Weight gain, weight loss, appetite changes, hunger

[Gridley]

I've lost a great deal of weight since I started tapering a year and a half ago, weight I didn't want to lose.  Just not much appetite.  I do force myself as much as I can and eat a high-protein breakfast.  Good luck, Barbara.

[BlusMama]

I used to have the appetite of a wildebeest and was always excited for my next meal. Now, in withdrawal, the sight of food makes me sick and if I don't remind myself to eat a meal, I probably wouldn't eat at all. Does anyone else experience this as a result of their taper? 

 

When I do eat, I find that it doesn't give me the same joy it used to. 

[ChessieCat]

1 hour ago, BlusMama said:

Does anyone else experience this as a result of their taper? 

 

Yes, change of appetite is a common during withdrawal.  I've been through periods where I am hungry all the time even though I have eaten well and then go through times where I don't get hungry but know I have to eat, and also times where I get hungry but just don't feel like eating.

[bruno2016]

There were many times i had zero appetite, often for days at a time. This is also a natural reaction the body has to various situations: emotional upset, stress, digestive cleansing, infections, etc. My point is, dont let it worry you further. Have faith in your body and what its doing. if you arent hungry, drink lots of water and maybe drink/eat something light and easily digestible like little bit of a smoothie, soup, broth, etc. Maybe buy  a few low sugar health bars or something to carry around or keep in your purse, car, desk, etc just in case you miss a meal. 

[emilie]

i am concerned by loss of weight too (i weight 40kg for the moment). I have often cold because of that, i am too thin and not enought fat.

My weight seem stable.

 

I have found on internet many interesting informations about fat.

There are 2 types of fat:

-the white adipose tissu (that make you look fat)

-the brown adipose tissu  (that is the only thing that can use white fat) -https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_adipose_tissue

 

If you have white fat but no brown, you can't loose white fat. people with obesity have not enought brown fat.

 

It is like if stopping antidepressant activate brown adipose tissu and we loose all white fat.

 

It seems that noradrenalin and serotonin act on this brown tissu.

I have read that serotonin activate lipolyse (burning fat) (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/961869)

. But it is paradoxal because in real when taking antidepressant with have more serotonin and we become more fat.

 

I wonder how much time it will take to re-gain a little fat. 

[emilie]

(my weight is 40 kg for 160 cm.)

 

 

if the body burn all the fat,   brown adipose tissu burning all the fat.

perhaps we have to adjust, consuming more fat and less glucides. If the body is became a fat burning machine, perhaps we have to eat a ketogenic diet?

 

[emilie]

(my weight is 40 kg for 160 cm.)

 

this study show a link between antidepressant drug and brown tissue

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15988582/

the whole study can be found here 

http://www.academia.edu/18402444/Pre-medication_to_block_18F_FDG_uptake_in_the_brown_adipose_tissue_of_pediatric_and_adolescent_patients

 

 

and here a study saying increase temperature of living is good to don't activate brown tissu https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19037639/

 

 

[emilie]

another study about the link beteween brown fat and AD

http://www.ajnmmi.us/files/ajnmmi1105002.pdf

 

[Callie]

I'm a year off of multiple meds having been tapered way too fast. About five months ago, I drastically began losing weight. Now my body is emaciated even though I eat a lot. Is this a typical occurrence in withdrawal? Cause of it? Does it ever stop and reverse itself? Any tips or info would be much appreciated.

 

Thanks,

 

Callie

[Gridley]

I'm 2+ years into tapering, and I've lost a good bit of weight.  As to the cause, I know it's WD because it started once I was a few months into my taper.  If WD can cause all the weird things it does, why not weight loss?  The things that agree with me most--meat and vegetables--are not fattening.  Sugar shoots me full of anxiety, so pastries are out.  I don't think gluten is a factor with me, so I'm trying to eat more bread, avocados and butter.  Coconut oil is also recommended.  I realize many would envy me but I'd love to put on 20 pounds.

