Was taking Lexapro and it made me tired and listless. Started Pristiq and I have been on it for 10 weeks. Felt good, better mood , more energy and just better over all. Noticed a slight weight gain. Now, I feel lethargic again and listless and not very motivated. Has anyone taken a anti-depressant that will lift my mood, moral, spirits and give me more energy without weight gain? None of the SSRI or SSNI have effected my sex drive or performance. Any suggestions would help.
Mood, motivation and energy?
Question posted by D C 2013 on 12 Sep 2013
Last updated on 27 September 2013
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5 Answers
Lexapro made me feel completely lifeless as I progressed in strength. Eventually I went completely off it and switched to Wellbutrin. Lots of energy with Wellbutrin, but depression came back. I am now on a low dose of Lexapro and Wellbutrin. Taken together I am feeling 100% better.
Hello. As you have not mentioned the dose, it might be too strong for you. See your doctor and discuss. Also, be sure you take no alcohol or street drugs when on these pills.
Well, there goes the meth. Thx for reminding all of us, Karen. My choice of drug is 81 mg of aspirin. And oh yeah, coca cola, that is unless you drink it on the street.
Anna, OMG, laughing SO hard! You are hilarious!!
Coca cola if diet may cause headaches and other side effects including weight gain. Now, Pepsi is the drink of choice around here. We are able to handle it up in the north woods. Southerners, wilt here. We eat cheese and warm ourselves by making hats out of it. Doesn't interfere with most meds either.
I guess you are a bunch of cheese heads, then, huh Karen? Coke is a drug. I better change to Pepsi. I read that when Coke was first served, it had cocaine in it. Instead of tea parties, the ladies had Coke party's. I doubt they talked about tea and crumpets.
How do you think they did all that laundry by hand, bake bread, clean a chicken and grow a great big garden while burping baby number seven?
Karen, that was a kicker!
Yes, abilify seems to help when added to another antidepressant.
Hi, D C! Yes, this can be a problem for a lot of people. It's an unavoidable side effect for some people, and others don't gain any weight at all. Unfortunately, it entirely depends on how it affects YOU, just as which AD best helps your depression.
Lexapro, Effexor, Cymbalta, and Serzone are considered more *weight neutral*, while for some folks Wellbutrin can cause weight loss.
ADs can increase your appetite and/or cause some metabolic changes that tend to make it easier to pack on the pounds. Exercise and a careful diet can help a great deal in some cases, but it's kind of hard to feel motivated and energetic when you're a big, depressed lump. LOL!
There most likely IS a medication out there that will help your mood and not cause weight gain, but you may have to try a few til you find the one that works best for you.
In my own experience, I found that Effexor fits the bill for me. I feel great ~ and I've actually lost weight that I needed to get rid of since I've been taking it. Best wishes, WCV
Hi WCV, I agree, Wellbutrin won't usually cause any weight gain.
Good answer!
Lara
I agree with Lara. You can lose a million pounds
The only boost in energy I ever experienced with a antidepressant medication was adding on Abilify to my 40mg of Prozac. It was incredible but did cause weight gain (about 15lbs. unfortunately)
Really, Hold? I didn't know that.
Yep it was amazing but then I went off both abruptly and didn't feel the same after going on them again a few months later :(
Related topics
lexapro, pristiq, depression, weight loss (obesity/overweight), anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder, weight, energy
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