I thought I was doing ok at first taking Prozac and being on Atkins....but now I am extremely frustrated. I have been in a true stall (no inches or pounds lost) for over two months. I am feeling pretty hopeless.

I have searched the forums but I haven't been able to find any examples of people who have stopped taking Prozac and then lost successfully or who have lost 50+ pounds while taking Prozac. If you can tell me about your experiences it would help me to decide.

I have taken Prozac since 1995 for severe clinical depression. I have gained 80 pounds. I am currently taking 20 mg of Prozac per day and about a month ago, my doc added Wellbutrin (200 mg ~ 2x/day) to see if that would help me take off some weight. I feel like I will never be able to lose the weight. I have even heard anecdotally, that people can't lose the weight even if they stop taking Prozac.

Thanks in advance for your help!

I think you should ask your dr. this question.. This is a Low Carb message board.
Do you actually expect a qualified answer from us?

I am not looking for medical advice from the members of this forum. I am looking to hear about other people's experiences. That is all this forum is -- people learning from other people's experiences.

I have a doctor who has not been able to provide this information - most doctors are still under the impression that people do not gain weight from SSRIs.

I am sorry, but the way I understood the subject ("Should I stop my prozac?") of the thread sounded like you are asking us if you should continue to take prozec..

Hi Girly Girl

I take Paxil 20mg for depression, and I have never had any trouble losing weight the l/c way on it (I was fat before I started it about 6 years ago lol).

In fact, I find when I forget to take it for a couple of days (very bad, I know), I get quite depressed, and find myself compulsively eating. When I'm depressed, I kind of want the fat around my inner skinny body, as protection or I don't know what. I really think the Paxil has helped me in my weight loss.

Your situation sounds hard- have you tried all the stall- busting advice found on the boards? Also, are you exercising? That helped me bust my last stall.

Arie, I don't feel your response was appropriate here. This person is looking for help from other people who may have been in her place. If you can't do any better than this, don't post just to get your number of posts up.

GrlyGrl,


I'm so sorry to hear of the problems you are having.

I took 60 mg of Prozac from 1988 to 1995. I can't say I gained any appreciable weight. I fluctuated from 120 to 140 the entire time, but I had been doing that for many years previously (these were back in the days when I didn't have to watch what I ate).

Also, please note that Zyban is another name for Wellbutrin, a drug they give smokers to help them kick the habit of smoking. It is my belief it may also help people who overeat. (This is coming from a reformed smoker. I used to smoke 2 packs a day. I quit using the patch, thank god, before "Zyban" was discovered.)

I became a bit of a health nut in 1995 and decided I was too good for antidepressants so I quit taking Prozac. What a mistake. I spiraled down into the most severe depression I had ever experienced...suicidal depression. I ended up in the mental ward of my local hospital for a month. Upon my discharge, I was put on Wellbutrin among other things. After a few months, working with my doctor, I weened myself down to just the Wellbutrin, 150 mg, 3 x day. I've been taking this since 1995.

Since the beginning of this year, I've been free of Wellbutrin. This only occurred because I found the correct medicine for my hypothyroidism, Armour, and correct dosage of it. Looking back, I see that all my "mental" problems were related to hypothyroidism (runs in the family, but no doctor ever asked) and early onset menopause due to a previous partial hysterectomy.

My weight gain started in 1997. I later found out it was due to being hypothyroid, and starting menopause at 45 didn't help any, oh the hot flashes...and the years of estrogen replacement therapy...and pounds later.

Before you blame your antidepressant for your weight gain, speaking from my own experience, I would suggest you see your General Practictioner or, preferablely, an Endocrinologist. Try to get your psychiatrist/psychologist and your other doctors to communicate with each other.

Remember, you are paying them for their services and the least they can do is contact your other service providers to find out how best to care for you, their patient and payee for services provided!

I am over sensitive to this subject and I have over reacted, I apologize GrlyGrl.


I am a moderator on another board (not diet related), and we were sued by a member who took advice which could have been interpreted as medical and got into trouble. It was a mess that took a long time and money to resolve..

Hi there Girl....

