Weight loss on anti depressants

Options
brandie1984
brandie1984 Posts: 10 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello :-) Has anyone been successful losing weight while taking antidepressants?
«1

Replies

  • jenmarrs429
    jenmarrs429 Posts: 45 Member
    Options
    Yes!
  • dwilliamca
    dwilliamca Posts: 325 Member
    Options
    I'm doing fine. Haven't noticed any negative affects and I take 2 kinds.
  • HeidiCooksSupper
    HeidiCooksSupper Posts: 3,831 Member
    Options
    Yes. I've taken antidepressants since Prozac (fluoxetine) was new and have noticed no effect on weight or appetite. I have taken Welbutrin (bupropion) as well for a couple decades and can say the same. If I eat at a 500 calorie/day deficit I lose a pound a week like clockwork. If I eat with reckless abandon, I gain.
  • TrishSeren
    TrishSeren Posts: 587 Member
    Options
    Yes it is possible :smile: I'm currently tapering down as I'm well on the way to healing but I was on 2 different types and found weight loss perfectly achievable.
  • CarvedTones
    CarvedTones Posts: 2,340 Member
    Options
    Wellbutrin suppresses my appetite (common side effect, but not everyone gets it) and also curbs the grazing urge. I have been on others that increased appetite. I guess technically they dampen satiety so that no matter how much you eat you are never satisfied (again, very common side effect but not everyone gets it). SSRIs (like prozac and cymbalta) have that effect on me, but I am bipolar and most SSRIs can trigger irritable hypomania. Most antipsychotics are even worse than antidepressants.
  • brandie1984
    brandie1984 Posts: 10 Member
    Options
    Thanks everyone. I am really struggling. Feeling discouraged.
  • theabsentmindednurse
    theabsentmindednurse Posts: 405 Member
    Options
    If you are concerned talk to your Doctor.
    It may be trial and error with different medication to see what suits.
  • RA60172
    RA60172 Posts: 137 Member
    Options
    When I've had trouble being med-compliant compliant, my appetite has sky rocketed. When I consistently take my meds (Wellbutrin / buproprian in particular) my appetite decreases significantly!

    Never took note of any appetite changes when I was on fluoxetine. Haven't seen any discernable changes in weight or appetite with my lamotrigine or clonazepam. I also currently supplement with D3 and magnesium; not sure if that really has any effect.
  • Mandygring
    Mandygring Posts: 704 Member
    Options
    I couldn't but I was able to get off them and deal w my anxiety by doing lots of cardio. I lost 60lbs last year after getting off them. I realize I'm lucky for that and that isn't possible for everyone. I hope you find what works :)
  • ChubbyMcChubface
    ChubbyMcChubface Posts: 21 Member
    Options
    Yes! In fact starting on Wellbutrin was a huge catalyst to help me get started on changing my lifestyle. Whether a side-effect of the drug, or maybe just because I started feeling better, I'm not sure. But besides the appetite suppression effect of the drug, it really has helped me stay motivated to get healthy. I almost feel like a switch was flipped in my head. It's like a night and day difference. I've lost 70 pounds since I started taking it 7 months ago and there's no looking back.

