lexapro and weight gain

I've lost weight since being on Lexapro....around 8lbs.

I want to stop taking Lexapro now, but I'm afraid of gaining back the weight and then some.

I've adjusted to this new weight and don't want to change.

Has anybody else been in the same boat?

I have been on 10mg of lexapro for about 4 years and just 2 months ago the dr. increased it to 20mg. I have continued to gain weight during this time for the 1st time in my adult life. My eating habits and lifestyle has not changed but my weight has continued to increase. I am now trying to get off of it by cutting the dosage to 10mg per day for one week the 5mg for the next week then to 5mg every other day for a week. I'm nervous about the panic attacks returning after subsiding for the past 3 years. I don't want to put my body through anymore. Previous to lexapro I took wellbutrin and paxil (not at the same time). I'd like to be "drug" free for the 1st time in 8 years. Any suggestions for natural rememdies?

i couldn't agree with all the Lexapro posts. i too had been on lexapro (60mg) for a combo of depression and ocd symptoms. i was prescribed it with Topamax for weight control. Over the course of about 6 months i have watched my weight go up nearly 30 lbs! My doctors assure me its not the med but rather my age (early 30s) and the depression . i say no as i do not eat very much and my age should have little impact as my grandparents are much older than myself and have much greater metabolisms than mine; the Lex works ok but the weight gain makes the depession so much worse and to have the prescribing physcians not take these claims seriously - well that just makes you feel 100 % worse. I have been on zoloft, paxil, topomax and wellbutrim and i have never had such a spike in weight gain as i had with good old Lexapro. It has to be a fact and i am currently working on weening myself off it and claiming my health (and hopefully) my old self back. its very disheartening...

I've been on Lex since Jan and have gained about 15 lbs - am completely miserable about it, enough so that I've decided to get off this medicine. When I saw my dr. on Friday, he acknowledged that the weight gain was in fact due to the Lex. It made me feel validated and relieved, because I've read on many boards, including this one, that many drs. deny this.

He agreed I needed to get off the med and onto something else, so he referred me to a psych to see what he recommends. But in thinking about it these last few days, I don't know that I want to take this route. I would prefer to not be on any medication, but of course, I also question if the time is right for me to do this.

I'm also curious about a more natural approach and am wondering if Sam-e would help. Anyone have any experience with this?

It is comforting to know that others have gained weight on Lexapro.
I cried every day for no reason, than two months ago I started taking Lexapro. I walk 1 - 2 miles a day and work vigorously in my yard and have gone from 165 to 190 pounds in just two months! Not fitting into my clothes and feeling fat is very depressing. Help, I have tried Welbutrin and Celexa in the past and all they did was make me a nervous wreck. There has got to be something out there that works without making me fat.

momofone wrote:

This medication helped me feel better immediately BUT I put on pounds which meant I was depressed, angry and anxious over the weight gain. I have stopped the Lexapro after 1 year, only mild side effects and began Wellbutrin xl. The weight WILL NOT come off! I do not recommend LEXAPRO to anyone unless they want to gain weight!

I totally agree. I was a big guy at about 6'8 and 270 pounds before lexapro and now after 6 months on that **** I am pushing 300

Thank you all for sharing, I am certain that there is a link to Lexapro and weight gain. I am 5'9" 40 year old female who has gained 12 lbs. in the same # of months while on Lexapro. The irony is that in the same period of time I significantly increased my activity and fitness levels. I just can't take it anymore! The weight gain and subsequent trouble finding clothes that fit and feeling self conscious are indeed worse than the irritability and anxiety I went on the drug for in the first place! I have begun to taper off and have found that running, hard, for at least 45 minutes, alone each day gives the same mental relaxation that I was getting from the pill and then some. I recommend it highly as a substitute for the lexapro and you'll get the added benefit of getting the weight off that you gained on the drug. I am expecting the weight to drop off, will stay tuned with results.

I went to the Dr yesterday and complained about gaining 15 lbs in a year - he agreed that Lexapro could very well be the culprit. I eat very healthy and exercise regularly and am 38 so this weight gain isn't possible. Prior to Lexapro I was on Zoloft and did not have the same reaction. I was on 10mg, I am weening myself off, for 2 days I have taken 5mg and yes, I have had a headache and feel lethargic. I am confident the weight will come off with an intense exercise and healthy eating.

I'm so happy that i read your guys comments about lexapro ? cause i weigh 185 right now and im trying to lose weight this wight is not healthy for a women thats 5'6 so everything you guys said really helped me about lexapro and my doctor is trying to get me on (10mg) so i think I'll pass on that so thank you all

I am so glad that I have found these sites with information on how others have gained weight on Lexapro. It's too bad that I can no longer take it, but this weight gain is obviously not going away unless I do, and in fact, according to all I keep reading everywhere, it will only go up.

I weighed around 116 about a year ago and now I weighed in at the dr. office at 128. That just can't stay that way. I am an active 39 year old woman, at 5'7. When we talked about this at the dr. office the other day, he wasn't very sympathetic. In fact, he said, "Ok, well if you gain weight, what will happen?". I cried. I have been noticing the pounds coming on and the scale going up and it stresses me out to weigh now. I am used to exercising and putting in the effort to maintain my weight and seeing the results. Now, no matter what I do, my weight either stays at the higher weight now, or goes up!

So I decided to take myself off of it. I have been taking 5 mgs. a day, for a bit over a year now. For the past few nights, I have been shaving more and more off. No real withdrawl side effects so far. I hope it stays that way. I get really bad headaches when I forget to take it or wait too long. Also when I first took it, I had headaches then too. They pretty much went away.

I was/am taking Lexapro for anxiety and panic attacks. And while I think it did help, I think lately I have been handling life on my own. We will see. At first when I took it, I was like "Eh, whatever!", and I really liked that compared to oversensitivity. That whatever feeling wore off and I was more or less back to me. I lost my Mom November 2007.

Good luck to all of you and to myself! I have lost 1 and a half to 2 pounds in the past few days. I hope it goes back down to my size I have been most my life.

BTW, I have read about growing older and metabolism and we don't necessarily have to gain weight just because of the age. It doesn't happen that way, but because we aren't as active. Walk and do some weights. That helps. =)