Elkstar: how did you lose weight gained from antidepressants?

[Elkstar]

I was put on 10mg prozac around 2 years ago  thats all I could tolerate without feeling manic and very quickly I put on roughly 40 pounds. With a slightly better diet and exercise I managed to lose 7 pounds a few months ago and keep it off but now the scale won't budge.   I'm only 5'1 so this is a lot. I was on prozac for a short time before this and lost weight but this has been horrible and I remember coming off of it the first time I ate more. I'm  still on geodon which is known to be somewhat weight neutral though some doctors are telling me this is whats causing my weight gain which would be depressing but I don't think thats the case.  I was on it for 5 years before prozac and stayed around 120/ 125. I have read that weight gained on antidepressants is very hard to lose even after going off them. I've currently started tapering off prozac and want to lose the weight but I'm so confused where to start and if it will work. I was trying to cut back on carbs but then I read because of what the brain does while on antidepressants cutting carbs will make you eat more so you should eat healthy carbs. Has anyone found a diet which works to get off antidepressant weight gain?

[Carmie]

Hi Elkstar, 

 

Welcome to SA. I’m sorry you put on so much weight with the meds. I put on quite a bit a while ago too, but I lost it. I was on the autoimmune protocol for my health, and a good side effect was that the weight fell off. When going through withdrawals though you have to be careful not to go on strict diets straight away because the stress on your body might be too much. Everything one does in withdrawals has to be incorporated slowly, and everyone reacts to different things differently, so it’s all trial and error.

 

I am on Seroquel which is nortorious for putting on weight. 

 

Could you please fill out a drug signature. Just go to the Read This First section, and to the thread entitled: “ Please Put Your Withdrawal History In Your Signature.” Thank you. 

 

You said you’ve currently started tapering. How much Prozac are you on now? Could you please put the dates and amounts you tapered into your signature. Also the original amount you were on. Thanks. 

 

You mentioned you’re on Geodon as well, is that correct? How much are you on? Are you on any other meds or supplements?

 

We recommend tapering by no more than 10% a month. I can only tolerate about 4% every one and a half months or so myself. It’s really important to go slowly, and have long holds. 

 

Do you have any any other symptoms besides the weight gain at the moment?

 

Please keep us updated, sending hugs🤗

Edited June 21, 2019 by Carmie
Addition

[ChessieCat]

Hi Elkstar and welcome from me too,

 

Please respond to Carmie's questions.

 

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

Dr Joseph Glenmullen's WD Symptoms Checklist

 

Important topics in the Tapering forum and FAQ 

 

 

Please create your drug signature using the following format.   Keep it simple.  NO diagnoses or symptoms please - thank you.

• details for last 2 years - dates, ALL drugs, doses
• summary for older than 2 years - just years and drug/s

Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature

 

This is your own introductions topic where your can ask questions about your own situation and journal your progress.

[Elkstar]

Carmie I'm sorry you had to experience weight gain too but thats good you were able to get it off. I know trying to diet during w/d might be impossible.I'm just so uncomfortable in my body. I'm just anxious at least to figure out what might work when I'm ready.  

 

As I mentioned in my signature I was rapidly tapered off clorazapam clonazepam (member has provided correct spelling in drug signature) a little over 4 months ago from a different doctor than my current one. I didn't know any better at the time. I'm still experiencing so much w/d from that its hard to say if the prozac w/d is effecting me at all yet. I have felt about the same so far since tapering the Prozac now too. Perhaps I'm more tired some days and sweating more. I'm pretty scared about coming off the prozac since I'm already in the throws of w/d from benzos which can last forever but the prozac did nothing for me but make me gain weight and lose the ability to cry at all which I don't like and the doctor wants me off as well. 

 

As far as the Prozac tapering goes my current doctor wants me to now take .5 mg everyday for 2 weeks then take .25 for 2 weeks then go off. I have told her about this website and about tapering more slowly and she says she doesn't want me to be a chemist as home. She also said insurance won't cover 5 mg tablets or liquid and there is no way I can afford it. All I can do is work with these 10 mg pills and stay on the lower dose a bit longer than she says if I'm feeling too bad which I'm sure she would be ok with. 

