Health & Support

Sorry this is kind of random.... but i went to see my ED specialist and he was saying that he thinks later this summer he wants to put me on med for anxiety/depression. What do you guys have to say to this... do meds REALLY help? Will they make me gain weight :(? I'm just scared that ... i don't even know... they won't work and then its pointless and make me get fat?

Im on Wellbutrin (not for an ED just straight up depression)...have been for a few years now...and yes I can tell when I miss a dose....

I have not gained any weight directly from it.

 

I was lucky in that the first one we tried, worked.  Usually with these things it takes a few tries to find the right combo/dosage...

How will I knwo if it is working... like... will i immediatly be less stressed, will it take a few months to start really working? sorry, i'm just scared!

mine took..maybe a two weeks to a month to really start working...its not an overnight thing...its kinda like...oh wow I haven't thought about ****negative thought here*** for like two weeks...I feel much better...

but like I said...if I miss a dose...I can tell...I revert back to negative thinking and lots of crying and sleeping and thinking my SO will leave me any second....

I was pretty messed up :P

 

ETA: I don't know about anxiety stuff...somebody will post about it shortly I'm sure...

I tried lots of different medications and gained approx. 40 pds because they gave me an enormous appetite...now I'm off the meds and working hard to get the weight off.It was so bad that before I was even finished one meal I would already be planning what I was going to eat next !! Finally what worked for me is a supplement you can get at the health food store called 5 HTP.I take 400 mg of it a day and 600mg when I need the extra dose.Look it up on the internet,it is a "mood enhancer" and I would strongly recommend it over prescription meds.

Alright, thanks... I'm  just SOOOOO scared of gaining weight.  Like... it will only make me MROe depressed

I'm on Fluanxol for anxiety, due to my ED; it's helped quite a bit.

I can eat without panicking, I can go into the kitchen without having a mental breakdown... I mean, a couple of weeks ago I sorta....didn't take them... and got hysterical when someone mentioned lunch to me...!

So in short, yes, my meds work for my anxiety =] it took about 2-3 weeks to kick in though.

I can't actually say anything from personal experience, but if your doctor is an ED specialist, I'm pretty sure that he will choose medication that doesn't affect your weight in any way because he should know what that would mean to you.

A friend of mine has been extremely overweight, but she started losing weight about a year ago. Somewhere in between, she started taking medication against anxiety, and she hasn't gained any weight due to that!

If you're still unsure, why don't you just ask your doctor about it? Ask him to explain exactly what the medication does and if there is any way that it could influence your weight. He as you doctor has to answer these questions truthfully!

I've been on lexapro for about 4 months now, just added prozac to the mix about a week ago.

I can tell you... they definitely DO work. My anxiety was so bad I couldn't concentrate on anything except calories, obsessively counting over and over and over, and the depression got to the point where I would just sleep in the dark all the time so I wouldn't have to feel anything. It took about 2 months for the effects to really be noticeable. I had more motivation, wasn't so terrified of going to school/what people thought of me, and was generally feeling better.

I've actually lost weight on them, but everyone is different, and I don't think the medications were what caused me to lose weight.

HOWEVER, most psychiatrists will tell you the drugs have no effect on weight, even if there have been reports by patients. I don't think there have been any clinical studies on the relation between weight-antidepressants, so why would they tell you? Then you wouldn't take it and they wouldn't get paid.

Oh and as a side note, Prozac is reported to make people lose their appetite and lose interest in food, so it is recommended for treating bulimia.

Best of luck dear =]

My doctor prescribed me Lexapro last month for depression/anxiety, but I couldn't stand the side effects & I stopped taking it.  It kinda knocked some sense into me though because I truly don't want to be on medication, so that helped motivate me to increase my calorie intake & I feel sooo much better now.  I suggest talking to your doctor about all the side effects first so you know what to expect when you go into it. 

Original Post by tahitisweetie123:

My doctor prescribed me Lexapro last month for depression/anxiety, but I couldn't stand the side effects & I stopped taking it.  It kinda knocked some sense into me though because I truly don't want to be on medication, so that helped motivate me to increase my calorie intake & I feel sooo much better now.  I suggest talking to your doctor about all the side effects first so you know what to expect when you go into it. 

What were some of the side effects? and P.S. Thank you to EVERYONE who replied... it is so helpful!

well, Lexapro causes dizziness, nausea, rapid heartbeat, and excessive sweating.  lol, which really doesn't sound all too terrible--I guess I'm just a wimp when it comes to stuff like that!  I'm sure you'll be fine though and your doctor will choose a medication that will best suit your needs. 

Original Post by tahitisweetie123:

well, Lexapro causes dizziness, nausea, rapid heartbeat, and excessive sweating.  lol, which really doesn't sound all too terrible--I guess I'm just a wimp when it comes to stuff like that!  I'm sure you'll be fine though and your doctor will choose a medication that will best suit your needs. 

AHH!!! I don't think i coujld handel that either. haha. wow. the ironic thing is that once he told me he wants to put me on meds, I was stressing about haveing stress and going on meds for it. ugh. I'm messed up. haha. thank you all for your help!

This is coming from a Pharmacy student: antidepressants have very, very different effects on everyone. Just because one person gains weight doesn't mean everyone will. And just because a side effect is listed for that drug doesn't mean that it WILL happen. I was on Celexa for about a year for severe panic disorder. I gained weight, but I would do it again because, in the end, I was able to wrestle my stupid panic attacks under control and go off meds. My BF struggled with panic disorder also, but he didn't gain an ounce when he got on the same medication. Because these drugs affect brain chemistry, which is HIGHLY personal, there is no way to predict (even by the experience of other people) what the drugs will do to YOU. A lot of the time, the side effects are also dose related so don't be scared to talk to your Doc about raising or lowering your dose as YOU see fit. Only YOU live inside YOUR body.  One more thing, all of the different meds out there act slightly differently so you always have the option of switching up.  Just because both Lexapro and Prozac, for example, work essentially the same way (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) doesn't mean that they are exactly the same chemicals...they will have different effects on your body.  These medications can be helpful.  Just be aware of your body and be your own best advocate.  If it doesn't feel good, talk to your doc.  Sorry if I was verbose.  You can contact me if you need clarification or research sources.  Good luck!!! 

