Really bummed today

I went to my shrink yesterday and was asking him about the weight i have put on since i have been on cymbalta (which is over 10 pounds in a month ) and thats with watching my calorie intake and walking over 4 miles a day. I have been told in the past that these types of meds will /can make you put on weight. i asked him can i lose this weight with working out /watching my calories intake the answer i did not like which was as follows

Yes just about all these type of medication will/ can make you put on weight and sometimes it evens out . and sometimes no  matter what you do the weight will stay with you.

So here i am trying to stay at a good weight and having to take these meds for depression . darn  makes depression worse i feel. for i worry about my weight anyhow.

oh well thats my little input for today.

not a nice one just needed to share and get this off my chest.

AFAIK, all of the prozac generations of anti depressants cause weight gain. Wellbutrin (aka Zyban) can actually cause weight loss. In my experience, Wellbutrin does little for anxiety but does well for my depression. I am currently on it so I can quit smoking but have used it before for depression.

Either way, if you need the medication you should take it.. even if it messes with the scale. I would also look at other forms of help like therapy and researching what has caused the need for the medication. Long term use can often be avoided by working through the issues that got you there in the first place. I give you that advice through personal experience. Sometimes you have to attack what is wrong head on and get yourself to a much better place. You deserve that! When I was in the darkest times of my life I could not see that things could get better. Know that they can. Lean on friends, family and yes.. medication until you get your brain back in balance. (It is afterall a chemical inbalance) But try to allow some part of you mind to believe that it will get better as it truly honestly will. Hope will grow if you believe.

Good luck with your efforts on your weight loss.  Don't give up!

Thanks so much for your input

Well not sure what meds you are on.....I used to have major panic attacks (from my old factory job) and take a look at my before/after pictures.....This is while on Paxil.

~H~

Hey Sandra, I've had the same concerns you have. I got PPD after the birth of my 4th son. The psychiatrist put me on 7 different types of meds at once (yeah I was a zombie) Basically he misdiagnosed me but that is another story.  I gained like 94 lbs, and during this gain I would be complaining to the doctor about my weight. Well 3 doctors later i found one that listened to me. He put me on Depocote (sp) and I started losing weight without really trying . Find a new doc. There are meds out there that will work and not cause such a huge weight gain. Sorry to say that with psych meds you will have to try a few to find the perfect cocktail, but is worth it in the long run. It is 3 years since my Postpartum Depression (i had trouble with it for 5 years, due to the misdiagnosis) and I'm still trying to get the weight off from that first doctor who didn't listen. Please go doc shopping, but stay on your meds until the doctor takes you off of them. Eventually you should be able to go off of them all together.

I am on welbutrin for panic attacks/depression and i initially lost weight. It eventually evened out, though. I was on prozac before that...I not only didn't like it (didn't help much) but I gained a little as well.....

skycross....how is it going to help you quit smoking? I am a smoker and when I started on it for my panic attacks, I cut way back w/o even realizing it, but then that evened out, too!

Original Post by vicki8seekers:

skycross....how is it going to help you quit smoking? I am a smoker and when I started on it for my panic attacks, I cut way back w/o even realizing it, but then that evened out, too!

 http://www.quitsmoking.com/zyban/index.htm

Wellbutrin is marketed under the name Zyban for quitting smoking. I believe that studies have shown it to reduce the side effects of nicotine withdrawal. I am hoping it helps me with my moodiness as I am not a pleasant person to be around for the first few weeks of quitting. I am actually going to take zyban and chantix at the same time hoping for the best result. I have lost 23 pounds and started exercising.. now its time to drop this nasty habit as well.

They say that you use Welbutrin for add also..............so its one of the wonder drugs

good luck with your weight loss and kicking the cig/**** habit

i smoked for 14 years kicked the habit on feb 11 1992

lol 92 is around when I STARTED smoking...now I just need to quit!

thanks skycross, and good luck! Someone told me a couple weeks ago that it takes the 'average' person about 10 attempts at quitting before they actually make it.....I'm not sure how commited to quitting I've ever been though....