 

I would hazard a guess that this WD symptom, like others, will reverse itself in time.  That's the thesis I'm going to operate on: might as well think the best.

[Gridley]

I'm 2+ years into my taper and have lost quite a bit of weight.  I would hazard a guess that it's withdrawal; withdrawal can cause so many weird symptoms, why not weight loss.  The foods that agree with me most--meat and vegetables--are non-fattening.  Gluten doesn't seem to bother me, I'm starting to eat more bread in an effort to gain weight.  More butter, avocados, coconut oil.  I think it'll reverse itself in time like other WD symptoms.

Edited April 5, 2018 by Gridley

[Callie]

Hello, Gridley:

 

I'm sure you're right about it being a withdrawal symptom; so like other symptoms, no one really knows the body mechanics that would explain why it happens. It's just so hard for me to cope with all of these symptoms that I have. This is the scariest one of them all, too.

 

Thanks, Gridley,

 

Callie

[Pearlsky]

I’m very concerned about the weight loss I’ve experienced since cold-turkeying Abilify and Adderall 14 months ago. When I was still taking the meds, my weight was at 170. (I had the exact opposite problem then.) Now I’m at 107. The weight fell off rapidly. I never tried to lose weight and I’ve been eating the same amount I always had. Everyone is calling me anorexic because my size now doesn’t look good with my height. I feel like a walking stick. I can’t eat sugary foods, breads, and too many carbs because they bring on severe adrenaline rushes and make me feel awful. I only hope that in time I will gain weight, but so far it doesn’t look like it. The scale won’t budge no matter how much food I eat, and worse, I’m still slowly losing weight. I’m in a size 0 and I wasn’t even that size before the medicine!

[Altostrata]

Time for butter on everything!

[Callie]

Hello, Pearlsky:

 

You are definitely not alone with this symptom. I don't have any answers for you, but I, too, was CTd off of Abilify by my doctor 13 months ago. It was prescribed to boost Effexor--like it really needed boosting. This is highly suggestive to me that doctors really do not know what they are doing with these drugs. Just had to make that point. Anyway...

 

I am terribly troubled, too, by the emaciation that I am experiencing. I weigh 100 lbs., wear size 14 in girls when I wore ladies size 8 most of my life, have a BMI of 17, and can wrap my hand entirely around my sacrum. I don't know what happened to the tissue that was inside there. Literally, there's only skin and bone. When I lay down, my spine and tailbone roll and rub inside my skin, quite creepy. I can't get comfortable. Sitting hurts. All my ribs show. Sorry if I'm too explicit with the details.

 

I doubt if this has anything to do with diet as I take in roughly 2000 calories per day, and I am pretty much sedentary. To supplement that, the other day I started with protein shakes to see if that will help. No change yet.

 

I sure as heck wish I could figure this one out. Now that you mention Abilify, maybe it's WD symptoms from that. I know that Effexor targets the hypothalamus, which controls metabolism and body temperature. Maybe Abilify does, too. And speaking of temperature, are you freezing cold most of the time? I am and wonder if it's the loss of body fat.

 

I've tried different diets, gluten-free, sugar-free, dairy-free, nothing makes any difference with any of my symptoms. I've had a full thyroid panel done. No problems there. Pernicious anemia has been ruled out, too.

 

I don't know what to do anymore. I only wish there were answers for us.

 

I'll be thinking of you and wishing you well. So sorry that you are going through this, too.

 

Callie

[powerback]

https://www.webmd.boots.com/healthy-eating/features/healthy-ways-to-gain-weight

Hope this helps pearlsky ,being under weight is not healthy at all so no guilt and lots of eating .