 

Edited June 25, 2019 by ChessieCat
added space/corrected spelling

[AlexRussia]

Hello. sry for my English, i live in Russia. i  not a professional but Please listen to me. It seems u dont see the real problem.  Right now u are in very very dangerous situation . I am not trying to scare but u just came off of benzo after many years of use and currently in withdrawal.   If u came off prozac right now by doing fast taper u will have double withdrawal and your weight will be your less worrying problem. In my opinion prozac masks many symptons of your benzo withdrawal..You have to let benzo w/d  acute symptoms to pass (wait a year at least)  and only then completely gradually taper from.prozac by standart 10 % month taper to avoid severe withdrawal symptoms. If u cant wait, start 10 % taper from.prozac now but if enconter worsening of symptoms pls halt, wait, stabilise, and then continiue.

 

Edited June 25, 2019 by ChessieCat
removed quote

[ChessieCat]

20 hours ago, Elkstar said:

As far as the Prozac tapering goes my current doctor wants me to now take .5 mg everyday for 2 weeks then take .25 for 2 weeks then go off. I have told her about this website and about tapering more slowly and she says she doesn't want me to be a chemist as home. She also said insurance won't cover 5 mg tablets or liquid and there is no way I can afford it. All I can do is work with these 10 mg pills and stay on the lower dose a bit longer than she says if I'm feeling too bad which I'm sure she would be ok with. 

 

There are not many medical professionals who understand tapering and withdrawal, which is why this site exists.

 

So your doctor "doesn't want me to be a chemist at home".  However, it is not the doctor who is going to suffer if you get withdrawal symptoms, but you.  It is much better to reduce following the no more than 10% of current dose approximately every four weeks than to risk going too fast.  Especially since you have only recently stopped the clorazapam clonazepam (member has corrected spelling in drug signature).

 

It is possible and also very easy to make your own liquid from Prozac tablets/capsules. 

 

Please see:  Tips for tapering off Prozac (fluoxetine)

 

On 7/3/2011 at 4:11 AM, Altostrata said:

 

Is Prozac "self-tapering"?
Because of its very long half-life, Prozac has the reputation of being "self-tapering," meaning it requires only a short taper. However, some people do suffer withdrawal from Prozac, just as severe as other SSRIs. Because of the long half-life, withdrawal symptoms simply take longer to appear.

We suggest starting out with a slow taper of 10% per month for a couple of months; if no withdrawal symptoms appear, rate of taper may be increased -- but slow down if withdrawal symptoms arise.

 

 

 

From your drug signature:

 

Quote

Prozac 10 mg around 2 years. I started tapering by taking it every other day as recommended by my doctor on May 31st. 

 

Skipping days to taper is not recommended.  The brain likes consistency.  If you are currently taking your dose every 2nd day, I suggest that you halve the dose and start taking it every day.  For example, if you are currently taking 10mg every 2nd day, you would take 5mg every day.

 

 

 

Edited June 25, 2019 by ChessieCat
corrected spelling

[ChessieCat]

20 hours ago, Elkstar said:

I was rapidly tapered off clorazapam clonazepam (member has corrected spelling in drug signature) a little over 4 months ago

 

Please check the spelling of this drug's name.  Is it supposed to be clonazepam?

 

If you have made an error with the spelling, please correct it in your drug signature.  Thank you.

 

NOTE:  Member has corrected spelling in drug signature

 

Edited June 25, 2019 by ChessieCat
added note

[Elkstar]

Thanks ChessieCat I went down to slitting pills and taking 5 mg today since that was the next step anyway. I will read the link about making my own liquid from pills. 

[Altostrata]

Welcome, Elkstar.

 

Taking Prozac with Geodon may have triggered that side effect of Geodon. It's more likely that Geodon is causing the weight gain. Please go to drugs.com and review side effects of all your drugs and reconsider life on a drug cocktail.