Have you discussed getting off of the SSRI's with your doctor? I've taken them myself in the past and know that although you can't go off of them cold turkey, you can get off them by tapering the dose under the doctor's supervision.

I stopped, just before I started LCing and I've found that thru a combination of LCing and exercise, I no longer have a problem with depression. I firmly believe that exercise is the answer. If I have a day where I'm feeling a bit blue, a trip to the gym turns me right around.

Wishing you the best...
Marlaine

Arie, thanks for taking the time to explain. It makes a world of difference.

I haven't taken anti-depressants myself, but my best friend has (she's a manic depressive and bi-polar). She decided to stop taking her meds cause her hair was falling out. She's STILL not the same 4 years later. She's still a mess ands unstable, but slowly getting her levels where they should be now. So tread carefully and don't do anything rash is my advice from watching someone stop taking meds and seeing the chaos it caused. Tell your doctor what's going on and see if something else would work better for you. Good luck!

Please don't stop taking ANY medication without consulting your Dr!

Sudden withdrawal of SSRIs is strongly linked with severe depression.

Actually, in Germany, the label for Prozac warns that patients shuld be given tranquilizers early in their treatment to prevent suicide. No such label in the U.S. The British equivalent of our FDA put a suicide warning on the label of Prozac. Again, no such labeling in the U.S.

Obviously, SSRIs are strong medicines and can't be easily discontinued. They can be a wonder drug for those in need, but I've seen firsthand what an abrupt withdrawal can do. Wellbutrin doesn't have the same effects as the SSRIs and no weight gain is associated with its use. If your doctor won't seriously discuss this issue with you, perhaps a referral to a psychiatrist will help. They have so much more experience in dealing with SSRIs than regular physicians.

Marlaine, while I can appreciate that exercise can be the answer for some, it is not the answer for everybody. There are some people that have a chemical inbalance in the brain that necessitates the use of anti-depressants.

I have a long family history of mental illness. My grandmother was manic, my mother is manic (bi-polar) , my sister is schizophrenic , and my father is a sociopath and borderline personality disorder. Fortunately for me, I am the lucky one in that I only have panic disorder and PTSD . Thus, I manage to lead a normal life compared to my family, I work in a high-profile and high-paying profession, and have a wonderful hubby and kids. But, unfortunately for me, running around the block doesn't help me. I went off my meds for a year thinking I would be okay, and ended up with such bad panic attacks that my family doctor even thought I was having a heart problem (until I wore holter monitor for three days and this showed the panic activity). I now see a psychiatrist, I take both Paxil AND prozac (paxil for the anxiety, and additional prozac as paxil doesn't seem to work as well for my PTSD). I am losing weight steadily, when I manage to stay on track with this WOE and not go off of it.

I think you'll find the same old adage always holds true: your milleage may vary. You'll just have to try it out, and see how it goes. Hoever, my shrink has told me that when Prozac first came out it was touted as a weight loss miracle drug. He doesn't think it does either, (loss or gain) so i really think you'll be fine.

I have been on Prozac for 14 months and gained about 30 lbs. This has been very frustrating for me because I have gone from 250lbs to 150 lbs with Weight Watchers. Now WW does not work for me anymore. I started low carbing with slow success, even with exercise. Then I decided to stop Prozac to aid in fat loss. After 3 weeks I slid back down again into a depressive state and had to back to Prozac again. I'm now taking them every other day as opposed to everyday. I'm going to see if this works and stay in close contact with my Dr.

Since I'm going to need to stay on them for my own well being, I'm going to accept slower progress.
I'm determined to return back to my goal weight.
My plan:
1. Remain on Atkins
2. Weight Train 3xweek
3. Walk/run intervals 6-week

I hope and pray this works. Going from 250 lbs to 180 lbs was wonderful; however, going from 150 to 180 has been horrible.

Good luck to you and let's keep working hard. Surely it will payoff.

Robin

What a really good question!!!!! And some great answers----- I am the Exec Director of a non profit that works specifically with persons affected by mental illness: I say, do not do anything until you talk to your doctor: there are many newer meds out there that may help with the weight situation, and help with the depression as well. Email me if you all need anymore sites on these disorders.