Weight

[BrookeD~]

Hi, I'm new here and I have a question. Is it normal to gain weight while on Paxil? I've gained 40 pounds and I've tried all kinds of different diet's, diet pills and strenuous excercise but I still haven't lost a pound.

[Ezin]

Yes.

If you use the search facility above, you will find multiple threads discussing the phenomenon... and get a good idea of the range of weight gain experiences others have endured.

Did you put on weight from the outset, or did you find that it started to accumulate after the 4-6 month on-drug point?

[mapleleafgirl25]

i gained 20 lbs..it raises your cortisol levels..thus making it really hard to loose weight..even when you go off the drug..it takes a while for the weight to come off!!

[Chrysalis]

Welcome, BrookeD!

Weight gain is extremely common on Paxhell. I gained 50 pounds over the course of several years, and 50 seems to be a common amount that people have said they gained. Carb cravings and never feeling a sense of being satisfied or full are common.

And Paxhell makes it difficult to lose weight, as well.

Like Ezin said, do a search--it's been discussed frequently here at PP.

Margaret

[cinderella]

absolutely!! I gained 14kg, I lost 3kg within about 5 months then nothing happened until recently when I lost 2kg but I have been having anxiety again so dont know if it will stay of. I have been of meds since Oct 05 18 months. I dont know if I will ever get rid of this weight as I am now into peri menopause.

[Katesmom]

There are a few people who have managed to lose weight on paxil, but universally they say they were unable to keep it off. Paxil is one of the worst ADs for weight gain.

[scotty]

Yup, Paxil is hell on weight gain.

[Pat Shields]

Originally Posted by cinderella

I dont know if I will ever get rid of this weight as I am now into peri menopause.

Hey, it took a little over 2 years, but finally it's gone and then some. I went into real honest-to-god menopause about the same time I went off Paxil. So don't worry. I gained 50 pounds more or less and was a size 22. I have lost nearly 60 pounds and am now nearly in a size 14.

What's really amazing is that I could not hold 60 pounds in my arms or strap it to my back and walk around the block. It sure is a lot! I gave my really fat clothes to relatives and friends who needed them, I sold my sort-of fat clothes on eBay, and now I have the last set I shrank out of ready for the laundry and possible sale on eBay.

I, too, had resigned myself to staying that big because of my age and hormone change state. Oh well, just another fat old lady, I thought. Wrong! I made one major diet change that accelerated things - I cut out anything containing sugar.

The moral of THAT story is it can be done.

[ssri-research]

yes - if you weren't depressed before you went on Paxil, then you'll definitely be depressed after you gain 20, 40 or 60lbs! I cannot wait to take off the 20 lbs of PAXHELL FAT that I'm carrying around. I want to make t-shirts in XXL that say "Body by GSK"... [there used to be a fancy gym in NYC called "Body by Jake"]....

Of course we'll need "Body by Eli Lilly" and for the others... Forest Labs and Wyeth...

It sure would be funny to see people walking around with these shirts on...

Lynn

[cinderella]

mmmnnnn giving up sugar, thats a biggie, its in everything, did you quit everything with sugar, like jam, sugar in coffee, biscuits, etc I have cut down (no cake or biccie with my coffee) but still have marmalade on my toast. What about alcohol, I love a glass of wine or a gin and that has sugar? thanks. Youve done well

[jenS]

Originally Posted by ssri-research

I want to make t-shirts in XXL that say "Body by GSK"...

LOL! Hey, go all the way and say "Body by Paxil."

[ssri-research]

Body by Paxil! That is a GREAT idea...

[BrookeD~]

I think I started to gain weight around the 5th month after I started taking it. I gained 50 stinking pounds which makes me sick because I only weighed 120 before I started taking it. I didn't take any yesterday or today but I feel like I need one. If I just stop taking them what will I feel like?

Any info would be appreciated.

Thank you.

Brooke

[Pat Shields]

Originally Posted by ssri-research

there used to be a fancy gym in NYC called "Body by Jake"

Yeah, and he's the right age, so odds are that he got the phrase idea from General Motors. All their top-line car models used to be advertised as "Body by Fisher."

[Pat Shields]

Originally Posted by cinderella

mmmnnnn giving up sugar, thats a biggie, its in everything

That's part of the success! You cut out sugar, you cut out a LOT of food that you didn't need anyway since nearly everything processed has sugar in it.

did you quit everything with sugar, like jam, sugar in coffee, biscuits

EVERYTHING.

but still have marmalade on my toast

So do I, but I use a great big jar of SUGAR-FREE orange marmalade. It is SO much better for toast and such because it is not cloying and you can slather it on really thick.

