[wells03]

I've been off of 20 mg of Lexapro since January, and even though i was happy that i finally felt as if i was not depressed, my mood quickly changed since i have not been able to lose weight since then. I wonder if getting off of lexapro could be the problem, considering that i had been on it for 3 years. I work out for 2 hours a day 3-4 days a week, weights and cardio, and eat very very healthy, and still no results. So know i'm feeling depressed and start crying all the time when i think about now being able to lose the weight. I refuse to go to the gym anymore, because i feel like i'm wasting time, but i feel bad because i'm not going too...I hate feeling like a big cry baby, and i hate feeling like i'm making excuses about my medical conditions in order to avaoid the gym. I'm not even sure if i'm still depressed, but i dont want to go back to the doctor cause i dont feel like they help me. So i'm here for advise...HELP PLEASE!

[Juliana]

Hi Wells. I was on Celexa for a year. It's very similar to Lexapro (but people tend to gain more weight on Celexa). I gained 30 pounds while I was on Celexa and I expected to start losing the weight right away when I stopped taking it. That didn't happen, though. I finished weaning myself off it in February of 2006 and didn't start losing weight until June... even though I was trying so hard. I think some of these meds mess with your metabolism and it can take a while for your metabolism to get back on track. Try not to get discouraged and don't give up. Once I finally started losing the weight it came off very quickly. I was back down to my regular size by September and I've lost a bit more since then... without even trying. Keep working out, the weight will come off!

P.S. The thing that helped most with my weight loss was yoga -- regular and power yoga. I didn't think yoga could cause weight loss (I started doing it to improve my balance and deal with anxiety), but it worked wonders for my figure too. The other great things about are I can do it in my own living room whenever I have time and it makes me feel good. It makes me feel better mentally and physically.

[wells03]

Thanks for the advice...At least i dont feel like i'm the only one that has ever encountered this problem anymore...everyone else just tells me that i'm making up excuse, which makes me feel more depressed cause i'm trying as hard as i can...they just think i'm eating bad, or not working out...so i get angry and sad.

[Juliana]

Lots of people have trouble losing weight from meds. You're definitely not alone in that. Hang in there.