I just went on antidepressants for the first time in my life and in about 2 weeks put on 10 pounds - and I’ve uped my workouts. Has this happened to anyone else? What did you do? Thanks in advance. N
I applaud you for taking care of yourself. I’m on Zoloft. I love it. I did not gain weight from Zoloft, in fact on a higher dosage I lost quite a bit of weight. (But alas I also was a bit manic-- so I had to cut back a bit). I hope you’ll find a way to keep your weight where you want it and hope that it’s not the anti-depressant that is causing this, because if it’s helping you You should stay the course. Best Wishes…
Marianne
Not all meds affect weight gain in the same way. Hopefully you’re able to discuss it with your psych – he/she may know of alternative meds that work similarly but don’t have the weight gain associated. A doctor needs to take some time to help with this and make sure it fits for you – it can’t always be done in a quick, impersonal visit. Hopefully your psych gives you time and listens to you. I also recommend that you do some research and compile some options. Getting the right med can be very complex, but it can help to have input from a well-informed patient. Best of luck to you.
depends on the drug. I prescribe these often (family medicine) the newer ssris (lexapro…) tend to be weight neutral. zoloft sometimes has a weight creep at the one year mark same with some of the other older ones.
pristiq and effexor weight neutral
the mood stabilizers often have weight gain and if you are gaining early have diabetes as a risk - discuss this with your physician - another agent might be better for you.
additionally adding wellbutrin (buproprion) often offsets the weight gain of the ssris
When I was on Cymbalta I carried an extra 30 lbs or so.
About 7 years ago I switched to Lamictal. It’s more of a mood stabilizer, but is cross prescribed for depression. Obviously doesn’t work for everyone, I went through a number of drugs over the years.
I’ve had zero weight gain with it.
The generic name is Lamotrigine. I have found that not all generics are created equal.
varies by the drug, some are fine. I was on amitryptiline for headaches, put on 10lbs and could not lose it until some time after switching to a different drug. That 10lbs persisted through stopping alcohol and going on a calorie restricted diet, which was unexpected. Ask your doc for something different if you can…
As a weight loss physician I will tell you that it is common with some meds. Wellbutrin is by far the best when it comes to controlling weight
As a weight loss physician I will tell you that it is common with some meds. Wellbutrin is by far the best when it comes to controlling weight
I’ve not noticed any weight gain on wellbutrin.
Citalopram: no change in weight.
Side effects differ for medication and individual.
Good job getting help. Meds, (good) professional counselling, and exercise work well as a team to fight the daemon.
+2 for Wellbutrin (bupropion) for no weight gain (some even lose slightly) and no loss of libido.