Weight gain and anti-depressants? - ThinnerTimes - Gastric Bypass Forum, Lap Band Forum, and Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy Forum

electrichoney · 04-17-2009, 03:11 PM

Hi everyone - I have a question for anyone here who has taken, or is taking, anti-depressant medications after gastric bypass. Recently I've been having a really tough time emotionally and have not been sleeping well at all. I've barely slept a full night in weeks and have been feeling like the walking dead. There have been some issues going on in my life that have been stressing me, plus I'm in menopause now and many women going through menopause experience depressive symptoms, so I finally went to my PCP and he prescribed a combination of Zoloft and Remeron, both of which are anti-depressant medications. Many people report weight gain when taking anti-depressants - apparently it's a common side effect - and now I'm freaking out about the possibility of gaining back some of the weight I worked so hard to lose after surgery. I'm just over two years post-op and I've lost a total of 212 pounds off my highest weight, and I just CANNOT take the chance of gaining any of that back. I took Prozac for about 10 years, but stopped about five years ago, and since back then I never monitored my weight and also had really crappy eating habits, I don't know if any of the weight creep I experienced during the time I was taking Prozac was related to the drug or if it was just because I was eating too much of the wrong stuff and not exercising. So, I'm wondering if anyone here is taking anti-depressants after their WLS, and if so, if you've noticed any weight gain or re-gain as a result? Any comments would be most welcome - I am really feeling emotionally shitty right now, but I think I'd feel even shittier if I gained weight as a result of taking meds to make myself feel better. I think I'd rather deal with the negative emotion I currently have than feel even worse because I gained weight back after so much effort to lose it!! Thanks so much for reading.

bridgetgirl · 04-17-2009, 08:34 PM

This is my opinion about weight gain. I do not see how taking medications contribute to weight gain. The only thing that can make you gain weight is calories. Its scientific in my opinion. Putting food into your mouth does.

I have been on Deprovera for many years and heard many people complaining of weight gain, I havent gained a pound on it. I did gain weight by eating candy and drinking soda tho.
I was also on Effexor for approximately 9 months, I lost weight on it. That was because I was too depressed to eat. Now a "side effect" of Effexor is weight gain so if it is supposed to put on weight and I wasnt eating shouldnt my weight have been stable?

In my opinion if the theory was true that medication makes you gain weight then as soon as you are off it should start coming off.

Again opinions are like buttholes, everyone has one and some of them stink.

Just be conscious of your eating, I suggest a food diary to record as well as plan weekly meals this will make you proactive and in touch with your feelings as well as your food.

Good luck darling! Sorry to hear of your troubles I wish you a speedy recovery! ((HUGS))

angel82784 · 04-17-2009, 09:35 PM

I have been taking prozac for about 1.5 years. Even before I had my GBS. The whole time I was on it I was lossing weight. I know that one anti depressant that will actually help with weight loss is Wellbutrin. I also took this for a time and it worked really well. I stoped it b/c I wanted to have a baby, but then was told I was too heavy (even though I had lost weight) but never went back. That is just my experience. I am sorry that you are having a hard time. Good Luck Things will work out

electrichoney · 04-18-2009, 10:05 AM

Hi, thanks to both of you for your responses and your kind words of support. To Bridget, unfortunately in the case of medications used to treat mental health disorders, there is a lot of documented evidence that weight gain is a side effect. When so many people who are on psychiatic meds report weight gain, it becomes a statisically significant issue, enough for drug manufacturers to list it as a side effect in their information for physicians and patients. (Believe me, I wish I were one of those people whose depressive symptoms included lack of appetite, but go figure, my appetite is not usually affected in the way yours was! It doesn't increase generally, but it doesn't decrease either, so it's a zero-sum issue unfortunately.) There are many reported cases of people who have gained a lot of weight on some of these drugs and have been unable to take it off despite modifying their diet and increasing exercise - some people think that the body's metabolism is significantly slowed down by the drugs and that's one reason for the weight gain. This issue has been reported with not only some anti-depressants, but also with meds used to treat serious mental illnesses like schizophrenia, and is a huge factor (along with lots of other negative side effects) in why people with mental illness often stop taking psychiatric meds. I asked my question on this forum in particular because I'm wondering if maybe the weight gain effect of a lot of anti-depressants is moderated in people who have had gastric bypass because we process nutrients and chemicals differently post-op due to the alteration of our digestive systems. We already eat less than the average person because our stomachs are smaller, so significantly decreasing caloric intake to offset the possibility of gaining weight on the meds doesn't seem to be an option, and I do exercise regularly, so I don't know how much I'd be able to moderate this effect. So , for the time being, I've decided not to take the meds my doc prescribed and have called him to ask for a different combination of drugs that have less of a possibility of weight gain as a side effect. Apparently weight gain is not a significant side effect of Prozac, which worked for me for almost 10 years, so I asked him to prescribe that plus another med for sleeping since that's a huge issue for me right now. If anyone else here has feedback or experiences to share, please do post them. I really appreciate it!

shecee34 · 04-18-2009, 10:12 AM

I took Paxil for a period of time years ago and I would never take it again. I had done Prozac for years and they decided to "switch it up" and see if I got more benefit by changing meds. Paxil is evil for weight gain in my opinion. I would just make sure what all the side effects are for whatever medicine they want to prescribe and if one of the side effects is weight gain I would steer clear of it.

electrichoney · 04-18-2009, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shecee34

I took Paxil for a period of time years ago and I would never take it again. I had done Prozac for years and they decided to "switch it up" and see if I got more benefit by changing meds. Paxil is evil for weight gain in my opinion. I would just make sure what all the side effects are for whatever medicine they want to prescribe and if one of the side effects is weight gain I would steer clear of it.

Shecee - did you gain any weight while on Prozac? My doc once suggested Paxil when I was taking Prozac but I never did want to try it because I had heard many people experienced severe stomach upset on it. I just recently learned about the weight gain factor, so that's two strikes against Paxil in m book!

shecee34 · 04-18-2009, 11:07 AM

I was overweight when I was on Prozac but I would not attribute it to the drug. I do know for a fact when I changed to Paxil I did gain weight and it stopped when I stopped taking the drug. I was very happy with Prozac and would take it again if I needed it. Luckily I haven't needed it since the day I divorced my ex-husband.

GrandmaRose · 04-18-2009, 11:30 AM

I have been on Lexapro for about 3 years and I LOVE IT! I feel "normal". I was on it both before and after RNY. I have lost 85 pounds since RNY and I don't think the Lexapro had anything to do with it. I don't think it effects my appetite at all - but who knows?

Don't be afraid of antidepressants - they can be a good thing, especially if you are suffering since surgery - which happens because of certain hormones we no longer had access to.

Rose

exanimatebylove · 04-19-2009, 11:25 AM

I'm not sure about GBP patients when it comes to anti-depressants and weight gain BUT... I have a good friend who I've known since HS. After HS she become depressed and they had her on a ton of anti-psych meds and anti-depressants and stuff and she gained like 75 pounds!!!!!! In HS she weighed like 110 or so and got up to about 200 pounds. She now weights between like 165-175 but I do know the meds have prevented her from losing all the weight she wants to lose.

zoe22jeter · 04-20-2009, 10:06 AM

I started zoloft antidepressants 5 weeks ago....and my weightloss(without trying) has actually sped up. My Doc says it's different in all people. BUT.....when they speak of weight gain....for us it's just slower loss. IF and IIIIFF you were to gain it'd prollay be aonce time 5 lbs and it's be gone the next month when ur body reguklated to the meds.

hope that helps. P.S. it took 3 weeks for the meds to kick in but now I am happier and sleep better.