!!Your Imput!! Lexapro Weight Issues.

[Ingrid]

casp wrote:

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.

Hi Casp
What's happening now in your life? You said you were as fit as a mally bull, then your six pack turned into a little belly, oh well. How do you feel now? And how long have you been on Lexapro?
Cheers Ingrid

[GDV]

Amy/Ingrid, just wanted to comment on your remarks. I have been taking lexapro for about a year and I have gained about 15 pounds. I have not really changed my eating habits, although I can say that I don't feel as motivated to discipline myself from eating poorly. I think the meds have helped, to a degree, but I can't tell you how, really. I have zero sex drive and have to concentrate to "complete" my satisfaction. Anyway, I am going to a new doctor next week to evaluate my situation. I am new to anti-depression drugs and am wondering if I wasn't right about them (drugs) the whole time. I am on 20mg and am experiencing extreme mood swings. Actually, I feel a bit of hopelessness. I do understand that not every drug is for everyone. Oh, when I travel and forget to take my meds.....boy, what a day! The discontinuation syndrome, as it's called, is horrible.

Ingrid wrote:

<quoted text>
Hi Amy, lifes really weird for me at the moment. I have just weaned myself off Lexapro after two years (under the doctors advise) but I am feeling very upset with my weight gain of 8 kilos. I feel worse now too and the extra weight gain is extremely depressing. How have you gone with the withdrawl symptons?? I have had dizziness, tingling lips, headaches, tension in both my shoulders and quite irritable. Did you start to get your own body back? And how long did it take?
Would love to chat, Ingrid in Australia

[Joanne]

I've been on Lexapro 5mg for about 3 years. Was diagnosed with Dysthymia (cronic mild depression, followed by bouts of serious depressed episodes). Tried Paxil, Zoloft, made me feel like I was coming out of my skin. Then my husband was diagnosed with cancer. That was the straw. I HAD to find something. When I started Lexapro I had the normal nausea, drowsiness (had to take it at 6pm and was asleep by 9pm, that has since whaned), dizziness etc. I did notice that my appetite increased IMMEDIATELY. I have gained 20 lbs in 3 years. May not seem like alot but I am only 5' and was a normal weight of 98 to 100 lbs. Of course I am over 40 now and my doctor says that weight gain comes with age. Yeah, true, but the Lexapro has made me gain weight, period. I feel it. Guess if I ate right and exercised faithfully I could loose some of it. I do consider it a small price to pay for the content life I lead now. My physcologist told me I had one of the most severe cases of anxiety she had EVER seen. Could you imagine telling a person that is anxiety prone that they are one of the worst! Whole other post there! Anyway, Lexapro has changed my life. I wish I did not have to live on a pill but some of use have no choice. I don't really know the long term effects and at this point I don't want to. I just want to enjoy everything full and complete because my life before was so dark and limited for the first 40 years.

[DBABY]

Bianca wrote:

I started lexapro 3 days ago and have already gained 60 pounds, im going back to my doc and changing to something else.

You gained 60lbs in 3 days? Come on!!!!

[anne in ny]

Hello all: I have been on lexapro for a month (?) have not gained weight, but have not loss weight. I have been trying to loose... quit smoking and gained 7 pounds. I feel great! the best I have felt consistently in my life. It is amazining! I take 5mg max (actually only took that 2 /3 times) mostly split the 10mg pill in quarters - sometimes it splits in 1/3 -- anyhow it works on depression, for me. my dr told me that is weight was an issue she would add wellbutrin. only glitch to that is that it is not good for folks who are prone to irritability or anxiety, which I am -- will let you all know - will be seeing the dr in a few weeks -- if I don't loose the weight, i am going ot try the wellbutrin mix -- ok, stay tuned!

[Cherri]

Melissa wrote:

I am in the SAME exact boat as you.. everytime I read a post that says they lost weight, i'm like wow awesome, then i'll read some that say they gained 60lbs and my stomach drops.. i just started taking it today so I couldn't tell you my story, I noticed you posted this a few months ago...what happened with you?

I took lexapro for about 21/2 years. first I lost weight about 15 pounds then over time added the weight back plus gained 10 more. At first I wasn't hungry then hungry all the time. I have now successfully weaned myself off of it. i was taking it for chronic headaches. I've been off for about 2 months but still have not lost any of the gained wight. I hope I will start losing soon.

[jam]

I have been on Lexapro for over a year. My weight hasn't changed. I'm in the same 5 pound limbo I was in before I started the drug. The relief from depression has been great. I stopped having the crying episodes about 3 weeks after I started taking it. If I start crying I can actually stop myself instead of wasting the whole day in tears. I do occasionally have the emotional breakdown but I can tell when they will occur, which is nice. I feel it coming on when I've been very stressed out. I'll cry for an hour but am able to pull myself out of the episode.

[jj_mclure]

jeez jam. what are you crying for?

