Weight Loss after Antidepressant?? (veggies, Weight Watchers, overweight, patient)

[Lol_Stacey]

Background: 33 y.o. female, off and on anti-depressants since age 20; Currently have been off for 3 years.

I last took Effexor ER, and while taking it I gained 45 pounds in 6 months. I was not eating anymore than usual, and was actually exercising (although in the light range), but hadn't exercised before beginning it since my depression had gotten so bad. I begged my dr to take me off it since the weight just kept piling on, and she refused. I finally took myself off. I even told her..."if you think I was depressed, what do you think all this extra weight is gonna do?"

By the way, I am 5'2" so a weight increase from 130 to 175 was very significant.

After coming off the meds, I exercised more and lost about 15 pounds in 5 months. I stayed at that weight for another year (160) before being able to lose anymore weight. I then began exercising even more and lost another 10 pounds (over 6 months). Now it's been another year and half and I have not been able to lose any more weight.

I think my metabolism is permanently screwed up from the antidepressant. I counting calories a few times just out of curiousity, since I didn't think I was eating a lot. And it turned out my regular diet (not me trying to diet) was eating about 1000 calories a day. From everything I read, it says I am not eating enough. I have tried to increase my intake of food (yes veggies and protein....not carbs and sweets) but it hasn't made any difference.

I want to know what I can do to jump start my metabolism? Has anyone else had a similar issue after antidepressants or could this be something else? I do have a family history of both thryroid disease and diabetes.

[Charles]

I've read one of Lexapro's side effects is weight gain.
Also, you are 33 now, not 20. Even without the chemicals, statistically people gain weight in those years.

Recommend you see another professional as a second opinion.

[Lol_Stacey]

Originally Posted by Charles

I've read one of Lexapro's side effects is weight gain.
Also, you are 33 now, not 20. Even without the chemicals, statistically people gain weight in those years.

Recommend you see another professional as a second opinion.

---My weight was 130 for years(from about age 23 to 30)...at age 30 even, even after giving birth to 2 children. I was 120 at age 20. I have been to the dr and they don't seem to have any advice or seem to think it is a big deal, I guess since I am only 20 pounds over weight (not the average 50 + pounds overweight where it might actually receive some attention). I also live in a city with a lot of overweight people and it seems to be more well tolerated to be overweight.

[Jillaceae]

Originally Posted by Lol_Stacey

I last took Effexor ER, and while taking it I gained 45 pounds in 6 months. I was not eating anymore than usual, and was actually exercising (although in the light range), but hadn't exercised before beginning it since my depression had gotten so bad. I begged my dr to take me off it since the weight just kept piling on, and she refused. I finally took myself off. I even told her..."if you think I was depressed, what do you think all this extra weight is gonna do?"

Wow! The exact same thing happened to me with Effexor! I put on 30 pounds in about 6 months.

After I went off of it because it was killing my waistline, it was really hard to loose weight. It seemed like I could eat almost nothing, exercise constantly, and still nothing would change. During that time I lost about 10 pounds over 3 months when I joined Weight Watchers, but I gained most of it back. I pretty much gave up. It was awful.

Then, after being off of it for about a year and a half, I tried again to strictly regulate my diet and exercise, and the weight came off just fine, and I took off the extra 30 pounds in about 4 months.

To be honest, it wouldn't surprise me if the drug really screwed up your metabolism, especially given that you were taking them at a time when your metabolism slows down, but also with your history, I would definitely talk to your doctor! Having some lab might help determine what is going on.

[ReneeG71]

The same thing happened to me with zoloft. I'm 5'7 and was 130-135 since around age 25. At 28 I starting going through a divorce and took zoloft for the depression. I was fine for the first year then turned 30 and gained 25-30 pounds in 1 year!! i had never been past 140 my entire life so I was really mad. I then met my second husband and got pregnant with my 2nd child and when she was 3 months old got pregnant with my 3rd (still had 15 pounds of babyweight left on top of the 25-30). Luckily I gained 15 less with my son but weight loss has been a struggle ever since. 2 years ago I was able to go from 155 to 140 with 1,000 calories or less a day and exercising 3-5 days a week. After I stopped, I gained all and then some back. I have now been exercising since January and havent' lost a pound!! I am stuck at 158..this time around I am doing strenght training as well as cardio but just not happening. I have not been able to do the 1,000 cal. a day thing..just too hard and everyone says not good. I still go back and think that the Zoloft 6 yrs. ago is to blame. I have had my thyroid checked and am fine. If anyone comes up with a solution please let me know.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by ReneeG71

The same thing happened to me with zoloft. I'm 5'7 and was 130-135 since around age 25. At 28 I starting going through a divorce and took zoloft for the depression. I was fine for the first year then turned 30 and gained 25-30 pounds in 1 year!! i had never been past 140 my entire life so I was really mad. I then met my second husband and got pregnant with my 2nd child and when she was 3 months old got pregnant with my 3rd (still had 15 pounds of babyweight left on top of the 25-30). Luckily I gained 15 less with my son but weight loss has been a struggle ever since. 2 years ago I was able to go from 155 to 140 with 1,000 calories or less a day and exercising 3-5 days a week. After I stopped, I gained all and then some back. I have now been exercising since January and havent' lost a pound!! I am stuck at 158..this time around I am doing strenght training as well as cardio but just not happening. I have not been able to do the 1,000 cal. a day thing..just too hard and everyone says not good. I still go back and think that the Zoloft 6 yrs. ago is to blame. I have had my thyroid checked and am fine. If anyone comes up with a solution please let me know.

