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Prozac for weight loss???
My physician responded to my request for help, and being discouraged about my lack of weight loss by trying to prescribe prozac for weight loss and of
course depression. Since when does Prozac aide weight loss?
I did not receive any response to what else could I do/try/ who to see etc.
Or an answer as to what they syntroid was doing for me, since I was still not
losing weight, but losing hair, and still had high triglycerides. Also no response to my ?? regarding T3's or T4 levels
Really feeling I need to either just stop they synthroid and or find a new MD,
money of course is a huge issue with no insurance as mentioned before. Has
anyone heard of using Prozac to lose weight? Or do they just think I am nuts?
I am pretty down about everything, but if I were to go on something like that,
I would prefer it be by someone who knows a bit more about me, etc.
course depression. Since when does Prozac aide weight loss?
I did not receive any response to what else could I do/try/ who to see etc.
Or an answer as to what they syntroid was doing for me, since I was still not
losing weight, but losing hair, and still had high triglycerides. Also no response to my ?? regarding T3's or T4 levels
Really feeling I need to either just stop they synthroid and or find a new MD,
money of course is a huge issue with no insurance as mentioned before. Has
anyone heard of using Prozac to lose weight? Or do they just think I am nuts?
I am pretty down about everything, but if I were to go on something like that,
I would prefer it be by someone who knows a bit more about me, etc.
Bottom line: YES Prozac definitely promotes weight loss. One of the reasons it is prescribed for bulimia and other obsessive-compulsive related disorders.
I lost 30 pounds in 6-8 weeks when first prescribed Prozac.
I lost 30 pounds in 6-8 weeks when first prescribed Prozac.
1 Comments
As noted above, you've attached to a very old thread and the previous posters are no longer active on the forum.
While you may have lost a lot of weight when taking Prozac, I've known others who gained on it, so it doesn't affect everyone the same.
The fact that Prozac might cause some people to lose weight, does not excuse doctors for prescribing an anti-depressant when the patient really needs a higher dose of thyroid hormones.
While you may have lost a lot of weight when taking Prozac, I've known others who gained on it, so it doesn't affect everyone the same.
The fact that Prozac might cause some people to lose weight, does not excuse doctors for prescribing an anti-depressant when the patient really needs a higher dose of thyroid hormones.
I've read numerous research articles written from 2003 to 2014 that state Prozac can cause minimal weight loss when initially beginning treatment. However as your body adjusts to the medication research indicates this drug does result in weight gain in the vast majority of patients taking it. From what I've read weight gain will continue as long as you take it. Wellbutrin is the only known drug for the treatment of depression and anxiety proven to cause weight loss. It is not in the same drug class as Prozac (SSRI). Ive personally taken Wellbutrin XL for many years and never experienced any side affects compared to all the side affects (weight gain, extreme fatigue, uncontrollable twitching) I experienced with (SSRI) Celexa, Lexapro and Cymbalta. Those side affects are the only reason I stopped using those drugs. The one thing I did like about those drugs was they worked almost immediately. I felt an immediate response and better within 3 days of beginning treatment. Wellbutrin unfortunately doesn't work that fast but its worth the wait. I cant say for sure that Wellbutrin caused any weight loss for me because I had already lost 35 pounds in a year by not eating fast food 3 times a day, learning about nutrition, paying attention to calories and portion control, eating slower, never eating until I felt full, using smaller plates, never depriving myself of anything as long as I only ate a little of it and I never worked out. I also always kept raw almonds in my purse in case I got hungry while I was out and I'd pack some fruit or snacks (I'm a very picky eater) if I knew I was going to be out for hours to prevent me from stopping at the drive thru. No matter how much you exercise food will keep you fat if you dont pay attention to what you eat.
1 Comments
Thank you for your comments; this is a very old thread, so most of the previous posters are no longer active on the forum. It actually pertains to someone who had hypothyroidism and whose doctor tried to prescribe anti-depressants instead of increasing thyroid medication as needed.
