Lol my Dr told me that even though I was getting into the obese range for my height and weight, I still looked good and not to worry about it. Thanks, I guess. His solution for me to lose weight was to jack me up to 20mg and check back in 2 months. I am an avid runner and Jazzerciser. I have packed on 20 pounds (from November 07 to April 2008) and have been eating my 22 points from Weight Watchers almost everyday. I sometimes cheat. ;-)
I took the Lexapro 20 for 3 weeks and after 3 days of forgetting to take it before bed, decided to go off altogether.
Today is the 8th day off Lexapro and I thought that I had the flu. I had no fever, and no obvious symptoms other than aches and weak legs. I also feel very heavy like I can't lift my arms. Had I seen these posts before stopping I would have not gone off cold turkey. Since it's been 8 days I will just let the symptoms ride. I never realized how bad this could be.
I really feel like hell and have made an appointment to go see a new DR. I am going to try a psychiatrist. I think the best person to prescribe mental meds would probably me a mental Dr. and not my family Dr. It to me is worth trying anything else other than brain altering meds to stay healthy. The side effects of Lexapro from getting used to it to, to weight gain, to severe withdrawl and just not worth it. It is definitely almost as bad as my anxiety in the first place.
I took the Lexapro 20 for 3 weeks and after 3 days of forgetting to take it before bed, decided to go off altogether.
Today is the 8th day off Lexapro and I thought that I had the flu. I had no fever, and no obvious symptoms other than aches and weak legs. I also feel very heavy like I can't lift my arms. Had I seen these posts before stopping I would have not gone off cold turkey. Since it's been 8 days I will just let the symptoms ride. I never realized how bad this could be.
I really feel like hell and have made an appointment to go see a new DR. I am going to try a psychiatrist. I think the best person to prescribe mental meds would probably me a mental Dr. and not my family Dr. It to me is worth trying anything else other than brain altering meds to stay healthy. The side effects of Lexapro from getting used to it to, to weight gain, to severe withdrawl and just not worth it. It is definitely almost as bad as my anxiety in the first place.
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I have gained over 40lbs in two years on this. Until I saw this forum, I couldn't figure out why I was gaining so much and I can't get the weight off. Thanks for the info. As of tomorrow I am going from 10mg to 5mg and weaning myself off of this.
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I was on lexapro for about 6 months almost two years ago and in the first three months of taking it I gained 30 pounds. i went from a very athletic 140 pounds to a flabby 170 pounds. I was more depressed and anxious from the weight gain that it was pointless to continue the meds. I ran every day in the mean time as I was in the military. Luckily I found out I was pregnant and left the service and stopped all medication. Unfortunately I still haven't lost the lexapro weight I gained. I gained another 28 pounds during the pregnancy bringing me to 198 pounds! In two weeks after having my little bundle of joy i lost the 28 pounds and about 2 more. I am now stuck at 168 pounds and feel so disgusting. I can't lose the weight gained from the Lexapro two years ago! I try to exercise but with the little one it's tough. i also eat like a bird and still nothing. Not a single pound has shed from my large body. On top of the normal post-baby bod issues I am still depressed dealing with the weight from the meds. It's so sad that something that works so well has such a horrible side effect. Stretch marks from the baby and the cute skinny jeans staring at me from the closet depress me so much I want to eat to sooth myself. I'm thinking of Liposuction.
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I have been on Lexapro for only about 7 weeks now, but have lost at least 5 lbs. My doctor warned me beforehand that if I did gain weignt, it's not because of my appetite, meaning hunger, but lack of feeling full. I have found that it's harder to get "full" when eating, so I am assuming that most people overeat since they don't feel it as quickly as normal. Luckily for me I get bored if I'm not feeling satisfied, so I actually eat much less in regards to portions than before......
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I had never heard anything about anti-depressants causing weight gain until just this moment.....but ya know...everything you all have said is true now that I think about it. I went on lexapro right after my first child was born....and then switched to the generic citalopram shortly after that for financial reasons. Even while pregnant with my second child.....I took it with special attention from my ob/gyn.
I have gain a considerable amount of weight since my children were born, and it seems harder now than ever to lose it....which makes me depressed and then i gain more. Its a vicious cycle definately......
however, I have been thick most of my life.....and the extra weight, while burdensome, can not compare to the freedom of mind and spirit I have found by taking this medication.
