Posted by Shell on January 19, 2001, at 14:03:31
In reply to Has anyone lost weight on psychotropic drugs?, posted by super on January 19, 2001, at 13:03:02
> Just curious...if so, which drugs, how long did you take them, how long did you keep the weight off, and was the weight loss a result of appetite suppression or some other known or unknown factor?
I lost about 20 pounds on Prozac (40 mg) after the birth of my first baby. I took Prozac for nearly two years (I quit to become pregnant with my second), but all the weight loss occurred in the first three months. I think it stopped because I was back to my pre-baby weight. That weight only came back when I became pregnant again (kind of hard to avoid it then).I don't think it worked due to appetite supression. What it really seemed to do is reduce cravings so that it was easier for me to stick to a diet. The Prozac alone was not enough to cause the weight loss; I still had to exercise more and eat less. It just was easier to remain motivated to do so.
I am now losing the weight from the second baby. I am taking Wellbutrin (300 mg). I switched from Prozac because I didn't like some of Prozac's other side effects. The weight loss with Wellbutrin has been somewhat different than with Prozac. With Wellbutrin, I am just not as hungry. I occasionally find that I have gone 6 or 7 hours without eating before I notice I am hungry, so I am definitely eating less. In the six weeks or so I have been taking Wellbutrin, I have lost 7 pounds (not too bad considering I started taking it right before Christmas). I expect that this too, will taper off as I get back to my normal weight.
I don't mean to make it sound as if these drugs are magic weight loss pills; they aren't. Both times I have lost weight, it was because I ate less. It seems to be more common that people gain on antidepressants. People have gained weight on both Prozac and Wellbutrin. I am simply fortunate that I haven't had that problem with any of them. Maybe that is because I never really had a weight problem (other than after a pregnancy). I'd be interested to know if people who didn't have a preexisting weight problem had less problem with weight gain on antidepressants than those had always had to watch their weight. Maybe they affects different metabolisms differently (I am guessing at this point!).
Shell
PS - I have an aunt who has lost 25 pounds on Paxil. She just isn't terribly interested in food, she only eats because she knows she needs to. That just goes to show you how variable these drugs can be. I don't think I remember anyone on this board losing weight while on Paxil. It is notorious for causing weight GAIN.
poster:Shell
thread:52025
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010111/msgs/52029.html