Depression/anxiety are very common symptoms of hypothyroidism; however, unfortunately, many doctors prefer to hand out anti-depressants instead prescribing adequate doses of thyroid hormones.
Depression/anxiety are very common symptoms of hypothyroidism; however, unfortunately, many doctors prefer to hand out anti-depressants instead prescribing adequate doses of thyroid hormones.
Be aware that this board is running a diet program for the New Year and it could be exactly what you are looking for to shed some weight.
Weight issues are near the top of complaints for many HypoT's and these tips and diet changes we want to do could be very helpful.
More so than your professional quack shoving pills down your throat!
What a jerk!
Weight issues are near the top of complaints for many HypoT's and these tips and diet changes we want to do could be very helpful.
More so than your professional quack shoving pills down your throat!
What a jerk!
I don't want to offend you and please take what I am going to say as fault on your doctor - not you at all.
I think he is looking at you more like a nut-job and just giving you a this line of cr@p to pasify you.
THIS DRUG WILL MAKE YOU GAIN NOT LOSE - in most patients.
What a piece of work. Fire that one!
I think he is looking at you more like a nut-job and just giving you a this line of cr@p to pasify you.
THIS DRUG WILL MAKE YOU GAIN NOT LOSE - in most patients.
What a piece of work. Fire that one!
WHAAAT? What planet is your doctor from? I say, and I will say it again, DO NOT GO ON PROZAC!!! It is a revolting drug and it is highly insidious for causing MORE harm than good. Forget the weight loss part of it, read up about the side effects of Prozac and you will run a mile.
I suffer from clinical depression, got put on Lovan, once I did my research discovered WHY I was feeling manic and totally out of control, reading too much morbid kind of stuff just out of curiosity, (which I would never do normally), and DID lose a ton of weight. It was labelled Lovan here in Australia but is actually Prozac. I immediately connected the dots of my revolting side effects and started the 6 week weaning off myself. I confronted my doctor as he knew I never wanted Prozac. He said but it works for depression, and I said, Yeah, now I feel like I am a pyschopath, great stuff!
I would NEVER recommend it for the weight loss, that too is a side effect, you just don't feel hungry on it, which is NOT a good thing!
I do fine without the anti-depressants, ok, I lie, I do ok with them, but have learned to try to avoid being hypo which is a major trigger for me and my depression, without getting that right, and being on anti-depressants is just a time bomb waiting to go off. Psych ward!
No one knows HOW anti-depressants work. They know for some people they are great but for others whose brain chemistry is a little different it can work totally the opposite. You can read lots of horror stories of normal people going nuts on the page about Prozac.
Get your thyroid levels up to par and I can guarentee the time it takes to get on anti-d's (about 6 weeks for them to kick in) is the same as getting thyroid levels up and you will probably feel much better.
Go get a second opinion and find a doc who will treat your thyroid Free T's and not just band aid you with anti-d's.
Cheers
I suffer from clinical depression, got put on Lovan, once I did my research discovered WHY I was feeling manic and totally out of control, reading too much morbid kind of stuff just out of curiosity, (which I would never do normally), and DID lose a ton of weight. It was labelled Lovan here in Australia but is actually Prozac. I immediately connected the dots of my revolting side effects and started the 6 week weaning off myself. I confronted my doctor as he knew I never wanted Prozac. He said but it works for depression, and I said, Yeah, now I feel like I am a pyschopath, great stuff!
I would NEVER recommend it for the weight loss, that too is a side effect, you just don't feel hungry on it, which is NOT a good thing!
I do fine without the anti-depressants, ok, I lie, I do ok with them, but have learned to try to avoid being hypo which is a major trigger for me and my depression, without getting that right, and being on anti-depressants is just a time bomb waiting to go off. Psych ward!
