I have never been on a med that didn't cause weight gain. Every time I get ready to give another one a chance (which frankly I am sick of doing), I gain weight...and not just two or three pounds, try 10, 20, 30 or more. Then I get depressed because I am overweight. Twice I have gotten completely off meds and lost the weight, but just as soon as I get back on them, I gain weight again. The last time I was off meds, I lost 100 lbs after gaining 110 from being on meds for four years. I got back on meds and gained 60. I am not seeing a benefit from being on meds if the side effects give me a new reason to hate myself, but I am going to give meds one more chance. These are the meds I remember taking (I am sure there are more, but I can't remember all of them):

Effexor
Prozac
Wellbutrin
Luvox
Abilify
Zoloft
Lexapro
Buspar
Zispin

I know there are at least four more but I cannot remember the names.

(((((((Persephone)))))))

I'm really sorry you have had this experience. Unfortunately, everyone reacts differently to these medications. For many people, none of the medications you mention cause weight gain. Indeed, some people actually lose weight on these medications. So it's not necessarily the medications themselves. It's how they interact with our metabolism etc. There is no medication where you can say for sure "this med doesn't cause weight gain" or "I will lose weight on this med".

What does your doctor say?

Good luck to you.

Joanna

"Let's try another one."

I feel like a fat guinea pig.

I so know this feeling. I was put on celexa and over the last 1 1/2 years I have gained over 40 pounds. I am currently on Cymbalta and trying to get off of it. I understand the feeling of WHY am I on ad if its just gonna cause another reason to be depressed. I wish you luck in all of this!

It is so good to finally encounter someone that gets me!

my son has been on zoloft & prozac -- plus 2 others that are truely notorious for weight gain, zyprexa & remeron.

the most he's gained is 5 lbs on the zoloft/remeron combo -- he's actually lost weight on the prozac/zyprexa combo.

but, he's not a big eater.

what they have done to him is make him tired & unmotivated so he's not as active as he used to be.
so while he hasn't gained any weight, i'm betting his body fat percentage is higher -- so he's kind of skinny/fat if that makes any sense.

unfortunately, all of these meds are a guessing game.
there's not much for the dr to do but say let's try the next one on the list and hope you eventually get to the right one.

if it makes you feel any better, i'm not on any prescription meds and i'm having a hard time losing weight myself.
i don't have anything to blame it on but myself.

Weight gain is horrible. I am always watching my weight.

When I went on Lithium along with Paxil, I gained a ton of weight!!! When I went off Lithium, I lost 20 lbs. Still have more to go but at least I have lost some.

Depression is horrible. I understand what you are saying.

For what it is worth, Wellbutrin has not made me gain weight. In fact, it caused me to lose 10 lbs. A long time ago, I took Prozac and lost about 5 lbs, no weight gain also.

Good Luck!! Let us know how it goes.

Gentle sUN

Hi,

Ive put on 15-20 pounds over the years on prozac and recently
talked to my pdoc to ask for help in getting it off. Obviously
she suggested diet and exercise which I do but she also said
to try white bean extract to help control carbs and appetite. She
said it is safe to take with ads and seems to help. Im starting today
so I hope it works!

best wishes,
starr

What is white bean extract and where do you get it?

For some reason, on Paxil, I LOSE weight. Not sure why...I think most people gain on it?

I got my white bean extract at a Physicians Weight Loss Center. It was
$30 for a month supply so I hope it works.

starr

WOW I need to try that white bean extract. I wonder if you can get it at a vitamin store?? I guess white beans arent the same, huh?

GS

According to my pdoc, the white bean extract adds protein to your diet and
helps you metabolize carbs better and is supposed to give you a feeling of
being full. Today is day 1 for me so we'll see. Im praying this works! You
should be able to get it at any vitamin store or weight loss center.

best wishes,
starr

Okay, Star I will check into that. I take fiber and was wondering if that puts more fiber into my body. I guess that would be okay as long as I dont get too bloated. Thanks for this interesting information!! Keep me posted on how it goes.

GS

Starr, do you have a site for that?

I jsut did a quick google search on it. Seems to be completely tested and safe. I'm going to try it.
Oh, the "official" site said to watch out for copy cat products that cost less ...
Sure. Why would we want to keep some of our money in our own pockets? LOL!

And, persephone,
I was going to suggest Topamax. It's used off label for depression and anxiety. And it's used for weight control too, off label. You may want to talk to your doctor about it.

Peace

I haven't tried Topamax. I am going to mention that to my doctor at my next appointment. Thanks!

I think I might give that white bean extract a try, too.