Getting fit while taking antidepressant/antianxiety medicati

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ojell
ojell Posts: 749 Member
in Success Stories
I posted this in the introducation forum. I'm not really sure where to post it, but I really like to learn more.



I've always heard that people gain weight while taking these medications, but why is that?

Is it possible to NOT gain weight, and continue to LOSE weight or do the medications themselves cause something to change in your body making it more difficult?
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Replies

  • autumnk921
    autumnk921 Posts: 1,376 Member
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    Bumping this so that I can find out some answers as well....Thanks for asking this.. :)
  • profebarnes
    profebarnes Posts: 17 Member
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    I started my medication about 2 months ago and I've still been losing weight. I haven't noticed a change in my eating or hunger levels because of it. Hope the same holds true for you!
  • KarenT45
    KarenT45 Posts: 23 Member
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    I have been on antianxiety meds for about 14 years after the diagnosis of autism with my son.
    If you follow the plan, weight will come off no matter what.
    It may not come off as fast as others but that could be a difference in metabolism, not necessarily because of the meds.
    Good luck. We CAN do this!!!
  • badgerbadger1
    badgerbadger1 Posts: 954 Member
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    There's no reason you can't lose weight while on these medications. The weight gain is behaviour based, not due to the meds IMO.
  • ojell
    ojell Posts: 749 Member
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    Ok That's GREAT news! :) Thanks guys! I've just worked so hard to get to where I am, and I still have a lot of work to do! It's been hard enough as it is, I don't want it to be any harder! lol
  • EBFNP
    EBFNP Posts: 529 Member
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    Some antidepressants increases your appetite. I would check with your doctor or pharmacist about potential side effects.
  • lunamare
    lunamare Posts: 569 Member
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    I'd do some research into what the different side effects are before you start any medication. I know that there are some that do not affect your appetite and some that do. If I remember right, Wellbutrin is one of the ones that doesn't typically cause weight gain. Best of luck! Exercise is also a great for boosting your mood ;)
  • LavenderChamomile
    LavenderChamomile Posts: 52
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    There's no reason you can't lose weight while on these medications. The weight gain is behaviour based, not due to the meds IMO.

    I disagree. I gained 60 pounds in a matter of months while on Zoloft, and I wasn't eating any differently. Even after I started eating better and making an effort to be healthy, I still gained on Zoloft. I wasn't able to lose weight until I stopped taking it. It probably would have been possible, but very very difficult.
  • bluberrygoo
    bluberrygoo Posts: 222 Member
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    I've been on antidepressants for 11 years and I have never gained weight on them, and my dosage is pretty high. Not including the weight I've gained from pregnancies.
  • Breezedew
    Breezedew Posts: 134 Member
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    I'm on Celexa and fully expected to gain a ton of weight as everyone said. I started in December 2011 and am down 35lbs since then. I feel my brain can now plan and control better what I am eating. I plan and follow through, which I never did before. I can focus and I feel so much better.

    I talked in length about it before I started this medication with my therapist and she said if it is the right medicine for me and we watch it closely I should have no problem losing weight. And it has been true even after upping the dose.


    I also exercise daily now and before I couldn't even get out of bed or off the couch to do it.

    So I would definitely talk to your doc and not consider the side effects list as concrete for EVERYONE. I am one that if I read a side effect I believe I'll get it. Now I'm in control of my actions and those thoughts, so it's MUCH better for me.

    Now I feel I can go all the way!
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
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    I've been on Celexa for over a year and have been able to lose weight. I'm also on Wellbutrin and have been for about 6 months, and that has actually helped me. Celexa made me very tired, almost TOO relaxed. The Wellbutrin keeps my energy levels normal so I am motivated to work out. :)
  • dougii
    dougii Posts: 679 Member
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    I was on Mirtazapine and gained weight as well as experiencing other not so nice side effects. Now on Welbutrine and have lost 27 pounds. One more month and the Welburtine goes away too:smile: Next I am going to try to get rid of the blood pressure pills (with doctor guidance of course). All drugs effect individuals differently so you should definately be talking to your physician about all side effects.
  • badgerbadger1
    badgerbadger1 Posts: 954 Member
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    There's no reason you can't lose weight while on these medications. The weight gain is behaviour based, not due to the meds IMO.

    I disagree. I gained 60 pounds in a matter of months while on Zoloft, and I wasn't eating any differently. Even after I started eating better and making an effort to be healthy, I still gained on Zoloft. I wasn't able to lose weight until I stopped taking it. It probably would have been possible, but very very difficult.

    Sorry you've had that experience. I'm on high dosages of both Wellbutrin and Zoloft and they haven't affected my weight loss at all.
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
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    I was on Mirtazapine and gained weight as well as experiencing other not so nice side effects. Now on Welbutrine and have lost 27 pounds. One more month and the Welburtine goes away too:smile: Next I am going to try to get rid of the blood pressure pills (with doctor guidance of course). All drugs effect individuals differently so you should definately be talking to your physician about all side effects.