Exercise has very little to do with weight control. It is almost all food control. Your weight gain profile sounds pretty typical of anyone aging through those years. It just gets harder, for whatever reason, that's what happens.

If you want to lose weight, it's all a matter of how hungry (or how deprived from eating what you want) you are willing to be (either that or get a gene transplant). If you exercise you will burn calories but you will become even hungrier - so ultimately it's a food control thing. (You still need to exercise anyway for cardiovascular health.)

Finally, and it all depends on degree, depression could very well be more unhealthy than being overweight. I'd make sure to fight that battle first, then worry about my waistline.

[nightbird47]

I took Remeron for about 3 years. Besides other side effects, it gave me a great craving for sugar I wasn't even aware of. I gained over 30 pounds. Because of medical concerns that was way too much for me.

When I took myself off of it (office canceled my appt and I ran out) I discovered I didn't want sugar. And immediately I lost weight. I went on wellbrutain and that has the opposite or neutral effect with weight gain, which I knew since I arrived with a list of will not takes which caused it.

You say you have a thryoid problem too. Check that out. This also depresses the metabolism and could be what is stopping your weight loss.

And to those who say weight gain is the price, it is NOT worth it. Doctors need to learn that increasing ALL health risks by great weight gain is not a good balance to treatment. There are drugs which do not cause gain and it must become a concern and important consideration in choosing a meds, especially if the patient says no.

[Lol_Stacey]

Originally Posted by Charles

Exercise has very little to do with weight control. It is almost all food control. Your weight gain profile sounds pretty typical of anyone aging through those years. It just gets harder, for whatever reason, that's what happens.

If you want to lose weight, it's all a matter of how hungry (or how deprived from eating what you want) you are willing to be (either that or get a gene transplant). If you exercise you will burn calories but you will become even hungrier - so ultimately it's a food control thing. (You still need to exercise anyway for cardiovascular health.)

I will disagree wholeheartedly with you in my case. I do not and have not ever eaten a lot. As I stated I have a hard time eating more than a 1000 calories a day. This is my normal, not dieting eating habits. So for me, the only way I can figure i can lose any weight is to exercise myself to death

[/quote] Finally, and it all depends on degree, depression could very well be more unhealthy than being overweight. I'd make sure to fight that battle first, then worry about my waistline.[/quote]

Well, that is what the dr said to me, as she refused my countless request to CHANGE my medicine. I am now 3 years unmedicated and not in the least bit depressed. Albeit, it did take about 6 months for me to regain some normalcy in my moods, but I am very relieved to not be drugged, this is the longest time (3 years) I have been unmedicated in 13 years.


Regardless, I don't think you answered any of my questions. I need to know what I can do to jump start a sluggish metabolism. Is there a specific exercise plan or eating plan that is good for this???

[Charles]

Originally Posted by Lol_Stacey

Well, that is what the dr said to me, as she refused my countless request to CHANGE my medicine. I am now 3 years unmedicated and not in the least bit depressed.

What about second opinions? Are you getting the same responses from several doctors?

[Lol_Stacey]

You see, when you have been taking anti-depressants on and off as long as I have, the only thing any doctor seems to think of is more medication. Again, I will let you know that this was a side note to my actual concern of being able to lose weight now, since it is done, and I am no longer depressed.

But to answer your question. I had been to multiple doctors and they all seem to think drugging people is the answer. My doctor actually stated that since I had tried all the "good ones " (medications for mild to moderate depression/ anxiety), that she would leave me on the effexor which only slightly helped and did a whole lot more harm than good, plus I maxed out the dose.

IMO our whole society thinks you take a magic pill to fix whatever ails you. Granted, I will admit that there have been times when I could not have functioned without anti-depressants (or so it seemed at the time).

Again, I don't want to keep ranting about an issue that was a coincedntal side-note to my real problem of not losing weight. The short answer to your question is that multiple doctors have been seen over the course of my adult life dealing with my depression, and I just didn't want to deal with it like that anymore sense they make you powerless to do anything but take mind-altering drugs, and wonder why you have all these other issues. I empowered myself to not take them, and ironically enough actually feel better than I ever have in my life (aside from not losing weight).