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, there are a lot of depression meds that make you gain weight. What did the DR. say? If you tell me the name of it I could tell you, I was a medical asst. My husband went on some this past Feb, and gained 60lbs so, he went off them. good luck, there are plenty of meds that don't so tell your DR your concerns.
Maybe you can help me then, I was put on the depo-provera shot and on Seraphim or however you spell it at the same time. The Seraphim didn't work well so they upped the dosage, then upped it to Prozac. The next thing I knew I had gained 30 pounds. The Prozac screwed me up bad. I started to develop phobia's and had an increase in panic attacks. The Doc took me off the Prozac and put me on Lexapro which put my brain back on track but killed my sex life. Then they put me on Wellbutrin instead which so far has seemed to be the best all around. (Although there are still some definate signs of depression). But, they took me off the Depo-provera about 2 years ago. One Doc seemed to think the Depo was the cause of the weight gain, my other Doc said no. What is your opinion? The Depo? The Prozac? And what does Wellbutrin do to weight? The depression is bad enough for your weight, the teatment shouldn't cause problems too. Are there any meds out there that treat the depression, don't kill the sex life and don't make you gain weight?
Sorry about your dilema, my sister was put on prozac after she had a kidney transplant and she gained a lot and then couldn't lose it. MY husband to but, he is now on Nuraten ( sorry about the spelling ) and since lost most of the weight but totally killed the sex life, unfortunatly most anti depressants kills your sex drive so your left with the choice of choosing, my husband suffers from severe panic attack for over 25 years so he choose the meds. keep trying till you find the one that helps you the most with the least side effects.
I am on cymbalta. It did cause me to gain about 10-15 pounds. It is in a newer class, its a SNRI, not a SSRI. That means it also effects neuronephrine levels and it is supposed to have lower sexual side effects than SSRIs.
While it did cause me a little weight gain it also gave me the tools to lose the weight- it also helps with my chronic pain.
Plus I notice that when I am not on meds (curently am off for a sleep study) the depression makes me a bit wacky in terms of impulse control. I am more likely to binge and more likely to spend money on things and just shop. I find it harder to delay gratification and so forth.
Also, when I am depressed I like to eat junk food. Not good for weight loss.
Topamax is an anticonvulsant and migraine medicaiton that is sometimes used for other things and it is one of those rare meds that causes weight loss.
To be honest, I KNOW I need to be on something! And I am going to start looking into counselling but I am scared to death because of the weight gain, and after I had my daughter 4 years ago I had post partum depression, got NO support for it and ended up on celexa and the weight came on! I went off of celexa on my own for that reason which was a dumb thing to do! But since I had to fend for myself the whole time, I got no constructive suggestions from family members or my husband (who I am still angry with today) and was told I was gaining weight, I just stopped the meds without even telling my psychiatrist at the time!
hi, my heart goes out to you. But, there are plenty of meds that don't put on weight so just exsplain to your doctor about your concerns counselling is a good place to start and once you start feeling better then you can address your weight, you already to the first step by admitting you need help. you need to lose the weight for yourself and noone else. I don't know how your husband handled the weight gain, I know mine has been pretty bad about it so I can relate. Good Luck.
I've never made the connection between weight and meds. Since I really don't think I have a choice about the meds, it's something I have to learn to work around.
Paxil caused me to lose my appetite and 10 pounds at first. I think I was also on it when I put myself on a 1200 calorie, less than 20 grams of fat, 30 minutes of aerobics every day regime. I lost 20 pounds.
I went off meds for awhile to get pregnant. Since Paxil messed so much with my libido, I tried several other things including serzone, lexapro and celexa with varying degrees of success treating the depression, but none of them improved the libido issues. My weight has been mostly up with some downs through very hard work.
I'm now taking wellbutrin for depression. The libido problems are gone, which is great after all these years. That in itself eases some of the stress. I'm also working with my doctor who has prescribed adipex for me for a short time in order to control my binge eating and to give me time to develop healthy habits while losing more than 1 pound a month I was able to manage before.
