Hi everyone
I was just wondering how often there is a link between anti-ds and weight gain. I picked up my anti-depressants today and saw that one of the side effects was 'Altered body weight and/or change in appetite'. I just feel that right now, putting on weight is the worst possible thing that could happen, as it might make my bulimia worse, which I don't want to happen. Is this one of those side effects medicnes always mention that never actually happen, or is it pretty common? I would have asked my doctor about it, but I was being rushed out the door at the time!
Thanks a lot
Roxie xXx

Hi sweetie,
I am sorry to say that antidepressants can cause weight gain in some cases. But not with everyone. However, if you are not willing to risk it you should maybe book another gp appt or see the practice nurse to discuss that specific medication.
Take care though.
Aurora xox

Ooh, aren't we having fun replying to each other's threads this afternoon?! I don't really see the point of booking another GP appointment, as you may understand. And presumably if it does not affect everyone, neither the GP nor the nurse will be able to tell me if I will gain weight or not. Oh well, I suppose I will just have to try them, and stop them if I do start to gain weight.
Thanks for your reply
Roxie xXx

Roxie,
Glad to hear you are going to try the AD. They take a while to work, but can really help. Try not to worry about weight gain. Never happened to me or many of the friends I know. Sometimes the weight gain happens because a person who was depressed and not eating begins to feel a bit better and is able to eat. You are doing so well and I am proud of you. Take care. :angel:

I'm kinda out of topic but I have another question about medicine and weight gain. I was prescribed hormone pills (oestrogens) to start my periods that are gone due to my bulimia or weight I've lost, I don't know. It also mentions altered weight among side effects. Does anyone know if that is common or also just a rare side effect? I think I've read somewhere that oestrogenes may cause weight gain and I'm really worried about that..
Thanks for your replies!

Thanks for your reply Dance4jc. The trouble is, it is easier said than done not to worry about weight gain! I just know that if I put on weight I will end up desperately trying to get rid of it, and that will make me ED worse, and I don't want that to happen. I will start them though, and just see what happens. Thanks again for all your help
Roxie xXx

yeah, didn't mean it to sound that way, I know it is not easy. Just try and take things one day at a time. You will have good days and bad days. Try to remember that when you are having a bad day, because with a tomorrow there is always hope. You hang in there and do all that you can to get better. You have great times ahead of you in life and you will get better and experience them. Take care. :angel:

Roxie
Ive also been started on an AD today and the weight gain is a BIG fear of mine also.Ive been started on trazadone and one of the side effects could be WG but all the anti-depressants seem to have a certain amount of side effects and alot of people on them have no problems. My AD is a sedating one as i suffer from insomnia anyway but i realise i need to take something since the depressions getting worse.
Lets both give them a go and see what happens. hopefully we'll be ok. im trying not to panic . ADs are supposed to improve appetite because they improve mood. i know that in my case i have a huge appetite anyway. I could spend the whole day B/P if i had the chance.
see how it goes
Nikkitaxxx

Ok, we will both try them! The other thing about them that bothers me is I don't know if I want my emtions to be controlled by drugs. At least at the moment, when I feel awful it is ME feeling awful, I don't know how much I like the thought of having false emotions like that. I don't want to feel even less like me than I already do; I already feel like I have lost all my personality, I don't want to lose my emotions as well. I just feel like a big act at the moment, I pretend that I am just the same as always and happy etc, but I just feel like another person inside. I have started on the ADs, but as I said, I don't know how much I want to be on them. Hope everyone is ok

Roxie xXx :angel:

The side effects 'altered weight' and 'change in appetite' doesn't necessarily mean weight gain. AD's work different for everyone. If you were prescribed them b/c of an ED, your psych probably took into consideration that a medication causing weight gain would slow your progress toward recovery, as you'd quit taking them if you started gaining weight. Most of the SSRI's that are prescribed to people with ED's don't have much of an impact on weight. They're designed to help stabilize your mood and the impulses that drives you to b/p. Take your meds!

Ok, we will both try them! The other thing about them that bothers me is I don't know if I want my emtions to be controlled by drugs. At least at the moment, when I feel awful it is ME feeling awful, I don't know how much I like the thought of having false emotions like that. I don't want to feel even less like me than I already do; I already feel like I have lost all my personality, I don't want to lose my emotions as well. I just feel like a big act at the moment, I pretend that I am just the same as always and happy etc, but I just feel like another person inside. I have started on the ADs, but as I said, I don't know how much I want to be on them. Hope everyone is ok

Roxie xXx :angel:
I can definitely understand why you'd feel that way. A few years ago I was seeing a psychiatrist who perscribed depakote (which I think he refered to it as a "mood stabilizer") and the same thoughts went through my head when I started taking it. I did though, and I definitely can't say I regret it. I didn't start feeling like I had lost my emotions at all. I started feeling like myself again... a girl who was actually able to take care of herself. I can't be sure if the medicine really helped, or if one day I just snapped out of it enough to be able to start making things better for myself instead of making it worse by starving myself to death, but it makes no difference to me now, anyway. Once I got my life back under control (a couple of years later) I stopped seeing my psychiatrist and weened myself off the medication. Perhaps that wasn't the smartest thing in the world to do, but I didn't want to be taking that stuff for any longer than I had to be. And you know what, I didn't feel any different at all, once I was off the medicine. I think the medicine really only helped give the initial push I needed.

