weight gain from anti depressant

[smurphy18]

Hi all,
just wondering if anyone has had weight gain whilst on anti depressants? I have been on the ones I'm currently on for 3month and I'm gaining weight something terrible, my clothes are not fitting and the way I see myself now is getting me really down....I haven't weighed myself cause I'll end up crying, my husband has even said I'm gaining weight, this is also getting me down cause if he can see it then others must can too....I have always had a high metabolism and been fairly slim. I'm back at the doctors next week. Anyway, I guess what I want to know is, if anyone has ever had weight gain from anti depressants, and lost weight as in went back to normal size and shape when came off them?
TIA 😊

Which antidepressant is it?

Mirtizapine...

I'm on mirtazapine too and yes, my weight has increased along with my appetite.
Is it helping you apart from the weight gain? I'm sleeping constantly and not sure if it's the depression or the meds or both.

I knew you were going to say mirtazapine. I don't think it's fair that they prescribe it without warning people and giving you other options.

Make an appt to discuss your options with the GP.

I've been on citalopram for years, have only recently started taking mirtazapine on top of it, so I can't help you with losing weight coming off it, sorry.

That particular anti-d is notorious for causing weight gain, it's actually prescribed to anorexics to increase their appetite. I was prescribed it despite telling the GP I'm already 2st overweight but he didn't listen at all, so I never picked up the script. I won't take that one no matter how bad I get because further weight gain will really crash my mood, badly, terribly.

In other countries they can prescribe wellbutrin alongside it and the weight gain isn't as significant, but here wellbutrin is only licensed for smoking cessation (big surprise, we're so backwards wrt mental health). They don't warn people that weight gain is a very common side effect, the last episode of 'GPs Behind Closed Doors' the GP just gave the patient a script for that without telling her a thing or offering her an alternative and she was already, from the looks of it, a good 4-5st overweight.

The weight gain is bad, but I have been able to mitigate it by calorie restriction and exercise. I find it works well enough for me not to mind rigidly sticking to very low calories, but obviously not everybody is willing to essentially give up eating! Especially if there are other options!

When I am not on it I need 2000cals for maintenance and 1400cals for maintenance on it, so it is a big hit. I can't explain why this has worked either, just my experience.
If I don't monitor my weight and intake I gain weight very quickly and crave carbs constantly. I am one of these weird people who is good at rigidly sticking to diets though

Nope, not willing to give up eating. I'm already working hard to lose the middle-aged spread that came with menopause. I wasn't even told about any other options, just take this and shut up. Have completely lost faith in seeking treatment now.

Thanks for the replies....
I have an appointment next week again. it was the psychiatrist that prescribed me this and my last appointment there wasn't with the the one that put me on this...the person I saw was rather useless, so I have an appointment at my own gp next week and I have an appointment with the psychiatrist next month.
The medication itself has helped me sleep better in the evenings and I'm not sleeping during the day like I was before...that's the only good thing this has done for me. The way I'm feeling hasn't changed any and if anything I feel worse cause of the weight gain. If I was to come off it with the doctors agreement would I lose the weight?

Hopefully you can lose the weight! It's why I refused to use it, I'm a bit older and finding it harder and harder to lose weight the older I get. I've also had to have screws and pins put in one ankle and one knee due to a car accident and if I get too overweight it starts to hurt to exercise, and exercise helps my mood, so I really can't afford to put on any more weight. But wasn't listened to at all.