Antidepressants (help please)

I have been recently diagnosed with depression. The subject of being put on an antidepressant has come up. I am very hesitant because I absolutely do not want to gain weight or have more acne problems.
I was wondering if any of you knew of anything that didn't have these symptoms/risks?
Please let me know. I want to recover so badly, but I know I would freak out and stop taking the antidepressant if it did anything to me physically.

You know, I started AD's in 2009. I didn't start a weight gain issue, until '11, so I'd err, that it was something added to my diet, at that time, versus, the med itself. And, by the end of '11 or early '12, I was off the AD, and started loosing weight. I tried an AD again, back at the beginning of last year, that was only a couple weeks, some of my side effects weren't very good. But I also have some neurological issues, so it's hard to say what was the strong reaction, this time around; just know my body kicked out a neurological med, in between, so who knows....

With these concerns, it's certainly something to bring up to your pdoc. They can give some explanations and clarity and help choose a drug that will work for you.

Best of Luck, finding a med that is effective, without have these side effects, that you worry about.

Thank you so much for sharing! I appreciate it more than you know. That gives me some reassurance.

Stay wonderful! x

I take Cymbalta and have not noticed an increase in acne and have not gained any weight on it. In fact, I believe that it is weight neutral. I have been on it since November 2007. I hope this helps.

Side effects vary so much for each individual. Sadly it's impossible to predict what they'll do. I've lost 4kg since starting AD's 5 weeks ago due to nausea. There's a lot of choices, more so now than ever before.

A big hi to you softmornings

I started on Effexor XR (Venlafaxine Hydrochloride) late November (2013) but for GAD, SAD and mild OCD, although it's primary use for most people is for depression. Effexor is supposed to be weight neutral, but I'm still loosing weight. I simply never feel hungry and am only eating one light meal a day at home or work unless I have a meal elsewhere in company. During clinical trials, it was reported that 20% of people who took Effexor for SAD (Social Anxiety Disorder) became anorexic. This is not to be confused with Anorexia Nervosa. Anorexia simply means "lack of appetite."

Pristiq is another anti-depressant of which the active ingredient is devenlafaxine. It's another antidepressant also used to treat GAD (General Anxiety Disorder) and SAD. It's also reported to be weight neutral, but as Ragamuffin77 says above, every individual is different. Do your homework, get on the 'net and check out which antidepressants are weight neutral and which aren't and even then, your experience on antis might be entirely different to what most people experience. It really is a crap shoot!
Kind regards,
Rose.

I've been on antidepressants for the past 12+ years along with Xanax for anxiety. I have experienced some weight gain, BUT I am also 42 years old & I'm sure some hormonal changes have affected my weight. I am also in the gym at least 4 days a week & have done this since my mid-20's which could have helped me not gain the extra weight that antidepressants can put on people.

What I'm getting at is, I think it's different for everyone & I truly believe ones lifestyle in general has a lot to do with it. I can tell you that my weight has remained the same for the few years that I was on Pristiq & now on Effexor since January 2013.

Personally, if you're clinically depressed & really struggling, I would not put off taking an antidepressant because you're afraid of side effects. You'll never know what works until you try it. A lot of people have great success with such drugs.

Also, I've never had an acne problem while on meds. I've never even heard that's a side effect.

Good luck to you.

I've been on Celexa (citalopram) for 3 years and it hasn't effected my weight. I've never heard off antidepressants causing acme. Most SSRI's do not cause weight gain. The older antidepressants, which are tricylclic ones are the ones that get the bad rep of being weight gainers. Also antipsychotic meds cause a lot of weight gain. SSRIs are the most commonly prescribed anti-depressants and are usually weight neutral.

I have tried many anti depressants, citalopram being my last one but I discovered that Seroxat was the one that made me well and kept me stable. I am on my second week of starting Seroxat again (I insisted they give it to me as citalopram was not working) and I am being lighter and more able to cope with life.