 

Going on and off psychiatric drugs can be stressful for the nervous system. As Alex pointed out, your nervous system might be vulnerable from your benzo taper. It may be wise to taper Prozac very carefully from here.

 

Please let us know how you're doing.

[Elkstar]

Alostrata if that is the case now I'm very depressed and really have no hope left. I can't live like this in this body . I can come off the prozac. It was never needed but I have to stay on the Geodon. Not everybody who takes these drugs needs them but I do need to be on Geodon.  I was on Geodon 5 years while my weight is usually 120 it stayed more around 125 until I took prozac and I gained 40 pounds overnight. What makes you say it's not just the prozac? Now if I come off the prozac you are saying I won't be able to lose the weight if I stay on Geodon? What proof of this is there? I went to drugs.com and I can see the side effects but is I can't find any information on how poly drugging will kick in the side effects of another drug. A life without drugs seems fabulous but I'm one of the people where that is not possible. I seriously hate my life if this is the case.

[Altostrata]

Why don't you go off Prozac and see how you do? Could be that's the reason for your weight gain, though as I said, it's usually the anti-psychotic.

 

If you absolutely need to take Geodon at your current dosage, you may need to accept the side effects. So why worry?

 

What is your plan for tapering Prozac?

[Elkstar]

Yeah I don't think there is even a doctor out there who will know for sure. I read an article in Psychology Today I think where it says many people who gain weight on a/d can't lose it afterwards. There is no long term study ever done to see if their body adjusts long term. Drugs.com does list weight gain as a side effect of Geodon and it is possible but it is known to be somewhat weight neutral and that is what I experienced on it until I took Prozac.  Is it possible the Prozac kicked in the weight gain side of Geodon ? it's possible. It's also possible it was that the Prozac. There is a whole thread of women on this forum who gained the same amount as me on a/d's. Did it now change my metabolism where I won't be able to get it off? Maybe. Did it activate the Geodon side effects to where now I will keep extra weight on me even though I didn't gain weight for 5 years on it until I took prozac? Maybe and that will really suck. I'm going to work with what I can and assume the Prozac caused the weight gain as it did for many other women on here and hope when I get through w/d with diet and exercise I can get back to a normal weight. In which case I'm still interested what diets and methods worked for others who had to get the weight off from a/d's after going off them. I wish the side effects were looked at more carefully before doctors prescribed this stuff so casually but they aren't as I'm sure you know. I researched endlessly on the internet as to why a/d's cause weight gain and nobody knows. Thats the scientific conclusion as I'm sure you prob know. Some say you eat more when on them and crave carbs. That is what happened to me when I first went on which caused lots of the weight gain I'm sure. It also says maybe they slow your metabolism. So yeah I don't ever think I will figure out why I gained weight all of a sudden and its not coming off so easy. I'm sure the Geodon is not helping but did it cause all of this weight gain and is it going to make it impossible to get it off now? I hope not. I wish I had to take no meds and I just had my body pure. I really wish I didn't have an underlying mental illness and I didn't have to take Geodon. It has all kinds of terrible side effects but sadly I need it. 

As far as the tapering goes I'm taking .5 mg now for 2 more weeks. I was on10mg every other day for 3 weeks but now I switched to the .5 mg a day. As I mentioned my doctor then wants me to go to .25. I still have to read the link on here and decide if doing my own liquid tapering might be better. I know that is what is recommended. I may just stay at the .5 mg for longer than 2 weeks depending on how I feel and then decide. 

[Altostrata]

There are many, many articles about weight gain as an adverse effect of antipsychotics such as Geodon. Doctors are very, very familiar with this adverse effect. If yours has ignored it, he or she is not a good doctor.

 

There's an outside chance that's it's the Prozac and when you go off Prozac, the weight will drop off.

[Elkstar]

Yeah who knows. I dunno. I saw 10% of people gain weight on Geodon and the rest don't. I'm not saying it doesn't cause weight gain ever. I'm sure it does. Its sucks but its not like I'm taking it for fun.I have definitely encountered bad doctors but I like my current doctor very much and trust her. 

I can only hold out hope that I can lose weight by coming off the Prozac with diet and exercise. I'm still curious to know other people's methods for achieving this. 

