Depression and Weight IssuesHave you been diagnosed with depression, are possibly on depression medication, and find it affects your weight loss efforts? Post here for support!
Hi folks, I'm not exactly new but I haven't really posted much.
I started Wellbutrin end of March. At that time I was on a plateau that started after the holidays. Hung onto and maintained during that time, was stressed because I started a new job. Anyways, since I started Wellbutrin I have been able to lose a little over a pound a week and now am sitting on about a 14# wt loss with it.
I've seen a lot of comments about the anxiety and that is true...by the way, I'm a pharmacist recovering from addiction. I had it at first, but now it's seemed to have mellowed out.
The appetite suppression seems to have tolerated out a bit as well...I got a bit of a recharge after having the stomach flu and not being able to take it for a couple days.
howdy heidi... how are you!!!??
I'm on wellbutrin.. only 100mg with 10mg of lexapro... hmm weight loss? I think i'm less hungry, but I don't think I lost any weight from being on it, just from my food plan..
I gained on zoloft... but i'm finding my appetite was less on zoloft then the lexapro? is this true?? I dunno... all these meds are making me loopy.. LOL
I am new to this message board, but want to relay to you my experiences with Wellbutrin.
I was placed on Wellbutrin in August of 2001. I was severly depressed after having my marriage implode and needed something to curb my very short temper, as I was losing control as far as my daughter was concerned. I never hurt her, but that didn't mean that the thought hadn't crossed my mind!
I was put on 150 mg twice per day, but that made me feel a bit "off" when bed time came, so after discussing it w/ my Dr, i went to 150 mg once per day.
At the time, I weighed just about 195 - 200 pounds.
By that December (4 months later), I had fully quit smoking, but still hadn't taken full control of my eating habits. Over that year, I lost about 10-15 pounds.
In January 2003, I weighed 183 pounds and joined WW at home and dedicated myself fully to the plan. I didn't exercise as much as i would have liked (its hard with a 4-5 year old at home and working full time), but I fit it in when I could. I journaled every bite and was meticulous and driven with the plan.
By September of 2003, I was 142 pounds.
I can say that I believe that the Wellbutrin does affect my appetite and works as a suppressant. I went off the drug for about a year, but went back on it recently and can see a dramatic change in my eating. I used to always want to be snacking. Now I don't seem nearly as prone to snacking and am taking the time to make educated decisions. (off the drug, I would eat and eat and eat almost uncontrollably).
Obviously, i put all that weight back on due to work stresses, emotional stresses, etc -- the main reason I am back on Wellbutrin again.
I can say that I don't think that the drug is the reason that I lost weight, but I do wholeheartedly believe that it had a positive effect on my system while I was following WW closely.
I'm sorry this is long winded. I wish you luck in your journey .....
Cool! Thanks for relaying your experience, Syd! My intuition tells me my momentum will continue, and 142 sounds like a SWEET number to me!!!
BTW-I'm sitting in a Culver's right now (a frozen custard place) and have no desire to eat it! Wellbutrin, thank you!
(i'm in the Culver's for the Wi-fi access, in case you were wondering why would I be subjecting myself to temptation!)
Wow- I must be the only person that has ever gained weight while being on Welbutrin. It made me totally exhausted and sadly, I never did kick the habit of smoking (which was why I was on it in the first place).
Best of luck to others on it- I hope it works well for all of you!
Oh Steelslady...don't worry your not the only one. I have gained so many pounds...I've stopped counting. It did absolutely nothing for an appetite supressant But for me, wellbutrin has been a life saver for me, literally. And as far as anxiety goes, yes I did have some at the beginning but it tappered off to nothing.
Wow- I must be the only person that has ever gained weight while being on Welbutrin. It made me totally exhausted and sadly, I never did kick the habit of smoking (which was why I was on it in the first place).
Best of luck to others on it- I hope it works well for all of you!
