Is anyone taking Paxil and having trouble losing weight? I've never had trouble losing weight b4 but I think my metabolism is shot! I'm currently trying to wean off Paxil (and onto Zoloft) in the hopes I will finally begin to lose weight. The withdrawal is horrendous!! Some of the other SSRIs also have weight gain (or difficulty losing) as a side effect and I was wondering if there are other people who have managed to find a solution. If so, I'd love to hear about it. Thanks.

Summerhaus

Not on Paxil, but I am on Prozac - and while it has the reputation for helping people gain weight - I've lost quite nicely while on it. I might be losing a bit slower becuase of it, but I am losing. I've been off Prozac a few times to see if I still needed it for depression - not a pretty sight! I will be on Prozac for life (so far going on about 13 years)

I think that everyone is different when it comes to those kind of drugs. I do ok on Paxil and bad on Prozac. Unfortunatley it takes time to find out how your body is going to react and there isn't much you can do about it but keep trying til you find the right one. Good Luck
Ang

I am on paxil and doing well losing. I just started a week ago, and I am down at least 5 pounds.

My question is whether fixing this carbo addiction could help me get off paxil and get rid of depression. I am very sure my depression started when I began eating differently in 1996...I met my husband and he introduced me to dessert.

I love what it has done for me (paxil) but someday I would like to not need it. I guess if I felt in control of my emotions, I would feel like I had accomplished something.

My ramblings make me sound self depricating...

Some people have been able to get rid of the anti-depressents once there blood sugars have gotten back to normal and the bodies have healed themselves. For others, it is truly a chemical imbalance.

Hi there,

I've been on Paxil for over 10 years now and I'll probably be on it for the rest of my life.

My feeling is that the benefits far outweigh the side-effects (including the weight gain!). Yes, it probably will slow my weight loss, but once I've found an anti-depressive that works for me, I don't want to mess around with that delicate balance. I'll just have to go slowly on the weight loss.

I just finished induction on the Atkins WOE and I've lost 10 lbs in 14 days, so it hasn't slowed me down too much (if at all).

Are you certain it's the Paxil that's chilling your weight loss and not some other variable? Before weaning myself off an antidepressant that works otherwise, just to hasten weight loss, I'd look at my lc plan and be certain I'm following it correctly.

Are you under the care of a mental health professional or are you getting your Paxil from an internist or ob-gyn? If you are seeing a psychiatrist talk to him/her about your concerns. After all excessive weight is not good for your physical health or your mental health. If you're not seeing a psychiatrist...see one. They really know best how to diagnose and treat depression better than an internist.

Hope you find the right pill for your needs.

i was on paxil for a year and absolutely hated it

im five months off and still withdrawing

to be honest its completely ruined my idea of using drugs to help with anything and i will confine myself to depression for the rest of my life

im way too scared to try other meds

anyway the weight loss thing


i lost weight doing a low fat diet while on paxil so it shouldnt slow you down too much

expect more stalls than usual though

and the finding the temptations too hard to resist

the key is to not punish yourself and just get straight back on the bandwagon so to speak

the LC bandwagon that is

I'm on paxil and xanax and they haven't stopped the weight from coming off. I have to wonder if people gain while using them because when your happy your appetite can increase?

Paxil worked great for me for about 6 months, that's about the length of time these ssri's work and then I have to switch to something else. None of the ssri's made me gain, but when the doc added mood stablizers etc. I really gained. Alot was due to severe depression and all I did was eat and sleep but finally after 2 years of this episode I pulled out of it with a new combo of meds.

There were certain meds that definately increased my appetite. No if's ands, buts about it.