Antidepressants and weight--your experience

Doctor prescribed me Prozac and within 3 months, I had gained 20lbs - and I hadnt changed my eating habits at all.
I asked to be taken off Prozac & am now on Celexa (20mg) and my weight finally stabilized. I feel great & no side effects for me.
Its been REALLY hard to drop the 20 I gained, and especially since I was really hesitant to go on it in the first place... I feel like so many doctors just prescribe these pills sometimes without fully understanding a patients needs.
I went in for my regular checkup and told my doc I was really stressed out (work, family, etc) and having a hard time calming down, sleeping, etc. so she gave me Prozac??
Now that Im on Celexa, I feel great, but I am also really hesitant to go OFF - not knowing what I'll feel like if I stop. Its a vicious cycle.

-What has your experience been? Well i was on Wellbutrin for about a year, during the 1st part of me being on MFP, at 1st everything was great, and as you know Wellbutrin can actually make you loose weight, just on its own. This were great, till all of a sudden, Wellbutrin started to make me crazy. It took my already large issue with anxiety, and times it by 100...and then lead to suicidal thoughts. I ended up in the hospital and gained about 7 lbs because during my anxiety episode, i couldn't eat anything and anything that i could eat was junk. I'm off the med now and while its a bit harder to loose weight, I'm doing so much better mentally.
-What do you take? What dose? Wellbutrin 200 mgs (100mg 2x's a day)
-Did you begin calorie counting before/after you started the medication? after being on the medication
-Did your eating change in a way that can explain any weight changes? Lost weight really well...18 lbs to be exact, till i went crazy from the med and had to stop my weight loss journey for a while.
-Did your appetite change? Well it was very hard to eat as much as i was suppose to when i first started MFP and Wellbutrin had a lot to do with that. But after being with MFP for a while, i was able to up my calories and the weight just fell off.

Im on Venlafaxine (brand name: Effexor or Efexor), Never really had any weight problems through the dose im on, just had side effects in different ways.

What has your experience been? --At first, I could not stop moving. I wanted to clean and run and do jumping jacks and yell. Made it a little hard to sleep, at first, but it all wore off.

What do you take? What dose? --Paxil (paroxetine) 20 mg.

Did you begin calorie counting before/after you started the medication? --After, but thanks to a hospital stay and the medication, I had already lost a good ten pounds without knowing by the time I started.

Did your eating change in a way that can explain any weight changes? --Yes.

Did your appetite change? --Not particularly.

ETA: I do have one strange side effect, though it's very rare--I yawn a lot! Just all the time. lol

Hi there!

My doctor put me on Pristiq last year, I wasn't worried about gaining weight, as I am an avid runner & have always been good with excercise. And I know how to eat healthy. It made me feel alot better emotionally, and at first it killed my appetite, so I thought "Great! I won't gain weight on this one!!" Well, after a few months I quickly found out that was NOT going to be the case. Despite continuing to work out & eat somewhat healthy, I started gaining weight. I gained about 16 lbs in 6 months. This is unheard of for me, I always keep my weight in check. I went off of it in September, and once I made it thru the holidays, I've now lost 6 lbs this month. I've been told it can take up to a year for your body to re-adjust, but I think I'm finally "de-toxing" and the weight is finally coming off!! Good luck, and hope they find the right one for you! Keep in mind, it all depends on the medicine, and your body/chemistry. I will say it did make me feel alot better but I hated the side effects!!!

A few years ago I was diagnosed with Bulimia, Depression, Social Anxiety Disorder & Borderline Personality Disorder (awesome, right? No!!! lol). I find the Social Anxiety and Borderline diagnoses questionable but in any case...

I was on Escitalopram (trade names Lexapro, Cipralex) for about 3 years. I started at 10 mg, then increased to 15 mg a few months later. At one point when I was hospitalized for my eating disorder they upped it to 20 mg but I went back to 15 mg when I got out of the hospital because I felt too sleepy on 20 mg (which is the max dose in Canada). It was AMAZING for anxiety. Remained depressed though. I gained a seriously huge amount of weight while on it (200 lbs). I was somewhat successful with my eating disorder as I stopped purging but I continued to binge eat. It was like I was OBSESSED with eating.

A few months ago I switched to Fluoxetine (trade name Prozac). I started at 10 mg, then 20 mg and now 40 mg. Probably going up in dose again at my next appointment I think. My concentration is absolutely horrible now whereas while I was on Cipralex I was so focused. My anxiety is ok and I'm still depressed HOWEVER, I have suddenly been successful losing some of the weight I gained before (63 lbs off so far!!). Prozac is indicated for bulimia and binge eating though and contraindicated for anorexia.

If you ask me, I would like to be on both because there are pros and cons either way. But if I had to chose I would definitely stay on Prozac because I feel healthier even if my concentration is all gone to heck. I will be talking to my doctor about this next time to see if there is something else that might compliment the Prozac to help me focus. I also have a prescription for Clonazepam but it is highly addictive so I try not to take it too often. It does help when you can put yourself into a zombie state for a little while or as I like to call it 'Clonazedrunk'.

Specifically with Wellbutrin (and a few others, not all) one of the side effects is a loss of appetite. I have see doctor use this 'side-effect' to treat people who are obsessive over-eaters. That is why your doc won't prescribe this to you, you have a well-informed doctor (good for you). Wellbutrin also causes people to loose the desire to smoke that is why they have re-named the drug and are marketing it as a smoking cessation aid (here in Canada it is Zyban, I am not sure about the name in the States).
There are MANY other anti-depressants out there and you will find one that fits you! Good luck!
Don't want to sound like a know-it-all, I just know my job! I work in the pharmaceutical field :-)

You can take St. Johns wort and 5-HTP but only if your not on Migraine or SNRI's. Diet and daily exercise will also help. Meditation and yoga too! That's what my natropathic physician and nutritionist said. I am starting Prestiq. We'll see.

I take Fluoxitine. I don't think it effects my weight at all.

Specifically with Wellbutrin (and a few others, not all) one of the side effects is a loss of appetite. I have see doctor use this 'side-effect' to treat people who are obsessive over-eaters. That is why your doc won't prescribe this to you, you have a well-informed doctor (good for you). Wellbutrin also causes people to loose the desire to smoke that is why they have re-named the drug and are marketing it as a smoking cessation aid (here in Canada it is Zyban, I am not sure about the name in the States).
There are MANY other anti-depressants out there and you will find one that fits you! Good luck!
Don't want to sound like a know-it-all, I just know my job! I work in the pharmaceutical field :-)

I decided against the pharmaceutical route. Going to take up yoga or meditation or something. I don't want to replace depression with more depression (if i gain weight). So I will figure this thing out

I understand your position. I was on a drug that isn't necessarily prescribed for depression but I also take fluoxetine (prozac) and amitryptiline. I put on 20kg so have made the decision to not take the drug as I totally agree with you; being depressed about weight gain is just as bad as being depressed for whatever reason in the first place. You have to do what's best for you and if yoga and meditation work then go for it. I've taken up pilates and it makes me feel good.