[Valerieanne77]

How do antidepressants cause weight gain? Do they just cause more joy that leads to more eating or do they alter your hormones or metabolism? Or is it because they keep you from realizing when you should stop eat? Or make you crave? Advice is grateful. I'm on pristiq 100mg which usually decreases appetite in me but I started abilify and am wondering

[kaliope]

i know some make you eat more but i believe it is more the metabolism thing because i know i gained about 60 pounds on different drugs and never changed the way i ate. my daughter gained 30 pounds in a month and never changed what she ate. so if you dont consume more calories it has to do with the chemicals in the body.

[Onesmallstep]

I am wondering about this too. I started Brintellix four days ago and have gained a pound each day even though I have been careful to eat less and and to choose more healthy food. My metabolism seems to be completely destroyed. The other med that I am taking is Trileptal.

I'm not a psychiatrist, but my research seems to indicate that antidepressants (SSRIs, tricyclics, MAOIs) may cause weight gain in about 25% of people taking them. Paxil (SSRI) seems most likely to cause weight gain, and Zoloft (SSRI) seems least likely to cause weight gain. Nobody knows for certain why this occurs, but the leading theory is that when people become happier they are able to enjoy pleasure more, so for some people eating becomes more pleasurable. That's just a theory.

Some physicians suggest changing antidepressants every so often (don't do this unless your physician says it's okay). And you never want to take a SSRI with a MAOI because it can cause a very serious reaction called serotonin syndrome.

I would suggest you set dietary guidelines and incorporate an exercise regimen.

[PsychSearcher0]

Being a person who fights obesity since forever, this is bad news for me.
Started escifulopram, first week 5 mg then 10 mg (today I took my first 10 mg dosage). This week I lost 1 pound of weight so maybe it's not affecting me ?

I never thought I'd do this,

I've been steadily gaining weight, so I started an hour long exercise regimen and also do some walking. I'm also eating healthier. I cut out sugars, eating more salads, and sticking to just proteins and veggy sides. I also cut my plating in half. No snacks. I also nixed the 4th meal.

I'm finally losing weight, slowly but surely.

[avlady]

i gained 50 pounds over a five year period. i have no idea why or how but most likely it was the meds because i never changed my diet.

[doyoutrustme]

My psychiatrist said that the drugs tend to make you hungrier and you eat more without realizing.

[monkeybrains21]

I don't have this problem. It's quite the opposite which is fine with me since I've been aggressively trying to lose weight. Now the meds are just helpin so I don't have to do such extreme workouts.

[TheOriginalMe]

Prozac and Zoloft both decrease my appetite so I lose weight, Effexor and Cymbalta both increased my appetite so I gained weight. When I was taking Dothiepin (an older tri-cyclic antidepressant) I gained 60lbs then lost 80lbs, so that one was down to me not the med. Generally, as far as I can remember TCAs were weight neutral for me.

My current anti-depressant Valdoxan has enabled me to lose weight about 40lbs in 6 months. For the first time in years I actually feel full when I've eaten and also I can tell the difference between emotional hunger and physical hunger and I can even manage the emotional hunger 80% of the time without binge eating.

Reading the replies to this thread seems to suggest there are no hard and fast rules, everyone is different.

[pegasus]

Usually it is antipsychotics that cause weight gain. Please let your doctor know if this is a real issue for you. You can read other members reviews here on various medications >>> Psych Central Reviews - Medications

[lizardlady]

Originally Posted by doyoutrustme

My psychiatrist said that the drugs tend to make you hungrier and you eat more without realizing.

I gained weight when I started Remeron. My pdoc told me that increased appetite was a side effect of the med. It was like I had the munchies 24/7. No matter how much I ate I was still hungry. He helped me out by adjusting my dosage.

Usually it is antipsychotics that cause weight gain.

Pegs, antidepressants also can cause weight gain. It's a frequent and unwanted (in most cases) side effect.