Do you gain weight with Anitdepressants?

[basl]

I have been struggling with my weight for some time but been really good but the weight is just not coming off. Can you still diet successfully while on them. I have been on them now for about 8 weeks and doctor tells me it is a side effect i can do nothing about.

[dontrunwithscissors]

I was on sertraline & couldn't shift any weight. Since I stopped taking it the my weight has slowly been dropping again. Having said that, I believe some ad's have weight loss as a side effect. Perhaps it's all down to the individual/ type of medication. I'm interested to hear other people's response as have been prescribed citalopram (sp?) but I'm reluctant to tAke it if my weight
loss will stop.

[misslostmarbles]

A lot of medication makes you crave certain foods predominantly carbohydrates and so has a tendency to increase weight. Mainly antipsychotics such as olanzipine. Not familiar with ads that do that although venlafaxine does have appetite suppressant qualities and is good as acts on seratonin and noradrenaline inhibitors in brain so is a good ad but gps dont like prescribing it without a consultant. Main problems with depression is motivation to do things which help keep weight off eg eat good diet or exercise. your whole body systems slow down so it makes it more difficult to shift weight.

[Lynli]

I have found I lost weight easily on prozac. I think it stopped me trying to medicate with food. After about 12 weeks when I was really well I found it much easier to exercise and keep up my enthusiasm to keep fit,

[rewardgirl]

I had a long convo with the hospital specialist before going back on sertraline. He said that he'd done a lot of research into this issue, and he has found conclusively that there is NO link between ADs and weight gain. It's simply a symptom of your depression. I put on 4 stone (eek!)when I was first diagnosed and went on sertraline. After a (miserable) break of around a year, I went back on them last August, feel MUCH better and lost 2 stone in Feb/March this year (and kept it off).

Best thing to do to lose weight (in my experience) is try to eat ONLY fresh stuff - fruit, veg, nuts, seeds etc. You'll slip sometimes but at least the majority of what you're eating is good stuff. Eat small proportions, frequently. E.g. small bowl of porridge/muesli first thing, fruit mid morning, ryvita and houmous/soup for lunch, fruit and nuts mid afternoon, small healthy dinner (e.g. yummy stir fry veg and quorn with thai sauce), fruity yogurt for dessert. This will speed up your metabolism. Plan your weekly menu in advance - means you're less likely to "cheat" and saves sooo much money too (I now spend around £30 / week on food compared with around £80-100 before I started planning!). BBC Food site is great ofr inspiration.
Then try to exercise EVERY day, even if it's just going for a brisk walk for 40 mins, but make sure you get out of breath for at least 20 mins at least twice a week.
Hope that helps! It worked amazingly well for me.

[dontrunwithscissors]

Hmm, but there are AD's that are specifically known to cause an increase in appetite, and thereby weight gain - I think mirtazapine is one?

[thedudesmummy]

I have lost a lot of weight on fluoxetine, just no appetite at all