Lexapro and weight gain

jakeysmom22 · February 2019

I've been on lexapro for about a year and a half and have gained close to 50 lbs. Has anyone else had this same issue and if so, have you been successful losing weight without going off the medication? Thanks in advance

earlnabby · February 2019

jakeysmom22 wrote: »

I've been on lexapro for about a year and a half and have gained close to 50 lbs. Has anyone else had this same issue and if so, have you had any luck losing weight without going off the medication? Thanks in advance

I did nothing different to lose weight because I realized I gained weight because I overate, not because I was taking a medication. Antidepressants do not cause you to put on weight. Some MAY interfere with the hunger signals in your brain and you need to be willing to work around that. I just went slower so I would eat more per day than if I tried to lose 2 lb a week. If the lexapro is increasing your hunger, look to volume eating instead of eating mostly calorie dense foods.

The one thing that I did that helped both my depression AND weight loss was exercising with people in addition to solo walking. I found a class I really liked and seeing the same faces 3 times a week gave me something to look forward to. None have become friends but we do greet each other and chat a little and I get a friendly "Hi! How are you?" when we cross paths elsewhere like the grocery.

Good luck. It is very doable.

csplatt · February 2019

I have been on that med for 10+ years and I have had reasonable fluctuations in weight (15 lb up and down) that I do NOT think had anything to do with the medication. For myself it was just overestimating my activity levels and eating too much. Just my experience.

JenniferAndres · February 2019

I was big and gaining before going on Lexapro. I don’t think it’s the drug that did it. Been taking Lexapro for about 10 years now.

Womona · February 2019

I gained about 20 pounds, but I’ve lost 5 of them recently by recommitting to exercising consistently, logging my food consistently and cutting way back on alcohol.

Lexapro supposedly doesn’t make you gain lots of weight compared to other SSRI’s, but Who knows. You may want to pick up a food scale and see what you are really eating- you may be surprised. Also get a heart rate monitor that calculates calories lost. It’s much more accurate than what MFP says.

aguilar_k3 · March 2019

I have to disagree with other people here--the medication can make you gain weight. I'm sick of people shouting "It's calories in vs. calories out!!!" while pretending that ABSOLUTELY NOTHING can impact the second part of that equation (even though we already know that isn't true). Unlike the the poster above, I kicked my own butt trying to lose weight for over a year--having never struggled with my weight previously--and experienced loss at a significantly lower rate than anticipated based on my caloric deficit (if at all).

I've been working with a psychiatrist and have been assured that, just because I experienced weight gain with one medication in the class, it doesn't mean that will happen with all of them. If you haven't already, I suggest talking to an actual psych rather than a GP to get that extra expertise.

realslowrecovery2016 · March 2019

I don't think my meds caused me to gain weight. I think the binge-eating and lack of exercise did it for me. Oh, and divorce lol.

Lexapro and weight gain

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