Antidepressants...

[20misti05]

I have a question about antidepressants...are there any that have side effects of weight loss? If there are, I'd like to be put on one as I've gained roughly 60 pounds as a side effect of an antipsychotic that I was on. Are there any that at least are neutral when it comes to weight gain/weight loss? I'm currently on Lexapro...which is the other reason why I want to switch: it doesn't seem to help.
Thanks so much for your help! God bless!
Misti

 

[Endearing lil Influenza]

I think your psychiatrist will know best... different meds work on differnt people... pschiatrist often put us on one med... and if that doesn't work... he/she will try another... this gives him/her an idea of what your metabolism is like... he/she will know your body better and will prescribe you medication according to your body's need... you can talk to your psychiatrist about wanting to be on a med that have a side effect of losing weight... he/she is the one who knows your body the best

meanwhile you might like to check out this site http://psychcentral.com/meds/ ... contains info on meds for mental disorders... the decription of the meds.. warnings and side effects etc

 

[invisiblebabe]

Wow, it must be difficult when the meds mess with your body like that

I know that Prozac (Fluoxetine is the generic version) and Zoloft generally do not cause weight gain or weight loss.

 

[20misti05]

Don't want either of those...they can make you more suicidal and I'm enough of that already...
Misti

 

[Jeshu]

Got the same problem as you, let me know when/if you find one that causes weight loss as I would be very interested. (anti-psychotic that is.)

 

[beetlequeendiva]

yeah i found that prozac and zoloft are not helpful at all and do generaly make you feel suicidal

 

[Strong in Him]

I did lose weight on one of my antidepressants, but I can't remember which one - possibly prozac. But I think you should tell your psychiatrist about your concerns with this. He/she will know what's best, and any other drugs may react with your antipsychotic or cause yet more side effects for you.

 

[brandi]

I'm on prozac now and I've lost 10 pounds on it. I've been on it for two weeks now.. I feel like it's helped me out with my depression too. My doctor said he put me on it for two reasons: depression and it will help me lose weight.

 

[pockleberry]

hey i havent had much of a chance to read whats been said so far but ive already tried too types of anti depressants but am still feeling suicidal alot of the time my mum doesnt believe what im saying. Should I try and get my dr to put me on different medication?

 

[Jeshu]

yeah i found that prozac and zoloft are not helpful at all and do generaly make you feel suicidal

Prozac is known to cause some troubles see [size=-1]www.prozactruth.com
[/size]Zoloft and Zyprexa carries the same type of warnings.

 

[Pacelli]

It's probably important to at least give your doctor a heads-up on what's going on. Know of my prayers.

 

[luv4godremains]

I know this probably isn't really very helpful, but maybe if you try to deal with your depression first, then you will be able to sort your weight out, it could be that you haven't got enough motivation at the moment, or that you are comfort eating, and when you are well again, that maybe you will be able to lose the weight by yourself!

 

[newlite]

are those meds addicting? i thought i heard from somewhere they are....

 

[luv4godremains]

I don't know if they are properly addicting, but, i know that it is very hard to get off them, if not physically, emotionally. I know quite a few people who struggled with this. but, even though it takes a while, you can do it, and your doctors probably help too!

 

[Tyeise]

are those meds addicting? i thought i heard from somewhere they are....

It depends some on the meds - some are more addicting than others. But in general, most true antidepressants prescribed correctly are not.

But I would suggest looking at this another way. Think of a diabetic. Insulin is not "addictive", but coming off it would cause major problems with their disease. In the same way, coming off anti-depression meds before you are ready can cause your depression to get worse again. Also with some meds, if you come off them too fast you can get physical reactions as well. This is not the same thing as addictive, just that it takes your body time to adjust. Most anti-depressants take up to 2 weeks to take effect, so it shouldn't really be strange that it takes some time to wean off of them as well.

 

[one 4 Christ]

I have gained 8 pounds ever since I was on my medication (which was last fall 2004). I will pray for you!!

 

[SweetLyn]

I have a question about antidepressants...are there any that have side effects of weight loss? If there are, I'd like to be put on one as I've gained roughly 60 pounds as a side effect of an antipsychotic that I was on. Are there any that at least are neutral when it comes to weight gain/weight loss? I'm currently on Lexapro...which is the other reason why I want to switch: it doesn't seem to help.
Thanks so much for your help! God bless!
Misti

From my many experiences with Doctors and anti-depressants, they are not going to give you diffrent ones because of weight gain, especially if they seem to be helping you. I had a dr that wanted to put me on something that would make me gain 20 pounds even though Im considered overweight.
Ill keep you in my prayers. I think that sometimes is the best medicine.

 

[Kristi1]

I take 200mg Zoloft everyday now.....

 

[Lordzhelper2]

I'll try to put in my two cents worth here. I was on Zoloft for 10 years and then it's effectiveness wore off. I was up to 200 mg per day when they took me off and put me on Lexapro 20 per day. With the Zoloft, it lifted the cloud a bit but I still kept having the suicidal thoughts (no more/or less) than I did before I began treatment. After switching to the Lexapro it doesn't do much more than the Zoloft did. They both dried up my tears and kept me from crying everyday and becoming more depressed. As far as weight gain or loss, I really can't say. While on the Zoloft I did end up at 267 lbs., but at the same time I went on the Adkins diet and lost 60 lbs in a 6 month period. While changing medications I've still been able to maintain my weight loss by just not eating sugars. That's helped me so much. When you're fighting depression one of the first things you want is comfort foods. (or at least I did)
The hardest reality that I've had to face is that I was married for 24 years and my wife couldn't deal with my clinical depression and she divorced me last year. I was in treatment most of the year and I've been on every kind of antidepressant you can think of. I was in a group where we each saw the same doctor and we all were on something different. Some were suffering from manic depression, social panic disorders and others were suicide attempts (suverely depressed). What works for one person may not work for another. So the best thing I can advise is to seek more treatment and stay after your doctor till he gets it right. Remember there are clinics out there that can help you even if you can't afford payment. Get online and look around, you are not suffering alone. There are people out there that can help you. Life can be more than a dark room where you hide from everyone.

Don't Give Up
I have a friend who goes through some stretches of depression so intense that his idea of a good day is the fact that he didn’t take his life. And he’s a pastor! Now some would say he shouldn’t be a pastor until he gets himself fixed. I say that if he were "fixed," he wouldn’t have anything to say to all those people he is ministering to now who struggle with depression. He’s got an incredible mission field, and he is, every day, a living, breathing testimony to the power of God — not to the power of God ten years ago when God fixed him, but the power of God today that gets him out of bed, gives him words to speak, and a reason to go on. You see this is the type of mission no one is excused from. Deeper struggle only makes surviving that much more crucial. Remember? This isn’t about you. We’re not only talking about you making it. We’re talking about the mission that you will have, making it — the reach your experience will have into the real lives of others struggling with the same things. God bless you all in your journey