!!Your Imput!! Lexapro Weight Issues.

[jj_mclure]

i read a university study the other day that this weight issue with the newer SSRIs has caught practitioners by surprise. the consensus among many doctors is that the most vulnerable to weight gain on these types of SSRIs are women and men who are already a little overweight to begin with when they start the drug. i don't think you should read much into these posts to scare you away from taking something that may help. remember, you are hearing the worst case scenarios. very few people who are doing fine by this drug are going to go onto a message board and say how great they are doing. most people unhappy with this drug will seek out others who are unhappy on the message boards and it's a vicious cycle.
most people do absolutely great on this with no weight gain and no major side effects. if anything, most people maintain or lose weight because it does decrease appetite.

[maintainin]

I have been on lexapro a month and have not gained one pound. Not one. And JJ is right, take the negative stuff you read on message boards aboue lexapro with a grain of salt. Its not representative of most peoples experiences with this drug.

[Susie]

I have also had about a 12 lb. weight gain and have only been on Lexapro for 6 months. I work out three times a week and don't over eat. I really do feel better as far as the anxiety is concerned but I'm now concerned about getting fat! ARG! Would like to know if any other anti-anxieties are any better regarding weight gain??

[Ezin]

Susie - over the first few months the weight can either:

a) remain stable
b) lose weight
c) gain weight

Lots of differing experiences, often depending upon whether one gets the appetite changes induced by the drug (blood sugar alterations seem to be involved, amongst other factors), or the lethargy, or the digestive upsets.

Long-term though, six months+ is the time-frame mentioned in the papers, weight gain is the trend on SSRIs and the other serotonergic-based antidepressants.

The fact you specifically state that you:

1. Work out
2. Eat well

...and still gain the weight, is a typical comment.

It is not a new phenomenon, and has been documented many times.

e.g. http://cat.inist.fr/...

Or simply google on: SSRIs "weight gain" "long term"

[catwoman]

I stopped taking Lexapro 2 weeks ago.And my appetite is gone I could careless if I eat or not compared to when I took it I was starving 24 hrs. a day wow what a difference it has made ...And I have lost 7 lbs. so far ....no withdrawl symptoms at all ...I am as happy as can be I can't even tell I stopped taking it other than I am not starving all the time .Goodluck to everyone . :-)

[ccgirl]

Lucky you catwoman that you were able to get off of the Lexapro. I am still taking Lexapro becuase it has helped me so much with anxiety and depression. BUT, I am always so hungry...I hate it. I am holding steady at about a 5 pound gain but it is so depressing. I worked so hard to lose the weight and I hate seeing it creap up.

Has anyone combined with Wellbutrin?My dr. mentioned that at our last appointment. She said we would see how the next month goes. If I continued to gain she would think about having me take that. So now, I am tempted to cheat on the scale because I have heard such good stuff about losing weight with Wellbutrin. I am tempted to carry a 10lb weight in my purse! The staff is so clueles they would never catch on.

Does anyone have experience combining the drugs? My side effects from Lexapro have been minimal except for the weight gain.

Thanks!

[Dawn]

I just started Lexapro 10 days ago, for pretty serious constant anxiety over nothing. I was on Paxil before that for 6 yr. but it stopped working. I never had a single side effect with the Paxil and it worked great. Since being on 10 mg. of Lexapro my mind is calm and in a good place, and I don't really feel 'anxious', but I have been getting increasingly 'nervous', so much I had to take Klonopin 3 x yesterday. Last night I reduced my dose to 5 mg. as I read this could help. I also read online that the worsening at first will go away over several weeks. Does anyone have any experience with this? Will it go away? As for weight gain, I did gain about 10# on Paxil, but the benefit outweighed the weigh gain BIG time.

[casp]

I've had all the lexapro experiences listed here nearly. Except for weight gain. Does anyone have any links to any evidence or any stastical research or whatever on lexapro and hyper activity?
I'v felt really hyper active sometimes. Thi is the usual me but enhanced I guess. The vividness of the dreams can leave me freaking out a little. The main bad effect of lexapro is I CANNOT wake up in the morning. I just find it so darn hard to get outta bed. It sucks It's making me late for everything. Along with the whole lack of motivation thing. Oh yeah, and at first on lexapro I lost a lot of weight. I didn't want to. I was as fit as an ox about a month before taking it. I then lost all my muscle and fat. Like 20 kilos gone. So I now have a small fat roll where my six pack used to be.
Ohwell.
Getting to sleep is a little harder for me too.
Thank for your thoughts guys..
Peace.

