dropping the Effexor/Lexapro weight gain

[Meteors85]

Hey all.  To catch everyone up, I quit Lexapro almost 2 months ago and started taking 200mg of 5HTP daily instead.  It helped for a while and has definitely curbed my appetite, but the weight's not dropping, and I'm not happy at all.  I'm still very irritable and irrational.  I'm going to talk to my doctor on Friday about trying Wellbutrin.  I'm starting an internship next semester, so I can't afford to have all my screws loose.  So... wish me luck.

[aaagghh]

After reading these posts some weeks ago, I tapered off of Lexapro, and changed to 150 mg of Welbutrin.   I've started going to a pyschotherapist, and also exercising.  A couple of weeks ago I began taking 5HTP in the evening, as well as the butrin in the mornings.  That seems to be working, but no weight loss.  I've actually gained 4 pounds in the past 3 weeks.  Hopefully that's because muscle weighs more than fat.  smile   My quetion to the women out there - do your symptoms change dramatically during your period?  My therapist even mention prementrual dysphoric disorder, and told me to increase my meds during my monthly struggles.  My depression changes from moderate to severe during those days, and I am struggling with emotions that scare me.  Then for a couple or three weeks, everything will be manageable, if not fine.  Any thoughts?

[abizane]

Good morning! I caught up on the posts...congrats to all who have found good meds that work for you, and to those who have dropped some weight! During Thanksgiving, I thought I was losing my mind. I was on Wellbutrin for several weeks (300mg) and I wanted to cry, not get up and thought my world was caving around me. By the grace of God, I kept focused that it was the medicine making me feel so badly and I weaned off. I am now taking nothing and will try the natural things listed here (5htp and primrose). My weight has remained at 160, at least I am not gaining, but would like to get back to my regualr 140. I am grateful that I am not feeling like death anymore, though. Traceyz, thank you for your input and help. And to all of you, I wish you the best of luck and life.

Please let me know if there is anything any of you have done to jump-starth the weight loss. I know 20 pounds does not seem like a lot, but this weight is making me feel very ugly. Thank you!!!! :)

[jkittie]

Hi aaagghh, I read you last post. I can sympathize with you because I have had similar experiences
and problems. You can read my story form all of my past posts. Maybe you can get some insight as to what is happening with me lately. I will try and keep it brief. My normal weight was always 125/130 at 5'4, I am a 32 old woman. I took Sarafem (prozac) for a few years for bad PMS. Then I went on 20 mg of Lexapro for minor anxiety and depression. After gaining weight up to 155, having no sex drive, and being tired all time I decided enough is enough. My doctor slowly took me down to 5 mg of Lexapro and added 150 mg of Wellbutrin. Currently I am on 5 mg of Lexapro plus 300 mg of Wellbutrin. There were some annoying side effects at first but they subsided. It's been a few months. I am slowly losing weight, last time I checked I was 148..but may be less now b/c size 10 is getting big on me. Wellbutrin suppresses your appetite, so most likely you will lose weight. H/ever it can be slow after being on other drugs. So hang in there!  

[pennylane76]

I am a rep (not for an SSRI), and I think I finally figured out why some Drs don't think the drugs cause weight gain.  Most of the studies are only 12-week studies.  In most cases, it takes longer than 12 weeks to gain the significant amount of weight we're talking about here. And people may not have reported weight gain to drug companies  after the drugs were on the market as an adverse event.  That's how the system works.  That's how drugs get pulled from the marked (Vioxx.)  It's called post-marketing surveillance.  People have to report adverse events to doctors or the company directly in order for more data to be collected.  If the weight gain was never directly attributed to the SSRIs, then the companies never  publish data about that particular side effect.  "Oh, by the way doctor, Zoloft causes signifcant weight gain."  They just don't really know.  I've even asked other reps about it, and they're like, oh, you're a very unusual case to have gained that much   weight (15 lbs.)  ********.  There are several other factors to consider as well. Companies aren't going to study weight gain, because 1) the drug is not specifically used for the purposes of weight and 2) they don't really want to know that it causes weight gain - it wouldn't be financially beneficial to find that out, would it?  

