Anti-Depressants & Weight Gain
sunshinel397
Posts: 206 Member
Hello. Just wondering if anyone can answer this question about SSRI's. My doc suggested going on Lexapro to help with some anxiety I have been experiencing since quitting smoking. I am afraid to take it due to hearing all these horror stories about SSRI's and gaining a ton of weight even if you exercise and monitor calorie intake. Does anyone have any experiance with these types of drugs and mind sharing?
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I got put on the off-brand of Celexa 4 months ago and have experienced NO WEIGHT GAIN. It has not affected my weight at all. I feel MUCH better. I got put on it for my anxiety and it has worked very well for me.0
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My future mother in-law had lost at least 30lbs, went on anti-depressants and gained it all back really quickly, and then some
She's been trying everything and she keeps gaining weight. I feel so bad for her. Her doctor doesn't even know what to tell her.
From what I've read, I think it just depends on the person. Some people don't experience weight gain while others do. They actual drug itself also varies from person to person (it's a lot like birth control in that way).1 -
Talk to your doctor about your weight gain concerns. They'll be able to clarify the situation for you and recommend how to deal with it in a healthy way. However, I never experienced a weight gain from it, and in fact my best friend has lost about 60 pounds and he's on Lexapro.0
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I used to take Lexapro (and later on, Celexa) and gained all the weight that I have finally got off--after 5 years! It may be different for you, though, and you may not experience weight gain at all. At the time, I knew it was a possibility, but feeling better was more important at the time (I was struggling with extreme Generalized Anxiety).0
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I've been taking Celexa during my entire weight loss process, and lexapro is even less intense (has a much shorter release time) than Celexa. You should be fine.0
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I am currently taking Welbutrin. I was on Lexapro 2 years ago and HATED IT! I felt like I was going crazy. I was moody, slept a lot, and I wanted to do nothing. However, I gained weight prior to my anti-depressant. I also had a lot go on during the past year that impacte dmy life and food was my comfort. I was taking Welbutrin and I felt amazing. Everyone's body is different. I didn't gain weight taking the meds. My despression in general made me gain weight. Try it out. You never know until you try....right?1
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I took Lexapro for depression and anxiety and it turned out my birth control at the time was causing my severe anxiety and the two drugs put together helped contribute to my gain of over 45 lbs in a matter of 4 months. This is for sure my horror story. When I stopped both medications I lost about half of it with little to no effort over about 3 months. I have heard great things about celexa. I have not tried another med for my depression and anxiety since that experience and I have gotten a pretty good grip on my issues... Yoga and breathing exercises have really helped to be honest. I stumbled across a random article about how in Europe often times they do not prescribe drugs for depression and anxiety and instead give you different breathing techniques... It has really helped me and gives me that time to be alone and focus on the breathing a few times every day. It never hurts to try to medication. Just monitor what it does to your body fairly closely. I did no monitor it at the time. Different medications are going to act different with different people. I took Prozac when I was younger and it did not effect my weight in the least. My mom took celexa and it helped her sleep and did not add any weight. Good luck!!!0
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I'm on two different anti-depressants, the generic for wellbutrin and also one I take I night (I forget what the name is) to help a little cuz the wellbutrin wasn't quite working. I have had NO weight gain. I asked the doc when she put me on the second one would I gain weight on it and she looked at me funny. Told me that the pill doesn't have calories, and that if I didn't want to lose weight it was up to me to have self control and not give in to any cravings. So that's what I've been doing (for the most part) I've lost two lbs since I've started taking it two weeks ago. Not a great amount, but any amount gets me towards the ultimate goal
Truthfully, if it's bad enough that you need an anti-depressant you shouldn't not take one because your worried about weight gain. I'd rather see you overweight than dead. Good luck on your journey!0 -
I'm on Pristiq - lost weight before getting ill and gaining it all back.0
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I am working my way off Lexapro now. Since being on it I have gained 30 lbs. I would go with the advice of Irunforfun.... I have been feeling so much better once I started doing daily exercise0
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I've taken Lexapro, pristiq, prozac and cymbalta... not all at the same time but over the past few yrs.. b/c one would quit working and I'd be in a worse place than before...during my cymbalta era and my lexapro era... i gained weight.. I was hungry allll the time... stayed pretty steady while on the other two but over the course of 2 1/2 yrs gained 51 lbs.. yep.. I had to slowly take myself off and was ill for a bit but find that spending more time with others and partaking in activities and working out makes me feel much better. Best of luck to you in everything, I really think talking to your doctor about your concerns and making sure your dosages are good you will be fine.0
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I am working my way off Lexapro now. Since being on it I have gained 30 lbs. I would go with the advice of Irunforfun.... I have been feeling so much better once I started doing daily exercise
Same here, except it's Celexa for me. Pretty close to the same thing, though. I was taking 40 mg daily and I have successfully weaned myself off the higher dosage and I am now taking 10 mg. I plan to wean myself completely off. Good luck! I know how hard it is! Definitely not anything to stop cold turkey. 0 -
Wow, that is irresponsible advice. Telling someone to ignore their doctor is not OK.Don't take it. Run instead. Infact, msg me. I'll help you. I had post partum depression after each of my kids, and only after my third one did I consider exercise. I assure you this anti-depressant won't cause weight gain
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I've been wondering the same thing. I just started taking a generic of Xanex for anxiety and I wondered if it could cause weight gain or prevent me from losing the weight I'm working my bum off to lose!!!! Anyone know???0
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My DH went on Lexapro 6 months ago and has gained 25 lbs. He has a super high metabolism and trouble gaining weight in the past. That said, if you have crippling depression, it's worth it regardless. And it just may make you happy and motivated enough to eat well and exercise. When I was on zoloft I had no weight gain. All depends on the drug and the person taking it. If it's mild depression, you could do some research on natural alternatives (St Johns Wort, SAM-E, 5-HTP etc)
If you are on birth control pills and not taking B supplementation- you can get depressed. These pills deplete your natural stores of B vitamins (help with mood, metabolism etc) Exercise as silly as it sounds really does help. So does vitamin D.
