Stopped prozac - how long before weight comes off/metabolism

It stuffs your metabolism for sure

I am so grateful I found this site. I thought I was all alone. When I started taking Prozac, I was working out with a trainer to loose a little weight and instead I put on 30 pounds! - for no reason at all. I was working out and eating right! Nothing in my life changed but the Lexapro. I know the doctors didn't believe me - they said it must be hormones. I was 5'8" 140 and now I weight over 170 and I have never eaten LESS in my life. I have to practically starve just to maintain. I have cut out meat, carbs, sugar and now dairy and nothing has worked. I stopped taking my antidepressants today.  Luckily my life is more stable at this time and I feel happy. I will post again to let you know if this works. Good luck.

I was on various antidepressants for almost 6 years, mostly prozac (Paroxetine toward the end which had the most rapid weight gain). I came off in April 2014 cold turkey as my weight was the final straw and finally getting to me. In December 14 I had lost 6 lbs and I'm March 15 I had lost around 8 lbs. I am now halfway back to my 'normal' weight. I have not been dieting or anything, just going about my normal life. I am hopeful the last 14 lbs will come off in the near future, I once read that weight can take upto 2 years to even start coming off, but I would say the average is between 8 and 10 months from final dosage. Good luck everybody, I have BDD and weight is a big deal to me, if you know you gained from the meds it will come off eventually

I'm not sure when this was posted but has it gotten any better? I have been off for 4 weeks now and still feel awful

Does anyone get any answers on here?

Would you mind telling how quickly were you able to start losing weight one you stopped the medication?

Thank you for your post. I am terribly concerned about my 17 yo son who has been on Prozac for 3 months and during that time has gained 18 pounds. It is a low dose and I would like to have him try life without prozac. He is very upset about his weight gain - as it brings him up to 256. A year ago he was about 200. Thanks for your positive thoughts.

It is mind blowing to find this thread.  I can't believe I didn't research prozac before taking.  I started years ago...and just quit.  Long story short...do get last prescription refilled pharmacy needed to get reapproval from doctor - stand in doctor took a while....was trying a new doctor (mind retired) at same clinic...and had been off prozac one week - felt fine.  She explained the long half life of prozac that symptoms may not show for some time.  Offered to get me back on if I wanted, or to taper off if I wanted.  Was OK with me going cold turkey.  Was on 40 mg for many years.  So its now into week 3...and I am a bit dizzy, tired (chronic problem anyway)...the only significant concern I have is remembering I have mild OCD - (was mainly taking prozac for depression and anxiety- kind of forgot about the OCD)....have been trying to quit cigarettes and am now smoking compulsevily...but realize thats a symptom of OCD.

 

YET...the weight gain I am right with you women!!!   I had no idea!!!  I am 5'3" and weigh 140....cannot lose one pound!!  I typically weigh 115....I did gain weight when daughter got bigger and no longer pushed her all over in stroller....stopped exercising....and started anti-depressents - effexer for 3 years, didn't notice much, switched to prozak.  I did lose 30 lbs unexpectedly in there ....that was from doing the GAPS diet for digestive disease I have....radical diet - was only able to do it out of sheer desperation.   One thing was zero grains/carbs...however when I went off it completly a year ago I started eating bread and other stuff and gained every single pound back.  According to what I was eating did NOT warrant 30 lbs.  My, then, doctor said she has seen this happen often when doing no carb/grain diets and then eating them again....an excessive amount of weight gain.

I joined a gym a year ago....worked out a lot....gained weight....simply got hungrier after working out.  So that didn't work.  Now am trying to eat no breads, pasta, etc...just a wholesome diet....no change, still working out.

I thought weight gain may be partly hormonal, paramenapause....just my age...I'm 52...I thought maybe this is normal...we get older and it gets harder to lose weight.  Anyway....first I've heard of prozac perhaps being the culprit.

I did see in one post here a woman said it took her a minimum of 8 months after getting off prozac to begin losing weight...so I'm kind of holding onto that.

My concern is I may need something...I don't want to smoke like crazy...I took wellbutrin once to help with that but it made me a bit ansy...I'm a bit high strung by nature....so quitting it (and not the cigarettes LOL) did help a lot to easy some anxiety.

Anyone here familiar/experienced with doing st johns wort or other alternative anti-depressants?  Or other things that help with anxiety?  I was taking a skullcap tincture in water - 3x a day for some time (forgot about it too)...and it helps a lot with anxiety so will restart that...but suspect I'll need more help....

Thanks for listening....good luck to everyone!  Keep posting your successes and stumbling blocks...

I so want to believe your post!! I have gained 12 pounds, and even though I have finished with the Fluoxetine, I have not lost an ounce yet. It is only nearly 3 weeks since I stopped - so am very encouraged by your comment. Roll on 2 months! x

Thankyou, not taking it at all now for a month but have put on a bit more weight, feel less bloated tho so hopefully it's gonna go, your story helped me lots!

I am so glad to read all these and know I'm not crazy. After my daughter was born six years ago I lost most of my baby weight. Was within ten or so pounds of my thin pre pregnancy size. Then my depression got bad and I started taking Prozac. Well it helped. I loved it and sang it's praises. My depression has been so much better! But I gained weight. I have never had a weight problem, but now I'm back up to the weight I was at eight months pregnant. I really haven't done anything dugmfferently. I've always had a sweet tooth, but I've also always excercised and eaten pretty healthfully. I assumed the weight gain (30 lbs!!!) was due to my getting older, etc, but I thought it was odd that I would just suddenly gain. Now I am conVINCED it is at least in part due to this drug. I have been tapering off it now for about three weeks. No weight loss so far and I'm having a ton of unpleasant irritability. I am really hoping it ceases and that my speedy metabolism will return.

I've been tapering for about three weeks and still feel awful. Any luck?

Same for me. I gained 30 pounds in two years and I'm so sad over it that I recently started tapering off pzac. Really hoping it helps.

Did you have any luck of your metabolism coming back??

I just quit prozac 20 mg cold turkey after gaining 30+ pounds on it over the last 2 years. i thought i was gaining weight from eating and drinking too much wine.
I quit the prozac cold turkey exactly one week ago - (i know youre not supposed to stop cold trukey, but hey im okay) and i weighed myself this morning and i am down 7 pounds!!!!!
so excited, hope it keeps dropping off!