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!
I recently just went to a Psychiatrist over some personal issues and was just prescribed 2 anti-anxiety medications. I am not sure if I want to start taking them because I don't want it to affect my weight loss. I like to think that I don't really need them anyway. Has anyone had any issues with weight gain while taking Klonopin?
Last edited by txnikita; 10-07-2008 at 08:05 PM.
Reason: sp
I would say that if your psychiatrist prescribed the meds, you should take them. The worst thing that would happen would be that you find you don't like them, and you stop. The other option would be to get a second opinion, but that can be time consuming - and expensive.
I know sometimes it can be hard to admit that you might benefit from medication. But that aside, know that they can help a LOT. It's at least worth a try, and I don't think weight gain will be an issue provided you stick with the diet.
If you went to the doctor and he said you had diabetes and needed to take insulin, would you say no?
If you went to the doctor and he said you had a thyroid deficiency and you needed to take thyroid meds, would you say no?
Why would you not take meds for depression or anxiety?
I truly don't understand why people are so resistant to taking meds *when they're needed* (I'm not saying we should be med reliant all the time) for depression and anxiety. Both of those things are caused by chemical imbalances *just* as much as any other physical ailment you could have.
I don't think there is anything wrong with questioning a diagnosis or prescription. I recently had a doc prescribe me metformin for PCOS (without running bloodwork - she was working from an assumption that ALL people with PCOS have high levels of insulin, abnormal insulin response, or pre-diabetes). I got a second opinion from another doctor, who actually ran all the bloodwork for those things and determined that metformin might not be the best approach for me. So sometimes, getting a second opinion can help, particularly if you're ambivalent about the original diagnosis, as you appear to be.
What you don't want to do, though, is ignore your anxiety. If you decide to treat without medication, I'd encourage you to seek some therapy (especially cognitive-behavioral therapy) to work through your anxiety, and if you're physically able, upping your exercise. Physical exertion has helped me get though some of the worst of my anxiety.
As for weight gain, my experience with a wide variety of antidepressant and anti-anxiety agents is that some cause crazy weight gains and appetite changes, and some don't...and that which do and which do not varies from person to person.
I used to be prescribed lorazepan (almost the same drug) for anxiety for years. I'm not going to get into why you should take it or not because everyone else did, but heres what I noticed:
-did not gain weight at all. In fact, when I was really nervous about something I would eat more and it basically got rid of that habit
-you won't be on it forever. medication keeps you calm and stable enough that you can learn how to do it on your own. I'm no longer on the lorazepam and don't need it anymore, because from my own experiences and working with my psychiatrist I've literally trained my body how to not freak out. Once you've trained yourself you can cut out the meds and still be anxiety free.
If you lived your entire life with an anxiety disorder (i did) you won't KNOW if you need the drugs or not because dealing with anxiety is your 'normal'...you dont know what you could be missing! The drugs won't make you gain weight and they could be really beneficial, if your doctor recommends it you should try it.
I totally agree with Hypra!!! You won't be on this drug forever--it's just so you can calm down enough to handle what you need to handle, and teach yourself how to calm yourself down.
I was on an Anti-anxiety pill for 4 years, because at the time I needed it. I'm no longer on it, and while I'm happy about it, I know at the time it was something I needed.
By all means, ask questions!
Photochick is right--you wouldn't necessarily question a Dr. if you had some other ailment. Depression and/or anxiety issues are real illnesses that are just as worthy of being treated.
Good luck!!!
A lot of people stop eating when they are depressed (I'm certainly not one of them) and when medicated, they feel better and thus gain weight. That's not to say that some meds don't cause weight gain, but most weight gain associated with antidepressants is related to that.
Klonopin didn't make me gain an ounce. I still take it and I've had no issue losing weight.
Rachael makes a really good point. Behavior, eating habits, activity levels... those all can change drastically depending on how you feel. I think a lot of times when people claim they gained weight because of a certain medication, it's usually more of a result from their new way of living.
I took Zoloft for a while and it actually caused me to lose my appetite. I'm off it now cause I hated the side affects. Have you read the book Depression Free Naturally? Thats what I'm doing with great success. I've even now got my sister (who is bipolar) doing it and she's off her meds too.
Regardless of what you decide healing and getting well are way more important than weight loss in my opinion. Heal FIRST then worry about losing weight.
I've been taking klonopin for years for fibromyalgia. I lost 60 plus pounds while taking it, and have maintained for almost seven years while taking it.
Some of the older tricyclic anti-depressants such as trazadone have been associated with weight gain, but klonopin has not. As far as I know, it works completely differently and is not actually classified as an anti-depressant.
Meds or no Meds...that is the question...
