does lexapro cause weight gain or loss

[sxyblonde21]

i have anxiety and also eating disorder and i do not want this drug to make me gain weight from a pill. does this lexapro do that? i bee on it for 3 days now[B)]

[ihatedepression]

I gained 23# on lexapro.......not a good drug and the withdrawals from it are HORRIBLE. Switch right now before it gets into your system.

[Yetti]

I have been on Lexapro for a week. Lost 5 lbs. I have little appetite. I feel great.

Yetti

[jpklcapp]

It can do either:
Weight gain and weight loss have been reported frequently with escitalopram, but overall, escitalopram groups did not differ significantly from placebo with regard to clinically important weight change.

[lily15500.aol.com]

Hi everyone, i have been on lexapro for about 4 months now, i am constantly hungry, i went to my doc and have gain about 10 pounds, i am tire and sleepy.. Has anyone experienced any of these side affects, and does anyone know what other medication might be better,. i am using it for depression and it helped but now i am depress because of the weight gain, and being so tired.. Please and advise would be appreciated... I have been on Wellbutrin for years it does help me but now that i am on lexapro i am not sure if it's the combination of them together or just, Lexapro


Thanks, Lily

[cathyjourdan]

Hi,

I have Lupus and have been quite distraught. My doctor put me on Lexapro this past Friday...now I am freaking after reading all this stuff about Lexapro. I am only taking 2.5 per day because of my fears....it seems to be helping already....what happens if I stop? I can't wean off any lower as I cut a 10 into four pieces as it is...or is this low enough not to have much withdrawal? Thank you for any help.

[kitty475]

I take Lexapro for depression, and as such it is a far superior drug to any other I've taken. But the answer to your question is :YES. I immediately saw an increase in my appetite, and I gained 10 pounds in two weeks, and that alone was enough to depress me... Too bad, really, because it really is a wonderful drug for treating alot of things.

[ohbrittany]

I have been on Lexapro for a week. Lost 5 lbs. I have little appetite. I feel great.

Yetti

i really hope that i dont gain weight. I would much rather lose weight than gain. do you think that you losing weigh while on lexapro has something to do with your body type or whatever its called?

[RavenLynn]

I have been on Lexapro since my fiance left for the army and it has help tremendously. I have actually lost 10 pounds since being on it! It helped me overcome my deppression and the anxiety that i was feeling after he left!

[atlmom]

Hi everyone, i have been on lexapro for about 4 months now, i am constantly hungry, i went to my doc and have gain about 10 pounds, i am tire and sleepy.. Has anyone experienced any of these side affects, and does anyone know what other medication might be better,. i am using it for depression and it helped but now i am depress because of the weight gain, and being so tired.. Please and advise would be appreciated... I have been on Wellbutrin for years it does help me but now that i am on lexapro i am not sure if it's the combination of them together or just, Lexapro


Thanks, Lily

I am now convinced after taking it for 25 months, that my continuous weight gain of 25-30 lbs. is due to Lexapro. I just figured this out! I am always hungry or always craving something. I get tired every afternoon and wish I could take a nap. It helped my temporary depression from a post-traumatic situation, and I've been afraid to get off the drug because I so don't want to go back to how I was feeling. Now that I've put 2 and 2 together and figured out that this is the reason for this strange weight gain, and after reading many of these posts, I am on my second day of weaning myself off the 10 mg. I was taking. I'm doing about 7.5 for a few days to a week and will then go to 5 and so on. I'm only on my second day of this, but I don't feel any kind of withdrawal symptoms. I've had many days where I've forgotten my pill, and I never had any kind of problem or felt at all different. I think it is a great drug for depression, but I do believe in the weight gain side effect. Good luck!

[MandyP]

I have been on Lexapro for 3 weeks now and i have lost 16 lbs! I was on Paxil a few yrs ago and gained 22 lbs, so Lexapro has not had the same affect as Paxil.

[mrsamberdawn]

I attributed my 28 pound weight gain to Lexapro, because that's the first antidepressant that I got on and then I started gaining weight, but now that I look back on it, I was only on Lexapro for a few weeks if that. I switched to Celexa and was on that for months. So, I am thinking that the Celexa made me gain the weight. I dunno though. My mom is on Celexa and has lost 40 pounds, and my sister-in-law is on Lexapro and loss I think 30 pounds. I am taking Lexapro again because I think it did help increase in me a better mood. I have noticed that I am eating more in the last three days, so I dunno.... I hope I don't gain weight!

[njcbs]

I am 33 years old, am a recovering addict and am bi polar. I currently take risperdone, lamictal, lexapro and trazadone. My appetite is much smaller but i eat more frequently. I eat better foods, am very active while taking this medication, sleep well and have had slight weight loss.