Hi, I am just completing my B.S. degree in psychology and have studied psychopharmacology (medicine relevent to emotional and mental disorders). More importantly, I have anxiety and panic disorder myself. I take zoloft and have not had any problems with weight gain. Generally, SSRI's (like zoloft) are very effective at treating anxiety disorders and/or depression. They can make an amazing difference in your life, allowing the chemicals in your brain to get on the right track again. We are very fortunate to live in a time where these medications are available....we don't have to suffer. I was afraid of taking the zoloft at first too. My doctor suggested I "try it" for a month and if I didn't like it, I could just stop. Great advice.....after two weeks I couldn't imagine not taking it. SSRI's can take up to two weeks to work and generally, side effects are mild and pass fairly quickly with continued use. They don't make you "feel" anything....except for "normal", which for me, is a huge relief. Good luck!

Studies have been done that show that the use of antidepressants (specifically prozac and zoloft) do not increase the chance of an ED patient maintaining their weight after hospital discharge. The reason some people gain weight is that appetite increases, but the meds do not actually cause and sort of change in one's metabolism.

I personally am not a fan of meds, but then again, I have had really bad experiences with them. At one inpateint hospital, they put everyone on really heavy doses of tranquilizers in order to keep the unit calm and quite. I had adavant, ceraquil, and thorzine pumed into my arm (I refused to take it by mouth) everyday. I was so exhausted that I could hardly walk straight. And also, high doses of anti-anxiety meds can lower your blood pressure. Mine dropped to below 60/40 and I kept passing out. I was also misdiagnosed with bipolar (i was just depressed, never had any manic spells ever), and was given abilify, which screwed me up a bit.

But, if used correctly, they can be helpful. I woud make sure to get a second opinion on what meds to take, just to be sure that you are taking the right ones.

I know you've gotten many great answers, but here's my two cents!  I have battled depression and anxiety for years.  Just recently have found the right med combo - after reluctantly trying several and not quite getting the right results.  Only now, because I have gotten all those "crazy" thoughts under control have I been able to be clear minded about the right way to lose weight.  The meds may have an affect on your weight, as someone pointed out they are completely different for everyone, BUT the mental stabliity you gain will be much more of a benefit AND help you be able to lose weight in the long run. 

Original Post by farm_girl64:

My doctor suggested I "try it" for a month and if I didn't like it, I could just stop. Great advice.....after two weeks I couldn't imagine not taking it.

I don't think that's a good thing.

I think medication for depression is highly over prescribed. For your doctor to say he is going to put you on medication in the future is really strange to me. It kind of suggests that he KNOWS that you're still going to be stressed and not attempt to reduce it in the mean time.

Just think a lot before you agree to taking medication. It might feel like you're better or getting better, but becoming dependent on chemicals instead of working through it using your own strength shouldn't be the only option. Many people can overcome stress and anxiety with helps from therapists but most importantly family and friends around supporting you.

My entire family are hooked on anti depressants but I am determined that I have enough strength to never give in to them. The human body has the capabilities to cope if you recognise your own strength.

I hope I haven;t offended anyone on antidepressants, I just feel strongly about the real strength all of us have to cope and deal with whatever the world throws at us. We can all do it!

Just think a lot before you agree to taking medication. It might feel like you're better or getting better, but becoming dependent on chemicals instead of working through it using your own strength shouldn't be the only option. Many people can overcome stress and anxiety with helps from therapists but most importantly family and friends around supporting you.

Aaaaaagh. I'm sorry, I know you said you didn't mean to offend anyone - but that generally goes along with offensive statements, and this one is no different.

Nobody would say to a diabetic that, just because exercise and diet can help keep blood sugar under control, they shouldn't take insulin if they need it because they shouldn't be "dependent on chemicals." Nobody would say - even though there are environmental factors in play, here, too - that people should stop taking blood pressure medication before their BP is under control, because they should be able to "work through it using their own strength."

Depression is a serious medical condition which can decrease overall mental functioning, precipitate early onset of dementia, and shorten lifespan. Not to mention making your life suck while you're living it. Yes, it can have environmental or situational triggers - but it's not the same as being bummed out over a specific incident, or being stressed out during finals week. It's tremendously destructive, and for many many people, non-medication solutions are absolutely not sufficient.

If you are depressed, and have found therapy alone helpful, good; I'm genuinely happy for you. But that doesn't qualify you to give medical advice to other people who haven't benefited from therapy, or to criticize them as "hooked on" the medications that are very literally keeping them alive.

My advice would be to consider it from every angle, read some patient experiences on the net and discuss it with a family member or a close friend. You dont always get the right meds/dose straight away and it takes time to feel better so dont be disheartened if you dont feel better straight away. I tried citalopram for a few weeks but it wasnt for me. I've now been on sertraline for 2 and a bit weeks.

I hope things work out for you

xXx

Thank you ALL so much for your posts,  they have helped me so much!  I'm not sure exaclty what I am going to end up doing jsut yet.  my doctor said he wants me working with a new therapist, but he was really stressing the fact that he will probably end up putting me on meds.  I got over my "fat" fear,  but I'm still nervous that it will change who I am, if that makes sense. Like will I really be happy, or will it be a sense of 'false happiness"?

 

I don't knwo if that makes any sense but if it does...