    Agreed. My doc was hesitant to put me on Wellbutrin because I had a history of disordered eating and it can be an appetite suppressant.
  • hollyberry2012
    hollyberry2012 Posts: 253
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    I just got back from the doctor last week, and we were talking about this very subject.. We laughed actually because ...anti-anxiety meds are sometimes seratonin re-uptake inhibitors. But food increases the seratonin level in the brain as well..giving it a jolt every time you eat... that's why the doctor will tell you to have a good meal first when you are depressed. Just to see if it helps...

    I've been on Paxil for years. The minute I went on it...I started losing...it took the place of the food I was using to keep the seratonin levels up in my brain...I lost 90lbs right away... I kept it off until I started doing the wrong things eating wise, socializing wise, everything wise... I knew it wasn't the meds..it was ME..and I took responsibility for it.

    but I can understand when a person starts to feel happy and excited for a new non-depressed life, they will start to socialize and start to either make good or bad choices. And that can override any medication.

    That is just my experience. But talking it over with my doctor the other day, he said he wished his other patients could see it from that point of view.. and that it makes scientific sense.
  • Abrowe313
    Abrowe313 Posts: 189 Member
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    like any medication they effect everybody differently. i have been on anti anxiety/ depression medicine since i was 15 from prozac,to paxil, ativan, and xanax. and i gained weight. but i think its because those kind of meds are made to calm,, so it cuts your energy waay down especially if you are on xanax or anything like that because they are tranquilizers its hard to get up and exercise when you have no energy . talk to your dr. and ask if you can be put on something else or maybee cut the dosage. my dr just gave me the green light to stop taking my meds for the 1st time in almost 20 years
  • jsolar79
    jsolar79 Posts: 8
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    There's no reason you can't lose weight while on these medications. The weight gain is behaviour based, not due to the meds IMO.


    I respectfully disagree with this too. I followed Weight Watchers while I was on Zoloft for several months and lost nothing, then I was switched to wellbutrin and followed the same plan, same amount of exercise and I ended up losing close to 65 lbs in 10 months. I truly think it depends on your body chemistry. Each person is so unique, a medication that may make person A gain weight, won't necessarily have the same effect on person B. My hubby is a Physician Assistant and we have had many conversations about this. He said his patients all experience different side effects some gain some lose, some stay the same when starting certain SSRI's. Just have to find what works for you!!!
  • kaned_ferret
    kaned_ferret Posts: 618 Member
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    I'm currently on Mirtazapine (since dec '11) and prior to that was taking Escitalopram (from feb '11). I did put on weight from the feb to the dec, then in december I put on a good stone in a matter of weeks - though I don't think this was a side effect of the medication, the fact is, due to my horrendous state of anxiety (work-induced stress) I went from being active, to totally sedentary, and still eating and drinking fair amounts. So the gain wasn't medication related I don't think, just a lack of control on my part (which I didn't even realise was a problem til I found MFP and started to work it all out in the new year!)

    I'm still on the Mirtazipine, and I have lost some weight now that I am watching the calories and upping the exercise, so I'm hoping I'll do alright. I'm also on the pill atm, which again I know can make you put on weight, which I strongly suspect to be the case.

    Still, the medication is not stopping me from getting fit in the slightest, I'm making myself get up and motivated. It's all I have at the minute so I'm not letting go!
  • becoming_a_new_me
    becoming_a_new_me Posts: 1,860 Member
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    Because the entire purpose of an anti-depressant is to alter the brain chemistry, and everyone's chemistry is unique, everyone will have different results. Since hunger, cortisol production, and fat-burning hormones are regulated by the brain, it is understandable that there will be some who lose and some who gain with no diet changes. Another thing that can happen with some anti-depressants is increased hunger and sleep-eating. Check with your doctor if you notice a gain without any diet or activity changes.
  • ojell
    ojell Posts: 749 Member
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    I just got back from the doctor last week, and we were talking about this very subject.. We laughed actually because ...anti-anxiety meds are sometimes seratonin re-uptake inhibitors. But food increases the seratonin level in the brain as well..giving it a jolt every time you eat... that's why the doctor will tell you to have a good meal first when you are depressed. Just to see if it helps...

    I've been on Paxil for years. The minute I went on it...I started losing...it took the place of the food I was using to keep the seratonin levels up in my brain...I lost 90lbs right away... I kept it off until I started doing the wrong things eating wise, socializing wise, everything wise... I knew it wasn't the meds..it was ME..and I took responsibility for it.

    but I can understand when a person starts to feel happy and excited for a new non-depressed life, they will start to socialize and start to either make good or bad choices. And that can override any medication.

    That is just my experience. But talking it over with my doctor the other day, he said he wished his other patients could see it from that point of view.. and that it makes scientific sense.

    This is what I wondered as well. My own mother has taken meds and before she started them she had lost a lot of weight, and then when she started them she gained about 20lbs right off the bat. So, she is one of the people who have made me believe I would gain weight from the meds. So, just the other day, I asked her if she still ate right and exercised after starting them and she said no. So it really got me thinking.

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