I recently saw my baby doc, and i stopped him out in public and told him, that i just wanted him to know that he saved my life when he prescribed that medicine for me. I truly think my life would have been very different if i would have had access to this medication before the children came.
Even still, I would not consider going off of it for any reason until I felt I could handle it psychologically. I am finally as close to normal as it gets for me, lol.....and im not going to risk losing that :-)
Its a big decision, but with a clear mind, and understanding.....I think the meds are worth it for anyone who has ever been in that dark place.
Now that i know the medication is part of the weight problems though....I can be a little more aware of things and not get so discouraged when i look at the scale. Now I know that I have something working against me....so I have to push just a little harder to overcome it!
Good luck everyone!
Shannon
I have gain a considerable amount of weight since my children were born, and it seems harder now than ever to lose it....which makes me depressed and then i gain more. Its a vicious cycle definately......
however, I have been thick most of my life.....and the extra weight, while burdensome, can not compare to the freedom of mind and spirit I have found by taking this medication.
I recently saw my baby doc, and i stopped him out in public and told him, that i just wanted him to know that he saved my life when he prescribed that medicine for me. I truly think my life would have been very different if i would have had access to this medication before the children came.
Even still, I would not consider going off of it for any reason until I felt I could handle it psychologically. I am finally as close to normal as it gets for me, lol.....and im not going to risk losing that :-)
Its a big decision, but with a clear mind, and understanding.....I think the meds are worth it for anyone who has ever been in that dark place.
Now that i know the medication is part of the weight problems though....I can be a little more aware of things and not get so discouraged when i look at the scale. Now I know that I have something working against me....so I have to push just a little harder to overcome it!
Good luck everyone!
Shannon
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sooo happy i found this site. same as others. started 5mg lexapro and felt better. spoke with friend and started on 10 mg about 1 yr. ago. in 12 months, i have put on 10-15 pds. stopped drinking starbucks, any fat food.
even went 5 days eating only fruit and water and didn't loose 1 pd. stopped exercising because didn't want extra fat to turn into muscel. dr. of course says i am 39 and it is my mytabolism slowing down. i do not believe that. i have ALWAYS been able to keep weight off. after reading yall's input, i am going to stop taking and see what happens. my poor family will probably run and hide, but i am going to gradually stop and see what happens. i will keep yall posted.
i am going to try yoga.
thanks so much.
happy but heavy!!! :-)
even went 5 days eating only fruit and water and didn't loose 1 pd. stopped exercising because didn't want extra fat to turn into muscel. dr. of course says i am 39 and it is my mytabolism slowing down. i do not believe that. i have ALWAYS been able to keep weight off. after reading yall's input, i am going to stop taking and see what happens. my poor family will probably run and hide, but i am going to gradually stop and see what happens. i will keep yall posted.
i am going to try yoga.
thanks so much.
happy but heavy!!! :-)
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I find it interesting that I am reading reports of weight gain from different age groups and sexes. I have found a great benefit from Lexapro because my problem is more about anxiety than depression. I have gotten to the point that I feel that I can wean myself off of the Lexapro. I feel that while my anxiety is gone, I don't feel much of anything. I am still motivated and functional as I've always been. There's just no joy. In addition, I have slowly gained 15 pounds which makes me feel worse about my aging body.
I am a retired psych RN and can only advise anyone who plans to stop taking Lexapro, to do it gradually. I mean go to a 3/4 of a dose for several weeks, then a 1/2, and a 1/4. Finally, take a quarter dose every other day for another couple of weeks. During this time, you should be able to notice any subtle changes in your mood. It will then a decision to make about totally withdrawing. It's a tough choice. We are all different so will respond in an individual way. Talk to a counselor about different coping skills if anxiety is your problem. Depression is a different matter. If you have a chemical imbalance, playing with your meds is a cause for concern. We all want to be thin but at what price?