What about alcohol

That I can't answer because I don't drink on a regular basis anyway. I might have 2-3 beers during the course of a very hot summer. But that's it. I would say, though, that since alcohol adds nothing but calories, no nutrition, I would stay away from it. If you make every bite count rather than entertaining yourself with things that add no nutrition you'll be better off in the end.

Another good thing that has happened to me because of cutting out sugar is that I can eat an awful lot more food and not gain weight. It's all about choices. And even if there are no labels, like at an oriental buffet, you can figure out what's got sugar in it.

And there, that's another thing. You can choose to eat things with sugar any time you want. Occasionally at the buffet I have a yen for sesame chicken, which has a sugar syrup-type coating. I have 4-5 pieces, and that's OK. I don't deny myself. I eat whatever I want. I just make sure that what I want is usually something with no sugar.

A typical day's meals:
Oatmeal with dried fruit cooked in
A sandwich on sugar-free bread with sugar-free things for filling (a fried egg, for example)
Fresh fruit
Frozen or fresh vegetables
A bean burrito with salsa (sugar free, of course) fat-free sour cream and shredded lettuce with some mustard in with the refried bean filling
A bowl of popcorn as a night-time snack

Another day might have spaghetti with sauce (read the label!) or rice or natural-grain cereal with soy milk (I like soy milk in my coffee). (check the soy milk labels - if they don't state NO SUGAR then it's got it in there somewhere no matter what they call it. On one box I saw "evaporated cane juice" and on another "barley extract.")

[LCrawford67]

Originally Posted by BrookeD~

I think I started to gain weight around the 5th month after I started taking it. I gained 50 stinking pounds which makes me sick because I only weighed 120 before I started taking it. I didn't take any yesterday or today but I feel like I need one. If I just stop taking them what will I feel like?

Any info would be appreciated.

Thank you.

Brooke

No, No, No!!! I can't emphasize this enough! Don't EVER just stop taking Paxil! You need to read this site, this site was created because of Paxil withdrawal.

All I can tell you is to educate yourself and don't even THINK about just stopping Paxil or tapering too fast. Weight will be the least of your worries.

[cinderella]

Thanks Pat for your detailed response, dont think I could ever be that good. Well done to you, huge effort. Whoops just had jam slice with my cuppa!!!

[slappyintheface]

Going cold turkey off of this stuff will not help the weight fall off any faster. I have tried everything to lose the 40 pounds that I have gained in the past 8 years on Paxil. I guess that the Paxil and the fat are holding hands and don't want to let go yet. The hardest thing about getting off of this crap is being patient. Start a slow taper - take care of yourself - don't get in a hurry (it doesnt help in the long run).

[chillin]

i've gained about 50-55lbs on this med. It's hell cause I feel like crap

[Pat Shields]

Originally Posted by scotia21

Going cold turkey off of this stuff will not help the weight fall off any faster.

Amen to that! I CT'd and the lard stuck around for 2 more years before it started to fall off.

[BrookeD~]

After reading the suggested information I definitely won't be going cold turkey off Paxil. Had my doctor told me how hard it would be to get off of I wouldn't have started taking it. Are there any other antidepressant's that don't cause weight gain?

[Katesmom]

Originally Posted by BrookeD~

After reading the suggested information I definitely won't be going cold turkey off Paxil. Had my doctor told me how hard it would be to get off of I wouldn't have started taking it. Are there any other antidepressant's that don't cause weight gain?

Just can't make any promises on that front. Are you on for depression or anxiety?

[cinderella]

I doubt it, my doc wants me back on meds and suggested lexapro as she thinks it wont make me gain weight, still have 10kg left of the 14kg I gained on paxil after 18 months being off the stuff.

[ssri-research]

Hi Cinderella - I love it that your MD "doesn't think" that Lexapro will cause you to gain weight... well, I can tell you that Lexapro had me starving all the time, having to eat in the middle of the night and gaining 1lb/month... these drugs alter metabolism so there is no way around the weight gain issue as far as I know... ;-((((

Lynn

[cinderella]

I know! When I was put on paxil (by another doctor) I complained I was gaining weight and he tried to blame it on some of the other drugs I was taking, but even when I stopped the others (mostly pain meds and they dont cause weight) I still kept gaining. Im getting some horrid anxiety at the moment and trying to stay away from the meds : (