Are there any anit-depressants that don't cause weight gain? I take elavil, because it's cheap and works and it keeps my anxiety down, and I've gained 30 freaking pounds since I started it. I'm five feet tall, folks. I look like the Pillsbury Doughboy! Any suggestions would be appreciated. Someone suggested an older AD, imperamine??? and when I looked it up, the worst side effect it has is weight gain! Please help me. I'm running out of clothes that I can get into.

Ain't no money in poetry
>That's what sets the poet free
>I've had all the freedom I can stand

[CamW]

Fayerody - Unfortunately, any of the serotonergic antidepressants: SSRIs like Prozacª (fluoxetine) and Paxilª (paroxetine); SNRIs like Effexorª (venlafaxine) and Cymbaltaª (duloxetine); and especially the older tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) like Elavilª »amitriptyline) and Anafranilª (clomipramine) all can affect saiety, (the feeling of being full), through their interaction with a specific type of serotonin receptor that regulates some aspect of food intake.

The above is not the only mechanism by which antidepressants may induce weight gain in those who are taking them. Many serotonergic antidepressants also block histamine receptors. This accounts for some of the anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) effects of antidepressants like Elavilª and Paxilª; but it is also responsible (at least partially) for the sedative nature of these drugs, as well as causing cravings, most commonly for carbohydrates. This in turn can lead to the weight gain seen when using these medications.

On a slightly more upbeat note; several people that I have talked to, who have taken TCAs (like Elavil) for years says that the increased hunger dose go away, but it can take 6 months to a year for this to occur. I guess that is something to look forward to.

I hope that this is of some help. - Cam

"I cannot but fear that the expectation of great advantage from the new method of treating dieases will prove a delusion. That delusion may however in some cases be of use while it lasts"
- Benjamin Franklin (1784)