mental health is first, followed by weight somewhere on the list) and get comfortable with that. There's everything right about taking every measure to improve your mental health by optimizing your physical health (exercise, diet, sun, fun, mental stimulation, socialization, weight, etc), of course, and you should. Invest in those relationships with your doctors and therapists, and if they aren't working out, don't be afraid to change. Besides your family, they are closest to you and your condition.2
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Not necessarily. It depends on what is causing them. I used to have those too, and I know it is not something you would ever want to go through. I stumbled upon what was causing them by accident. I used to eat a lot of msg, and I cut that out, why I don't recall, but I stopped eating it.
A few years later I started eating it again with spicy Asian noodles I would make, and after about a month they began to come back. The noodles were the only thing I would put the stuff in. I remembered I had first started getting them when I would buy noodle bowls from an Asian store where I used to live.
I tried cutting the msg out, and they went away again. I looked it up, and it turns out it does cause panic attacks in some people. Thank God for that too, because they were about the worst experiences I've ever had to live through.
But if meds are doing it for you, more power to ya. If I had gotten meds for them and it worked, I would have stayed on them. Anything to avoid having them anymore.
Sounds like you were having an adverse to msg and not an anxiety attack at all.
Obviously treating this with medication would be inaffective.
Correct diagnosis and treatment is essential.
For many medical and psychiatric conditions medication is part of the correct treatment.
Not a every one is lucky enough to be able simply avoid a food additive and be asymptomatic.
Yes, for many meds are the right way to go. That doesn't necessarily even apply to the majority of cases though. We are the most overmedicated nation on earth. Many Dr's are writing prescriptions like pez dispensers and sometimes for things that make absolutely zero sense, like antibiotics for bronchitis, or percocet for toothaches. Percocets don't even cure pain, they just get you high while you're hurting and then it's a shock to people why there has been a 400% increase in prescription opioids since like 2000. Or, like in my case, lorazapam for msg toxicity. I would bet a big fat pile of cash that 1 in 5 or 1 in 6 prescriptions here in the US aren't even the appropriate treatment for the actual problem. And I'm not even including psychiatric drugs there. Some people are truly sick, absolutely, but I would bet that at least 1 in 3 psychiatric prescriptions would be better handled with training the person to change their perception, which would change their reaction, which is what the prescription is written for, to begin with.
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I experienced 25 pound weight gain from Amitriptyline over 25 years ago. It was used to alleviate chronic pain following a car accident. The pain relief was so welcome that I didn’t care at first. My friends asked if I was pregnant. The 25 pounds came on in just 2 months then stabilized. After going up 3 sizes I told my doctor enough. I didn’t recognize myself. He switched meds to Zoloft and I didn’t have any more weight gain. I wished I would have asked sooner. I never did lose that weight and 4 kids and 25 years later I have put on more.
My advice, try one-if you have any unwanted side effects try another. There are so many out there. Your mental health is very very important. Maybe you will be lucky on the first try.0
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