Very depressed

[Mrs Sabre 1]

During a weight management consultation (to create a paper trail in support of Lap-Band surgery) I was told the Remeron I've been taking for a few years is linked to binge eating. I don't know that I binge per say, but I do eat a lot ... I stay hungery! I was switched to Zoloft, which actually seemed to curb my appetite, but it made me very very dizzy.

I stoped taking any anti-depressant about 6 weeks ago, and so far, so good. If it takes a while to get all anti-depressant medications out of your system, I may not be too far behind you in resuming medication. If that happens and Prozac isn't linked to weight gain, maybe I'll try it.

Good luck & God Bless! Just know that you're not alone.

[loopylou 0]

I am on Lexapro after being on Lovan for the past 5 years - I have gained 10kgs (about 22 pounds) for every year I have been on anti-depressants. I have no metabolism, - I went from sleeping lots, and living on the couch, to working almost full time (on my feet all day) and I have not lost any weight - I think something is wrong!! I tried Effexor once and it seemed to be great, but I couldn't handle the night-sweats and restless legs it gave me.

[Kelliebelly 13]

I am on Effexor, I have been on it for about 5 yrs now. I put on a huge amount of weight but thinking about it, it was because I was so relaxed and feeling good, that I didnt care if I put on weight. Effexor has been a life saver for me, after having a stillborn baby I was depressed for yrs. I have tried to come off it a few times but the withdrawels are horrendous. I dont know how I could ever come off it with the side effects. Anyone come off Effexor after being on it for yrs?

[BenetP 0]

I am on Effexor, I have been on it for about 5 yrs now. I put on a huge amount of weight but thinking about it, it was because I was so relaxed and feeling good, that I didnt care if I put on weight. Effexor has been a life saver for me, after having a stillborn baby I was depressed for yrs. I have tried to come off it a few times but the withdrawels are horrendous. I dont know how I could ever come off it with the side effects. Anyone come off Effexor after being on it for yrs?

Kellie,

I have personaly never been on Effexor, but I have succesfully weaned many patients off of the medication. The trick is to do it SLOWLY. It may take several months to get off of the medication. Another trick to getting of of Effexor (or Paxil) is to ask your doctor to put you on an equivalant dose (by functon not the same number of milligrams) of Prozac for a month or two (Prozac will block the Effexor withdrawals), then then come off of the Prozac. Since prozac takes so long to get out of the body most people don't feel any withdrawal to it.

I also wanted to say that you hit on a very important point about antidepressants. About the same number of people who gain weight with them lose weight with them. The reason is that some of us eat when we are depressed or anxious, and others starve themselves when depressed or anxious. When the symptoms are gone the person reverts to their non-depressed eating patterns, which causes them to gain or loose weight. As this is a forum for obese people I don't think we will find many people here who reported that they loose weight with medications.

BenetP

[Kelliebelly 13]

Hi benet

Thanks for the words. I have seen my Dr a few times about getting of it and each times he says take one every other day then break it in half and do that for a while blah blah. Its getting through those every other days since if I take my tablet even an hr late I am getting those electric shock things in my head. They are the worst of the withdrawels.

[bandayed 0]

Margo as many people here have said -- life is too short to go through it depressed. There are so many med choices I can't believe that one of them isn't right for you -- have you tried Effexor? I went on it once and loved the results but discontinued it because I thought it made me sweat. Yeah, like that had nothing to do with unregulated diabetes and being over 100 lbs overweight! I say find a Dr that will work with you until you find the right meds. The time to discontinue antidepressants is not when you are in the middle of a depressive episode. You may be able to wean off them in several months once you have reached more stable grounds, but the wean off should be relatively painless or else why not just continue? I think God gave us pharmaceuticals for a reason................... feel better be strong

[txbldhnds 0]

I am on Effexor XR and it is helpful. I hope that you are off with meds with Dr's supervision. Coming off the meds can be rough and can cause you to feel your symptoms wven more acutely.