I'm not sure how much any of this has to do with the depression meds because, like I said, I really don't have a choice about those. I just need a work around.
I was in the same position you were not too long ago.
It has taken me awhile to find the right depression drug for me.(I finally found it!!) I reccomend asking your doctor about Welbutrin-XL.
Also,Effexor is good.One of its side effects is that it makes you lose weight.oh what a bummer huh? I did loose some weight,but it made me swet really,really bad.I would just be doing dishes or something silly,& would be dripping with swet.Like I had just hit the gym for a few hrs.-Not cute!!
It also gave me major cotton mouth.-Yuck!
Then I tried Lexepro which made me gain weight,& I was very very tired all the time.I tried taking it at night,but I would wake up so tired.If I took it during the day....well I think you get the point,I was sleepy no matter what!
My doctor sugessted I try Welbutrin- XL.I'm taking that and 1/2 the dose of lexepro,untill I can wing my self off of the Lexepro. And........Let me tell you,I feel great!
I can wake up in the am,and my eyes are not heavy I feel refreshed!
Something I have not felt in over a year! I have more energy,& I have noticed since taking the welbutrin-XL that I'm starting to lose weight again.
Also,my love life is back to normal,oh yeah another one of Lexepros side effects is a loss in sex,not cool!!
I know several people who has used Welbutrin XL,& they all liked it,& no weight gain.
Hope this helps,Good luck sweetie!
I started out with Paxil 6 years ago and my doctor told me it curves the appetite and it sure did for me, he moved and I didn't have health insurance so I couldn't afford treatment anymore and went off it. At that time I had no interest in sex, I couldn't even get in the 'mood'. I was put on zoloft but had a bad reaction to it (throat closing in feeling), then wellbutrin, wellbutrin is called the 'sexy, thin' drug but it did not work with my chemistry (everyone is different), I was in a sleep coma for about 48 hours until it left my system.
2 years ago I tried effexor and that was the closest thing to **** I have ever experienced. I am now back on paxil (low dose, 10mg) and I have a different experience with it, I have way more interest in sex and can get in the 'mood' and my appetite is curved once again. I put on weight but I put this on from stress eating after a surgery. I also take Ativan (Lorazepam is the generic) for anxiety (best thing ever).
You can control weight gain with meds if you diet and work out. My mother takes lexapro, lithium and one other, the lithium makes it difficult since you have to put tons of salt in the diet but she still manages her weight and we was very heavy 4-5 years ago.
Just try to mantain what you eat and how much you work out and you should be fine. Anything that brings your anxiety down and levels your depression can make you more relaxed and this can slow your metabolism, being very tired makes you want to eat as well. So just work out is all I can say, I am beat some days but I drag my butt to the gym. If I have to pick always being 10-15 pounds overweight or being depressed, I will take the 10-15 pounds (I need to lose WAY more than that though ;-)) I tend to eat more when I am depressed and the paxil helps the head hunger. So yea, I can't be off meds, maybe I will try another when I find a better doctor that will help me out.
i am new here, but have suffered from depression most of my life, even as a child. the first meds i was on after my daughter was born in 2000 was zoloft and i loved it! it made me feel terrific and i didn't gain weight, i actually lost a lot on it. i was smaller on zoloft than i had ever been in my whole adult life!!! eventually, zoloft wore off for me and i haven't really taken anything else since even though i should - i am a mess!
gabrielbeth
Im now on prozac and it's been wonderful. I havent had much of a sex drive since having my kids so that didnt change much but my moods are sooo much better. I havent noticed any real weight gain or lose from it.
My experiences with meds & weight have been kooky.
My first med was Prozac. It worked great - within a couple of weeks, I lost that "just wanna die" feeling & started living again. It didnt' effect my sex drive, I had no ill side effects, and I did not gain weight.
That was 17 years ago.