That's not to claim I am or ever was completely recovered, but now I'm pretty sure I have the capacity to prevent my ED from becoming too serious a threat to my life (there was a time when I couldn't have done that at all).

BTW, regarding your initial question... before I started taking depakote I had other doctors try me out on different antidepressants that didn't work for me, but definitely didn't make me gain weight either. I tried prozak, amitriptyline (which really helped with my insomnia but didn't do anything to my mood) and paxil. I continued to lose weight the whole time. By the time I started on depakote I was too physically weak to get out of bed most days. So antidepressants certainly don't always cause weight gain. I started gaining weight after I started taking depakote (which isn't really an antidepressant) but I don't think I can blame that on the medicine... it was because I started eating a lot more. And then I started taking wellbutrin along with the depakote for awhile. The whole time just maintaining a fairly rapid weight gain until I reached a healthy weight, and then the weight gain stopped completely (though I continued on the medication for quite awhile afterward). So I really have my doubts that the medications triggered it, but who knows for sure?

Thank you very much for your post Autumn, it did make me think. I just wish there was something I could get better without having to take medication. I am glad that you have your life back in control now. I started taking the ADs a couple of days ago, I still don't really know if I want to be on them, but until I find an alternative I guess I'll stick with them. I do realise that not everyone on EDs gains weight, but it was just something I am concerned about, and wanted to know how common it is. Thanks again

Roxie xXx

hey, i actually LOST 5 lbs by going on my AD... as someone has already said, they work differently for everyone.

Some ppl gain weight and some ppl lose while taking anti-depressants.
When I took paxil I put on a good 60lbs.
But everyone is different.
Good luck with your meds.

This probably has like nothing to do with this topic, but I am going to throw it in here anyways since I am new to this. My friend has been struggling with depression for the last few months. And she is on like 5 different kinds of medications. I know 2 of them are zoloft and welbutrin. She has never been overweight, nor underweight, but since she's been on these meds, shes lost about 30lbs, and FAST! I know it's not healthy for her!! But she claims its the welbutrin causing her weight loss, she says it can make her anorexic. Is this true?? I just can't see how an anti-depressant medication can cause something like this. I understand maybe a slight change in her eating habits, or loss of appetite, but really ANOREXIC? She said it was stated in her papers when she got the medication filled. I was just wondering if anyone has heard of this, and is it possible???

Hey Roxie,
I wanted to reply to tell u not to worry about the whole weight gain. The doctos told me when i first was put on Celexa/Citalopram that it was very rare to suffer from this side effect. I was put on 75MG of Effexor a couple of months later...and I haven't had any problems with weight gain or anything. It isn't the pill itself that makes u put on weight...it can just sometimes increase your will to eat! But, Im sure it will be fine.

*Caroline*

Thank you very much for your reply, that is comforting. I don't think I have put any weight on so far, but I have only been on them for a month. I am going onto 40mg a day now (I was on 20), but hopefully that won't make a difference. I am glad you have been ok with weight on your ADs. Thanks
Roxie xXx

This probably has like nothing to do with this topic, but I am going to throw it in here anyways since I am new to this. My friend has been struggling with depression for the last few months. And she is on like 5 different kinds of medications. I know 2 of them are zoloft and welbutrin. She has never been overweight, nor underweight, but since she's been on these meds, shes lost about 30lbs, and FAST! I know it's not healthy for her!! But she claims its the welbutrin causing her weight loss, she says it can make her anorexic. Is this true?? I just can't see how an anti-depressant medication can cause something like this. I understand maybe a slight change in her eating habits, or loss of appetite, but really ANOREXIC? She said it was stated in her papers when she got the medication filled. I was just wondering if anyone has heard of this, and is it possible???

I'm not a professional or anything but I think that the term anorexia used in the context of a medication side effect simply refers to a loss of appetite, not the eating disorder anorexia nervosa as you seem to be thinking. However, it seems to me that any weight loss of this magnitude should be discussed with a doctor- no matter what the cause. Hope this is helpful. God bless you, your friend, and everyone else on this website!

-Louisa

little o me,

i am on wellbutrin myself and i have been for a long time. (i recently went from twice a day to once a day, but the same drug nonetheless) and yes, it can cause weight loss... but it should only be about 5lbs... NOT 30. It does not say ANYWHERE that the drug will make you anorexic. it says, it can cause a loss of appetite and weight loss, but it will not cause an ED. It does mention that you shouldn't take it if you have had or have an ED because it can cause a greater risk of seizure...

it sounds like your friend IS developing some kind of ED and is trying to find something to blame it on rather than admitting she has a problem. i too lost weight when i first went on it, but NOT 30 lbs... no where NEAR that much.

LittleOme,

The fact that your friend has lost a substantial amount of weight does not automaticaly make her anorexic. The fact is that every medication has different effects on everyone. One person may gain 5lbs while another - on the same medication - may lose 20lbs.

30lbs certainly is a lot to lose for someone who is by no means overweight, especially if it's as fast as you say.

I do agree with Louisa that the medication can cause 'weight loss' and 'loss of appitite', rather than actually causing an eating disorder. Eating disorders are the way we think about things, if you just lose weight as an effect of a medication and nothing else, you do not have an eating disorder.

Your friend obviously talks openly about her depression and her meds, so try to encourage her to talk to her doctor or therapist if she has one about her sudden weight loss. They can assess her and figure out if she has an eating disorder, or is just suffering a severe side effect of her medication.

Good luck!

Ashlee