No one knows HOW anti-depressants work. They know for some people they are great but for others whose brain chemistry is a little different it can work totally the opposite. You can read lots of horror stories of normal people going nuts on the page about Prozac.
Get your thyroid levels up to par and I can guarentee the time it takes to get on anti-d's (about 6 weeks for them to kick in) is the same as getting thyroid levels up and you will probably feel much better.
Go get a second opinion and find a doc who will treat your thyroid Free T's and not just band aid you with anti-d's.
Cheers
COMMUNITY LEADER
I've never heard of using Prozac for weight loss; in fact, from what I've heard/read, most people actually gain weight on antidepressants. It's much easier for a doctor to pass out a script than it is to actually "think" about what you might need.
A lot of people think that as soon as they get on thyroid med, they should start losing weight, and for some lucky ones, that does happen; however, I think for the majority of us, it's not that easy.
It's true that getting our thyroid levels "normal" makes it possible/easier to lose weight; however, there's no guarantee that the weight will just fall off, with no effort from us. Believe me, it took a while for me to accept that, because I'd never had trouble controlling my weight in my entire life, yet even exercising and eating well wasn't working. I just knew that as soon as I got the "magic potion" (synthroid), I would shed pounds immediately............. did I ever have a rude awakening!!!! I finally realized that I was going to have to actually "work" at this.
It does sound like you still have hypo symptoms, though, which indicates that you need adjustment in your dosage. Was your doctor not willing to discuss that with you?
Have you ever had Free T3 and Free T4 tests? If so, how long ago? If you have recent results, please post them, along with the reference ranges, since these vary from lab to lab, so must come from your own report. If you haven't had those tests, you need to insist on them, and if your doctor refuses, find another who knows how to treat thyroid issues........... If your doctor refuses to run the tests and you can't afford another doctor, there are lab tests that you can purchase online. You order the tests and they send you to a national lab in your area, then send the results straight to you.
One that you might try is healthcheckusa. I ordered TSH, Free T3 and Free T4 from them; it cost me $85 total; they e-mailed me a lab order and it turned out that the chain lab they use has a branch not far from my home, so I went the next day for the blood draw. They e-mailed me the results within 2 days and I received a hard copy in the mail within a week.
If you do this, you can then use those results to determine whether or not you need a med increase or change.
Do you know if you have Hashimoto's thyroiditis?
A lot of people think that as soon as they get on thyroid med, they should start losing weight, and for some lucky ones, that does happen; however, I think for the majority of us, it's not that easy.
It's true that getting our thyroid levels "normal" makes it possible/easier to lose weight; however, there's no guarantee that the weight will just fall off, with no effort from us. Believe me, it took a while for me to accept that, because I'd never had trouble controlling my weight in my entire life, yet even exercising and eating well wasn't working. I just knew that as soon as I got the "magic potion" (synthroid), I would shed pounds immediately............. did I ever have a rude awakening!!!! I finally realized that I was going to have to actually "work" at this.
It does sound like you still have hypo symptoms, though, which indicates that you need adjustment in your dosage. Was your doctor not willing to discuss that with you?
Have you ever had Free T3 and Free T4 tests? If so, how long ago? If you have recent results, please post them, along with the reference ranges, since these vary from lab to lab, so must come from your own report. If you haven't had those tests, you need to insist on them, and if your doctor refuses, find another who knows how to treat thyroid issues........... If your doctor refuses to run the tests and you can't afford another doctor, there are lab tests that you can purchase online. You order the tests and they send you to a national lab in your area, then send the results straight to you.
One that you might try is healthcheckusa. I ordered TSH, Free T3 and Free T4 from them; it cost me $85 total; they e-mailed me a lab order and it turned out that the chain lab they use has a branch not far from my home, so I went the next day for the blood draw. They e-mailed me the results within 2 days and I received a hard copy in the mail within a week.
If you do this, you can then use those results to determine whether or not you need a med increase or change.
Do you know if you have Hashimoto's thyroiditis?
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