 

[Pearlsky]

Hello Callie,

 

I, too am sorry to hear you are going through this. I feel at a loss for answers to gain because I suffer from multiple food sensitives since coming off the drugs. I don’t feel cold all the time. Oddly, it seems that I don’t feel for temperature - either heat or cold. I know that while I was taking Abilify I had frequent hot flashes and broke out in a sweat. Later on for months after stopping the drug, I would get freezing cold off and on but that eventually stopped for me. I hope this helps.

[KatieDogMom]

I was on Prozac for a year and a half and, even though I was on a low carb diet (for the most part - I ate like crap only once a week) and I walked my dogs 4-5 days a week at a swift pace for 45m-an hour. 

 

I gained 22 pounds. TWENTY. TWO. On a drug my doctor assured me shouldn’t make me gain a lot of weight. 

 

I went down to 10mg from 20 about 4 months ago, then tapered down from there. I’m holding on to the 22 pounds. 

 

Ive been completely off for about 3 weeks. How long did you start to lose weight after you stopped your antidepressants? At 5 feet tall, I’m 161. I used to be 139 prior to the drug. My boyfriend, who is very supportive, is baffled my weight gain as he can’t remember the last time I had a burger bun or actual ice cream. 

 

I’m eating carbs again, but good carbs. Staying low fat and starting a couch to 5K while making sure to be active for at least an hour 7 days a week. I feel like absolute hell-my clothes don’t fit (even after I bought new ones, I gained more weight) and I’m not losing a single pound. 

 

Any suggestions? Or hope? I can’t feel sexy or good in my own skin. I come from a family of skinny women that talk about how skinny they are all of the time...and I don’t want to visit home. 

 

Hopefully someone can give me some good stories and suggestions! 

[RealMe]

Hi KDM,

This is my experience.  On prozac for over 20 years, I gained over 60 pounds.  When I stopped taking it (I was on 80mg. at the time), I went on Abilify and Trintellix.  Despite having been told I might gain weight on Abilify, I was able to lose 60 pounds within two years by exercising, increasing vegetables, cutting out flour and sugar and cutting down (not out) on protein and fat.  When I detoxed from those drugs due to side effects, I went back on prozac.  Within 6 months, I have gained 10 pounds.  I have been tapering off prozac; but despite eating healthily, I have not lost any of the ten pounds.  My WD symptoms seem to prevent me from exercising enough to make a difference.  I look forward to getting completely off prozac and all ADs.

 

The only suggestion I can make is that it is better to taper carefully than to lose weight right away.  My mental and physical health are far more important to me than having my clothes fit (and believe me, I know how awful this is).  I know without a doubt that when I taper (safely) off this prozac, I will lose the weight.  I may even have to gain some more before it happens, but it will happen.  You and I are going to be healthy, sexy,  gorgeous and drug free!

xo RM

 

 

[InvisibleUnless]

depending on the reasons behind your weight gain, a low-fat diet may be the opposite of what you need.  in most weight gain from antipsychotics and some types of weight gain from antidepressants metabolic alterations create a situation where a higher-fat diet is important just like a lower-carb diet.  i would look into diets for people with metabolic issues instead of diets designed for people who are not trying to recover from psychotropic disruptions.  i think the reduction of sugar (and especially concentrated sugars like high fructose corn syrup) may be a complementary adjustment, if your concerns are primarily metabolic.

 

it took me a year or three to lose my drug weight, but i was on an entire cocktail of different drugs and drug classes.  no amount of dietary alterations or restrictions or exercise kept the weight off or slimmed me back down quicker post-discontinuation, so far as i understood it.  eating to my cravings has been essential as a general recovery strategy, but i still cycle between metabolic problems and other withdrawal symptoms which alter my body morphology from week to week.  after the initial loss of all my weight, i looked like a haggard drug addict--gaunt and with any fatty gains padding on the surface instead of integrating properly.  these days, i have shaped out some, though my symptoms are such that i cannot be very active, much less exercise strenuously as i had all my life before drug use.  the good news in that is that my weight regulates even without substantial exercise, pointing to metabolic alterations being behind the fluctuations in tissue ratios, water weight, etc.