All I can say is, I work in the industry, and I'm so sorry I didn't do more research on this damn drug before I started taking it and ruined my own metabolism.  But then again, the PI doesn't really tell you about weight gain, does it?  Good luck out there.

[rlcm]

I take 300 mg Effexor XR, 20 mg Lexapro, 250 mg Lamictal, 600 mg Neurontin, 12.5 mg Cytomel.  My cocktail is tweaked from time to time, with less frequent additions or deletions of medications.  All these medications are to control my major depressive disorder, with its Axis II companion, OCD.  These are life-threatening conditions for me and my choices are limited:  1) hospital; 2) suicide; 3) drug management.  I'm fortunate that I've had excellent psychiatrists who specialize in psychopharmacology to work with;  so many people don't.  

Antidepressants and their off-label cousins are far too often prescribed for people who probably need a therapist to help them sort through events in their lives, someone who isn't emotionally involved.  This is immensely helpful and effective in and of itself, and far preferable to loading your body with a lot of chemicals.  If you had a scaly spot removed from your arm that had a few weird cells in it, would you blast yourself with chemotherapy for it?

However, if you truly need psychotropic medication, it can be a lifesaver.


That said, I have a couple of comments:

No matter the excellence of your relationship with your prescriber, ALWAYS research ALL your medications, before taking them if at all possible.  Next, look into the interactions between your medications, including tyrosine, 5-HTP, St. John's Wort, and anything else.  Pharmacists are an underutilized resource, and of course there's the internet.  Check more than one information source;  make your own decisions, or ask your physician questions about what you learn.  No one person or system, however well informed or designed, is guaranteed error-free.  It's your responsibility to take care of your health unless you're incapacitated.  Maybe your decision won't turn out the way you hoped, but at least it will be YOUR decision, based upon your reading and inquiries.

Lamictal and Cytomel both help my energy, libido, anorgasmia, and weight gain. No miracles, but improvement.  If you have someone who knows what he/she is doing with psycho drug combos, you might ask about these.  BUT.....look into the side effect profiles!  Lamictal is frightening for some people.  Cytomel is a T3 specific thyroid medication.  Other thyroid replacements won't have the same effect, and you may have to have a psychiatric specialist to prescribe it if your TSH is in the normal range.

[sami81]

For those who are worried about not losing weight after quitting your anti-depressant: I have been on effexor 75mg for about 2 years, when i quit i went from 215 to 165 (my "normal" weight) within 6 months without any kind of diet or workout. I used to workout about 5 days a week after my 4th month on effexor because i noticed i was ballooning but i stopped doing so after a while because i saw no results whatsoever. so the only difference really in my daily routine is that i used to workout while i was on effexor AND gained weight, but when i quit and didn't workout at all i lost weight. just shows you how  effexor can affect your metabolism.
unfortunately for me, i didn't realize that effexor was the cause until i got back on it again my weight started increasing again, i'm weaning off of it now and hopefully i'd drop those pounds even faster now if i pick up a sport or workout.
so yeah the damage is not permanent, it just takes time for it to get out of your system.
effexor was really helpful with my anxiety and depression, it helped me a lot, but gaining weight is quite depressing too. i noticed that talking with my family and friends about my worries (even though they sound unreasonable most of the time) is very helpful.

good luck everyone

[septemberfaith]

YES, these drugs cause weight gain in most people.  Any doctor who tells you otherwise is just plain ignorant.  I am an avid exerciser and mountain hiker and was a size 4, 125 lbs before starting Lexapro.  In six months, I gained 35 pounds, even though I did not stop exercising and hiking.  I also eat healthy.  

I am tapering off the drug and the weight gain has stopped, but it has not started to come off yet.  I only have one pair of jeans that fit and have not worn a dress in a year.  :P

I personally think doctors hand this stuff out like candy.  I've never personally struggled with depression, just mild anxiety and occasional