Weight loss

[Megsamoo]

Has anyone gotten off of Paxil and lost weight? I was on Paxil for 2.5 years and gained 25 lbs. been off of it 6 months and started Prozac and I’ve lost 12 lbs! Anyone have any thoughts?

[UFC80]

Some antidepressants say to have direct effect on metabolism and others not so much. It's said that people with depression and anxiety have wildly fluctuating metabolism to start with. A low mood or high anxiety state does infact effect the bodies ability to absorb nutrition. That could explain the weight loss.

[1uglychild]

SSRIs can all effect weight on SOME patients, sadly I’m part of that some. I’ve always read Paxil is one of the ones where if you get the weight side effect, you’ll gain and it will be hard to shed the pounds after you’re done. Prozac is considered “weight neutral” meaning if you either gain or lose its minimal. I’ve started it about 4 or 5 different times over the years and each time, like you, I lost weight, that slows down as the drug settles in and the body adjusts and then usually afterwards the weight I gain or lose is my own fault. I had the opposite with Lexapro, it made my whole system slow and I packed on the pounds quickly. Here’s the crazy thing, I badly broke my ankle and was couch bound for 5 months. I quit Lexapro when that happened, despite being stuck on a couch and getting zero exercise, I lost weight just because I wasn’t taking the drug anymore.

Some people never see any of this, but I think if maybe you’re metabolism is slower, like mine, then weight side effects are common. Prozac usually gives me a boost of energy which I one reason I like it (aside from it working for me).