 

paying attention to sleep restoration is something else i would recommend.  sleep is one of the prime times of bodily regulation with regards to tissue ratios and such.  because all antidepressants disrupt sleep architecture--even if we dont necessarily notice any substantial sleep-related drug effects--recovering a fully functional nightly sleep cycle may aid in shedding the drug weight.  this can mean prioritizing sleep even if it is broken or otherwise dysfunctional sleep, and allowing yourself to rest even if you think it feels unnecessary as compared to your usual vigor or lifestyle arrangements.  withdrawal can be a weird time and sometimes that requires weird measures.

 

some people seem to lose incrementally while others appear to hit a point after which the held weight is lost somewhat rapidly.  i think i was more the latter than the former.  at 3 weeks completely off fluoxetine, you are probably not even free of all the drug metabolites and such mucking around in your system.  in any case, though, it may be months before you experience appreciably weight loss.  maybe not, but you should not consider that possibility surprising or feel like your efforts are inadequate.  our bodies are generally designed to regulate healthily.  if you focus on eating to your situation, getting proper exercise and rest and socializing and all that, i think your body will deal with the weight in its own ways and time.  balance, sustainability, and a focus on more holistic healing are probably guidelines to have in mind.

 

obviously, these ideas wont work for everyone, and some people may need to go above and beyond to shed medication weight.

[KatieDogMom]

On 5/4/2018 at 9:27 PM, RealMe said:

Hi KDM,

This is my experience.  On prozac for over 20 years, I gained over 60 pounds.  When I stopped taking it (I was on 80mg. at the time), I went on Abilify and Trintellix.  Despite having been told I might gain weight on Abilify, I was able to lose 60 pounds within two years by exercising, increasing vegetables, cutting out flour and sugar and cutting down (not out) on protein and fat.  When I detoxed from those drugs due to side effects, I went back on prozac.  Within 6 months, I have gained 10 pounds.  I have been tapering off prozac; but despite eating healthily, I have not lost any of the ten pounds.  My WD symptoms seem to prevent me from exercising enough to make a difference.  I look forward to getting completely off prozac and all ADs.

 

The only suggestion I can make is that it is better to taper carefully than to lose weight right away.  My mental and physical health are far more important to me than having my clothes fit (and believe me, I know how awful this is).  I know without a doubt that when I taper (safely) off this prozac, I will lose the weight.  I may even have to gain some more before it happens, but it will happen.  You and I are going to be healthy, sexy,  gorgeous and drug free!

xo RM

 

 

 

 

Thank you for the suggestions!! Stay well! 

[KatieDogMom]

11 hours ago, InvisibleUnless said:

depending on the reasons behind your weight gain, a low-fat diet may be the opposite of what you need.  in most weight gain from antipsychotics and some types of weight gain from antidepressants metabolic alterations create a situation where a higher-fat diet is important just like a lower-carb diet.  i would look into diets for people with metabolic issues instead of diets designed for people who are not trying to recover from psychotropic disruptions.  i think the reduction of sugar (and especially concentrated sugars like high fructose corn syrup) may be a complementary adjustment, if your concerns are primarily metabolic.

 

it took me a year or three to lose my drug weight, but i was on an entire cocktail of different drugs and drug classes.  no amount of dietary alterations or restrictions or exercise kept the weight off or slimmed me back down quicker post-discontinuation, so far as i understood it.  eating to my cravings has been essential as a general recovery strategy, but i still cycle between metabolic problems and other withdrawal symptoms which alter my body morphology from week to week.  after the initial loss of all my weight, i looked like a haggard drug addict--gaunt and with any fatty gains padding on the surface instead of integrating properly.  these days, i have shaped out some, though my symptoms are such that i cannot be very active, much less exercise strenuously as i had all my life before drug use.  the good news in that is that my weight regulates even without substantial exercise, pointing to metabolic alterations being behind the fluctuations in tissue ratios, water weight, etc.

