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Lexapro and weight gain

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Posted 3/15/2005 9:11 PM (GMT 0)
Has anyone experienced significant weight gain while on lexapro?  I've been on it for over a year now and I have definitely gained at least 20 lbs.  I also have crohn's disease and have never had a weight problem in my life.  Also has anyone who has been on Lexapro stopped taking it?  I want to, I'm gonna consult my doctor first of course but if anyone has done it, is it hard to get over?
Posted 3/28/2005 11:02 PM (GMT 0)
am I the only one? confused
Posted 3/28/2005 11:40 PM (GMT 0)
I have yet to take that med yet, but with 80% of the ones I have been on I have gained weight....
thought it would help
Posted 4/3/2005 7:33 PM (GMT 0)
no, ur not the only one. i've been on lexapro for two years and i have gained well over thirty pounds. does the med even help you? I seem more able to smile when i am off of it but i tend to just go down hill again after a while. right now im working on getting a different prescription. i just feel so dead. like everything is a dream. kinda weird, huh? this is my first time ever posting on here. i didn't even know they had websites for depressed people. its kinda nice to be able to talk about it now tho this is my first time. if you ever wanna talk just post here and i'll check in every once in a while. try not to just drop the meds completely. been there, done that. i'd rather feel dead than feel the way i did when i stopped taking my meds. maybe there is another one out there that won'd be as bad. just be careful. wouldn't want anybody to feel that way again.
Posted 4/4/2005 2:09 AM (GMT 0)
Hi,I was on Lexapro for about six months and and yes I did gain some weight.I also have crohns and I was on Predy for a good while.I now take Zoloft and Xanx.I hope that your Doctor can put you on something eles.

Curley...........
a.k.a.Mela.............
Posted 4/4/2005 5:15 AM (GMT 0)
Hello Johnny,

I also take Lexapro . . .my doc allows me to take less during the long summer days. I just cut the pills in half and start taking half a day then half evey other day. CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTOR FIRST . . . but I haven't found any probs going off or getting back on (both gradually).

I too have gained weight. . . but I am eating more :). Lexapro works very well for me, but you need to find the one that is best for you. I tried three others first.

Blessings!
Posted 4/27/2005 10:01 PM (GMT 0)
nono  Please do not EVER try to go off of anti-depressants by yourself.  At least "cold turkey" anyway.

Hello, my name is Kim and I have been on anti-depressants for over 12 years.  I have taken almost every brand that they make.  I am currently on Zoloft.  Needless to say, since I started taking these type of meds, I have gained a total of 85 pounds. 

I have an appointment to go to a gyn doc next week for my yearly, and I plan on seeing about getting off of these things and maybe on hormone treatment.  I just don't feel as though these types of med's are working like they should with me.

I am so jazzed that I found a site like this, as I think we all may learn a thing or two.  LOL

Take care all and keep the info coming......

Posted 4/28/2005 12:53 AM (GMT 0)
Kimbo . . . You are SO right!! I'm glad you pointed out that going on and off of anti-d's should be done with doctor's consent. Doc allows me to do this now because I have worked with him on this over a period of years and I need less med during the long days of summer. But taking more or less med should always be with a Dr's blessing. I also have chronic illness, so I have frequent Dr. visits.

Thanks again Kim . . . I edited my post to include your advice so that no one is confused.

Blessings!
Posted 5/23/2005 9:59 PM (GMT 0)
I have been on numerous antidepressants (including Paxil, Effexor, Celexa, and, most recently, Lexapro) over the past six years. Prior to taking any of these medications, I was blessed with the ability to eat whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, without gaining any weight. I am 5'5" tall, and my weight always stayed around 108-112 without having to work at it very hard! After I started taking the antidepressants, though, I quickly gained about 20 pounds. I became extremely careful about what I ate and drastically increased my exercise regimen, but the weight would not budge...until I quit the antidepressants cold-turkey in mid 2004. It has taken several months, but my weight has finally returned to normal.