The 2nd time I was diagnosed with clinical depression, I was given Prozac, but it DIDN'T WORK - at all. In fact, I had that stupid side effect of complete lack of sex drive on it. Nothing on the planet is worth that to me, LOL....So we (meaning my doc & me) tried Zoloft. It worked - but I exp. too many side effects for it to be called a success. Next we tried Paxil. That worked GREAT. My depression quickly lifted, and I thought I was totally cured! - until I realized I'd gained 30 pounds, and I am serious! - I was dieting & exercising my *** off, and could not lose one single pound while on Paxil!!!!! - then the doc told me she'd never prescribed Paxil to any woman who DIDN'T gain AT LEAST 30 pounds while taking it! So as soon as I was "well" enough, I weened off Paxil, and finally got to a place where I could diet/exercise the weight off.
I was 3 pounds within my goal when I aggravated an old shoulder injury last year. Since then I have gained 26 pounds. And I have fallen into MY THIRD BOUT with depression! (why me lord????) A different doctor than the one I had before... she & I have been working toward a common goal. To get me "Un"depressed & to NOT gain any more weight, and hopefully be able to lose again! First we tried Wellbutrin XL. No go. Then Wellbutrin. Low dosage. Did nothing. Higher dosage... did too much. Weened off that & am NOW on Celexa. It's only been 2 days on the Celexa, so I don't feel like I can give you a full report yet. But I will say this: my appetite already "seems" different. Less so, not more. So hopefully I will not gain any more weight & also hopefully this depression will subside.
The one thing I do believe whole-heartedly: We are ALL different. Different diets work for different people; different meds act differently in different people. So you can listen to all our stories & what worked or didn't work for us, but really, this is something that is ultimately between you and your doctor.
I was recently put on Seroquel and I'm nervous about gaining weight. I've read that it will up your appetite, making you feel hungry even after you've eaten, and I really don't need that. I don't want to gain any weight, I'm kind of scared.
I need the medicine, since I'm bipolar and every now and then I'll just get so mad at something that shouldn't make me that mad, and I have this obsession with washing my hands. The doc thought Seroquel was the appropiate medicine for me and I want to take it to be better, but I don't think I'll take the dosage she told me to take. I'll take a bit lower and see what happens.
I am one of those people who doesn't buy into the theory that depression meds make you gain weight.
If it doesn't go into your mouth, it can't wind up on your *ss.
I put on some weight over the past year. I was on Lexapro.
Do I blame the Lexapro?
Nope, I blame the icecream that I ate every night and the cr*p I ate during the day.
Anything will make you put on weight if you let it.
There is now scientific proof that certain meds can make you gain (or lose) weight. It might not be true with you, however; because not all meds work the same on all people. It's not that the *meds* themselves cause the weight gain, it's how the meds "effect" you.
Do a google on medications & weight gain, you'll find a lot of useful information. Here's a blurb from one of my searches:
Antidepressants can affect weight in several ways:
They may increase or decrease basal metabolic rate without changing caloric intake.
They may affect hormonal changes and increase appetite.
Unexpected weight gain can increase the difficulties associated with psychiatric and seizure disorders by further aggravating mood instability and low self-esteem.
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs)
SSRIs comprise one of the major classes of antidepressants currently being prescribed by primary care physicians. At first, SSRIs were thought to be associated with weight loss and reduced appetite. For a while, they were even marketed as anti-obesity drugs. It is now known that long-term use of SSRIs is associated with weight gain.
If you'd like to read more - here's a link to the whole article. It really is quite interesting! http://www.netnutritionist.com/fa12.htm
So as soon as I was "well" enough, I weened off Paxil, and finally got to a place where I could diet/exercise the weight off. 
And I have fallen into MY THIRD BOUT with depression! (why me lord????) A different doctor than the one I had before... she & I have been working toward a common goal. To get me "Un"depressed & to NOT gain any more weight, and hopefully be able to lose again! First we tried Wellbutrin XL. No go. Then Wellbutrin. Low dosage. Did nothing. Higher dosage... did too much. Weened off that & am NOW on Celexa. It's only been 2 days on the Celexa, so I don't feel like I can give you a full report yet. But I will say this: my appetite already "seems" different. Less so, not more. So hopefully I will not gain any more weight & also hopefully this depression will subside. 