 

paying attention to sleep restoration is something else i would recommend.  sleep is one of the prime times of bodily regulation with regards to tissue ratios and such.  because all antidepressants disrupt sleep architecture--even if we dont necessarily notice any substantial sleep-related drug effects--recovering a fully functional nightly sleep cycle may aid in shedding the drug weight.  this can mean prioritizing sleep even if it is broken or otherwise dysfunctional sleep, and allowing yourself to rest even if you think it feels unnecessary as compared to your usual vigor or lifestyle arrangements.  withdrawal can be a weird time and sometimes that requires weird measures.

 

some people seem to lose incrementally while others appear to hit a point after which the held weight is lost somewhat rapidly.  i think i was more the latter than the former.  at 3 weeks completely off fluoxetine, you are probably not even free of all the drug metabolites and such mucking around in your system.  in any case, though, it may be months before you experience appreciably weight loss.  maybe not, but you should not consider that possibility surprising or feel like your efforts are inadequate.  our bodies are generally designed to regulate healthily.  if you focus on eating to your situation, getting proper exercise and rest and socializing and all that, i think your body will deal with the weight in its own ways and time.  balance, sustainability, and a focus on more holistic healing are probably guidelines to have in mind.

 

obviously, these ideas wont work for everyone, and some people may need to go above and beyond to shed medication weight.

 

That’s awesome - thanks for the info! I got analyzed for my body type as I have done LCHF diets before with not much luck. Hopefully the diet I’m on now will be good for me! 

 

It is comforting to know that others have dealt with the same issues. I hope to have lost at least half of the weight that I gained within 6 months, which I think is reasonable given the medication.

 

Stay well!

[Goldegg18]

Has anyone who has tapered off wellbutrin experienced weight gain despite proper diet and exercise? I was taken off 300 mg of wellbutrin about 5 months ago. And, since then have experienced weight gain despite having a very clean and strict diet. In fact, I don't feel very hungry and don't feel the need to eat much. I do have severe anxiety in the morning, though and am in bed about 11 to 12 hours a day.  And, I really don't know what more I can do with my diet. I also exercise. I feel like I am losing control over my body because I just can't control it. I'm constantly bloated and feeing heavy. Could it be water retention? could it be kidney issues? Any ideas of supplements or tips to counteract the weight gain and lethargy would be really appreciated. 

[ChessieCat]

I've just googled survivingantidepressants.org weight gain and found this member's topic:  urvivingwellbutrin-wellbutrin-withdrawal-weight-gain

 

Also see this toopic:  weight-gain-weight-loss-and-appetite-changes

 

 

[mirage]

@Goldegg18Sorry to hear about the weight trouble. This journey is so hard. So many symptoms and so much to heal. 

 

I have a quick few questions. Where are you in your taper and how are you doing. Any other side effects besides the weight? I stopped, ct, Wellbutrin 300xl in May of 2017. I didn't get any symptoms or have any problems until about a month later, June 2017. That said, I am, of course, experiencing lots of withdrawal symptoms. My dr reinstated 150xl about 7 weeks after I stopped. I don't think I had any success with the reinstatement because my system had already crashed. I was too late. I am still on the 150 and my neurologist is recommending I stay here until I become more stable, then start a slow wean. 

 

Any info you can pass on would be greatly appreciated. God bless.

[Goldegg18]

@ChessieCat thank you for responding and for the links. I'll check them out. 

