I am prescribed to take lexapro but after reading MANY reviews I see that they all involve serious weight gain. I was wondering if anyone who uses this for anxiety purposes or other have this problem?
Paxil and weight gain?
Has anyone used Lexapro for anxiety and gained weight?
Question posted by sashaw9589 on 30 June 2010
Last updated on 26 May 2024
114 Answers Page 3
I started taking Lexapro in July reluctantly Under the recommendation of my doctor. My father passed away six months before that and I was having anxiety issues as well as slight depression. At my two month follow-up with my doctor I lost 5 pounds. She actually commended me on that. I told her I hadn’t been doing anything different. I was not exercising more and I was not dieting.
Fast forward to January. It has been six months since I have been on this medication and it has caused Weight gain. I have acid reflux which I have not had before and my husband tells me I snore pretty bad now. He recorded me the other night and it is pretty horrendous. I have not weighed myself so I’m not exactly sure how many pounds. I am more bloated now and my jeans feel much tighter around my waist. Again, I have not changed my exercise regime and I eat the exact same foods I always have.
I am going to try going off it and see how I feel. At the moment the weekend is bothering me more than the slight anxiety I have been feeling and depression over Dads loss
I am so glad that I read this thread. I just left the doctor's office and learned that I lost 5 pounds this past month, which was also my second month of taking Lexapro. The first month, I lost 15 pounds, and did not do anything. For the past month, I have been working out like crazy, doing more cardio than I ever have in my life. Now that I am reading this, I wonder if the working my butt off is what helped me lose the 5 pounds instead of gain a ridiculous amount. To be honest, I left the doctors a bit depressed that I was only 5 pounds lighter (I am a big girl, so losing a lot fast, shouldn't be that tough). Anyhow, I am going off of it anyhow, so maybe I will be able t have better luck on the next.
I'm so happy that I came across this forum - I thought I was going crazy. I've been on Cipralex (Lexapro) for 7 months now and have gained at least 20 lbs (from a size 4 to a size 8). I'm taking 15mg, and the month that I started on this drug is the same month I got a personal trainer. I went from not working out AT ALL, to working out 3x per week and eating significantly healthier... so, logically I should have lost weight over the past 7 months. Instead, I've gained at least 20 lbs, none of my clothes fit me, and I am extremely bloated ALL the time. I've gone on cleanses at the same time as friends and they end up loosing weight as a result, while I just continue to gain. I've gone on weight watchers and despite complying with the point system I continue to gain. I have stopped drinking alcohol during the week (previously would have a glass of wine most nights) and continue to gain.
Literally NOTHING is preventing the weight gain. I'm vegetarian and celiac, so as a result I have a fairly clean diet. I've now made the decision to go off the meds, solely because of the weight gain. I'm working with a naturopathic doctor to hopefully find other ways to manage my anxiety because I refuse to continue to gain weight slowly for the rest of my life!! I have googled "cipralex weight gain" dozens of times only to see websites denying any relation between the two. So glad to have found a forum of people who clearly have the exact same experience as I do!!
Hi I see that this is an old question but I just got the email today.
Yes it does put on 15lbs but if your one to workout you can loose half of what you put on.
It does take like 2 weeks to work or to feel different and I did not have any horror stories like I have been reading, I felt just the same until it kicked in, no I did not get it for depression but for mind always feeling foggy and couldnt concentrate good, between that and anxiety med it made a huge difference. Hope this helps.
John
Started Lexapro 20 mg 2 months ago. Have gained 30 pounds. Appetite is absolutely ridiculous, hungry every hour or so despite portion size. It’s a real shame because it does so much to help my anxiety but this weight gain is worsening my depression and frustrating me because it feels uncontrollable. Will probably lower my dose or look to change medications as my anxiety is too severe to go without.
Ok so i have been on Lexapro for 8 or 9 months. Lost about 3 or 4kg in the first few months. No appetite. The last few months tho my appetite has increased and i get hunger attacks not long after meals sometimes. I usually ignore them and resist eating but sometimes give in to them. The hunger goes away pretty quickly. I have gained a little weight. Maybe 1 or 2 kgs. I find any weight i gain now is harder to move. Before Lexapro any extra weight would disappear almost overnight from extra exercise and fewer calories.now it takes longer. My breasts are perpetually swollen now too which makes me think i have raised prolactin levels, raised prolactin slows metabolism. So far i dont mind the slower metabolism so much.as for the swollen breasts, its a perk that i am enjoying actually. But a couple of extra kgs is a fair trade off for how much better my mood is. I am pretty disciplined with my eating and i work out regularly.
