Hi all. My name is Sherry and I am new here. I was very happy to find this special sub-group. It's good to know that others are going thru the same things that I am due to depression and related illnesses. I started taking meds (AD's and anti-anxiety etc) 2 yrs ago. I weighed 114 (I am short 5'1) and I now weigh about 50 pounds heavier. It is very depressing and I have now stopped taking the Paxil. It was the worst offender. I also work from home which does not help at all!!!!!!! I bought myself a treadmill for X-mas and will have it next week. I am out of control with my weight but am ready to start working on this. It's good to be here
Sherry

I gained lots of weight on Paxil, too! It put me WAYYYYYY up on the scale. Obviously, my eating habits don't help, but the medication's boost definitely didn't help either.

Just know you weren't alone in that. I dealt with it, too. We both got through it though. At least we're no longer taking it.

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I too gained weight on AD meds. The first was Zoloft, then I switched to Effexor since it was rumored to have a weight loss side effect. Not for me. I gained about 30 pounds. I stopped taking all my meds this past summer and the weight gain has stopped. I agree with Smilla that I wish drs. would warn their patients. I think I would have tried going without, but that's hindsight so who knows?

Welcome to this place....I hope you suceed and make many new friends!

Talk to your doctor about switching your medicine. Everyone responds differently. I responded well to Celexa, I didn't gain weight with it, but it deadened my emotions completely. Now I'm on Wellbutrin and I've been able to lose weight while on it...not quickly, mind you, but I've been able to lose. It also lets me feel.

thanks everyone. nice to meet all of you! glad to be here!

Hey everyone. I'm new here, and so glad to have found this forum. I have been on ADs for about 5 years. I've tried them all. I'm now up to 215. I can't seem to function without them though. Even now, on Celexa, I feel bad. Hopefully I will get some tips from everyone.

Marcie

I am going to try to quit my Paxil...as soon as I prove to myself that I can stay consistent with the exercise. I just posted somewhere else on this site about me being on Paxil for 5 years and now i want off. The weight gain has been horrible. I am lethargic, apethetic, and now I have diabetes to go along with it. Thanks for all the good information you have shared about you guys exercising and getting off these drugs. I would love to hear from any of you who have had success with doing this...Thanks Patty [email protected]

I gained alot of weight by going on to medication, but my therapist told me that was normal and not to worry about it. I went to the doctor about 4 months atfer I started taking it, and when she asked me why I had gained almost 30 pounds, I told her the medication was causing horrible urges to binge. She was furious with my therapist for allowing me to continue a medication which has caused me to gain weight. She said that she should have recommended trying something different since different people respond differently. I went back to my therapist and insisted that she switch me to a different medication, and after that, I haven't had a problem with weight gain.

I have been on Zoloft and Effexor in the past - gained lots of weight with Zoloft. Did not stay on Effexor long enough to gain or not. I am a big fan of Prozac now. I have been on it since this past October and feel very much like my old pre-depression/anxiety self. It has not made me lose weight but has made me stop gaining and has given me more energy to exercise and more control over my eating, and I have lost over 40 pounds since starting it 5 months ago. Not saying that would happen for everyone, but that has been my experience and I am VERY happy with it!

hi there
i gained 30kg from the time i started meds until about 18mo ago. that = 66lb

then i lost 10kg a yr ago but recently put 2.5kg back on. still a long way to go

i can't blame it all on the meds. some of it was self medicating => using food to feel better, and some of it was because my activity levels went down. i was just so fatigued

if anyone has a cure for the fatigue (preferably an instant one rofl) i want it!!! send it to me lol

I wish I new how to fix the tiredness. Exercise and caffiene help me sometimes but it's hard to get to the gym when you feel exhausted!! The dentist is going to be mad at me for drinking diet pop so much these days but what can I do? I hate coffee so I haven't got much choice.

Ugh, I gained weight on meds too. I was on a ridiculous cocktail of anti-depressants, mood stabilizers and anti-anxiety meds. The culprit was the Depakote...I gained 80 pounds from it!! Ack!!! And if this means anything at all, I stopped the Depakote and dropped 20 pounds without watching what I ate or exercising. This was years ago though.

i gained weight on depakote too, also on antipsychotics. trouble is when i stop i don't lose much of the weight. maybe 20% and the rest seems to linger

lessthan - i hear you on the tiredness. i was thinking of doing a separate thread on it. the tiredness is the killer. sometimes i think right i am going to do this and that. then i start moving and my butt aches and my legs ache and i am tired and can't be bothered. or i do a few mins and feel exhausted - no stamina

the artificial stimulants aren't good but i use them too. mainly sugar based ones. honestly i try really hard to eat totally healthy but i usually can't last and end up relenting and having some sugar.

sleep is a major problem for me. non refreshing sleep. and i either sleep forever or i sleep an hour or 2 at a time. last night the most horrific nightmares. altho i am wondering if the klonopin is responsible for that. first time i have taken it in a few weeks