Silly question about anti-depressants and weight gain

[RedHareWithBlondeHair]

Side effects say weight-gain; but I'm wondering if this is down to increased appetite therefore eating more or if you'd still gain weight even if you kept your diet the same?

I found I ate more, specifically carbs. My appetite was enormous. I've come off them now already noticed my appetite has shrunk and I'm losing the weight. I was on Mirtazapine which is one of the worst ones for weight gain and increased appetite.

I just found I was hungry all the time. All the time.

Increased appetite here too. Even if you say you'll stick to your usual diet the extra calories will creep in.

Which ones do you have? As already mentioned mirtazapine is one of the worst offenders.

I lost weight on sertraline because I stopped binge eating, took better care of myself and exercised more. I think it can work either way depending on how your diet/lifestyle is now.

Me too. Mirtazapine..
What if I stick religiously to normal eating? Or was it a case of an extra cup cake here, an extra bagel there?

I lost 3 stone on Citalopram, I felt better in myself so took pride and the comfort eating stopped.

You may not gain weight if you're aware of how much you're eating. I did lose 7lbs in October last year while taking Mirtazapine but had to lose the carbs and keep to 1200cals a day. I put it all back on over Xmas I came off it in January and have noticed that my appetite has started to decrease so I'm hoping the weight will come off quicker and easier!

Easy. Get hungry on antidepressants, at regular times, and I have food in the house.

Not on antidepressants...not hungry, shopping/cooking doesn’t happen anyway!

I've lost weight on sertraline because I've got more energy and don't just sit and eat all day. No change in appetite really, but before I comfort ate whether I was hungry or not.

My daughter gained three stone in as many months.

The pharmacist told me Mirtazapine increases your appetite and messes with your metabolism.

I've lost weight on setraline because originally it made me feel too sick to eat for a few hours after taking it, and since then I've just been more aware of what I eat, making time for exercise etc.

So ive had it both ways in different periods of taking various anti depressants.

On one i lost weight, because as my depression lifted, my motivation went up so i stopped binge eating and actually started moving around more. At that time i had been staying in the house, gorging so having my mood lifted meant i wasnt comfort eating and i even plucked the courage to go to the gym.

I also started one that made me lose my appetite a bit

Then equally i put on weight with one, however at that point my depression had made me lose my appetite so taking the pills lifted my mood and i slowley felt like i had taste buds again. You often see weight gain and weight loss listed as side effects.

After doing some reading i realised that the pills them self dont equal automatic weight gain ie each pill isnt like a 1000 calories. However they do increase your appetite and personally i felt made it a bit harder for me to gain weight. My current medication is notorious for gain but between snacking on the right things and making sure i exercise, im actually doing okay and my weight is pretty stable. currently though id take some weight gain over how i felt before

I've been on Sertraline for 5+ years now, I initially didn't gain weight, but as the medication started to make me feel better, I certainly loaded up more on carbs. But I felt better in myself. I started to run more and now I am on a quarter of the dosage I used to be on, my appetite has decreased and I eat less carbs. TBH, when I was really anxious before I started meds, the anxiety was literally eating away at me, so I was far thinner than I am now. I guess you just have to be a bit careful what you eat and how much when you are on the meds if you're worried about gaining weight.

I do think they make me hungrier. I was slightly underweight and have gained. I am trying to stock up with protein foods. I don’t eat meat because I don’t like it so I have added more eggs and cheese to my diet. These fill me up and I have to meal plan and shop more carefully now. I try things like omelette and salad instead of with mash or chips.
Lots of vegetable, nuts and salads. I try to avoid bread, potatoes and pasta.

I find myself going to the biscuit tin or ice cream even though I am not actually hungry so I have just stopped buying them as I don’t have the willpower to resist,

I think part of it is feeling grateful for feeling better, and comfort eating. Previously, when I was stressed, I just could not eat. I could go all day without hunger pangs,

I don’t find I over eat but gain weight because I’m so inactive, meds put me to sleep.

I’ve put about a stone on, on Citalopram.

It’s just a sacrifice I have to make to feel ok. I’m not happy about it, but I’ve more or less made my peace with it.

I’m on mirtazapine too, I’m always hungry and gained weight. Now looking at reducing my carbs too now to see if that shifts some.

Yes, always hungry.

I've been carb craving on citalopram akin to being on prednisolone 😭