I would certainly not recommend quitting medication cold-turkey and especially without a doctor's oversight, but it proved for me that the antidepressants can drastically affect your weight. Plus, it may take several months after quitting the medication for your metabolism to regulate itself.
Posted 5/24/2005 3:09 PM (GMT 0)
Welcome User101!!

Thanks for sharing your experience. I started to gain weight when I was about 32 (and taking no meds).

That is also about the time that my depression started. I resisted meds for over 10 years but have been taking an anti-d now for many years. It has litteraly given me my life back. I'm still way overweight, but I am ME again.

I'm glad you are able to go w/o meds now. You sound very disciplined in your diet and exercise. Go for it sis!!!!

Blessings!
Posted 5/25/2005 1:57 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Johnny,

I gained 25 lbs in the last year but I admit I threw caution to the wind where food was concerned. I've started to manage my diet and have lost 5 lbs in the last week and a half. But we'll still see... The way I see it, it's still worth it.
I'm on Zoloft and Wellbutrin.

purplecrayon
Posted 8/1/2006 1:07 AM (GMT 0)
Errrr...

I was on Lexapro for about 9 months and recently gained about 20lbs within 2 months. I just recently weened myself off the medication. I was taking it from depression and anxiety caused by an eating disorder. I am very unhappy with my body and cannot take the weight off. I always get the urges to go purge after my meals. I started working out but no results. I just started taking three different kinds of dietary supplements from GNC (the RELEASE program pills). HELP. i dont know what to do. How do i get rid of my extra 20 lbs that i have gained??? I feel like I am just falling back into what these pills were supposed to help me with.    mad

Posted 8/2/2006 8:40 AM (GMT 0)
Hi,

I have been taking lexapro just over a month now. Before taking the medication I had no appetite whatsoever but since Ive started taking it, my appetite has returned so thats probably the reason Ive put on a liitle weight with it.
Take care
Victoria
Posted 8/24/2006 3:45 PM (GMT 0)
yeah u are the only 1 . it suppresses my apetite . not eating anything at all
Posted 8/24/2006 5:28 PM (GMT 0)
I was on lexapro... it didnt work for me at all. i forgot how long i was on it for but it was awhile.
i didnt gain wait. but i was soon off of it because i was still really depressed.
if you think you shouldnt be on it anymore. DEFFINENTLY. go to you doctor and talk to him about it.
you kno your body than anyone else so dont give up!
Posted 8/24/2006 5:29 PM (GMT 0)
p.s.
you are NEVER the only one!
Posted 8/24/2006 5:35 PM (GMT 0)
My story is different. I recently went off Lexapro. While I was on it I lost 10 pounds, now that I am off it I have gained 5 pounds. I am an emotional eater but I probably haven't been watching what I eat since I went off of it. I am not depressed but I do have to say that I have less motivation now.
Posted 9/5/2006 9:35 PM (GMT 0)
User101,
I read your response and strangely enough, it gives me a bit of hope. I gained 8 pounds on Paxil last year. I quit cold turkey (bad idea, that stuff is nasty) but I lost the weight within a month. I've been on Prozac for 8 months and within the past couple of months gained 7 pounds. I quit cold turkey about 10 days ago. I haven't felt so good, kind of bloated fluid-y I'm sure from withdrawal symptoms so I haven't weight myself lately but I am hoping I can lose those 7 pounds pretty quickly. I watch my calorie intake with a food journal and work out every day for 90 minutes (spinning class, elliptical trainer, circuit training and/or swimming). God help me, I'm gonna get my body back!! How long should it take after having been on that stuff for 8 months?
Posted 9/6/2006 12:56 PM (GMT 0)

Hi,

I have only been on Lexapro for about three weeks. I feel unmotivated to exercise so I suppose weight gain might be a threat.

I was on Paxil a few years ago and was going to switch to Wellbutrin because it would have fewer side effects and maybe allow me to lose some weight, the doctor said. But it turned out I was allergic to the Wellbutrin. So I went med-free for a few years.

Recent events have made me very upset so my new doctor put me on Lexapro which so far seems to have very few side effects. So far I do not notice any, in fact. It's hard to tell if I sometimes feel lethargic and spacey because of the drug or because of my emotional/mental state.

-- MK

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