I was on prozac for about a year and it has helped a lot, me and my husband are now trying to have a baby so i stopped but unfortunately gained about 15lbs in 3 months! Didn't gain any while i was on it but as soon as i stopped the weight just kept on coming! Is this normal? When will i start to lose it?
Prozac - Anyone experience weight gain AFTER they stopped?
Question posted by Ashm426 on 19 Aug 2012
Last updated on 15 June 2023 by UK87
37 Answers
UK87
16 June 2023
Please, if you are experiencing this weight gain after stopping fluoxetine/Prozac look up “SIBO”.
These tablets mess with your gut microbiome
It’s taken me a long time to understand why I kept pilling on weight when I have a very small frame, I actually found out through a thread similar to this and was subsequently tested.
Do yourself a favour and Google this awful consequence of Prozac!!
DEB555
14 Dec 2022
I stopped taking 40mg a month ago. I haven’t changed eating or exercise plan and have gained 5lbs! Also mostly around stomach - which is already a problem area for a 53-year-old woman :(
Anyone figured out how to get weight off?
DeborahMe
18 Nov 2022
YES! I am so relieved it’s not just me. I was on Fluoxetine for about 15 years with doses ranging between 10 and 20 mg. Tapered off starting in August. Now, in November, I am 15 pounds heavier with no real change to diet or exercise. Added to that is the reality that I am once again feeling regular emotions that aren’t subdued by the Prozac, and I am devastated. I really don’t want to go back to the Fluoxetine because the withdrawal is real and I don’t want to lose what progress I’ve made. Ironically, the weight gain is such a bummer that I’d love to go back on the drug so I don’t care anymore. Gotta love pharmaceuticals.
Jh-5000
27 Oct 2022
No
Bouncy72
13 Oct 2022
After 20 years on Prozac, mostly 30 mg, with about 3 months on 40 mg, tapered off ending June 2022 and quickly gained almost 10 pounds--did not change diet and go to gym usually 4 days/week. I lost weight when I started Prozac. The rapid weight gain totally uncharacteristic for me and it's depressing!
Worse, is my anger and irritability that is making me intolerable to live with, even for myself! I am not really depressed, but can have bouts of crying. Reading about other antidepressants and side effects quite scary to me. I am quite drug sensitive most of the time. In a quandary about Prozac! Anybody?
Loukrissy
5 Dec 2022
after getting back on the prozac, did you lose ALL of the weight you had gained initially from going off of it?
Bouncy72
5 Dec 2022
Well, started again on 10mg Prozac 10/14/22. Feel more even mood wise though not where I want to be. Think I want to continue on 10 mg though, at least for now. Have not lost the gained weight. Again, eat well, gym 4 times weekly. Pisses me off. My doctor won’t prescribe Metformin. I hate my extra fat—it’s in stomach, hip area.
Loukrissy
5 Sep 2022
Started experiencing the weight gain and bloated stomach after stopping Fluoxetine as well.
Wondering if anyone started taking Prozac/Fluoxetine again and if it helped them shed the weight they gained from initially stopping the medication. Did your body regulate back to normal gain? Will starting Prozac reactive the AMPK pathways? or is getting on Metformin the best option to get off the permanent weight gain?
emeryabrown
2 Aug 2022
I am so relieved to know I am not alone in this. I have been on and off Lexapro 20 mg since I was 15, and I am finally tapering off. I have gained four lbs in two weeks. No diet change. I cannot find any other info on this. I never gained weight on the pill. I constantly feel bloated and gross. I started taking Lexapro again.
Rainbow-Brite
30 July 2022
I am in the same boat as the rest of you. I was on Prozac for 2 years. I weaned off as directed by my physician, switched over to Wellbutrin XL at the same time, did not change my eating habits, and ever since I stopped taking the Prozac, my waist has grown larger. At first, it literally looked like I was pregnant... the excess weight was so centered in my belly. Since then, it has spread out slightly to perhaps affect my hips, butt, and thighs a bit, but most of it is still on my stomach. None of my shorts fit right anymore, and I've worn the same size for at least 2 decades. I've also taken salt pills for over 10 years and a low-dose adrenal glandular for around a year to help support my weak adrenals. I had to stop taking both right after stopping the Prozac because my ankles were swollen every night. My weight in pounds hasn't increased much in the 1.5 months since stopping the Prozac... up 5 pounds at the most.