Hopefully the weight gain stays as it is and doesn't get any worse. How it is now is manageable and i was very thin to begin with. Im at a healthier looking weight now.
This is an old thread but I'm not finding any new threads online related to Lexapro and weight. I'm back on the medication after taking about a year off (was on for about 1.5 years before. It really helped me and then of course I didn't realize how much it had helped until I started getting depressed again. Live and learn). ;) That said, I do have to push myself to be active as it's tempting to want to nap all the time on this medication, BUT I'm not exercising excessively, my appetite is probably bigger than it was before, and I am continually dropping pounds. So, it's had the opposite effect compared to most people on here that complain about weight gain. I do tend to obsess over my weight, so I would have a difficult time wanting to stay on this drug if I were gaining. I noticed this before on Lexapro as well. I tend to stay very lean on the SSRI. But my dose is quite low at 2.5 milligrams.
For me, this is my sweet spot and this tiny dose works like a charm -- I feel good, I weigh less, and most of all, I just feel very balanced. I personally love Lexapro, but we're all different. It took me trying a lot of different SSRIs before I found the right one.
Glad you got it all figured out!
I'm on the same boat as you. I've been on low dose Zoloft and lost weight on it I'm currently on 2.5 mg of Lexapro. Going on week two on my new medication, and I'm losing weight. I was considering upping my dose to 5 mg cause I've read many posts and they all say minimum dosage should be 5mg. Good to hear someone else does well on microdose.
I have not personally taken it nor will I because I do personally know so many who have or still are on it & each one has gained weight; even those who are naturally very thin. Paxil however, I've never known anyone to gain weight on this including myself when I tried it.
Yes I have gained major weight, around 20kgs (40pounds). This has been in as short as 2 years. I now have stretch marks all over my tummy and legs. That makes me so depressed now.
Im going back to the doctors to try a different medication as now I find it hard to even exercise.
I have been on Lexapro for over 5 years. It was a life saver.
I have actually lost 30 pounds since starting.
My lifestyle has really not changed, i.e. I still don't exercise.lol
I have been on Lexapro for treating my pmdd... I have gained sooooo much weight within 2 weeks.
The meds work wonders, but I have no sex drive whatsoever and lots of weight gain. :-( I'm torn with other meds.
I was 138 and in 6 months I've gained 27lbs. I'm not dieting or excersizing like I used to. I find that I'm happier and at peace. But I want to still have that drive and discipline like I used to. I can't seem to get it back. I crave sweets and have like zero metabolism. No real desire to work out. Honestly, I'd rather be fat than ever feel the way I did prior to Lexapro. And, in the first two weeks of taking it I lost weight. It actually made me feel worse before it made me better. For anyone starting it, please give it the full two weeks.Has anyone had any success losing the weight while staying on Lexapro?
I went on Lexapro 3 years ago for anxiety attacks and my normal weight is 132. I went to the doctor Tuesday and I have shot up to a 182 and it has to be the medication. I am so frustrated and miserable and I will try and wean myself off on this!!
I have been on Lexapro for about 8 weeks, and am 65 years young and female. I spent 3 years in total despair - have had anxiety and depression for about 30 years - it was controlled by Paxil but then stopped when I had to leave my job, had serious back issues and my mom passed away.
I am now 50 lbs lighter - have so much energy it scares me. I am no longer awkward in social situations and go out and walk all the time. I am also back to pursuing all my hobbies and loves - art, great vegetarian cooking, and so much more.
Give this drug a chance. It has saved my life and any small problems I have (constipation, anxiety about 12 hours after my 10mg dose, and trouble sleeping more than 5-6 hours) seem small compared to sleeping all day, never seeing my loved ones and not eating, but was about 200 lbs.
Give it time.
ALL psychotropic drugs have the propensity for causing weight gain/loss in 10% or less of all users by changing the patient's metabolism.
Lexapro:
"Metabolic
Common (1% to 10%): Decreased appetite, increased appetite, weight decreased, weight increased"
Just as many people lose weight as gain, but 90% have no change at all.
Related topics
lexapro, paxil, weight loss (obesity/overweight), anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder, weight, anxiety and stress
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