menopause and weight gain - Menopause Message Board

Linma2428 · 09-06-2005, 05:20 PM

Anyone have any success from a medication for menopause that helped them loose weight. I have read some say progesterone helped them. I was on progesterone natural compounded for 6 months and it made no difference in helping me loose weight. What about anti depressants? I know they can cause weight gain. Can anyone tell me if taking an antidepressant affected their weight? I think I need an antidepressant but I can't afford to gain an ounce. Right now I am doing nothing for perimenopause. I had so much enthusiasm and now its gone.

LindaM

Moonrize · 09-08-2005, 08:25 PM

All my life I was 125 lbs,,,,went on paxil and have gained 25 lbs!I am on a low dose,too,and have been on it since November.I am going to try to get off of it as my weight keeps going up up up,I can't fit in any of my clothes from last spring! I have never had to deal with weight before and now I totally understand just how difficult it is.For the majority of us,ssri's cause a weight gain,but in certain cases,a weight loss.Tho unfortunately the gain is more likely!

lorbis · 09-08-2005, 09:05 PM

I am one of those who lost weight on an antidepressant. I have lost 10 pounds since starting Zoloft in July-I'm happy about it as it's exactly what I wanted to lose over the summer. However. I did it without trying-the Zoloft seems to have taken my appetite away. In fact, in the pamphlet that came with my sample, it says that decreased appetite and weight loss can be side effects.

greeneyes100 · 09-09-2005, 05:10 AM

I gained about 10 pounds on Paxil. Most people gain on it. I use an over the counter progesterone cream and testosterone and I have lost weight. It's not compounded. When your body has estrogen dominance, you will gain easily. Progestacare by Lifeflo is a good over the counter progesterone. You might try that. It comes in a pump bottle and one pump is all you need twice per day. It absorbs quickly too.

Then, I use a testosterone patch, which was prescribed to me for low sex drives. Besides boosting my drives, I have lost weight, and have a lot more energy. I just feel better all the way around. It is a low dose patch actually made for men, but women can use it too as long as you don't overdo it. I haven't gotten any side effects and I have been using the patch (2.5 mg) for about 3 weeks. All I have noticed is an increased sense of well being.

My doctor told me to take a break from the patch periodically though, so as not to get too much in my system.

Testosterone is really overlooked by a lot of doctors in prescribing hormones to women going through menopause. Besides low progesterone levels, we also have low levels of this hormone. They have one hormone (I think it's a cream) which contains both estrogen and testosterone and it's made for women. You might ask your doctor about that.

Also, weight bearing exercise is very important since we lose a lot of muscle as we age. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn! I do a combination of cardio and weight training. I'm in better shape now than I was in high school, I'm proud to say.

redherring · 09-09-2005, 05:35 AM

Most people will lose weight as an initial side effect with a SSRI but will gain back the weight lost and then some over a period of time (around the 6-8 month mark). I loved Paxil and Celexa but got fed up with 35+ pound weight gain that occurred over two years in spite of strict exercise regiment and clean eating! It was amazing. No matter what I did the scale kept posting a gain. If my doctor told me about the weight gain over time, I would've never opted to take Paxil or Celexa for anxiety