But it's not about what the scale says - it's about how my clothes fit and what I see in the mirror... and both of those are wrong. Having to stop the salt and adrenal glandular really makes me think this is all water retention. But what on earth would make us hold onto water like this for so long? I've left a message for my PCP and will also tell my mental health medication manager to see if either one has seen this before and knows what to do. I already take 25mg of Spironolactone for my acne, and it happens to be a diuretic. So perhaps that has kept it somewhat in check? But clearly more intervention is required. I will post an update if I find anything that helps. I hope more attention is brought to this side effect so that people know what they're getting into before they start taking this drug.
Rainbow-Brite
27 Oct 2022
I wanted to post an update. My health coach suggested that I do the 21-day Standard Process Purification Program. I lost 6.5 lbs while on the diet and have kept losing since going off of it. I'm now down almost 9 lbs. I'm lighter and thinner than I was while on the Prozac, and the abdomen bloat is basically gone. I learned healthier eating habits from the program, and I'm hoping I can keep the weight off. I did have to add in Standard Process Zypan to help the bloat further, but usually just one a day does the trick. I would be interested to hear if others have a similar experience. It's not specifically a program for weight loss - it's a detox diet. But perhaps Prozac takes a toll on our livers?
jessica2376
29 July 2022
I've been on 10mg for a decade and finally very slowly tapered off and stopped. My appetite increased, yes, but I was not by any means overeating. I eat very clean and have maintained the same weight for 2 years and a slightly higher weight for the rest of my life prior to that. (The lower weight came when I stopped eating gluten and dairy and eggs two years ago.
Anyway- almost immediately after my last dose I noticed my pants fitting very tightly and feeling like my belly was puffed out. Lots of weight gain in the mid section. I am only 5'2" and in three weeks I gained 6 pounds, which when you are petite is a lot.
My diet didn't change. Sucks.
Might go back on Prozac.
Jules221
30 July 2022
I just started back on last night, I’m way too angry and irritable and it just isn’t working out. My husband is noticing a huge personality change and I don’t want this to affect my marriage. :(
Jules221
19 July 2022
I thought I was going crazy, I’ve been tapering off my 80 mg Prozac since May and I’ve gained around 15 pounds! I’m 33 and I’ve been on them since I was 17. I’m eating better and going to the gym, I didn’t understand why this is happening. I literally can’t find ANYTHING that explains the connection except this forum. At this point I’m considering getting back on them just to fix my weight.
cecag
3 May 2022
Oh my gosh, Yes! I can’t fit into any of my clothes anymore. It’s been about a month since I took my last dose of Prozac. I weaned off very very slowly with guidance of doctor. I was so confused why I had gained weight so quickly and then I realized maybe it’s because I stopped taking Prozac? Then I found this forum and it all makes sense now. After taking 60mg for 8 years I had to stop because I needed to take another med that wasn’t compatible. I regret it. Can someone who has been off Prozac for many months tell us if they still haven’t been able to get rid of the extra weight?! Thank you.
kitteh0000
13 July 2022
I managed to lose the weight by going on Metformin 2000MG daily! I've posted more of my personal experience in another post below, but going on this medication was the only thing that allowed me to break free of the permanent weight gain. Metformin is a medication that's typically prescribed for diabetics (I'm not diabetic, and I'm in my 20s), but it's the only thing that worked. Doc said when I went off Prozac, I became severely insulin resistant.
Kbell86
13 July 2022
Thank you, did your dr prescribe these for you? Or can they be purchased?
kitteh0000
13 July 2022
Metformin is a prescription medication, so it must be obtained from a Doctor. I hope you get through this! Xx
Kbell86
13 July 2022
Thank you, I hope so too, xx
cecag
13 Oct 2022
Just an update.. a couple months after my post in May, I went back on Prozac and within a months or so my weight was back to normal. It’s beyond me that doctors don’t know about this and are confused when you tell them about it!!
lolnat
14 March 2022
I am 4 weeks off these tablets, I was on 20mg for just over a year, gained a couple of pounds whilst on them but could shift it if I tried. This last 2/3 weeks after stopping I have gained 10ib. Is there any update on why this happens or how long it lasts? The doctor I spoke to was shocked when I told her.
