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Beta-blockers vs Anti Depressants for Anxiety? Least amount of weight gain!

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Posted 7/22/2014 2:00 AM (GMT 0)
Hello I am just looking for some quick insight on if people have tried beta-blockers for anxiety and if they have had any weight gain or other side effects? Or what there overall experience has been while on them?

I am hoping to get off my current meds and maybe try a beta blocker so I don't have all the side effects I been having with Prozac, such as weight gain, tiredness, sexual dysfunction so forth. But I have been reading that beta blockers can cause weight gain also. Also I have already tried Wellbutrin for the weight loss and the side effects where horrendous so I stopped.

Background:
I was put on an anti depressants for the first time about 5 years ago which was Celexa, Within 1 year of starting I gained about 50 lbs. And with me being skinny my whole life and fairly fit this has been very devastating for me and my dating life. And you really don't realize how bad it is until you see yourself in pictures. I was always in denial thinking to myself oh I'm not that big and then I saw some pictures somebody posted of me on facebook and it was awful. So I got off all medication and I lost most of the weight down to a decent size. about 195 lbs at 5'11''. But I started having severe panic attacks and the doctor was convince it was anxiety so he put me on Prozac through requests of my mothers because she had the best results from it. Well everything has been been decent except my weight is getting up there again, I gained about 30 lbs back in the last 3-6 months and I don't really see it stopping. And it seems like no matter how good I eat my weight just keeps going up. And I have a very active job so it should not be hard for me to shed the weight.

Thank you.
Posted 7/22/2014 2:17 AM (GMT 0)
I take a beta blocker and an antidepressant.  I've been on them both for years.  I have also lost weight on them.  I gained some of the weight back but it's not from the medication.  Or at least I don't think so.  I believe it's from putting too much stuff in my piehole!!  Everyone is different, though.  You may experience weight gain from your meds, while I don't.  I think you just need to be more aware of watching what you eat and to make certain you are getting in your exercise.  If you are off of your meds, you may be eating more due to your anxiety.  Try keeping a food log and see if that helps.  If you are still gaining weight despite watching your diet, speak to your doctor and let him/her know about your weight gain concerns.

Posted 7/22/2014 2:35 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the quick reply, I have already talked to my doctor and she recommended Wellbutrin which I couldn't handle because of the side effects. I'm still currently on prozac until I figure out for sure what I am going to do. I'm just trying to gather all my options and then go from there.
Posted 7/22/2014 5:20 AM (GMT 0)
I've been overweight most of my life. I've never been happy about it. I did gain weight when I was on my first AD, but looking back, I'm not sure if it was b/c of the AD or b/c my eating patterns changed...maybe both. Nonetheless, I've been to he** and back with the anxiety and depression and I have said this and STILL say this: I'd rather weigh 400 lbs and be basically anxiety-free than be slender and be anxious all the time! And no, I am NOT 400 lbs by any stretch of the imagination! But I AM serious! My anxiety had gotten so bad that I literally had no quality of life. My size was the least of my worries. And even now, if I really put my mind to it, I COULD lose weight. I think you could too.
And as to the beta-blockers, I was on one for a while. While it kept me from spiraling into a panic attack, it did not make me feel less anxious personally. It did cause me to start feeling deeply depressed. I went back to the doctor (a medical doctor prescribed it, not a pdoc) and he took me off of it. My The depression lifted almost immediately.
That's my experiences, but I realize that everyone is different and feels about things in his/her own way.
jl
Posted 7/22/2014 1:41 PM (GMT 0)
I was told I would likely lose weight on prozac according to the pharmacist who gave me a consult about it, and had told my psych Doc I did not want any SSRIs that would make me gain weight, hence the prozac.

Oh and he first started me on celexa, but the side effects were way too bad for me. But I emphasized when he asked me which I wanted to take, I said the ones that do NOT make me gain weight.

Go figure.

Post Edited (My Anxiety Life) : 7/22/2014 7:48:22 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 7/22/2014 9:18 PM (GMT 0)
yeah "Janetlee" I believe your right after posting the topic last night. I was thinking of what it would be like to get off of it again and how terrible it was before the prozac. I just wish I could find an answer to all these symptoms I've been having and resolve the problem. So frustrating I suppose I will just reduce my dosage so hopefully it will ease up some of the side effects I've been having and see how that goes. I just can't believe that anxiety can cause all these symptoms I've been experiencing kind of makes you feel crazy.....
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