Antidepressants, medication and weight gain?

FatLard200
FatLard200 Posts: 8 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am on trazodone and lexapro. They are antidepressants and I've read that antidepressants cause weight gain. Does anyone have any experience with this? If so, how did you counter act the effects.

Replies

  • Hanibanani2020
    Hanibanani2020 Posts: 523 Member
    Yes they can by increasing your appetite. Many of my friends have gained a lot of weight after being put on antidepressants. Self control is difficult too when you’re struggling already with mental health. If you have a therapist perhaps chat to them regarding eating and mindfulness strategies. Be strong. Take care of yourself. Be kind to yourself.
  • moontyrant
    moontyrant Posts: 160 Member
    Brain meds can affect your weight by changing your energy levels too. When I started my own brain meds my energy levels jumped and I’m a lot more active. Tracking your calories is a good way to make sure the changes in your habits align with your goals. Be patient with yourself and take it easy for a bit: adjusting to medication can be a challenging experience (but worth it!)
  • threewins
    threewins Posts: 1,455 Member
    I had an antidepressant which basically lowered the barrier to going to get junk food. So I'd have junk food in the morning. Most people would decide to eat healthy for lunch. However I'd decide or crave pizza for lunch. I was spending heaps on food and gaining about a kilogram a week. Fortunately they antidepressants didn't work as intended.

    If I ever had that problem again, I'd buy a post-it note pack and implement a two hour rule. I needed to write what I wanted to eat at least two hours before eating it. That's about all I have thought up. I'll be getting a new antidepressant on Tuesday, wish both of us luck!
  • anj32694
    anj32694 Posts: 35 Member
    I take trazodone at a low dose for sleep, and Prozac for depression. I think I can account for my unhealthy habits as results of poor coping mechanisms. I didn’t have a drastic weight change when starting either one. However, they do affect people differently, and that can be a side effect of many antidepressants. Talk to your prescribing doctor if you think a weight change is due to your medications. There are lots of options and many are considered “weight-neutral” medications.
    In the meantime, don’t be too hard on yourself while still practicing accountability. Feel free to add me for support if that would help!
  • risingmoonstexas
    risingmoonstexas Posts: 16 Member
    I took both and gained. But to completely honest, I wasn't caring what I ate and definitely would have gained without the meds. I was going through a terrible time.

    I recommend to talk to your doctor, watch your blood pressure (some meds made mine go up), journal, practice self-care as part of your work out routine, and talk to a therapist. I'm using Rethinktherapy which is $60 a month and all appointments are virtual.
    I'm here if you need anything!
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    edited July 2020
    FatLard200 wrote: »
    I am on trazodone and lexapro. They are antidepressants and I've read that antidepressants cause weight gain. Does anyone have any experience with this? If so, how did you counter act the effects.

    Many do not and it depends both on the antidepressant and the person. The one thing they DON'T do is make you gain weight (except possibly a small amount of water weight) without you eating more calories. People who gain weight do so because the medication messes with hunger signals and patients eat more. Check the information given with your medication (or look it up online) and see what the trials showed. Often people expect them to cause weight gain so they are lax in their logging and overeat, making it a self fulfilling prophecy.

    The best way to know for sure is to be very diligent in your weighing and measuring food and your logging. Pay attention to hunger signals. Are you hungrier than you were before starting the medication? Do you see no change? If you are hungrier, maybe look into some volume eating that maintains the same calories. If you are having trouble, speak to your prescriber.

    I have both gained and lost weight on antidepressants. I really don't think they were the cause when I gained, the issues for which I take the medication were the cause.
  • asthesoapturns
    asthesoapturns Posts: 313 Member
    YMMV. I gained a lot of weight as I recovered from a mental breakdown, I lost a lot too, all while on different psychiatric medications, mostly antidepressants. My eating habits were horrible, and I didn't leave bed for much, I'd argue those two things are why my weight got up. And as it continued to go up over the years, my *kitten* eating and lack of exercise was why it happened.

    I'm still on one med. I'll be on it for the rest of my life. I've lost 50lb since I decided to deal with my weight back in Sept. As with any craving situation we need to be conscious and responsible for what we do and eat. The moment I started taking responsibility I started losing.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    FatLard200 wrote: »
    I am on trazodone and lexapro. They are antidepressants and I've read that antidepressants cause weight gain. Does anyone have any experience with this? If so, how did you counter act the effects.

    The very first AD I took was Prozac, which gave me panic attacks, for which the doctor prescribed trazodone, which I hated - made me feel hungover in the AM. I discontinued this combo quickly.

    Over the years, I tried several more SSRI antidepressants.

    Now I'm taking Wellbutrin, an NDRI, which is associated with appetite suppression and weight loss rather than weight gain.

    I'd be concerned about taking trazodone and Lexapro together: https://www.drugs.com/drug-interactions/lexapro-with-trazodone-1013-565-2228-0.html
  • Katmary71
    Katmary71 Posts: 7,135 Member
    I'm on a psych med that makes me super hungry and I've tried other meds and have the same reaction. I eat a ton of vegetables and fruit which helps, plus I schedule meals at certain times so I'm not rushing to the kitchen every hour. My "full" signal usually doesn't kick in for about 45 minutes so even if I stuff myself like at Thanksgiving it doesn't hit for awhile then I feel like I'm going to explode, I'm getting better about this. I'm definitely going to be a life logger. I'm dealing with a high level of pain and haven't been so good since I first lost my weight as when fight-or-flight kicks in I obviously get super anxious and pig out, not very happy with myself right now. Hopefully once I'm treated successfully I'll get all of the weight I've recently gained back off.
  • fit100nu
    fit100nu Posts: 2 Member
    Hi. I’m on zoloft and anafranil and I gained a lot of weight at first. My psychiatrist said it was the meds (not feeling full). I just count calories burned and calories in, making sure I’m in a deficit. But yeah it doesn’t exactly make ones fat loss journey easier lol. I use a appetite supressor/fat loss pill on and off.

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