Antidepressants & Weight Gain/Loss

KarenB · May 22, 2005

After trying many antidepressants for medication-resistant depression, I've been taking Wellbutrin 200 mg. and Prozac 20 mg. It seems to be pretty much working. My weight is stable, (no gain) but no loss either. I believe that is because I'm in need of a fill, but really haven't been eating that much. The last med. I took was Paxil, which was disasterous weight-wise.

I know some people have switched to Cymbalta from Wellbutrin because of weight gain. If weight gain was the only reason you switched, do you find that the relief from depression is comparable?

If you are comfortable doing so, please share your experience with antidepressants and weight gain/loss. Thank you.

La_madam · May 22, 2005

Paxil = disaster for me, gained 65 -70 lbs

I hace OCD/ depression and took Paxil for it,

Once I started gaining weight I became even more depressed but would not let the doctor put me on any other meds, in fear of gaining more weight.

It is amazing since I have lost weight how my OCD is under control and no more dperession.

paula · May 22, 2005

Karen,

Funny how all of our systems are so different.

I took Wellbutrin XL 300 for about a year. Didnt notice any weight gain. But didnt notice any aid in anxiety/depression either. Only problem with this was I had a very hard time sleeping when I took it.

juju · May 23, 2005

karen,

i feel that life is a cyclical event.. you are depressed because you are fat, so you eat to calm the soul, you become more depressed because you are fatter....and so on and so on...

i have tried every type of SSRI's out there. I finally realized that my depression stems from me being overweight. So, my solution is to wean off these meds, and go for the lap band.. I hope I have made the right choice.

juju

Zoe · May 23, 2005

Everyone's depression is different. I wish mine were like juju's, and that losing weight would make it disappear. Not so in my case.

I've been on Prozac for nearly 11 years now and have tried to go off the stuff several times, with disastrous results. I've also tried switching to Wellbutrin (clouded my thinking), Celexa (didn't help much), Lexapro (ditto), to name just a few that my doctor and I have experimented with in an attempt to keep depression at bay, not to mention every possible natural cure from St. John's Wort to manic exercise. I finally admit that I have a mental illness and that medication, however undesirable the side effects (sex? huh?), keeps it under control and lets me have a life.

Yes, Prozac helped me gain weight; I know several people who've had the same experience. I have mentioned this to my doctor several times, and his response is always the same: He's heard the same complaint from patients for ages, so he believes it's true, but no medical study has yet documented the connection. There's a dissertation waiting to be written! Anyway, years ago I decided I would rather be fat than suicidal, so I stayed on the meds. Now I'm thinner but still medicated.

In my case I'm not sure if it really was the Prozac triggering my increased appetite or just a general relaxation of vigilance and obsessiveness brought on by the drug that made me care less about my food intake.

I haven't tried Paxil, but one of my brothers is on it (plus, recently, Wellbutrin); he's developed a rabid sweet tooth and has put on about 50 lbs. in the last two years. On the other hand, he's alive.

Angeleyes · May 23, 2005

I also am on anti-depressants. After taking Prozac I started to gain weight and put on about 45 pounds. I then stopped taking it and have changed to Effixer(this may not be spelled right) and my weight seemed to stablize. I am still taking it and I think for the first time I am less depressed than I have been in years.

Debbydo · May 23, 2005

Angeleyes I had a horrific experience getting off it.

Beware of Effexor. I changed from Prozac because my primary thought I wasn't losing weight on the P and the Effexor has less of a side effect. What was not explained to her or me was Effexor is a strong medically addicting medication. It took me 6 months to get off of it. I finally came off after surgery, because it was time released I couldn't crush it and I was down to taking 1 pill everyother day from 3 pills a day anyway so there I was weened and happy to be done with it.

SO far so good. But I'm on the look out for the warning signs of depression.

Good luck to you Karen!

Angeleyes · May 23, 2005

What were your side effects when you tryed to cut down?

Debbydo · May 23, 2005

shakes, sweats, and a feeling of being fuzzy, loopy - I couldn't work drive etc. and I got very angry. I met with a physologist who said to be medically supervised because it could cause psycic eposides. I could see my self going postal with a little lapse in judgement. My neighbor is a pharmaicst and hepled my ween off of it very very very slowly. My PCP was stuck on it as well so this was not her area of expertise. While I was on it I felt great but I started on anti depressiant post partum, Nick is not 7 and half I wanted to see if life was still good without anything. I hated the fact I couldn't cry.

KarenB · May 24, 2005

Thanks guys. I'm heading to the pysch. hopefully tomorrow. Something's just not right, not to mention that the Welbutrin is making me even MORE constipated. Bleeding from a movement is no fun. Anyway, maybe I'll try Cymbalta next if my doc thinks it's o.k. This sucks. I'm sure if I could get my ass out walking every a.m. I'd feel a lot better. But depression doesn't lend itself to getting up any earlier than necessary. Anyway, enough babbling. Thanks for all your help, guys.