[Ezin]

Casp - get a copy of the book on SSRI antidepressant side-effects:'Prozac Backlash' by Joseph Glenmulen - it is packed with references, takes over 30 pages just to list them.

You'll probably find your particular kind of hyper-ness described within this book - concentrate on drug-induced neurological agitation, akathisia,'loss of inhibition', emotional blunting effects, hypomania.

Also described are some of the sleep effects (more available on-line, simply google on SSRIs and their effect upon REM sleep suppression, and the consequences); the fatigue is covered, apathy, plus general slowing, and possible drug-induced parkinsonism... difficulties in getting to sleep... you having some joint rattling at night, too?

[casp]

Woah boo yaa wicke that's exactly the info I needed sweet. Cool bananas. Woa I'm not a complete freak cheers ay.
Well I'm lowering my dosage to get some motivaiton back,
the emotional numbing is killer. Friends think I'm a distant zombie and all that.

Something weird I find is since I've been on it I really haven't cared about what other people think at all.
Really. Which sucks.

But yeah sometimes I lay down in bed and all I can think about is going for a jog. An without thinking about it too much I soon realise I'm squinting flexing my muscles around my eyes and my feet are going crazy left and right.

[Ezin]

Yup - sounds like you've got several of the neurological side-effects (there are a cluster of four, closely connected), if you've got one, you are more at risk of having some of the others; plus other side-effects too.

The eye muscles and feet twitching are in the neurological category - movement disorders / extra-pyramidal syndrome / dyskinesias and dystonias... lots of info in Glenmullen's book on this.

Not caring about other people? Very common. Even more unsettling when you realise you are being affected this way - many don't, until they come off.

Happy reading :)

[jj_mclure]

casp, i think you said you are currently in an asylum. do your doctors tell you what's going on with the lexapro treatments?

[HappyHappyMe]

lexapro really helped me with my panic attacks and mild OCD,and I had no weird side affects like flashes,or lack of motivation(I started with 5mg and and now on 10 g per day)But I went from being the INSHAPE person to the spongy body -with no change in diet and exercise.I was a lexapro advocate,because I beleived it helped me so much,but both my husband and my mother,see me exercise daily and eat like always(very clean diet)and they are telling me SOMETHING IS WRONG.Don't want to jump the gun,i have an appointment with my dr in 3 days,but i don't know what to think.

[CARRIE]

I HAVE BEEN ON LEXAPRO FOR A YEAR NOW AND BEFORE I GOT ON IT I WEIGH 87 POUNDS WITCH WAS BAD .THE DOCOTRS DID ALL THE TEST AND EVERYTHING WAS FINE. NOW THAT I'M ON IT I MEANT MY GOAL OF 120 POUNDS AND I'M SO AFRAID IT WILL GO OVER THAT. WHAT SHOULD I DO ? THE MED WORKS GREAT ON ME BESIDES THE WEIGHT THING ...

[jj_mclure]

don't be afriad.

120+ looks good on a woman. no man likes to see skin and bone on women. only women like women who are skin and bone.

that's the real irony. men don't find skinny women attractive.

[carlene]

thanks for the good reviews on this lexapro because i have only been on it for three days and it is true i have no appetite some depressions make me want to eat and some other depressions make me not hungry so it is all in the head of the person if they think they are going to gain they will if they think they bare going to lose they will too so it is up to you and so far i have not been hungry like i have been for awhile now thanks lexapro keep working

[KAREN]

I Have been on Lexapro for a year becuase I was diagnosed with MS, I have GAINED 40 lbs enough the weight gain is giving me more difficultis. I was 115 when I started now 155 enough. Anybodys input on how to take this weight off? Thanks

[Mom]

my daughter has been on it for 9 months, it really helped with anxiety she was picking at her skin and that has stopped. She did gain back weight she had lost a couple years before but she seems much happier. however her grades definitely went down. Like many of you say I dont think its the drug as much as how it makes her feel, her weight doesnt bother her as much anymore and she is not as driven to make great grades. I struggle with whether this is okay since I recommended she go to a psychiatrist. What experience do people have who try to go off of it after a year or so? Are you on it for life?

[weightgain]

I have been on lexapro for 5 months and have gained 10 pounds taking 10mg. I work out a few times a week and am not a big eater. I have been feeling amazing, however i am very upset over this weight gain. my doctor just switched me to 5mg, does anyone know if this will help me lose weight?

[weightgain]

answerss?