 

Hi @mirage, thanks for responding. So i was on 300 mg XL of wellbutrin for about 10 years and stoped end of January 2018 (this year). And, I have been off it since then. My doctor took me down to 150 mg literally overnight and then in 5 and half weeks, I was off completely. There was no weaning off. It was basically cold turkey.  I argued with her, telling her it seemed irresponsible, but she insisted she knew exactly what she was doing. Apparently not.  In addition to the weight gain, I experienced lethargy, unable to get out of bed (i'm in bed for about 11 to 12 hours), lots of brain fog, I feel like I'm a constant state of chaos and insecurity, and the panic attacks in the morning are unbearable. At first I had these crazy crying spells, which have since passed, but I get them from time to time. I had tried getting off wellbutrin in the past, twice, actually and failed miserably. This time, I think what keeps me going is my diet. I followed Dr. Kelly Brogan's protocol and now am following the bulletproof diet. Both are basically paleo. What is your diet like? I know it seems silly to say that diet plays a role in this entire mess, but any little thing can help. So, you're still experiencing withdrawal symptoms, despite being back on 150?  Also, interestingly enough, I also didn't experience and withdrawal symptoms till a month after being off it. In fact, I felt great the first few days being off it. but, then BAM! Did you experience any suicidal thoughts? I'm experiencing them since being off it, and so I sought help from a therapist, which has helped tremendously. Sometimes this process is so unbearable that you just want to end it all. But, I know for sure, there is light emerging in the midst of this chaos. 

[mirage]

@Goldegg18Thank you for responding. I had a fabulous month of May in 2017 being off the Wellbutrin and yes, it was bam for me too. On June 2nd 2017, I was having a great day. It was around 12:15pm and I was in my gym working out. I laid back to bench press and the ceiling started to spin. I was hit with the worst vertigo. I thought I was having a stroke. The spinning and dizziness lasted for about 4 days. What followed were all of the other symptoms, nausea, I had terrible chills, heart pounding out of my chest anxiety, extremely sensitivety to lights and sounds, horrible fears. I couldn't watch tv or talk about anything even remotely sad or scary and a whole host of a million other symptoms. The following 6 to 7 months were horrible. I finally saw a little progress around the 10th month. Looking back, at this time last year, I am certainly better. However, still far off from who I was prior to this journey. My worst symptoms are dizziness and anxiety. In the first 6 months, I had dark thoughts. Never thought about suicide but it scared me that the mind could ever go there. Actually, everything scared me. I still have some odd feelings in dark rooms and outside at night. Can't quite figure it out. Thinking it has something to do with my ocular nerves. 

 

I was put on the med to help with pms symptoms. I completed menopause last year so I decided to go off the med. Was never told to wean. Also was told by a few drs that Wellbutrin doesn't have the withdrawal effects that some of the other meds do. Well, guess what, for some of us, they do. As you and I have found out. 

 

I have always followed a pretty strict diet of a lot of, protein shakes, eggs, veggies, chicken, salmon, no red meat, low gluten and low dairy. So I still stick with that. I have stopped caffeine and alcohol. Even though I never over indulged in either. The morning cortisol is so over powering that I can't even imagine adding in the caffeine. A lot of time I have a cup of hot water with fresh lemon in it. It is really good for the digestive system.   

 

Our entire system has been turned, upside down and inside out. It is amazing because I never had any anxiety before this nor any symptoms or problems from taking the med. But, it is very apparent that the med changed a lot in my nervous system. 

 

I am functioning and working part time but it is very hard. I am in the middle of a huge wave right now and the dizziness is incredible! I have had few windows but none without any symptoms. Also, they have been so few and so short that I never even noticed they were windows until I hit a wave again. I usually get, maybe an hour or two and not very often. I seem to be riding waves most of the time. Perhaps because of the ct? 

 

Wishing you good things and healing. I will keep you in my prayers. God bless. 