Edited to add: Just noticed your issue is anxiety. Zoloft works well for that as well as do the drugs above. Also check your birth control pills- I spent 15 years with major anxiety and it was all caused by my birth control.0 -
I gained 40 lbs while taking Lexapro. I slowly got myself off it. turns out my thyroid was so out of wack was really at the root of my depression, but instead of listening to me, the doctor pushed antidepressants at me. Even after stopping it, it took a very long time for me to get rid of the extra weight. Good luck!
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Good morning- I've just sent you a message with my experiences. I hope you find them helpful!0
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I started taking Paxil about 3 weeks ago, a low dose. I havn't gained any weight so far. I feel 100% better mentally and I am actually running better since I've started it. My daughter is on Lexapro and she hasn't gained any weight. She's been on it for about 2 years. I think everyone is different. Maybe you could talk to your doctor if you start gaining weight and could discuss changing to a different one. Good Luck!0
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I gained over 40 pounds when I went on Lexapro. I took Prozac for many years with no problems and am currently on Pristiq. I have had no weight gain with Pristiq and it is working quite well. More so than with most medication, in my experience, psychiatric drug side effects really do depend on the individual. As you can see from these posts, some have taken Lexapro with no side effects, some have gained weight. Just monitor your weight closely and if you see any gain, have your doctor change your medication.0
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Remember that Anti-depressants, and medication in general, react differently for everyone. I have been through a rollercoaster of medications for the past two years and we've finally settled on a routine including topamax, abilify and effexor xr, none of which I would wish on my worst enemy.
Until the abilify was added I was weight neutral in my treatment. Suddenly I gained forty pounds out of nowhere! But wait a minute...abilify is touted as a weight neutral drug! All I could think was why is this happening and everytime I discussed this with my doctor he would deny that the abilify was the cause. After months, the damage was done and I'm now close to over 60lbs from my starting weight, Topamax was added. Topamax is known to cause weightloss as a side effect and so I was hopeful that it would help. But despite the medication changes my weight has remained the same.
Be cautious with medication, definitely listen to your doctor, but realize that you know your body best. If you feel something is wrong definitely bring it up sooner rather than later.
Also, take my experience with a grain of salt since the medication I'm on is not in the SSRI family.1 -
talk to your health care provider...lexapro generally has less side effects than some of the others. exercise and healthy diet will surely help depression but won't take the place of meds if they are needed. monitor your side effects closely and don't be afraid to speak up if you are not feeling better on them...may need to be switched or dose changed.0
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I've been wondering the same thing. I just started taking a generic of Xanex for anxiety and I wondered if it could cause weight gain or prevent me from losing the weight I'm working my bum off to lose!!!! Anyone know???
I'm not really an expert at all, but I don't think I have heard of any weight gain issues with anti-anxiety drugs. I know stuff like that makes me really sleepy...and if I'm sleeping, I'm not eatin'! Haha! 0 -
I experienced weight gain on Zoloft (as did some others I know of) but now that I'm on Prozac I am losing. Lexapro is supposed to cause less s/e than Prozac. Even if I couldn't lose the weight I'd have to be on it....Wellbutrin helped me to lose my first 5 lbs years ago (have had 2 babies since, hence the starting over LOL) but I had other problems with that one (trouble breathing) or I'd take it in a heartbreak.1
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My DH went on Lexapro 6 months ago and has gained 25 lbs. He has a super high metabolism and trouble gaining weight in the past. That said, if you have crippling depression, it's worth it regardless. And it just may make you happy and motivated enough to eat well and exercise. When I was on zoloft I had no weight gain. All depends on the drug and the person taking it. If it's mild depression, you could do some research on natural alternatives (St Johns Wort, SAM-E, 5-HTP etc)
If you are on birth control pills and not taking B supplementation- you can get depressed. These pills deplete your natural stores of B vitamins (help with mood, metabolism etc) Exercise as silly as it sounds really does help. So does vitamin D.
