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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
[email protected]Shown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by baracuda on March 3, 2008, at 20:56:54
I gained ALOT of weight when I was on prozac, around 70 lbs in less than 9 months. somuchso that I decided to try a different route and go on Lexapro. I didn't lose any weight on the 2 years on Lexapro but I didn't gain any weight either. And I was still depressed. My doctor switched me to zoloft and so far I have been able to loose 30+ lbs on Jenny Craig . I recently felt my depression coming back slowly and discussed this with my doc - who decided to add wellbutrin to my daily zoloft dose, but since I've been on the wellbutrin i've gained almost 4 lbs in less than 2 weeks.
my question is this: do the medications REALLY make you gain weight, or is it more the fact that when your on various meds you have more or less impulse control - i.e. on prozac all i wanted was donuts and everything else made me sick. go figure. on lexapro, i stuffed my face to feel nourished and started eating super fast. on zoloft i was able to actually realize what i had been doing and make a change to be more healthy.
now with wellbutrin added, and being on the jenny craig program will it make me gain weight or does it really come down to calories/exercise like it would off meds. I guess what i am trying to ask is when people say they gained weight from being on meds, did they really gain weight from the meds or did they gain weight because the meds interfered with thier decision making and they ate more calories than they worked off...
????
Posted by Racer on March 4, 2008, at 20:22:10
In reply to weight gain Lexapro, Prozac, Zoloft + Wellbutrin, posted by baracuda on March 3, 2008, at 20:56:54
The good news is that it really and truly is the meds. As the reuptake of serotonin is inhibited, the receptors get to saying, "You again? You've been nagging at me too long -- I'm gonna ignore you now, unless you have something important to say." (In other words, there's some down-regulation of the serotonin receptors.)
Serotonin is active throughout the digestive system -- it mediates motility, passing satiety signals to the brain, etc. So, you're getting a couple of effects: it's slowing down your metabolism, and it's making it harder for you to recognize when you've had enough to eat.
The better news is that there are medications which can mitigate this effect. It's worth discussing the issue with your doctor.
Also, Wellbutrin is different --it doesn't affect serotonin, so it doesn't have these effects. My guess would be that something else is going on -- maybe your hormonal cycle?
Good luck.
Posted by baracuda on March 4, 2008, at 23:47:40
In reply to It's the meds... » baracuda, posted by Racer on March 4, 2008, at 20:22:10
hmm...I have lost most of the weight while being on zoloft successfully but now am also on wellbutrin and it is affecting my appetite big time - as in im not hungry at all, plus i jog 1 mile every morning but I still gained 3 lbs which is odd to me. maybe im being (probably) paranoid...thank u for your reply
Posted by bulldog2 on March 19, 2008, at 15:18:01
In reply to weight gain Lexapro, Prozac, Zoloft + Wellbutrin, posted by baracuda on March 3, 2008, at 20:56:54
> I gained ALOT of weight when I was on prozac, around 70 lbs in less than 9 months. somuchso that I decided to try a different route and go on Lexapro. I didn't lose any weight on the 2 years on Lexapro but I didn't gain any weight either. And I was still depressed. My doctor switched me to zoloft and so far I have been able to loose 30+ lbs on Jenny Craig . I recently felt my depression coming back slowly and discussed this with my doc - who decided to add wellbutrin to my daily zoloft dose, but since I've been on the wellbutrin i've gained almost 4 lbs in less than 2 weeks.
>
> my question is this: do the medications REALLY make you gain weight, or is it more the fact that when your on various meds you have more or less impulse control - i.e. on prozac all i wanted was donuts and everything else made me sick. go figure. on lexapro, i stuffed my face to feel nourished and started eating super fast. on zoloft i was able to actually realize what i had been doing and make a change to be more healthy.
>
> now with wellbutrin added, and being on the jenny craig program will it make me gain weight or does it really come down to calories/exercise like it would off meds. I guess what i am trying to ask is when people say they gained weight from being on meds, did they really gain weight from the meds or did they gain weight because the meds interfered with thier decision making and they ate more calories than they worked off...
>
> ????My theory on the weight gain is increased prolactin. That will decrease the amount of Human Growth Hormone and that will decrease thyroid output. My wife is on zoloft and also went on Jenny Craig but found once she added 20 mcg t3 her diet kicked into gear. I wonder why more docs don't check thyroid output when a patient complains of weight gain on an AD.
Posted by pdg1234567 on March 27, 2008, at 21:20:47
In reply to Re: weight gain Lexapro, Prozac, Zoloft + Wellbutrin, posted by bulldog2 on March 19, 2008, at 15:18:01
Posted by maree on May 13, 2008, at 23:30:17
In reply to Re: weight gain Lexapro, Prozac, Zoloft + Wellbutrin, posted by bulldog2 on March 19, 2008, at 15:18:01
> My theory on the weight gain is increased prolactin. That will decrease the amount of Human Growth Hormone and that will decrease thyroid output. My wife is on zoloft and also went on Jenny Craig but found once she added 20 mcg t3 her diet kicked into gear. I wonder why more docs don't check thyroid output when a patient complains of weight gain on an AD.Was your wife actually deficient in T3? I gained weight, but had my thyroid checked and it is within nomal range, low, but within normal. I had read that even if the thyroid readings come back within the normal range, a small supplement can provide energy and is not toxic. My doc will not hear of unecessarily dosing, but I understand that there are thyroid supplements that you can buy over the counter.
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