[Goldegg18]

@mirage OMG! I just read about your vertigo experience! That is INSANE! since you are still experiencing vertigo and still experiencing dizziness, have you thought about trying CBD oil? It is a natural remedy for vertigo. It's legal in every state and it has helped me a lot during the taper. I didn't have dizzy spells but I had a lot of physical pain and was afraid of getting seizures (which is supposed to be common during fast tapers) so I started taking the oil, and it has helped a lot. Also, have thought about eliminating gluten all together? There are studies that link gluten to dizzy spells. Some people are just highly sensitive to gluten. I know the spells are from the taper but dizzy spells are a symptom of not having a body that is resilient to the taper. In order for our bodies to be ready for a dramatic change in our nervous system, we have to make sure we minimize inflamation as much as possible. Thus, by eliminating gluten all together, you dramatically reduce inflamation in the body. I received these tips from holistic psychiatrists here in nyc. I'm just throwing out these suggestions so to try and help you as much as possible.

 

A few other things: red meat is good for you (specifically beef) when you are tapering and have tapered. Just make sure it is organic, grass-fed beef of good quality. Every holistic psychiatrist recommends eating grass-fed beef because it activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which calms your body, and, might, in turn, reduce chances of dizzy spells and anxiety. 

Also, Maca powder. Ever heard of it? since you have just completed menopause your endocrine system might need to some help to balance out. Maca powder is great at balancing hormones. 

Finally, primrose oil is amazing at also helping balance hormones. When your hormones are more balanced, it will take a lot of stress of your nervous system. 

 

I'm not a doctor and these are all suggestions from personal experience and from the knowledge I have acquired via my research. Let me know if you have questions. I'm happy to help you and to give you any support I can during this rough (but temporary) period. 

 

God Bless, 

Goldedgg

[mirage]

@Goldegg18 Thank you! I will take all of any information you want to send me. 

 

I just bought CBD oil today. I also bought a supplement called Cell Food. I started the cell food this afternoon. Thought I would give that a few days before I introduced the CBD oil. If I react poorly to something, I want to be sure I know what it is. This dizziness is so awful. If that would go away, I would function so much better. 

 

I'll start introducing some, healthy red meat. I'm just not a fan of red meat. Never have been except for, maybe a good burger. Anything and everything is worth the try. You never know what could work. 

 

I have not heard of maca powder but I will look into it. I have a good friend who owns a supplement store. She has mostly everything so i'll check with her. 

 

Any other things you think about, please send my way. I will take all of the help I can get. THANK YOU!

 

God Bless

[Goldegg18]

@mirage, no way! that's great. it will definitely help you. if it doesn't work, then try another brand. the brand is really important. A brand called, "Charlotte's web" is supposed to be really good. I use a local one from Vermont called "green mountain." 

 

If i think of anything more, I will definitely send the info your way. 

 

Also, are you taking a magnesium supplement before bedtime? 

 

Try the maca. Ask your friend about it, I'm sure she will have a lot of insight and info on it. 

 

That's right! At this point, we need to try every little thing. Sometimes it's the small things we never would have thought of that make the biggest changes. 

 

One last thing, what has helped me the most in distressing times is acceptance. Sometimes when I am having a really bad anxiety attack in the morning, I learn to just accept the situation and know that it will pass and that leads to calming thoughts, which calm my body and the anxiety disappears for a bit. I know it sounds silly especially when you're having a dizzy spell. But just try and just sit with the discomfort, knowing it will pass. The more we try and fight all of this, the worse it gets. 

sending you healing energy. God Bless, 

 

Goldegg

[mirage]

@Goldegg18 Thank you. Going to give it all a try for sure. I am taking the magnesium before bed and I also take fish oil. 

 

Thank you for the info on accepting. I have been able to do that and it does help. Things have improved. Just have quite a ways to go but we will all get there and we will all be writing our success stories. It is going to be epic and we will all look back and have some chuckles about the symptoms we had. 

 

It is a bump in a road and while it is rough right now, soon it will be smooth. 

 

Hugs

[Goldegg18]

@mirage, anytime! 

 

Yes, that is what I have come to discover...just like the good times pass, so do the bad and the cycle repeats itself. Eventually we can get to a point where we don't react to our circumstances, accept them and take action from power and love. a lot harder to practice but worth giving it a shot a little at a time. 

