Hi, Im New to this board. I have been a diet sucsess story for about 18 years, over the last 3 years I have faced a huge unexplained weight gain. I went from 150 to 210, all the while I was watching my intake, in the last year or so I have actually been trying to lose it, I added weight training low to zero fat grams, keeping active lowering calories, Yes I know Im older but other than the weight gain I do not show it, Im told I look 30 ( Im40) The one unusual factor iis antidepresants, only Im not getting any confirmation from Doctors, Thius is really getting to me, I know what Im doing, I can not lose this weight Help! I can not take St. Johns Worth either, it acts the same rather it is natural or not yet it was not as effective as the RX. Has any one had a simular experience? I do not trust The Dr any more. My thyroid tested ok also.
Angry but not giving up!

Hello I have been on them also, initially I lost the weight, but over the course of the last few years it all has come back. So I am thinkin that maybe there is a link. Its all chemcials and who knows what is does to our brains and bodies. So I think there is a link...Somewhere somehow, I agree...Prozac is the drug...

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i'm here to say YES! antidepressants DO make you gain weight!!! i've had three doctors tell me i will never loose weight if i continue to take elavil. i've taken it for about ten years in varying doses due to insomnia. one woman doctor said she would never presribe elavil to a woman, as the socially negative image for overweight women can only add to the depression and further burden their lack of self confidence. a while back i found a doctor's forum on the web about this subject and the overwhelming majority said their patients gain significant weight on anti-depressants. believe me i have tried to lose weght on elavil---i weighed 95 lbs when i started the rx---now i weigh 170 lbs. exercise and the proper diet only tones me up - i don't loose weight. but elavil is the only thing that will help me sleep- and i've tried everything. i've heard that prozac can help some people loose weight...my new doctor has me on 800 calories a day. pretty depressing.

I have been on antidepressants for about 6 years. I have had gains, but I changed meds about a year and a half ago. I think I have finally found the right one for me. I have started to lose weight. I think the medication plays a part, but I think that feeling better about yourself is much more important. Whats the use of being skinny if you may not be here to enjoy it? Moral - I think that all drugs affect each individual differently.

Hi, I took prozac for about 3 years for pms symptoms and I noticed I was really tired all the time and gaining weight. I hit 170 and decided to go off the prozac and deal with the pms. I don't know if prozac made me gain weight, but I do know that it didn't help me loose it. I tried celexa too and that also made me tired. I am now off all antidepressants and on day 8 of the Atkins Diet. I GAINED 3 lbs! I just don't know!

Yes, I've been researching different anti-depressants and some do cause weight gain. I've also been on a few different ones. I was recently put on Effexor. From what I have read about Effexor, it tends to cause weight loss more than weight gain. We'll see...

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terricooper

[This message has been edited by terricooper (edited 02-14-2000).]

YES!!!!! i have been on antidepresants for about 2 years. side effects? 60lb overweight. Stop, 40 pounds underweight, becoming depresed again, binge eating again. know what?. it does not helps, cause if continue, weight gain, depression from weight gain. if stop, depression, binge eating. It all ends in weight gain.

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Isa

I was on Elavil for four months when I was eighteen. In that time I gained thirty pounds without noticably increasing my food intake. Needless to say, I stopped taking the Elavil.(It had done nothing for my depression.) My metabolism was completely messed up from the drug. It took me over a year to get the weight off.

You sound like me. I had always been very skinny but then I had to start taking a variety of pharmaceuticals: prozac, nortryptyline, imipramine, etc. (all anti-depressants.) I gained about 50 pounds over the course of five years or so. I went off everything for about one year and the weight flew off--BUT--because I was not on the meds, I made it a point to exercize regularly (joined a gym, in fact) and eat well. (I figured perhaps I could help the chemical imbalance in my brain with exercize and good nutrition).

However, I had a crisis about six months ago and unfortunately started taking the meds again (I had to, believe me.) Within one month I gained six pounds! I told my doc, she said really, really try to be consious of what you eat. And while I didn't "think" I was eating much more, I really was. My craving for sweets and carbohydrates, especially, went through the roof. A bite here, a nibble there, a handful here...adds up.

I don't know if these tips will help you, but so far they've been helping me:

1. Drink Lots and lots and lots of water. Then drink some more. Ice cold.
2. I've noticed that with these meds, which may or may not effect your metabolizm, exercize truly becomes key. Exercize speeds up the metabolism. Sometimes when we're on anti-depressants we don't feel like exercizing because the dopamines are already being released. Exercize, however, does the same.
3. Buy some strong peppermints (like Altoids) and keep them handy when a sugar attack hits. Let it dissolve slowly on your tongue. So far this has helped me, too.
4. Keep your "full food" handy (air-popped popcorn, baby carrots, etc.) Munch on that.
5. I started taking a supplement called "sugar busters" which is supposed to decrease your craving for sugar (mostly its chronium picolinate) I'm not sure how much good it's doing, however.
6. Allow yourself A LITTLE BIT of what it is you want, and savor it slowly. Example: I MUST have chocolate every day. So I make a deal with myself: okay, if I do my daily walk for 20-30 minutes, I will buy myself three choccolate covered cherries (only 3 points, for all you W.W. brethern!). Then I take about 15 minutes to eat them. Let the chocolate melt slowly on your tongue. One things I've discovered is if I get a craving, I don't necessarily have to deny it, but I do have to control my portion. If it's just the taste of chocolate I crave and not the volume, a little dab will do ya. also, I'll do things like cut one slice of pizza in half (to make it look like I'm having my usual 2 slices) and eat a salad with it (same with other fast food, i.e., I'll go to McDonalds,but I'll order the small hamburger/cheeseburger and one of the side salads.)

The first week of doing this is the hardest. Be kind to yourself if you slip up. Try again tommorow. But after the first week it becomes easier and easier.

If all else fails, ask your doc if it would be appropriate to switch you to another non-weight-gaining drug, such as Wellbutrin. Don't be shy about telling him/her that your ability to lose weight/maintain a good weight is integral to your overall mental well-being (self-image, etc.) and emphasize its importance to you.

Good luck. I'm sorry this is so long. Let me know how you make out. I'll keep you posted, too, as I'm able.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by lori:
Lori, I too took an antidepressant, Paxil, and it put 40 lbs. on me. My Psychiatrist took me off of the Paxil when I complained of the weight gain and he put me on Celexa. I have not gained any more weight with the Celexa, but the Celexa is preventing me from losing the weight I gained. I have done a lot of research on the antidepressants and weight gain. I have talked to many doctors and pharmacists also. My family doctor will no longer give-out Paxil. What I have been told by doctors/pharmacists is that the antidepressant slows your metabolism down to NOTHING. After you stop the drug you can lose the weight, but it will not be immediate. It may take up to an year to start losing it. Good luck!

I took Zoloft for PMS and gained 20 pounds. I felt like I wanted to eat all the time. My doc and I decided to find other, more natural ways to control my PMS symptoms. I am now taking a fiber nutrient drink that is helping and I am also losing weight on it too.

When I was on Nardil I actually lost weight because there were so many foods I couldn't eat.