antidepressants or exercise...

Antidepressants can actually work against your weight loss goals, and can even make you gain weight. I take amitryptyline, but for fibromyalgia, not depression. I only take it when I'm really struggling to get a decent night's sleep because my weight loss tends to stall when I take it regularly.

Definitely start with exercise. If you're not feeling better, talk to your doctor.

I do both. The antidepressants help with the binges, I'm convinced. The exercise helps with EVERYTHING!!!

I feel better from exercise than I ever did from my anti depressants. I'm not on them anymore because I'm a lot more active and I feel like I don't need them anymore!
I do still get a bit down from time to time but if I can motivate myself to do something even as small as going for a walk then I know I will feel so much better!

I used to be on antideppressants, which helped the problem, but didnt really solve it.

It wasnt until I started excercising that I began to feel better about myself, realised I was alot stronger than I gave myself credit for, and I deserved good things!!

At my review, my doctor decided to wean me off of them.......that was 4 months ago!!

Ive cleaned out some of the crap in my life, and have kept up my excercise, and I feel great

Excercise has also increased my ability to deal with stress without biting off everyones head!

Not to say I dont still have my down days, I do - but on those days my friends know to drag me out for a run or to the gym for a class - it clears my head and I always feel better afterwards

I cant speak for myself, but my husband has been working out a lot lately and used to take antidepressants. Working out gives him the endorphins to keep him happy and is no longer on them. But, I think its important to understand that there are different levels of depression and that you should ALWAYS consult a doctor before you make any decisions on medication that you may be on.

For me exercise is the key.
On days I go to the gym I'm great.

On days I cannot make it, it's awful.

I follow this woman's blog (http://redheadlaw7.com/about-me/) on my reader. She has overcome "depression through exercise" and has some pretty impressive before/after pictures to boot ( http://goo.gl/mYyyV ).

You might find her story/posts interesting.

I take prozac daily and exercise most of the time. Exercise really helps my meds last longer. If I miss a day of exercise AND prozac...not very good. I rarely miss both though.

Without antidepressants, I wouldn't have had the motivation to get off the couch or give a damn about what I'm putting in my body.

I lost the first 25 pounds while on Lexapro, so it's entirely possible to lose while taking them. But since eating better and getting regular exercise, I've been able to stop taking it. Weaning off is a weird feeling... I got brain zaps for a few weeks. And now, I really notice when I don't get enough exercise. It's the same as when I skipped a pill. I get really irritable and highly agitated. When I'm moody now, instead of asking, "Did you take your pill?" my husband asked, "Do you need to go for a run?" Even a 1-2 mile jog clears my head.

When I get all batty, siggy says "sounds like you need an angry workout" and he's right. I do. lol
I've always had issues. I was put on drugs as young as 15.

I found that it really takes the perfect med to actually work- way too many and so many neg side effects! Exercise provides my body and mind with a great release - stress, anxiety, etc. Try exercise first, if it is to the point that you are going to harm yourself- always seek other help!

in the past, about 15 years ago, i was on zoloft and prozac, not at the same time...........and i went to counseling 1-2 times per week. I started lifting heavy and that cured me. I got out all of my anger and aggression there. I have never even considered medication or therapy since. And i dont lift that frequently 2-3 times per week. But that worked for me. I took myself off the medication as well at that point.

I disagree that antidepressants make you gain weight. I'm sure some of them CAN, but if you're combining it with exercise it's highly unlikely. For me, my Paxil actually kind of jump started my exercising and weight loss. I wouldn't choose just one or the other. If you don't need antidepressants, don't take them, but if you need them, don't just opt of them. Exercise can help with certain degrees of depression and anxiety, but if you need them, take them and combine it with exercise.

ETA I take Paxil for severe anxiety, and it causes horrible physical symptoms if I don't take them, and exercise is not exactly a treatment on its own for that.

I take zoloft mainly for my social anxiety and OCD. While exercising makes me feel better emotionally, it doesn't stop me from having a panic attack while being out in public. It doesn't help with my OCD either so both contribute to how I'm doing right now. Although I do have my days when I'm feeling down and have to force myself to get out to the gym to make myself feel a little better.