Antidepressants and weight

An antidepressant usually does not account for large weight gains....maybe a few pounds, but usually not significant weight. I was put on lexapro and have not gained from it, but I continue to watch what I eat closely and exercise. And exercise does wonders for depression and anxiety!

I am currently on a moderate dose of a common antidepressant myself... initially it did affect my appetite but not anymore. It has not hindered my weight loss (so far). I've been counting calories for about 2.5 weeks and have lost about 6 pounds. I don't think you have anything to worry about.

I am on the two you listed and I did notice a slight weight gain, but they make me feel good so I have to accept the consequences. My doctor said most will give you weight gain.

I am also on meds I do know that citalopram does cause weight gain, when I was on it I gained 4 Ibs a week. I took myself off of it. My Aunt is on Welburton and she has lost.

I've been on a lot of different antidepressants over the years, and I've never noticed any affect on my weight.

You are lucky then, I gained about 50 pounds in under a year on one combination of meds. My doctor told me (not in a mean way) that I was lucky that was all that I gained. If you read the prescribing information for a log of anti-depressants, they are associated with weight gain.

I wold also respectfully disagree that if you are on the drugs it is a moot point...My doctor suggested Lexipro and while it did help my mood swings I could not stay on that drug and be constantly hungry! So I switched...if you feel this way then consult with your dr. there are several antidepressant drugs available and you an find one that works for you without signifigant weight gain!

I was on citalopram when i first started on anti depressants, and now i'm on fluoxetine because the citalopram was making me tired all the time. I'm a stress eater, so depression itself was making me gain wait, so for me it wasn't an issue if it made me gain weight because without it i was gaining weight, too.

that being said, from person experience i can tell you that even 20 minutes a day doing some kind of cardio helps an amazing amount with depression. i know how hard it is to get up and go to the gym when you're struggling with the gym, but if you can work it into a routine it could help a lot, it did for me.

Small world, I have major depressive disorder and was also on low doses of Citalopram and Welbutrin. I am no longer taking them, because I felt like I was at a point where I could stop taking them and be mentally alright, but it took me years to get to that point.

The Wellbutrin really decreased my appetite at first, and the Citalopram was added later to help curb compulsive eating. From my research, Wellbutrin often causes weight loss due to decreases in appetite, but most SSRI's, including Citalopram have inconclusive results about weight fluctuations, but often you will hear about people gaining weight on SSRI's. I had always assumed that a lot of the reported weight gain among people on SSRI's was due to untreated aspects of the depression, such as fatigue, loss of interest, inability to exercise or cook. I assumed that if I added an SSRI, and if it was enough to combat those aspects and I could keep my head above water, I would still be able to lose weight.

I can only speak for my own experience, but once I added the Citalopram to the Wellbutrin, I absolutely could not lose weight, no matter how closely I watched my caloric intake or how hard I worked at the gym (I eat a low-fat calorie-controlled diet, always eat at least 1200 calories, and I am currently training for a marathon). After a particularly hard training week, I had a 7,000+ calorie deficit based entirely on exercise (I was not starving myself or anything), which should have been enough to lose around 2lbs. I gained two pounds instead. I did my diet and training plan while on Citalopram/Wellbutrin for three months, and was only able to maintain my starting weight. As much as even I didn't want to believe it, some of those medications really can mess with your metabolism and your ability to lose weight.

Your best bet is to set up a healthy, realistic eating plan, combine it with an exercise level you can sustain over time, and just really focus on that plan for a while. Give it at least a month or six weeks, don't give up too early. Just because I wasn't able to lose weight on Citalopram/Wellbutrin doesn't mean you will have the same result. I have a close friend who was able to lose weight on SSRI's without any issues.

On a side note, I know that exercise can do wonders to help combat depression, and now that I am no longer taking antidepressants I am using exercise to help keep myself mentally balanced. If you ever find yourself in a place when you think you can stop taking your medications, exercise will be even more imperative. Keeps the happy vibes flowing.

Best of luck to you!

I have been doing GREAT on the Myfitnesspal plan thanks to an awesome coworker. Stumbled across this thread , and coincidentally am going to see a "master of the horizontal interview" today and am kind of worried about undoing all the great things that have been going on with mfp.....this appointment has been years in the waiting and I will go and ask the doctor directly about weight gain and report back. I am sure i will get the pat "it's different for everyone" speech.

I was on Citalopram for a while, my doctor chose it because it was less likely to cause weight gain. Glad to say I am off it now but it was a great help when I needed it.

It may affect your weight but I would not stop taking it, just carry on with good eating and exercise, good luck :-)