new here...burning off paxil weight impossible

[bender187]

Hello, i've been browsing this place for a while...i see i'm not the only one struggling with paxil weight gain

My story is that i was a little stressed from having 2 jobs and going to school at the same time back in 2010...so i went to my doctor and he put me on paxil (40mg) daily. Things went smooth for a few months or so i thought..what i didn't realize was that i was gaining weight so rapidly that when i jumped on a scale a few months later i saw that i gained 20 pounds..i couldn't believe it. At first i thought it was my diet and lack of exercise...back then i was running marathons and running was my HOBBY

anyways, in my attempt to keep my story short and leaving out a bunch of drama and whiney rants..i went from 160ish pounds to 250 pounds in about a year and half..

i HATE!!! looking in the mirror..sometimes i tug and pull at my skin around my face..i know it sounds crazy..i just cant believe this happened to me..i don't want to blame it all on the drug though, i used to eat KFC and go through a six pack of beer on friday nights but i wouldn't gain a pound. I kept doing that after i got on paxil and that is why my weight packed on soo rapidly.

i'm one of those guys that used to take pictures of themselves now i can't even look in a mirror or else it will ruin my entire ****ing day

=======================POST PAXIL story:

i went to a doctor to get switched to a new anti anxiety type med, and she put me on 40mg Citalopram (ween off of paxil and slowly build up citalopram) nothing has changed though and i'm afraid Citalopram is making me keep my weight or continue gaining weight..

i've now weened down to 20mg of citalopram and i still see no weight loss..i just want to drop off the weight i have now..that is now why i'm depressed. Spring is coming up and i cannot wear ANYTHING in my closet

[bender187]

also i'd like to add i'm also prescribed to 100mg trazodome to help my insomnia..but when i read that can cause weight gain i no longer take it..i do drink a bit but am trying to cut back. I take fish oil and vitamin e daily along with a daily multivitamin..still i am not losing weight

[scotty]

Paxil weight rarely budges while one is still taking the drug, or most of the ssri's. Most find that once they have weaned off, the weight will come off over the following year.

Weight gain is also a side effect of Trazadone.

[Bird2173]

Since starting to ween about a month ago I have increased my activity and I gained 2lbs the other day. I understand how frustrating it is. I am having minimal w/d symptoms and have been tempted to just throw these pills out and deal with the the w/d - But I won't.....I need to improve my quality of life, manage my stress and learn to deal with my issues without feeling like I am going to smack someone. I am doing great and my positive thoughts are waiting for the day I can look in that mirror and feel good about me again,

I had a fast metabolism too...paxil shot that in the ***. Hang in there, I have faith in the people here that one day this weight will come off!

[bender187]

i just got back from the doctor and found out i have lost 25 pounds since january!!!! i am so excited, i have been off paxil since last year and it seemed like my weight didnt budge at first. I am currently taking 20mg of citalopram daily. Cannot wait to get my life back to normal and be able to run again paxil has seriously screwed everything up for me

[Bilo76]

I am happy for you but citalopram is also known to cause an increase in weight. Why dont you taper all the drugs?

[nicole55]

I really couldn't lose too much while ON Paxil.
I did manage to lose about 10 pds, working out very regular and very hard. But could not lose anymore.

I did lose more once I was off, and it was easier.

[bender187]

Originally Posted by Bilo76

I am happy for you but citalopram is also known to cause an increase in weight. Why dont you taper all the drugs?

i would like to eventually, i dont want to think i need a pill to keep me happy.

[Aurelius]

I was ok, when taking 10mg of Paxil, the first 5 years. No weight gain, at all.

The weight gain happened, when I started taking 20-30mg. I ended up gaining 30+ pounds. And it simply wouldn't come off, now matter how much i worked out. Maybe only a few pounds, but that was it.

Since getting off SSRI's in January, I've lost 25 pounds in 6 months. The weight will eventually come off, once you are ready to get off the medication.

BTW, 40 mg sounds pretty high. Did you doctor start you off on that much?

[jheaney1]

I gained about 100 pounds over the course of taking Paxil. I tried everything, restrictive diets, protein diets, exercise. I even gained weight on a 1200 calorie/day diet.

When I started tapering off Paxil, I became very sedentary, but the weight started coming off. I'm down 80 pounds at this point. I'm sure the rest of it will come off as my activity level increases again.