You usually loose weight at the start of most meds, do to has you say nausea and changes , the weight if it comes is much later , unless Mirtizapine then 2 weeks you could start gaining.

SSRI,S Weight neutral who told you that

When starting meds to try to change your life , there is one saying you must remember , SANITY before VANITY

There's a grey line where VANITY effects SANITY Unfortunately more so if you are a women in the west.

As purple implied where you are at hormonally does impact weight gain. Somewhere around the five year marks after 30. Beyond that it seems to be a crapshoot just like which med will work is pretty much a crapshoot.

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I've taken Zoloft, Welbutrin, Celexa and Cymbalta with no problems with acne or weight gain. I get the most problem with weight gain from the anti-psycotics(mood stablizers).

Im a guy and I lost my looks to meds , what I meant is I held off meds for years and years and was a slim cool looking guy for my age. But I could not go on the way I was any longer, it was either MED or DEAD that simple. So i really didn't have a choise anymore i had a family +grandkids , so i went the sanity rout .

Individuals are...individual For someone whose weight is part of the problem adding a med that causes weight gain or loss (depending on the situation) is an unacceptable side effect. Thankfully I don't think most dismiss that as simply being vane anymore.

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if you stop working meds , to become ill because of your looks. Why did you look for 1 in the first place. Most meds are bad sexually, weight wise, feeling sick ect ect. that's is why when young I would not take any

An ad med isn't really working if it is making you more depressed is it?

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The med is working ,the side effects created the fat downer. I would not have that when younger so I drank at lot instead . Now I carnt drink anymore and have problems that stop me working out like crazy guy , I except the fat making meds ie sanity over vanity. Could be worse could be on antiphycotics and have no choice at all, then it would be death over sanity .You no what im getting at anyway its not rocket science why the debate , you have 2 choices take or don't take.

Not sure why. I thought your comment about vanity vs sanity was advice to softmornings, the OP, but you've been giving your own story. Whatever your experience is, it is completely valid for you. She probably has completely different needs. That's all I was saying.

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fair point

The only weight neutral ADs are Aplenzin, Viibryd, Cymbalta and Lexapro! Best of luck and if you choose one of those they work pretty good for depression, but it's a little tricky to find the right dose.

vans you are light years away with Lexapro, I take Lexapro and its a fat med, read any lexapro forum . Just prior to starting Lexapro I stopped drinking changed my diet ,I should have lost weight but no I gained it. Mind I was minus my gall bladder which can add weight when removed , but I changed diet and drink to stop panceritis , so in fact should have lost weight. http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Weight-...ain/show/22591

Been on multiple ad's since around 1998 and none made me gain weight. The only one i had any adverse effect with was prozac and it made me very, very angry and violent.

Yep! Horses for courses!! It's amazing just how differently anti-depressants work for different people. I've been doing a lot of research on the subject lately and have read hundreds of Online comments as well as heaps of medical reviews. If you're genetically predisposed to putting on weight, then you'll probably put it on. If you come from a family of stick figures, then probably not, but there's never a guarantee one way or the other. Lifestyle also plays a big role.

Personally for me, when I first started on a low dose of Effexor (37.5mg) I hardly felt any nausea and even then it was fleeting. After the first few days I never felt nausea at all and haven't felt any since, even when titrating up to 75mg. I lost several pounds straight away, but that was mostly because I stopped self medicating with beer. There are other minor side affects, but they're not that much of a problem.

The big thing I've found with the Effexor is that I never feel hungry. It wouldn't worry me if I didn't eat all day. Yes, my stomach rumbles and is telling me it's empty, but I really don't feel like eating. I only do eat so I won't stave to the point of not being able to function. Currently, my energy levels are great while I have some sort of mental stimulation happening, but feel tired and lethargic after sitting around for awhile, like when I'm on the computer for hours at a time. I'm using the lack of hunger to my advantage to loose a bit of weight while it's easy to do so.
Cheers,
Rose.