To those who have gained on Wellbutrin: I will say this, being my professional background I give weekly talks on the subject of antidepressants to the psychiatric patients at the hospital I work at. We don't know exactly how the medication works. It is really obscure, as opposed to the SSRI's (Prozac, Celexa, Zoloft, etc). So my thoughts are that the Wellbutrin may balance one person a certain way and a different one another. There are conflicting reports: some say that Wellbutrin has absolutely no effects on serotonin, whatsoever, and some others do, albeit a weak one. Even though it is thought to have dopaminergic activity, Wellbutrin has been shown to be only a weak reuptake inhibitor of that neurotransmitter. It has been speculated that the metabolite hydroxybupropion may have a significant role in the antidepressant's activity. However, we really don't know much about this med, and how it works!
I'm currently taking Wellbutrin. My doc just upped my dosage from 150mg daily to 300 mg. I have never smoked, so that's not an issue for me. Right now my appetite is much less than what it normally is, so I'm hoping this will be a "bonus" of taking the medication. However, I'm a bit anxious right now, & increased anxiety is one of the side effects, but my doc seems to think that I will "even out" after a few weeks.
But I have been diagnosed as clinically depressed twice in my life: when I was 27 years old and again when I was 36. I've taken Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil & Celexa.(I think that's the name of the last one...) I experienced sexual side effects with Zoloft, and with Prozac the "2nd time" I tried it (but not on the 1st time I took it... how weird is that?) Major weight gain on Paxil, and my doc even told me (after I'd been on it a year!) that she's never prescribed Paxil to any woman who didn't gain AT LEAST 30 pounds... That's when we went to Celexa.
My doc also told me that people who are diagnosed with clinical depression & who receive treatment (via drugs & therapy) are 50% likely to experience depression a 2nd time, and of THOSE people who experience it a 2nd time are 80% likely to experience it a 3rd time. Scary...how our heads work, ain't it...
So anyway, here I am again... 42... and tho I haven't been specifically diagnosed with clinical depression, I do recognize the signs. My OB/GYN prescribed me the Wellbutrin to try to get my PMSy mood swings under control, as it seems to get worse & worse with each passing month. And other than the slight anxiety I'm feeling, I seem to be OK on it. And like I said, my appetite is WAY LESS (esp. since we upped my dosage.) So maybe we'll consider that "a bonus."
I have been on wellbutrin continuously for the past 5 years (et al, rispirdal, zoloft, xanax, valium, busbar all for relatively limited times) and am now at a dose of 450mg. During the inital 3yrs I gained 60lbs, but I was still sorting my stuff out during the first 2 of those years. During the past 2 years I have suceeded in losing almost 110lbs so far. So, go figure. I don't think that the meds have had very much to do with my weight, high or low, but I do think that depression and anxiety issues have messed with my weight.......up, up and away!!! In the past few years I have been able to get my life sorted out and when I was able to do that, I was able to control my weight and eating habits.
Besides, usually the clinical test trials that report weight losses only end up being like a few lbs, nothing like 20 or 30 or 100 lbs lost. So, if you are losing weight with a med, it could even be psychosomatic (but hey, whatever works, right!!).
I'm on 150 mg wellbutrin and i've lost 13lbs in 3 weeks, i'm also doing Nutrisystem, but wellbutrin, is not getting in the way of my loss,
and i truly feel that my appetite, and need to overeat, are much better now.
My doc stopped my wellbutrin for now. He feels with my anxiety and my increased depression the last few weeks, it isn't helping. He upped my lexapro to 20mg but I feel so lightheaded that we are back to 10mg and will cut the pill in half next week.
I have alot of life 'stuff' going on.. my dad is going for heart surgery and my job is filled with drama. My husbands mild health issues are coming into play again. Although I am relatively healthy, minus the high bp I have, I have a chronic inflammatory disorder which is popping up slightly. I think with all these things I feel sorta low. What gets me through is seeing my girls laugh and enjoying the sillest of tv shows.
anyone on Wellbutrin and have awesome wt loss?
But for me, wellbutrin has been a life saver for me, literally. And as far as anxiety goes, yes I did have some at the beginning but it tappered off to nothing.
That's when we went to Celexa. 