I noticed that this drug is very effective and i enjoy it immensely. Im on 40mg once daily.

I recommend trying this med for at least 1 month. But please remember all meds have different effects on each user. Good luck....

It works well with me. Im happy, energetic and a lot better. Good luck

[titian5]

Hi,

I have Lupus and have been quite distraught. My doctor put me on Lexapro this past Friday...now I am freaking after reading all this stuff about Lexapro. I am only taking 2.5 per day because of my fears....it seems to be helping already....what happens if I stop? I can't wean off any lower as I cut a 10 into four pieces as it is...or is this low enough not to have much withdrawal? Thank you for any help.

I had bad withdrawl upon stopping Lex after being on 2.5 mg/day for several weeks.
After being off of it for a week and getting scared about the withdrawl effects, I went back on an 8th of a pill (yes, I'm basically biting off a sliver of the quarter pill) Within a day, I felt a LOT better! I still feel the withdrawl a little bit, but totally manageable now. I am planning on trying to get the liquid form so that I can cut the dosage in half again before going off completely again. So, that could be a solution. Believe it or not, I was actually feeling thinner when I was off for a week - I didn't weigh myself though. Almost right away, after going back on the 1/8 a 10 mg pill I feel like I'm gaining or bloated again. Interesting.

[titian5]

i have anxiety and also eating disorder and i do not want this drug to make me gain weight from a pill. does this lexapro do that? i bee on it for 3 days now[B)]

If I had known about how common weight gain on Lexapro seems to be, I would not have gone on it. I had problems with gaining weight on Zoloft - on both Lexapro and Zoloft the gain was slow. When I got off the Zoloft I started losing weight really quickly. I also would never have gone on Lexapro if I had known how terrible the withdrawl is when you want to get off of it! I've never had problems getting off a medication before - it's been BAD! Terrible anxiety, foggy brain, forgetfulness, headaches, EXTREME irritability, quick anger, a day of crying all day. Just my take on it, but I wouldn't take it again. I can't wait to be completely rid of it. (I gained about 20 lbs.)

[kiwiang]

If I had known about how common weight gain on Lexapro seems to be, I would not have gone on it. I had problems with gaining weight on Zoloft - on both Lexapro and Zoloft the gain was slow. When I got off the Zoloft I started losing weight really quickly. I also would never have gone on Lexapro if I had known how terrible the withdrawl is when you want to get off of it! I've never had problems getting off a medication before - it's been BAD! Terrible anxiety, foggy brain, forgetfulness, headaches, EXTREME irritability, quick anger, a day of crying all day. Just my take on it, but I wouldn't take it again. I can't wait to be completely rid of it. (I gained about 20 lbs.)

I also gained about 13kg in the 6months I was on this in 2010,then again this year when on for 6 months...(lost it after first time on),doctor took me of as I was getting depressed with the weight gain, I have been off for 4 weeks and feel lousy..headaches,moody,snappy,tearful(all the above)....how long til I feel ok? anyone know a good anti anxiety drug with NO weight gain other than cymbalta? but I must say I have no anxiety just all the other stuff so know how your feeling...

[johnhopps]

Gained 30 pounds on all ssri meds. Twice I stopped and lost almost all of the weight. Off prozac 3 months and I swear Im never going on any of these again. Doc prescribed klonopin for anxiety as needed and it works great. Take it whenever I have to not every day. The weight takes forever to come off for me. Good Luck

[wisser]

i have anxiety and also eating disorder and i do not want this drug to make me gain weight from a pill. does this lexapro do that? i bee on it for 3 days now[B)]

I went to my dr today, and he gave me the drug lexapro to try. Everyone said dont take that it causes a great of weight gain is this true?

[pia1222]

I just switched to Cymbalta...I have been on Lexapro for about 1 year and I have gained at least 15 lbs, maybe 20! I have RA and thought it was my RA med, but I stopped the one that I thought it was and no weight loss. On Lexapro, my appetite increased- I ate so much more than normal. I have now been on Cymbalta for 1 week exactly and I have already dropped 5 lbs, feel terrific and my appetite is so much less! I can really feel the difference. FYI: I stopped Lexapro on a Friday and started Cymbalta on Saturday. No withdrawl issues.

[pia1222]

I think it goes either way from what I haveread. Good for you! I hope it continues that way

[samuel50]

It depends upon different body conditions. The following information just highlights the general average dosage of Generic Lexapro .Usual recommended dosage of Generic Lexapro for Depression is 10 milligrams once a day. If necessary, the doctor may increase the dose to 20 milligrams after a minimum of 1 week, but the higher dose is not recommended for older adults and people with liver problems.