ElkaK
2 Jan 2022
I am experiencing this now. Weight gain in thighs and hips which I’ve never had before. Also bloating and constipation. Been off Prozac for 8 months and no relief! Anyone have any updates? Has anyone gotten over this problem with time?
mands01
27 Aug 2021
I googled gaining weight after stopping Prozac because this is exactly what is happening to me. I'm so relieved to read that I'm not the only one. I gained a small amount of weight initially taking Prozac, it wasn't until I started weaning off and stopping it that I"m noticing my weight has gone way up. I normally sit around 120-126 lbs and I weighed myself and to my horror weight 141 lbs. I have never weighed this much in my life. I don't overeat or even eat any sweets. I exercise and go to the gym and the weight just doesn't move. I'm terrified of it going up even more so I'm going to start taking Prozac again and hopefully it will go down some. I am desperate and the calories in calories out equation is no longer making any sense in my life. It's scary.
kitteh0000
22 Aug 2021
I am so glad I have finally found other people that are experiencing this.
I was on Prozac 40mg for 12 months, and I was quite lean during the entire course of my treatment. I did exercise quite intensely, and did adopt a meticulous and nutrient-rich diet, but the Prozac gave me an extra boost.
As soon as I finished my course, I gained twenty pounds in six weeks. I did not taper off. (My GP never made any mention of this).
It has been one year since I took my last Prozac pill, and I cannot lose a gram of weight. I continue with my strict training and diet regime (I'm a nutritionist), and yet my body is completely unresponsive.
For three months, I was on a GLP-1 medication which is intended for diabetics to lower insulin levels, and to promote weight loss in obese individuals. I am not obese, and I am not diabetic - but I was desperate. Yet, again, my body was completely unresponsive and I did not lose a gram of weight.
I have started a course of Bupropion too see whether this will trigger some weight loss, but I am doubtful. It has been four weeks since I started, and yet the scale has not moved.
I am concerned because I have battled some demons in the past when it comes to weight, dieting, and body-image, and I don't want to return to rock bottom again. It's taken me too long to finally regain control over my eating, and my life. I'm happy now, and I don't want to give this up.
I have consulted with some plastic surgeons to discuss having this fat surgically removed, and they say I am a great candidate for it. This is the only guaranteed way that the fat will come off my body. Permanently.
I will keep you all posted to see if the Bupropion has any effect on my weight loss, but I am not optimistic about it.
kitteh0000
4 Oct 2021
UPDATE - October, 2021:
I can finally say with great pride that I have broken through the permanent weight-gaining side effects of Prozac. I'm currently in the nutrition and science research sector and have access to many high-quality medical literature journals. I have read a study citing that Fluoxetine has been shown to deregulate (deactivate) AMPK pathways. These pathways are integral to lipid metabolism and fat oxidation. So having these pathways deregulated (deactivated) will retard or inhibit normalised fat metabolism processes.
There is only one medication that up-regulates (reactivates) these AMPK pathways - and that's Metformin. I have been on 2000MG a day for four weeks and have lost eight pounds. This is the first time I have been able to lose weight in over one year. The gyms are currently closed in my city because of lockdown, so I am significantly less active than I was earlier this year. I can almost entirely attribute this weight loss to Metformin. It is currently a diabetes drug, so it did take some effort convincing my doctor to prescribe it to me, but she did.
I don't think anyone can understand how profound and elating it is to me to finally be able to lose weight again and finally regain control over my body and my life. I hope this post will help anyone else who is struggling with their weight post-SSRI.
katehahn11
28 June 2022
Any updates ?! I am going through a lot of this right now. IT is draining after everything I Have done to get myself in a better place mentally.
Kbell86
13 July 2022
I’m going through the same atm, off fluoxetine now for 8 weeks, and have gained 14lb, no clothes are fitting, most all in the hips and thighs. I’m an Extremely active person aswell I am in utter shocked that this has happened and they r no answers. Please someone tell me this doesn’t last and rectifies itself. I can’t shift it at all.
kitteh0000
13 July 2022
UPDATE #2: It has been two years since I stopped taking Prozac, and had gained twenty pounds following the immediate cessation of my medication. I was not able to lose any weight for twelve months. Then, I was then put on 2000MG of Metformin, which I have been taking daily for twelve months which has caused me to lose the post-Prozac twenty pound weight gain. My doctor speculates that I became severely insulin resistant once I got off Prozac, and I think she is right. I will be continuing to take Metformin until the unseeable future as it has kept my weight down. As vain as this is to admit, but I will never go back on any SSRI medication - as I value my weight, my fitness, and my physical health more than my mental health.
Related topics
prozac, weight loss (obesity/overweight), weight, baby
Further information
- Prozac uses and safety info
- Prozac prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side effects of Prozac (detailed)
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