Anti-depressants and weight gain

[slinko]

Hello all-
I've been taking SSRI anti-depressants for nearly seven years during which time I've gained nearly sixty pounds. Admittedly, a lot of it can be attributed to a lethargic lifestyle and poor eating habits but I've substantially improved in both areas in the last year. I do cardio, weight training and yoga three times a week and eat a varied, balanced diet. I quit drinking, smoking and staying up all night and added multivitamins, gallons of water and calcium supplements. I haven't lost a pound.
Only very recently did it come to my attention that weight gain is a very common side effect of anti-depressants but is not yet recognized by the medical community. Also, weight gained while taking anti-depressants is often very difficult to lose.
Has anyone else experienced anything similar?
Thanks for your input, I appreciate it very much.

[asta]

I have had the opposite situation. I am taking prozac, because some studies have found that it helps with binge eating. I have lost 52 lbs. since I started taking it. I have also kept an accurate record of everything that I have eaten, played tennis 3x per week, some kind of cardio 6x per week and weight training 3x per week. I find that the most important component of losing weight is to keep a very accurate record of everything that you eat. It is really easy to fool yourself into thinking that you are eating few calories than you actually are. Even if I "cheat", I write it down and usually I can make a small adjustment later in the day to keep my daily calorie total right where I wanted it.

I hope that my experience helps.

asta