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 26 May 2024
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113 Answers Page 2
Rachram
23 Aug 2020
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
TaperingOff
4 July 2020
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.
Lizg328
18 June 2020
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
Cvill0823
16 April 2020
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
WildcatVet
19 March 2020
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.
Diannekwon
19 March 2020
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.
Bugandcor
26 Oct 2019
Yes
sharah24
19 July 2019
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.
Satori3636
16 July 2019
Oh my gosh yes! I took Lexapro for about 6 months and in that time I gained 50 lbs. I was switched from Lexapro to citalopram and lost all of the weight and actually a few pounds more.
Take my weight loss from the switch for what you think it's worth. However for me it was a great relief.
Rachram
23 Aug 2020
My experience was the reverse of yours ,I went from 40mg Citalopram to 20mg Escitalopram and have lost 10 kilo in 3 months... I wonder if switching sometimes alters the metabolism !!
Hellobobby
14 July 2019
Hi! I know this question is from ages ago but I thought I would add my experience. Female / 30. I have been taking Lexapro for 13 months (just over 1 year). I was prescribed 10mg daily, and tapered in January of 2019 to 5mg.
I have put on 9 kilos which is about 20lbs. I eat well within weight loss / maintenance macros, exercise daily (weights, cardio, 10,000 steps) etc and my weight will not budge on this drug.
I was prescribed this for Depression + Panic disorder following a psychotic episode along with benzodiazepines.
The medication has improved my mood, helped with day to day recovery, has not impaired my sexual function whatsoever, I don’t feel depressed, I don’t have panic attacks anymore so overall I feel great. But I cannot cope with the fat abdomen and sagging arm flab. It’s just not okay when I have spent years working out. I am tapering off shortly to regain some sense of control of a ballooning stomach.
Sharazmo
14 July 2019
Hi hellobobby I tapered off in march and still haven't lost an ounce of the 21 pounds that lexapro packed on me. I wish it hadn't as it was the best med I've ever taken, it took my gad and depression away but I couldn't cope with the weight gain either. Four months on I've had to try another med this time valdoxan as I don't know if I'm getting the second stage withdrawal symptoms that everyone speaks of or if it's true depression anxiety as my marriage is in trouble at the mo. I'm feeling really bad today so anxious and depressed it's only two days on this new drug. Take care
Sharazmo
14 July 2019
Hi hellobobby I tapered off in march and still haven't lost an ounce of the 21 pounds that lexapro packed on me. I wish it hadn't as it was the best med I've ever taken, it took my gad and depression away but I couldn't cope with the weight gain either. Four months on I've had to try another med this time valdoxan as I don't know if I'm getting the second stage withdrawal symptoms that everyone speaks of or if it's true depression anxiety as my marriage is in trouble at the mo. I'm feeling really bad today so anxious and depressed it's only two days on this new drug. Take care
kkobe
28 May 2019
Oh yeah, I gained a lot of weight. I found I had more weight gain when I went from 10 to 15mg, but it was extremely rapid. 15lbs in a month with no changes to my daily routine. Since then I’ve gained another 20lbs. I just went off of it (miserable) for the first time in 8 years and almost immediately lost 12lbs. It looks like it effects everyone differently but I also have 2 other friends who were on it who gained weight as well and ultimately went off of it. It’s a very common side effect. Hope this helps!
Kobe
Sharazmo
14 April 2019
Yes I have gained 16 pounds on lexapro. It was wonderful for my anxiety but I quit 10 days ago and am waiting impatiently for the weight loss as I'm very down about it.
Nchlt010
30 March 2019
I was on Lexapro for about a 1.5 years. I was being treated for anxiety disorder. After averaging at about 175 lb for six years, I quickly gained 40 lbs during 1.5 years on Lexapro. So while it was effective at treating my anxiety, it had a negative impact on my level of depression. It made me develop body image issues, because I was so overweight. After the problem became severe enough, to me, I wean myself off of it, and over the course of the next year, I not only dropped the 40 lbs I gained, but an additional 10. So I'm now down to 165. I now take extra long walks and work out to treat my anxiety.
Nchlt010
30 March 2019
I was on Lexapro for about a 1.5 years. I was being treated for anxiety disorder. After averaging at about 175 lb for six years, I quickly gained 40 lbs during 1.5 years on Lexapro. So while it was effective at treating my anxiety, it had a negative impact on my level of depression. It made me develop body image issues, because I was so overweight. After the problem became severe enough, to me, I wean myself off of it, and over the course of the next year, I not only dropped the 40 lbs I gained, but an additional 10. So I'm now down to 165. I now take extra long walks and workout to treat my anxiety.
Kkarcich
14 Jan 2019
I started taking Lexapro in July reluctantly Under the recommendation of my doctor. My father passed away six months before that and I was having anxiety issues as well as slight depression. At my two month follow-up with my doctor I lost 5 pounds. She actually commended me on that. I told her I hadn’t been doing anything different. I was not exercising more and I was not dieting.
Fast forward to January. It has been six months since I have been on this medication and it has caused Weight gain. I have acid reflux which I have not had before and my husband tells me I snore pretty bad now. He recorded me the other night and it is pretty horrendous. I have not weighed myself so I’m not exactly sure how many pounds. I am more bloated now and my jeans feel much tighter around my waist. Again, I have not changed my exercise regime and I eat the exact same foods I always have.
I am going to try going off it and see how I feel. At the moment the weekend is bothering me more than the slight anxiety I have been feeling and depression over Dads loss
Related topics
lexapro, paxil, weight loss (obesity/overweight), anxiety, generalized anxiety disorder, weight, anxiety and stress
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