 

[ChessieCat]

I've moved your post to an existing topic.  I have also responded to it.

 

You can find it here: bipolar-mood-swings-mania-hypomania-depression

 

[Elkstar]

Topic title:  How long until you feel w/d

 

I was already going thru benzo w/d and now have cut my prozac in half for a little over a month. I really have started to feel spacey and irritated and like I can't ground myself. I figure because of its long half life w/d is hitting me now. I saw my doctor today who said because of its long half life prozac w/d shouldn't be that hard or long and she wants me to drop down again and get off of it. I feel so not ok. She is convinced this is could not be the throws of w/d of recently benzos and now this but an underlying problem and suggested I go on lithium to feel better. uGh. I have never taken that in my life and the last thing I wanna do is throw another horrible drug in my system. I know this is the effect of w/d but she is scarring me. Am I right that it takes a month to leave your system so it makes sense I feel worse a little over a month later?

 

Edited July 17, 2019 by ChessieCat
added topic title

[Altostrata]

That seems about right for Prozac withdrawal symptoms.

 

Very few doctors understand anything about psychiatric drug withdrawal. If I were you, I'd get a prescription for liquid Prozac or make your own and updose slightly, perhaps by 0.5mg. Did you read Tips for tapering off Prozac (fluoxetine)

[Elkstar]

Topic title:  Anger and Brain Fog

 

So I am only freshly almost 7 months off benzos and was already having a slew of symptoms before I tapered off Prozac. I know I was in benzo w/d but since I tapered off Prozac my symptoms got worse. Every drop down in Prozac I got ruminating thoughts mixed with anger and I'm always in a state of brain fog. I did not have these symptoms as bad until I dropped down on the Prozac. I've now been off all together for several weeks. The anger seems to be getting slightly better but the brain fog is so bad. I wonder if others have this from coming off of Prozac alone and how long it lasts for?

 

Edited September 7, 2019 by ChessieCat
added topic title

[ChessieCat]

Prozac has a long half long so it sounds like the withdrawal symptoms are starting to show up because you have been off 2 or 3 weeks now.  Dr Joseph Glenmullen's WD Symptoms Checklist

 

This is what happened to me.  I was taking 100mg Pristiq and started taking 50mg.  Over a 2 week period my brain fog got worse and worse and even walking took my full concentration.  It was at this time that I researched and found SA.  A couple of days after joining SA I was unable to type.  I have been a professional typist for 40+ years so I knew something was wrong.  I decided to take extra Pristiq and after only about 4 hours I was able to type again and the brain fog was lifting.  I had a benchmark so I had proof that it was the lack of drug that caused the brain fog and inability to type.  The difference was like night and day.  I also knew that there was no way that this was wishful thinking etc.

 

If your withdrawal symptoms are bad you might want to reinstate a tiny amount.  We can suggest a dose, but we need know the dates and doses of how you tapered Prozac.  The sooner reinstatement is made the better chance it has of being successful.  Please let us know if you would like to reinstate.

 

 

Please do not take the last dose you took.  It might be too much and could make things worse.

 

 

Please read Post #1 of this topic:  About reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms

 

 

Edited September 7, 2019 by ChessieCat

[Elkstar]

Thanks Altostrata for the response to my older post. I think I'm just seeing that now. W/d has been a blur. For some reason I find this site hard to navigate or I post and it doesn't show up. Maybe thats how it works. I'm trying to figure it out. I'm not my sharpest at the moment.

 

Thanks ChessieCat  Yeah I already had the brain fog with benzo w/d but it got so much worse. Whats weird is when I would first do a drop down on Prozac I would feel slightly more clear headed but now the fog is thick. 

I'm afraid to go back on at this point since when I first went on the meds I was manic and I felt manic at times coming off.  I really need to ride this out. 

Did you manage to taper more slowly to prevent brain fog? If you did have it how long did it last for?

Is anger an issue coming off Prozac? It def. got worse coming off. I know it is caused from benzo w/d maybe coming off the Prozac just triggered that.