Depression with weight gain and no motivation.. please help me

[smurf1]

I am on sertraline 100mg and have been for a year I am putting weight on like you wouldn’t believe I have no motivation and I am desperate to lose weight please help its making my depression worse

[Lois1959]

Hello,

I am sorry but I haven't heard of Sertraline before...is it like seroxat or Prozac? Anyway I too put on weight with my anti-depressant medication which is apparently not uncommon. I felt exactly the same....I suppose part of the effect of the medication and making one "feel better" is a healthier appetite. My weight gain was more noticeable bacasue I am not very tall at 4 feet 11 inches and yes it made me feel worse but then again I started eating things I hadn't in the past (i.e chocolate for one...which I never did before).

However I tried to put things into perspective...I felt better in myself (in fact some people commented on it) and decided did I want to be trim and miserable or happier in myself?

I decided that once I felt better I could tackle the weight issue. I cut out the chocolate and all the naughty stuff like biscuits and tried to snack on fruit and drink plenty of water. It seems to have done the trick...I am not back to being the weight I was yet but am getting there. I am not obese or anything like that but I knew I didn't feel comfortable in my own body.

If you really feel that the weight gain is impeding your recovery, perhaps a further chat with your GP or Practice Nurse might help?

I hope this helps a little.

[raymond47]

Hi

I also have put on a lot of weight with my antidepressants (agomelatine, quetiepine and venlafaxine) and feel very tired as they are all sedating medications. I have also craved sweet things, which I never have in the past. I was introduced by my CPN to a local charity and have had free access to the gym and swim. Must confess haven;t been to the gym but am happy to go swimming because its something I can do on my own. I don;t want to talk to anybody I don;t know. Anyway I have been going swimming for the last six months in the morning before I go to work. This has helped me a lot with the agitation and enabled me to cut down on my prn. I also feel much better for swimming and it has steadied my weight. I still feel very tired but have put the swimming into my routine and thats how I cope with it,

May be you could ask at your surgery about exercise referrals as most gp practices can refer you and you only pay a token amount. I know the same things dont work for everyone but it may be worth trying.

[seymourroad in reply to raymond47]

Hi, new today, at last have found someone who is on the same medication as me! I have also put a lot of weight on, I have physical health problems also which rules out any exercise. Wonder if you could let me know what dose of Venlafaxine you are on. Do you still feel down even though you are on meds, I do, I just want to feel happy and laugh again but just doesn't seem to happen.

Chrissie xx

[smurf1]

Thank you both of you for replying, unfortunately I don't have the confidence to go to a gym. I think I need to go back to my gp because I don't think I'm any further forward and feel so down. Thank you once again it's comforting to know I'm not alone the thing with depression is its not visible like a broken leg so there is very little understanding its more why don't you pull yourself together if only it was the simple.

[willowgirl]

hi, i take 200 sertraline along with a cocktail of other drugs and have put weight on, it seems to have come on slowly, i have a lot of stress that usually makes it drop off so am up and down with the weight issue, but lately it has only gone one way ....up .....i joined a slimming club and followed the diet only to find i was putting on :-(...was also tired, very thirsty, headache, trembles, sweating etc. after a few visits to docs where i tried to convince him it wasnt just the symptoms i have with fibromyalgia i had blood tests, come back under active thyroid so have just started on thyroid meds, only a week in but feel a tiny bit better, might be worth checking this out, hope its some help xx

[smurf1]

It's horrible isn't it yet you can't get help as people say eat less or exercise but I have no motivation and that get you more down its a vicious circle x

[coatpin]

Yes sadly the same happened to me, my weight gain, was so noticable my gp said to me ,,, that isnt you,,, and one of the side effects are weight gain, but when your feeling better, it willbe time to work on that, or see your gp, and tell them, but they gave me fat pills that didnt have any effect, because it was the antis,

sadly its one or the other,,, Linda