I have tried every antidepressant in the book, but so far this is the best and has had the fewest side effects FOR ME.

If your PCP is monitoring you, he/she may want to check your tyroid levels. They can give you the weepies, too.

Hold on, sweetie!

Colleen

[Margo 0]

Just wanted to let everyone know that I am feeling better already....as you know I went back on the Prozac....I need it, but that's O.K. As long as I feel better I don't care because I can't live like I was when not taking it.

Your support was what helped me get through this difficult time....I thank you all again.....

[Anwyn 0]

Margo, that is such great news! I've been reading this thread and thinking about you every day. I'm so glad to hear that you are feeling better.

[bandayed 0]

Good for you!

[It's me-Debbydo 0]

My two cents:

effoxor is evil.

I was happlily on prozac for 7 years but struggling with my increasing weight and the MD suggest effoxor, she was on it too. Well if you are inconsistanct with the dosing it totally screws you up. I tried weaning off it with md supervisor and I kept getting these horrilbe out of body, snapping experiences. Effoxor can cause psychodic epposides. Great, I'm in danger of becoming postal on someone. Well hear I was pissed off that I am phyicially addited to this. With prozac on the was off of Prozac I felt weepy and more sensitive not this crazy state.

Effoxor is not band frendily in the beginning the capsules are huge and cannot be broken so I finished my weening process after being banded. I was almost there anyway. Thank goodness.

I'm a little more disorganized with my thoughts and definitely more sensitive but I'm me and handling life pretty well.

[Carrie22803 0]

I take Prozac, too. I think it helps me a lot, it's also the only drug approved for treating bulimia too. While I don't have bulimia, I do have BED (binge Eating Disorder) and I think it helps there, too. Obviously, I cannot binge with the band, but losing weight has been a slow process for me and other things in my life have made me depressed, too. We all have our issues! I used to be so against taking any medicine, I thought it would make me different. I am so glad that I tried it, and I realize now, being depressed isn't our fault. It's like being born with any other disease people take medicine for. You would take insulin for diabetes, right? We just need medicine to regulate our depression. I think you are doing great and I'm so happy you are back on the right track...if you ever need anything, you know we're all here for you!!!!

[tomorrowsdream 0]

I would never consider Wellbutrin if you are a smoker. It is also used to help people quit smoking, but is a bad combination if you are already a smoker. With that said while I was on prozac I was angry and mad all the time; not for me. I am taking Celexa and have been for a yr. now. I feel so much better than I ever did before. I was probably one of the most depressed people in the world, after losing 3 people in my family in the same yr.; my husband, my mother and my dad. I thought there was no hope. Now, I wake up every morning feeling much better. I have had no side-effects and whatever is in this drug certainly has helped me tremendously. I didn't gain weight on it....I gained weight from all I ate when I quit smoking. I haven't gained any extra on this medication.

Personally I think Prozac is a downer, but perhaps it works for some people. I hated it.

[txbldhnds 0]

So glad to hear you are better. Mental illness is one of the last disabilities that it's okay to discriminate against. Obesity is another. Great! We've got them both!

Each person is different and what works for one is useless to another. I just try to "hold on" and recognize that it is what it is and know that it will pass in a few days. It's rough sometimes, I know, but know that there are a bunch of us out here and there's always someone to talk to, who knows what you are going through, and who isn't going to judge you or tell you to snap out of it.

I hope that you continue to feel better and that your weight loss helps to buoy you up. It has helped me. I have only had one low period since the surgery in July and it was not real bad.

You are doing everything right, just hang on and ride it out like a wave (or a labor contraction!). You have plenty of company here.

Colleen

[Carrie22803 0]

That's so true! What works for one definitelt does not work for another. I've done zoloft and celexa, and now prozac. I like it so far. I just wanted to reiterate that if you ever need to talk , we're here, I'm here...you're never alone