antidepressants and weight loss

I'd like to hear from others who are on Lexapro, Wellbutrin, Prozac, etc.

I gained a lot of weight from depression, started Lexapro about six weeks ago.  My weight has stabilized, but I'm struggling to find motivation to start counting my calories again.  My doctor said it's fine for me to try to lose a bit of weight at this point, as long as I go about it in a healthy way.

The lack of motivation was with me throughout my latest bout with depression, and seems to be stuck with me even with treatment.  However, my meds are working great otherwise, so I'd like to stay with them. 

Anyone else having this particular issue?  What do you do to overcome it?

anyone on zoloft?...been on it for a year and gained weight the first couple of months but now I feel great and have lost 10 pounds in about 2 months.  I find it so hard to first start an anti-depressant, but after a couple of months most of the side effects have stopped.

Sharonclaire, I'm glad that you found something to help you with your depression without resorting to antidepressants, but for some of the population, antidepressants are the way to go.  I hit a low last year, and found that micromanaging my life (from forcing myself to eat the perfect mix of foods, go to the gym every day, get together with friends, and get proper amounts of sleep), was the only thing I could do to keep me from falling into the abyss of depression.  I was surviving, but I was not enjoying life.  I'm now on a relatively low dose of Effexor, and it's changed my world.

Cosmictuesday, I'm happy for you that your meds are working out well.  In terms of motivation, try to imagine your working out and eating properly as a supplemental form of medication.  Eating properly and getting plenty of exercise will also help to boost your mood, and will help with your motivation after you get into a routine.  Grab a friend who will get you out and moving, and make you accountable for working out.  Another option is to get a dog, who will require daily walks.  (On a side note, I also found that having a pet decreased my depression immensely).

Also, what works for me is to make deals with myself.  If I don't feel like working out one day, I'll make a deal with myself that I have to go to the gym, but I can leave as soon as I want.  95% of the time, I'll find the motivation to finish the complete workout.

Congratulations for finding help for your depression, and good luck with the weight loss!

 

I was on Effexor XR until I started with my bariatric doctor, and he suggested Wellbutrin because it helps suppress your appetite, somewhat.

I have gained with Prozac, Celexa and Effexor XR, so I'm pretty happy on Wellbutrin thus far (i've been on it for 6 months now). I've been fine motivation-wise, having a great support system is the best thing you can do for yourself. Also, everyone on here is great, get involved in the Games & Challenges forum and challenge yourself, woo.

All the best! 

lin27,

I absolutely agree that everyone has to find their own way. However, because there are so many side effects I think it's wise for every individual to take responsibility for their own decisions by researching meds/studies...whatever information is out there before filling a doctor's script.

It's only recently that people started thinking that life is really supposed to be about being happy/enjoying life. One ex. countering that thinking is a relatively new and increasingly aggressive movement to stop medicating kids in school due to adhd/add...behaviors that folks just don't want to see in their kids/be bothered with. 

We are filled w/such a wealth of emotion that I, personally, am inclined to believe that life IS about surviving (after all, we are part of the animal world!) and at times we may have moments of happiness, short lived and beautiful. The older and wiser we get, the more we may be able to more fully appreciate those moments.

Just sharing ideas, not pretending to KNOW. :  )

Ive tried all of the ssris...and they all made me feel like a zombie...emotionless..unable to feel. and weight gained from being so damn lazy...i never stayed on any of them for more than a few months ...i just couldnt handle them... I am now taking buproprion(generic wellbutrin) and absolutely love it. I dont feel depressed but still feel emotion. I am motivated to do things which has resulted in weight loss(down 42lbs). It did have an appetite surpressing effect at first, but i do get hungry now, but dont feel the need to binge. The only thing that sucks is on occasion i get a headache. and i think it is related to the buproprion as i never had issues with headaches. I also can be a bit flighty sometimes....lol..but with four kids...i think that might have something to do with it.

I've tried Wellbutrin, Celexa/Lexapro, and now am on Cymbalta. I am alergic to Wellbutrin - you will find out right away if you are - got bright red spots head to toe! I wish I wasn't, though because it's the most likely to help with cravings and weight loss.

Celexa/Lexapro worked great & saved my life, but my libido was nearly gone, and my cravings for food were much worse.

4 or so months ago, my doc switched me to Cymbalta. Lets just say my husband is thrilled.   Plus it's really really helped with the intensity of my cravings. I still feel hunger, but not like I can't live without that whole cheesecake/icecream...

While I havn't magically lost weight, I havn't gained through the hollidays and the stress of my mom going through cancer treatment, and I'm normally a stress eater. So my advice is to try Cymbalta. It's a new drug that seems better to me.

just out of curiosity...any of you people have creative outlets?

I consider myself an artist, my mind is always actively transforming my experiences into something creative whether it's baking a bread, designing a spartan helmet for my son out of paper mache, writing a memoir, plucking out a tune on the piano...

I'm just wondering whether there is some kind of connection...creative depressents?

Great discussion thread.  My GP first prescribed me Lexapro about 3.5 years ago, and I've gained 50 pounds since.  As of last year, I've been seeing a psychiatrist and been going to her for medication adjustments every 4-6 weeks.  I mentioned that I was concerned about weight gain, and she mentioned that Lexapro is known to be one of the ADs that really causes weight gain in a lot of people.  She put me on Cymbalta which acts as a weight neutralizer and will help a healthy eater and active excerciser lose weight.  I'm still weaning off the Lexapro, so haven't noticed a big change yet.

If you notice an increase in appetite, particularly the person who noticed an increase in the need for carbs and sugar, these are common side-effects of most ADs that I've looked at.  One simple way that I've tried to cut carbs (despite my craving) is to have a rice cracker with peanut butter on it instead of a sandwich (with two pieces of bread), and to limit my cereal in the morning to the "1 portion size."

Excercise helps with weight and depression, so that's always a good thing to do too.  I dance as a creative outlet and play an instrument.  Both have been wonderful outlets during deep depression spells.