I am prescribed to take lexapro but after reading MANY reviews I see that they all involve serious weight gain. I was wondering if anyone who uses this for anxiety purposes or other have this problem?
Paxil and weight gain?
Has anyone used Lexapro for anxiety and gained weight?
Question posted by sashaw9589 on 30 June 2010
Last updated on 22 August 2023
106 Answers
I have been on Lexapro for 14 months for anxiety related insomnia. It was so bad, I was afraid that I would take my own life. After 8 weeks with dose up to 20 mg, I found my sanity again, sleeping and enjoying life. But about 6 months in, I started to gain weight. I’m have been exercising for 30 years regularly, eating healthy with minimal alcohol intake. But no matter what I did , 10 hours a week at the gym, from strength training, Pilates, yoga, Zumba, plus Intermittent fasting…..going to bed hungry , still nothing. I have always been slim, so 10lbs is devastating to me, and it’s all in the middle .I hate looking at myself in the mirror. I’m an Asian woman but I’m now look like an Amazon woman….I finally asked my doc to take me off but I’m afraid that I won’t sleep again. So as of yesterday, I’m went on buspirone 5mg twice a day. Wish me luck
Hi, Violet!
It has to do with changes to your metabolism and so diet and exercise can't always control the weight gain.
I took Lexapro for over 7 years and I was lucky not to gain any weight at all. I was re-diagnosed as Bipolar because the standard antidepressants sent me into mania. So I started buspirone about two years ago and it's worked really, really well for me with no side effects.
I'm resistant to most medicines so now I'm taking the maximum 60mg/day. If your initial dosage doesn't seem to be effective you have plenty of room for an increase if needed.
Best regards and good luck, Wildcat
Oh yes! I gained 20-22 pounds after using Lexapro. Been on it for 8 years.
I have been on it for 4 years and I seem to gain 10 lbs a year. My eating habits have not changed for the worse I actually eat less now. I feel great mentally but not too happy with the weight gain.
I got on in 2015 and I’ve had five pregnancies since so I’m not sure how much is from that and how much from lexapro but I haven’t changed what I eat or my exercise. I am constantly active (mom life
I have been on it for years, it does not make you gain weight. If anyone does during that time, they are gaining due to something else & putting it on the lexapro cause most depression meds do cause weight gain. I actually just left a Dr appt and was discussing getting off of the lexapro b/c I don’t believe it’s working well for me any longer. And that was one of our main topics, weight gain. My dr.’s exact words were “Lexapro is one of the few that does NOT cause that.” I normally wouldn’t have commented on this if I hadn’t literally just spoke to my Dr. about that today. This is coming from a Dr. not the opinion of of others who have taken it. Even though I have been taking it and have had no weight gain from that particular medication. And I have tried almost everything. Unfortunately. Good luck!
Hello - I was on Lexapro 20 mg, I gained 35 lbs and felt worse on meds vs off. I was taking it for PMDD, I've been good for two years, now it's back in my life, and I feel terrible before my cycle. I went to the dr. e=and expressed, I will not take Lexapro (it did make my PMDD go away but ... ), so he recently put me on Citalopram 20 mg (I take 10mg because it's too strong for me.) I've lost weight on this meds, I feel like superwomen!! FYI - It's in the same medicine family. I totally recommend it!!!
Found this forum and so glad I did! I tapered off Lexapro 20 mg a year ago over the course of 6 months (after having taken it for 15 years). Had horrible brain zaps and ended up feeling more anxiety and depression than I ever did before I started taking it. I thought it was just withdrawal but it lingered so I tapered back up several months ago and am now back at my old dosage. I feel like my old self again but also gained back all the weight I had lost while off it! I have always had good metabolism and when I gained 10 pounds around my mid-30s I blamed it on age. I walk and workout once a week but don’t really watch my diet. When I was off the Lexapro and then tapering up (still at lower dosages) I dropped 10 or so pounds without even trying - eating the same and exercising the same (but often considerably less, due to COVID lockdown).
Since I got back up to 20 mg though, it’s as if the weight just came rolling back in and I’m now back where I started! I don’t think it is because I’m happier and eating more since my diet has stayed consistent, I really think this drug somehow affects your metabolism. I’ve started up my workout again so hopefully that helps, because despite the weight gain I see myself as a Lexapro lifer
Hi, I switched from Citalopram (10 years on ) to Escitalopram 20mg 3 months ago and have lost 10 kilo.