Edited to add: Just noticed your issue is anxiety. Zoloft works well for that as well as do the drugs above. Also check your birth control pills- I spent 15 years with major anxiety and it was all caused by my birth control.
I totally agree. It really does depend on the drug and the person. Personally, I gained 7 pounds within two months of taking Lexapro. I suppose that's not too bad but it just kept creeping up. It's hard though, because you want to feel better, but you don't want to gain weight, either.
I also agree with the natural alternatives. I have heard really great things about 5-HTP and one of the common side effects is weight loss. Since you can get it at the health store, you can monitor and increase/decrease your dosage as you see fit instead of having to get various prescriptions, etc. I'd definitely check with your doctor first, though, to see if they think it may work for you. Depression and anxiety cannot be ignored, for sure. I've suffered with it for most of my life, and it's not a fun thing at all. 0 -
I gained 40 lbs while taking Lexapro. I slowly got myself off it. turns out my thyroid was so out of wack was really at the root of my depression, but instead of listening to me, the doctor pushed antidepressants at me. Even after stopping it, it took a very long time for me to get rid of the extra weight. Good luck!
The same thing happened to me in regards to the doctor not listening to me, pushing antidepressants and turned out to be my thyroid. Another doctor checked my thyroid thank goodness. Oh, I gained 45 pounds but so far, MFP is helping get it off.0 -
I dont know your personal situation therefore wont tell you if choosing this type of medication is in your best interested but I did Celexa and put on 20 pounds and ended up not liking the effects of the drug, instead of not being depressed I didnt feel much of anything and felt like I was in a bubble, but now I drink coffee liberally (decaf most of the time), coffee is a mild antidepressant, if I feel moody I drink St Johns Wort tea (doc says its ok for me but its not a good choice for everyone) it gives me bizarre dreams though, but mostly I have started to try natural stress relieving techniques. For me a lot of the depression was caused by birth control which I took an extreme solution and started dating a guy whos had a vasectomy to get off of them, good luck, it you need the meds weight gain shouldnt be a factor, if its optional to take them maybe try more natural alternatives0
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I've been on 125mg of Zoloft and 450mg of Wellbutrin for a couple years now. I've been on Zoloft a few times, actually. It always makes me gain weight. It zaps my energy and increases my appetite--not a good combination! It's been great for my anxiety, but now I'm gradually getting off of it and hoping that my cognitive coping mechanisms will keep the anxiety in check. Down to 75mg now and decreasing by 25mg every week.
Wellbutrin doesn't have the physical effects on me that Zoloft does, and my depression is way more manageable on Wellbutrin, so I'm staying on that. I also take medicine for hypothyroidism (which reminds me, I need to get my thyroid checked again).
I don't think weight gain is "officially" listed as a side effect of Zoloft, but I've heard about tons of people who have that happen to them, and I know from experience. People react differently to antidepressants, though--it's a very individual thing.0 -
Well I'm on mirtazapine its a tetracyclic antidepressant so a bit different but its about the 8th pill they tried me on and the only one which lets me even think about functioning normally. Unfortunately its also used as an appetite stimulant - which trust me I need absolutely no help in stimulating that. I just wanted to say that sometimes mental health has to be a bigger priority than your weight, and I know how hard it can be to face that.
Its tough to remember that our weight is (I know in my case) a symptom of all my other problems just as much as it is a consequence of over eating. And now that I am working on my other problems I can find the strength to tackle the over eating too. Yes my medication makes it harder for me to resist temptation, but it isn't easy living with my depression, it isn't easy dealing with my depression and it sure as hell isn't easy to loose weight with any of these things going on, but if you have got help and are tackling your issues then you know you are strong and brave enough to face getting health,y as hard as it is.
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I went from 155 (skinny as a 6'1" guy) to 220 while taking Paxil for 1 year. However, my eating and excercise habits also went down the tube during this period so not sure what caused it. I can tell you that I will never take anti-deppresants again though. Vigorous excercise works much better and does not have all of the horrid side effects.0
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I gained 15 pounds on Lexapro in less then two months.. and I know some people LOVE Lexapro but it made me fill DRUNK! I am now on Welbutrin, no weight gain and I LOVE it!0
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