I am a retired psych RN and can only advise anyone who plans to stop taking Lexapro, to do it gradually. I mean go to a 3/4 of a dose for several weeks, then a 1/2, and a 1/4. Finally, take a quarter dose every other day for another couple of weeks. During this time, you should be able to notice any subtle changes in your mood. It will then a decision to make about totally withdrawing. It's a tough choice. We are all different so will respond in an individual way. Talk to a counselor about different coping skills if anxiety is your problem. Depression is a different matter. If you have a chemical imbalance, playing with your meds is a cause for concern. We all want to be thin but at what price?
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O.k. I am totally freaking out after reading these posts. I weaned off the lexapro from 30mgs to being completely off in the last few months. I CANNOT lose this excess weight i gained in the last 3yrs being on the meds. It is ablsolutely making me MISERABLE. I exercise every day and eat healthy. Has anyone had any good results after stopping this horrific drug!! I need to lose like 30lbs. ...i HAVE NEVER BEEN THIS BIG!! I don't know what to do!!!
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I see I am not alone. My doctor told me I wouldn't gain weight and that in fact I would actually lose weight while on Lexapro. I didn't believe him and I guess I was right. I went from 178 lbs to 200 lbs in about 8 months. I took the meds and didn't notice a change until after about 4 months. I gained about 6 lbs or so but didn't worry about it. I have a bad back and bad knees from football and do not want to stress my joints and back with more body weight. I noticed since starting lexapro that I have a voracious apetite (One shouldn't dream about eating icecream...this isn't normal!). I am weaning myself off of the 20mg I was taking and am now down to 5mg per day but I am still worried the weight will not come off. I am an active 39 year old male that lifts weights regularly and wants to know if there is hope of the weight comming off after I completely stop the medication. It is a shame though...it did help me with my anger issues.
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I'm 45 and peri-menopausal. Started on 5 mg of Lexapro and actually lost weight. Crazy cravings went away and I started to feel full when I was full. Yee ha, felt good, miracle drug for pre menopause insanity. Then I went to 10mg. Still okay, but weight started to creep. Now I've been on 20s for about 3-4 weeks and I've put on 8 lbs. since starting the 20s. And it will not come off. I'm not binge eating, I'm in control, eat healthy and exercise, but I'm going up and up and up. I definitely had a significant metabolism shift at 42 but was able to keep on top of it. I feel like I'm getting pulled under now. I'm trying acupuncture and Chinese herbs in an effort to find an alternative but I'm going out of my mind with the weight gain.
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That same thing happened to me with the dosages. I started on 5mg as was fine, went to 10 and was fine, went to 15mg and it started to creep up, then on 20mg and my weight increased by almost 20lbs in addition to what the 15mg put on me. I will say that I did binge eat, I binge ate like a MF but I also worked out more because I knew my appetite was increasing. This medication seemed to make it so I could not feel full and I craved carbs.
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I also had weight gain on this medication.It was such a gradual gain that I didnt really notice.I knew I was gaining weight but I didnt realize how much until my 3 year old jumped on the scale then said "mommy your turn".Well needless to say I was suprised when I saw my weight.I gained alittle over 20 pounds in 2 Years.So I am now going off the meds and I am having withdrawal symptoms.But I am determined to get off this stuff.So best of luck to all of you that decide to stop taking lexapro.Its nice to have others who know and understand.Take care.
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All I have to say is me too. I'm now totally been off lexapro for 1 week. The withdrawals are finally going away. I still have the dizziness every day but each day it gets better. I havn't lost anything yet. I'm hoping that I can lose what I gain from being on this. How long has it taken others? Please let me know. Thanks.
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it sucks for me because ive been on lexapro for maybe 8 months now because of anxiety of overworking myself in school, i gained a few pounds at first but in the past couple months i've gone up at LEAST 12 pounds. this isn't good for me since i've had an eating disorder in the past so ovbiously the weight gain extremely upsets me, my eating disorder reoccured figuring i had changed my eating habits, but thinking back to before i was on lexapro i think i ate the same so i've concluded it's the lexapro
my sister is also on it and brought that to her attention cus she too gained weight, i just now got off of it but...
i will be 17 in a couple months, do you think my metabolism is young enough to go back to being normal?
my sister is also on it and brought that to her attention cus she too gained weight, i just now got off of it but...
i will be 17 in a couple months, do you think my metabolism is young enough to go back to being normal?
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I'm hoping for the 17 year old that she can lose the weight she gained on lexapro because if she can't then I'm hosed.
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