At the start I did nothing different but am now doing intermittent fasting as I was excited by the initial loss and wanted to keep it going. So 108 kilo to 98 kilo today
I never had any weight or body confidence issues until I started on SSRIs. First was Zoloft for two years and I was shocked when I was weighed and told them they were wrong. I’m normally 115-120 pounds and went up to 135 on Zoloft. Then an few months later went on lexapro and now almost 160 pounds. As a former dancer, amazing metabolism (I love chips and snacks and all food), always confident but now the heaviest in my family even over my dad and brother who work out and are much taller than me (I’m female)lexapro has destroyed my confidence and I feel terrible in my body. The cons are now far outweighing the benefits for me, which were great in the beginning. I feel very accomplished in most things in my life and this is really bringing me down especially since I’ve been cooking healthy and enjoyable foods for myself, exercising and even tracking calories, which I have always been against. The number just keeps going up.
I began tapering a week ago from 10mg to 5mg and have had extremely mild brain zaps and slight brain fog which I’ve been able to work through, for the most part. Much less extreme than when I tapered off Zoloft. Was feeling hopeless a few days ago reading about everyone’s same experience as mine and wondering if I was stuck like this forever. I’m trying to stay positive and continue my healthy habits to will my body to rebalance.
I have take lexapro for about 4 years started at 10mg w Klonopin as needed. I am usually 115-120lbs . Dancer active 5’1. I gained over 20lbs on lexapro especially when I upped my dose to 15 and 20mg. I was 143lbs at my highest. It wasn’t me I was so bloated. I also wasn’t getting better w anxiety. I am not on Prozac and have lost 15lbs getting back to normal weight n feel better
YES and I am OVER IT!! I have been doing keto for a year and I exercise, I lost about 15 lbs initially and now I cannot for the life of me get past a certain weight. The 15lbs I lost was from what I gained over the holidays. I have been the same exact weight for 5 years now. I started Lexapro I think 3 yrs ago. I was on Prozac 5-6 yrs ago when I got pregnant with my son. My anxiety was so bad they said it was better to be on it. I wanted to
Get off of it and i did. I lost all the weight and then I had traumatic events happen and bam another nervous breakdown. So i was put on Lexapro, I was 150 then, I am now 183 and that’s the weight I stay at no matter what I do. I can go above that and lose but it will stay stuck around 183, I am so depressed and I cry all the time about my weight becuz I hate it so much. I am tired of trying so hard to lose weight and getting no where.
I have never had this much of a struggle to lose weight and i believe it’s the meds! I am not used to being this weight even after 5 years. I hate myself so much. It’s a constant obsession for me. I am weaning off Lexapro now and starting Wellbutrin. I’m afraid to not be on anything but my god am I tired of it. Everyone says I look fine and I’m not fat but I don’t feel that way. Also, sex drive is horrible, can’t reach orgasm half the time. Panic attacks in my sleep. I’m irritable and impulsive a lot. Over it all
Hi, Sashaw!
Both these medications are considered "weight neutral" because if any weight change occurs as a side effect it could go either way, weight loss or weight gain. Only about 10% or less of users will experience any change. The thing is that the the majority of the reviews you read are written only by the people who have experienced some weight gain... that doesn't take in the majority of patients who have few if any side effects at all. I took Lexapro for over 7 years and my weight never changed.
Lexapro: Common (1% to 10% of users): Decreased appetite, increased appetite, weight increased, weight decreased
Paxil: Common (1% to 10% of users): Decreased appetite, increased appetite, increases in weight gain, weight loss
Both are excellent choices to treat anxiety disorders and are among the medications most commonly prescribed. Worst case, if you do gain weight you can always try another medication because you will lose any weight you gain after stopping the drug you're on.
No. I'm actually losing weight. I really don't need to tho cause I was only 110 lbs. Now I'm 105. It's strange cause I'm eating alot to keep weight on, but obviously that's not working for me. Everyone's experience is different.
Yes
I gained about 20 pounds, though I was also switching to lexapro from prozac(which had been making me nauseous for years) so maybe it was a delayed freshman 15 once my appetite became more normal? I had also trained myself to force feed during those years otherwise I’d skip meals and become shaky.
Related topics
lexapro, paxil, weight loss (obesity/overweight), anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder, weight, anxiety and stress
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