anxiety meds and weight gain

[buddy04]

I used to take paxil for depression and anxiety. When I was a teen I struggled with anorexia and bulima. I have remembered feeling depressed and worried a lot since I was in 2nd grade. In my 20s my doctor put me on birth control pills at one point sying it would help my mood. It just made me gain weight so I stopped taking them and the weight dropped off right away. In my late 20s another doctor put me on Paxil. I gained a lot of weight (about 35 pounds in a few months) which just made me feel more depressed when I looked in the mirror. Plus I had to keep upping the dose wil the paxil just to feel normal. I switched to lexapro for a short time but it made me feel crazy and have suicidal thoughts (not that I actually tried to kill myself) so I took myself off of all the meds. I dropped all the weight I had gained as soon as I got off all the pills.

My husnand says I don't need to be on any medication and that depression and stress is normal. I have self medicated on and off for the past several years since being off meds, and have usualy felt pretty normal, but am finding that I am starting to be very emotional, make rash decisions and have resentment against some of the people I love. I don't like to be around strangers or in crowds...I'm beginning disliking being around anyone. I work, I am in college for a graduate program. I force myself to function, but I which there were a way for me to feel better while going through the motions.

A relative who is on several pills gave me a Klonopin (not sure if I spelled it right) because I couldn't stop crying yesterday and it made me feel better (calm). Bipolar and scitzophrenia run in the family and most of my relatives are on meds for some anxiety or depression issue. I feel like I need to be on something, but I don't want to get fat from taking the pills. My question is are there any effective pills to manage depression and anxiety that don't cause weight gain?

[bubbles1096]

I'd have to say that it depends on the person. Some people may gain weight with certain antidepressants whiel others may lose weight or not be effected by it at all. I myself have been on the weight roller coaster with the antidepressants and learned from trial and error that you need to give it a good 6-8 weeks and check ingredients, the older antidepressants (such as Prozac) and the newer ones sometimes have the same ingredients/chemicals, and based on trial and error, stay away from the ones that have the same chemicals and properties as the antidepressants that previously caused you to gain weight.
I gained 30 lbs in 3 months on Prozac, which turned into a downward spiral for me, so I can totally relate. Discuss your concerns with your presribing doctor and see what he/she can do. There are many alternatives these days for you, these drugs have come a long way in the last 25 years or so, there should be something that can be tailored to your needs. Good Luck!