I second the Wellbutrin switch and the talk therapy recommendation. I used to struggle with major depression and have been off and on all kinds of meds. Wellbutrin was the only one that worked well for me, and it did help me lose weight at the time. I would talk to your psychiatrist about switching because significant weight gain could hinder your progress. And I must say that once I did find a good counselor/therapist (NOT a psychiatrist or psychologist) to talk to, I worked through a lot of crap and got off the drugs completely. That was a few years ago, and I have not felt the need to get back on the drugs.

Good luck to you. I know how difficult it can be.

my friend took cymbalta and it really did not go over well at all... she felt completely off and had the worst anxiety ever - then when she was weaning herself off of it she had out of body experiences and days where she could not even leave her house because she was unable to function - i know everyone is different (body & mind) but i do hope you do not experience anything like that!! in terms of the weight gain, yea, meds do cause people to gain weight and there really is not much you can do about it, unless of course you go off of it - but then what would you take? i just take natural supplements to make me HAPPY - but i guess some people are a lot more depressed on a regular basis than i am! i am sorry to hear that you have depression! 

sorry to hear about your friend...............i am going to talk with him again and get him to take me off the cymbalta along with the weight gain i get real bad lows and brain zapps which are really not very nice.

my heart is with all that has this illness

I had the same side effects. When you quit, it will take a couple of weeks for them to go away. Don't worry.. they will go away. Good luck with finding the meds that work for you.

Sandra,

have you ever thought about trying a natural means to help with your depression?  My depression started in 2000 with a boom.  It was terrible, of course.  After a few attempted suicides I was put on an anti depressant... well 15 diff kinds of anti depressants later, I was better but still didnt want to live, still wanted to die almost every single day and felt like my real life was a dream.  This lasted about 6 years until over the course of 4 months I kept getting worse and was convinced I had a brain tumor and that was the reason why I was so crazy.  I was 100% sure there was an underlying issue to my depression.  Anyways, my moms friend had recently been having some similar issues and he went to a natural healing doctor who specialized in depression and anxiety, so I went to the same doctor and basically he told me that a lot of people that have clinical depression actually have an allergy to gluten.  Not quite celiacs disease, but similar.  Anyways, I cut out gluten and yeast out of my life for a good 6 months and after the 1st week I felt like my old self again.  It had been so long since I had felt like that I almost forgot who I was.  I was this crazy zombie for 6 years and finally I was getting better.  I really learned to listen to my body, and through that I have learned that I can have small doses of gluten every other day.  

I realize this may not work for everyone, and if you have underlying issues for your depression that of course, it may not work.  But I swear by this method.  I honestly don't think I would be alive today if I had not found this out.  I also want to add about 3 months after I went gluten free, I went back to my family doctor and she coudln't believe how great I looked and when I told her what I had changed about my life, she told me that was ridiculous and it was all in my head.  I can't blame her, she was trained to believe that an allergic reaction results in hives and major symptoms, and that medication always works.  I also think more and more doctors are realizing that natural methods can work wonders!

I'm sorry this is so long.  I just really try to help anyone I can because I truly know how horrible the feeling is.  Also, I just figured out 1 week ago that I can't handle this one type of gluten free pasta.  When I know something is gluten free I may eat in excess because I know its ok for me.  Well last week I made homemade gluten free macaroni and cheese casserole and I HATE THE WHOLE THING.  well the next day I couldn't get out of bed, I was irritable, I felt so ugly, I hated myself.  Then I realized that last time I had eaten this certain brand I also felt the same way the next day.  So by listening to my body I realized that I can no longer eat that brand of gluten free pasta.  

My suggestion, is to first, talk to your doctor.  Second, test yourself, try eating large amounts of gluten for every meal and see how you feel that night or the next day.  It's worth a shot?  I mean I was willing to have brain surgery to make myself better, so changing my eating habits was nothing! 

Again, so sorry this is so long!  I really hope this helps!