 

Have a restful sleep and let me know how things are. I have many more suggestions for you. Let's try things one by one. You'll get there. 

 

Hugs  

[Altostrata]

Merged similar topics. Please use search in the Symptoms forum before starting new topics about a symptom.

[Frogie]

I guess I’m a bit confused. I thought this topic was on weight gain or loss?

 

 I have gained around 40 pounds while on these drugs. I try to eat right. I eat A LOT of chicken and vegetables. I have been on these drugs since 1997. Lexapro since 2002. (I’m guilty and drink 2 cokes a day) but do drink water.

 

I’m almost done tapering Lexapro. 😊😊😊 I can’t believe it. Three years!

 

I still have Xanax to taper.🙁🙁🙁 But I will do it. If I can live through Lexapro, I can do Xanax.

 

I would like to know if anyone lost the “Lexapro weight” when you were done tapering? And how long did it take? Or did it take a lot of dieting?

 

Does Xanax cause weight gain? I take 3mg a day?

 

Sorry for so many questions. Thanks for the information. It’s greatly appreciated!

 

Take care,

Frogie xx

[julia955]

It's hard to know for me 100% whether going on the drugs caused weight gain (I believe and so do my parents that it did, since when my dose was raised to a high dose at around 10 years old I pretty quickly went from normal weight to overweight. However, I also loved eating as a kid haha). I know that I was able to lose weight when I put in the effort, very easily/normally even on high doses of both Zoloft and celexa. It did take effort in terms of eating healthy and smaller amounts and exercise though. I lost 50 lbs when I was 14 while on 200mg Zoloft so for me although when it was first raised I think it did affect my weight, after I stabilized on even a high dose I could lose it no problem. I was able to lose weight even easier on celexa and was underweight for a time on it, but that's just me.

 

The tapering for me is what changed things and affected my weight. I literally gained 80 pounds when I went off the medication. It only made me about 10 lbs overweight because I started out so thin but it has still been traumatizing. It made me starving all the time. I was constantly in panic mode and my heart would race and I'd feel in severe pain and dying whenever I was the tiniest bit hungry. I craved carbs a ridiculous amount and literally felt like I was going to die if I didn't eat a lot of them. I'm curious as to whether anyone else had a similar experience? 

 

Willpower, which I have a lot of, didn't matter- that's how severe the pain and discomfort was. However, I've been 8 months off everything and although I"m still way bigger than makes me comfortable I've lost 12 lbs without even trying and the extreme cravings have gone away. I have noticed that it is extremely difficult for me to consciously diet, I feel way more worn out and uncomfortable than I used to in the past when trying to lose weight, and also my chest pain (my main withdrawal symptom) gets exacerbated. It's like my body is telling me it can't handle the extra stressor of consciously trying to lose weight or restrict how much I eat just yet. But things are certainly going in the right direction and I feel like soon it's going to become easier. I have even recently been craving exercise which is huge because throughout this process all I've wanted to do is rest! It was a huge positive and hopeful sign to me. 

 

I totally sympathize with everyone here who has suffered weight gain from either the medication itself or withdrawal, it's so embarrassing and disheartening especially since so few people understand that it's not because we're "lazy", it's from the damn drug. I am not a lazy person at all and my health and weight is important to me so having this whole process wreck that for me in such a huge way was scary and so upsetting. But please have hope everyone. If you have gained weight either on the med or withdrawal, it's possible some of it may come off naturally like a bit did for me but I think for the rest of it we are going to have to work for it, but it's going to become more easier and possible to do so the longer we are off of the drug. I also highly recommend eating more protein- that's something I wasn't doing much of because I was vegan when I first tapered and was craving the carbs so much, but since way upping my protein intake and eating meat again things have improved drastically

[direstraits]

so being in WD  can make it hard to lose weight, and it will be easier to lose after WD ends?

I hope so.