weight gain

[sarbear3490]

I am 20 years old and have been rapidly gaining weight for the past 9-10 months. I have gained about 60 lbs and have been doing everything right. Excecising and eating right on a regular basis as well as taking vitamins. I haven't had fast food or any junk/snack foods in forever. The only thing that has changed is I have been taking antidepressants. First I took Lexapro then Cymbalta and now Zoloft. My doctor keeps changing my meds because of the weight gain and every change only makes it worse. This latest change has caused me to gain about a pound a day. Since Thursday I have gained three more pounds and have been eating next to nothing. I finally convinced my doctor that I am not pigging out all day and she ha ordered a thyroid test. I'm so scared that I'm going to die from this, it's uncontrollable.

[mammo]

It could be your meds, thyroid or both.  I hope you went to an Endocrinologist for the testing.  They can do a more accurate test than a GP.  I tried to tell my GP for years that I thought I had thyroid problems, but every test he did came back normal.  Finally, he agreed to send me to an Endocrinologist with the explanation that they can do more through testing.  Sure enough, I have hypothyroidism.  I am now on medication for it.  But it wasn't the cause of my weight gain (usually only causes you to put on a few pounds), nor was it my meds.  Because I walk 6 miles a day and eat healthy, everything pointed to my meds.  Finally my daughter asked me to start eating every few hours, small amounts of healthy food.  I started doing this in January and by August I had lost 45 lbs.  I seem to be at a weight now that is right for me as I still eat the same, but not losing any more weight nor gaining any.  Are you sure your not retaining fluids?  You've gained a large amount of weight in a short period, I would keep pushing for answers.

[constantissues]

Been there, done that...
You're weight gain, more than likely, is as a result of your med's. I can speak for Zoloft anyway...It slows your metabolism so even if you don't eat a lot, you still gain weight. It is very difficult to lose also.You can't take diet pills to reverse the effects of Zoloft either because it will cancel out the good that the med's do.  My boyfriend has had a difficult time dealing with the weight issue. Went from Fit to Fat in about 6 months of starting med's and have found no way around it. It's a choice...mental health vs. physical health.