[Guy]

I've been on Lexapro for a little over two weeks. I started at 5 mg (a placebo dose, my doctor said), and then went up to 10 mg. During that time, I believe I've lost something close to 8 pounds, but I attribute a lot of that to... 1) drinking less alcohol (which you really shouldn't do on Lexapro anywway), and, 2) exercising a lot more, which is a heck of a lot easier to do now that much of my depression has lifted. Best of luck to everyone!

[Kevin]

I have been on lexapro for 1 year now, I have gained about 30 pounds. I am thinking of talking to my Doc about changing Meds. It helped with the anxiety but the weight gain is very depressing. I am not sure the trade is worth it though I feel worse now.

[shella]

I've been on and off Lex for nearly 4.5 years now and have never gained a single pound that I could attribute to the medication itself. Lack of exercise and thinking that I'm eating less than what I'm eating... yes; Lexapro, no. Another side note, my 59-year-old mother also takes Lexapro and was able to lose 15 pounds (which she gained before starting the meds) easily while following Weight Watchers and sticking to a 5-day a week gym regimine... all while taking her Lexapro. She looks absolutely amazing now!!!

[BES]

I started taking Lexapro (10mg) in April 07 (my son got really sick and I started having terrible panic attacks while he was in the hosp) and I have gained 23 pounds, while eating low carb and walking 2 to 6 miles a day. I am stopping the medication.

[JABBY]

Just started at 10mg this morning- feel a little out of it but hoping this will go away. I at first felt nausea and headachy but had a little snack and felt better...no appetite whatsoever today. will keep you guys posted!

[Renee]

I started Lexapro 3 weeks ago for severe GAD and had no side effects whatsoever. My anxiety was gone within 1 week and I feel worry free for the first time in a while. I noticed I am not thinking about food all the time and I have no cravings anymore. My weight always fluctuates even without meds so I am still a little worried w/ Lexapro. I took Zoloft for about 1 year (04-05)and gained about 10lbs but I was not watching my calorie intake. I then took some of the weight off when I went on a diet. With Lexapro, for the first time, I am not obsessing over my fears or anything, and as a bonus, not obsessing over food. I hope it stays that way. Overall, I love this medication and and am so very happy so far.

[ashleigh]

i have only been on lexapro for a week and have not experienced one single side effect. i feel happier and better, but other then that completely normal.

[Bill Pittsburgh PA]

I just started taking Lexapro (10mg) a few days ago and haven't really noticed much in the way of side effects thus far. I was on Celexa for a few weeks and got terrible heartburn and felt terrible so my Dr. switched me to Lexapro.

[snap]

I started on lexapro a week ago. Within 2 hours of taking 5mg I felt totally disconnected to my body, dizzy and nauseous. I had to take the day off work. Cut back to 1/4 of a pill to start with. Still feel something is not quite right. Grinding of my teeth, feel uncomfortable sitting on the bus for too long and the dry mouth and vivid dreams. Sometimes I catch myself holding my breath - for what reason I have no idea! I haven't had any anti-depressants before. Is this familiar to anyone? I'm supposing these feeling wear off once the drug kicks in? Don't know if I should up the dosage yet. The doc said to start with 5mg for the first week them 10mg thereafter.I'm not even on 5mg yet! Don't know if I can do that. If I didn't have to work and face people I would. And the weight gain part...can't wait! Any thoughts?

[JABBY]

Am now on day 6 of the Lex. Feel much less anxious but tired all the time which didn't seem to get better until today. I am down to taking only 5mg per day because 10 was making me way too tired. I am almost never hungry and have thus far been eating a lot less than before I was on the medicine. Have lost about 5 pounds. Will update in a few days.
:)

[Teresa]

With your anxiety did you ever experience massive stomach distress? I was on Paxil for less than a year because it seemed like any time a stressor came up my stomach would dump tons of acid, so they put me on the paxil to calm that down but I have gained 60 pounds. I know a lot of that is because I didn't care how I ate and I didn't care if I exercised. I am concerned about the intense dreams that they are talking about have you ever experienced this?

April wrote:

I have been taking lexapro for 2 or more years and I feel great, No more panic attacks and no more anxiety attacks.
The story is before I started this drug I had stopped smoking and eating more, before I weighed 117 when I stopped smoking I put on alot of weight do to eating all the time and not so motivated.
Then I started Lexapro I had lost 39 pounds in 2 years which is not that bad considering that I was still eating junk.
So I decided to go on a diet and give up on pop of all kind even the diet soda because its worse than the regular soda and I drink lots of water all the time.
I also eat alot of fruits and veggys and I treat myself to some snack from time to time I also work out 3 times a week just doing some brisk walking nothing dramatic and I have lost another 20 pounds
So what Im trying to say is that I think it all depends on the individual some drugs work well for others and not so well others
You just need to keep trying different ones until you find the one that works well for you.

[Dina]

I've lost a only a few pounds in the 3 weeks Ive been on 5mgs. I have less appetite in general and no sugar and carb cravings anymore and I rarely snack between meals now. I'm drinking much more water too. Have also had mild diahrrea