    I'm not trying to sound like a pill pusher or anything, I'm just really really happy with how my life has changed since I started taking it and am sooo glad I finally decided to talk to my doctor about depression. I've been lucky to not experience any negative side effects.
  • maura_tasi
    maura_tasi Posts: 196 Member
    Options
    Yes I was able to! Most of them actually supressed my appetite at least for the first month, but of course that isn't a side effect for everyone. I found that when I was struggling to lose weight it was because the med I was taking wasn't "right" for my body. I started on Zoloft and I quite frankly felt worse on it. When I weaned off that and onto celexa I was able to compare the two and realized that Zoloft was definitely not a fit for me. Anti depressants/anxiety meds are all trial and error and it may take some time until you find the one that adapts well to your body/mind.
  • whitpauly
    whitpauly Posts: 1,483 Member
    Options
    Wellbutrin is a different kind of antidepressants,its effect on the brain works different than something like Zoloft or Lexapro they even use it to help peeps quit smoking,it's not typically prescribed for people with anxiety cuz it can be stimulating so its kind of hard to say people can lose weight on typical SSRIs when Wellbutrin is a different kind of drug
  • onematch
    onematch Posts: 241 Member
    Options
    Yes. Definitely possible.
  • NightmarePoon
    NightmarePoon Posts: 4 Member
    Options
    Anti-depressants made me tired to the point I basically stopped even the lightest casual exercise, and also seemed to help slowly accumulate weight for me. I probably gained 15 lbs on Lexapro/Wellbutrin, but I also take minipress which lowers my blood pressure significantly...? It really depends on the person and chemical make-up.
  • Megpiekoots
    Megpiekoots Posts: 2 Member
    Options
    Hello, I am back on here after gaining 15 pounds in 4 weeks due to being put on Remeron. I also take Effexor (I've been on more than a few AD in the past 10 years). I'm on 15-30 mg of Remeron to help me sleep, and it really has worked. However one of the big side effects is massive hunger for carbs. I didn't realize how much I was eating until I stepped on the scale a few days ago.
    I have lost and maintained weight on different ADs before, and believe you and I can totally do this!

    My Current weight is 155lbs and I'm hoping to get to around 135, but more concerned with my waist circumference as its ballooned from 28 inches to 33 inches in the last month.
  • LAWoman72
    LAWoman72 Posts: 2,846 Member
    edited November 2017
    Options
    Yes, Welbutrin stands out as the "appetite suppressant" (if you will) AD. (People who took to stop smoking tended to notice this too even though they weren't taking it either for depression or for appetite control...I *think* there's a combo appetite pill out there including Buproprion or however that's spelled, plus something else, but that's more recent...don't know of any other ADs that have an official appetite suppression use as recognized on a label/as prescribed).

    Welbutrin/Bupropriowhatever won't have that effect on every single person, but the percentage that do experience it is apparently clinically notable.

    Prozac used to have that reputation too, but not quite to the extent of Welbutrin, and there seems to sometimes be a boomerang appetite effect for Prozac, over time.

    All of the weight changes as listed as side effects tend to tie in to overeating/undereating, though. I know that's not much help, because hunger is hunger, but I don't know of any studies that show, for example, a direct effect on weight without any eating or exercising habit changes. They may exist, I'm just putting out there that last I looked (when I was on ADs) there weren't. I don't know that I'd necessarily trust self-reporting on this either, just saying.

    It's important that you treat your depression. That's first and foremost. Try what the doctor has prescribed and if you find side effects, ask if you can try another. It's a little of a guessing game...er, sorry, "an art v. a science" (per my very carefully spoken doctor).
  • LAWoman72
    LAWoman72 Posts: 2,846 Member
    Options
    ^ Daaaaaaaaaayum!
  • 1musicgrl
    1musicgrl Posts: 135 Member
    Options
    Yes! It is possible. I have had to work very hard and I've had plenty of set backs. But over time I have lost. Good luck to you!
  • anyWendy
    anyWendy Posts: 97 Member
    Options
    Megpiekoots wrote: »
    Hello, I am back on here after gaining 15 pounds in 4 weeks due to being put on Remeron. I also take Effexor (I've been on more than a few AD in the past 10 years). I'm on 15-30 mg of Remeron to help me sleep, and it really has worked. However one of the big side effects is massive hunger for carbs. I didn't realize how much I was eating until I stepped on the scale a few days ago.
    I have lost and maintained weight on different ADs before, and believe you and I can totally do this!

    My Current weight is 155lbs and I'm hoping to get to around 135, but more concerned with my waist circumference as its ballooned from 28 inches to 33 inches in the last month.

    Remeron is often prescribed explicitly as an appetite stimulant for people who are losing weight (unintentionally). Might want to discuss other alternatives with your doctor.

Categories