Antidepressants and weight gain

[Mamma23_01]

Hello,

I havne't been on any antidepressant because I'm so afraid of the weight gain.  I tried Wellbutrin, but even at 50mg, my heart was racing and I couldn't sleep.

I'm reading a little about Cymbalta.  Does it make you gain weight?  I'd love to hear about your experiences with meds and weight gain.

[xanweaner]

I just thought I'd pass this along that Ambilify is not an antidepressant but classificed as a psychotropic medication. Here is a quick excerpt:


Food and Drug Administration Approvals, December 200

Psychotropic Agents
Abilify (aripiprazole) Tablets

"Indication:Abilify (aripipazole) is indicated for the treatment of schizophrenia. The efficacy of Abilify in the treatment of schizophrenia was established in short-term (4- and 6-week) controlled trials of schizophrenic inpatients. The long-term efficacy of aripiprazole in the treatment of schizophrenia has not been established. The physician who elects to use Abilify for extended periods should periodically reevaluate the long-term usefulness of the drug for the individual patient."

You may already be aware of this classification, but just thought I'd clarify for others who might be reading this post.

[idesofmarch]

I take Cymbalta and if I remember right I didn't gain more than 5 pounds at first.  Now I am on a helper AD called Ambilify @ lowest dose for now.  It didn't cause any weight change but I feel more anxious. Dr. said it wasn't a drug that caused weight change either way.  Many of the meds that I've been on pluse health and depression and inability to exercise enough caused me to gain 80 lbs in over 8 years. Now I am VERY depressed about being obese. I relate to your worry.  Educate yourself before taking anything-Drs. are people too and make mistakes sometimes.  Pharmacysts know more about medicine than anyone.  See yours for info.  Good Luck

[Mamma23_01]

I was going to take the Lamictal with the Geodon, and and only take the Geodon long enough to get me to the theraputic dose of lamictal.  However, the Geodon made me really hyper and irritable (at only 20 mg), and gave me a ravenous appetite.  So now I'm trying a very small dose of seroquel with the Lamictal.

And yes, the dr. I'm seeing is a psychatrist who specialises in eating disorders.  I love my family doc., by I know that a psychiatrist needs to be the one to prescribe these psych. drugs.

[xanweaner]

Is your treating physician a psychiatrist? Are you going to be taking Lamictal with the Geodon?

[Mamma23_01]

Thank you everyone, for your replies.

I did see my dr. yesterday.  I've had major depressive disorder for years, and have tried many ADs.  I'm also on interferons for MS, and the interferons themselves can  cause depression, even in someone without it.

The depression makes me do less, and eat more.

The dr. diagnosed me with bipolar, which is really surprising to me, as I don't have real manic episodes. She wants me to try Geodon.  I'm also going to titrate back up to  a therapuetic dose of Lamictal.   She told me that taking ADs will only make me more depressed, and that has always happened to me when I try any kind of AD.

Thanks again.

[xanweaner]

I agree with Hensley. If you're suffering from mild-to-moderate depression and are not suicidal, there are other options to consider before starting AD therapy. The current research is reporting that AD's aren't that effective in the treatment of mild depressions. I would consider getting into some psychotherapy with a qualified psychologist(preferably one with a ph.d.) first before going on a course of drug treatment.

In severe depressions and anxiety, the loss of appetite can be quite significant.

One AD that has been reported to not cause weight gain is Wellbutrin. You can do a search here on the site for more information on weight gain using this drug.

Good luck to you in your search for the right medication...

[Hensley258]

Sorry if I sounded a bit judgemental. I just don't think it's a good idea for anyone to take these medications unless it is 100% nessasary.

One of the symptoms of severe depression and anxiety is loss of appitite. If you do get relief from taking an antidepressant such as Cymbalta and it does result in improving your mood then you will probably experience the return of normal appitite. This in itself can cause weight gain.

Is your depression causing a loss of appitite for you?

[cat9841]

my daughter gained weight on effexor, but she needed to,
I am on zoloft and my appitite is a lot less now, I think its giving me migranes though.
I would do anything to loose weight, but stop eating apparently, its an addiction like anything else.
CAT

[Mamma23_01]

Thank you for your post.  I know that alot of these meds can mess with metabolism, so I want to make an educated choice.  The dr's just want to get me on a med., but I have to go slowly.  I was on Lamictal for two years, but I convinced myself it was making me gain weight, so I weaned myself off.  I should have just stayed on, as it was doing the trick for me.  Now my dr. wants me to try something new.   Ugh.  I have so much anxiety over the weight gain aspect that I'm having painc attacks.

[Cristy_A]

The fact is that some of the antidepressants DO mess with your metabolizum.  I have yet to find any hard clinical  information which indicates that but I personally gained wait while taking Effexor and so did another person know.    I think before taking any med it is important to look at the side effects....  some of which are not worth the help the medication is doing.

[Mamma23_01]

You're not in the same situation as I'm in.  Don't be so judgemental.  I have an Eating Disorder as well, and if you know anything about that, I'm terrified about gaining weight.  I'm just trying to get info. from patients to hear about their experiences so I can make the best decision I can.

[Hensley258]

I'm a little confused. Your suffering a major clinical depression and your worried about gaining weight?

When I was suffering from this disease at it's worst, even if taking an AD medication ment that my hair would fall out and would cause me to gain 400Lbs, I would have still taken it. That's how bad I wanted the pain to stop.

They all have side effects without exception. When your head feels as if it could explode, your body is trembling all the time, and you feel as if your going insane and can not even function well enough to take a shower, then gaining a bit of weight is hardly a deal breaker.

Many people report gaining weight as a result of taking SSRI and SNRI medications. Some report losing weight as a result. According to a lot of studies and research that has been done over several years on this subject, There as been no conclusive evidence that SSRI or SNRI medications alter metabolism.

Have I gained weight since I stated taking my first AD medication 16 years ago? Yes, but I also went from age 22 to 38 in that time. As we get older our metabolic rate slowes. That's why I'm 40 Lbs heavier than when I was in my 20's not because of AD medication.