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Question: Will Paxil Cause You To Gain Weight?
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First of all, will paxil make you gain weight? I have been on it for 5 years and have gained weight since I went on it. Second, how long will it take me to come off this medicine? Thanks so much for the input.
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Answer #1
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Is this a weird phenom or what? I have been on 20 MG for 2 years, and in that time gained 50 pounds! Is this the price to pay? I'm glad I'm not alone my friend. The PDR says nothing of weight gain side effects and my doctor is reluctant to take me off the medication because it is doing a world of good for me. I was an avid jogger and a health supplement junkie...now I am on high blood pressure meds as well (presumably b/c of the weight gain). Never had a problem like this before. You tell me. Is it age related? I just turned 36?
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Answer #2
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Hell, yeah...I have been on Paxil for years and am finally getting off this drug. I have tried to get off this stuff cold turkey, but the side effects of withdrawal were unbearable. As for the weight gain...yes, yes, yes. I brought this up to doctors and they gave me the ol' line that no it causes weight loss. Well, I am living proof that they need to change the side effects to include possible WEIGHT GAIN.
I AM DETERMINED TO GET OFF THIS DRUG THIS TIME AND JUST RIDE OUT THE WITHDRAWALS.
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Answer #3
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Yeah, the withdrawal symptoms are unbearable, including constant flashes and dizziness that is hard to describe. I also gained 90 pounds, from 110 to 200 in 7 months, and I'm not a very tall person (only 4'11"). I work out 3x a day in order to lose the 2lbs a week that a normal person does. No side effects on weight? SCREW THAT! I know of too many people who have gained absurd amounts of weight in a short period of time on this stuff!
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Answer #4
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| I am very saddened by the fact that the insert does NOT include weight gain as a side affect. I too have gained 32 pounds after taking Paxil for almost 1 year now. Isn't it ironic that this drug is for depression and weight gain doesn't cause depression, right? I have been on 20mgs also and mentally have felt better, but now I can't handle this blob that I've turned in to. Any suggestions as to how to take yourself off this medication without the described problems? I've tried all sorts of dieting plans and plans just for better health...NOTHING works! Help!
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Answer #5
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Sorry if this sounds insensitive, but seeing Paxil blamed for all this weight gain disgusts me. Repeat after me...WHEN YOU GAIN WEIGHT, YOU TAKE IN MORE ENERGY THAN YOU EXPEND. When I started it, I did gain about 10 lbs in the first two months. Quick fix here...I altered my diet to accommodate the slower metabolism it (apparently) caused. Did you people not think, "Gee, I'm piling on disgusting amounts of weight here. Maybe I should exercise and change my diet."? Or if that isn't possible for you, perhaps go to your doctor and switch to one of the many comparable anti-anxiety drugs. 20mg of Paxil a day isn't solely responsible for 100 extra pounds of adipose tissue, and I believe you all know that.
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Answer #6
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Answer #5 is offensive and clueless about the nature of weight gain problems. Well, duh, if I ate less I would be less fat. I think the respondent knows we all know that. Depression is the major factor behind my weight problems. I know all about nutrition, calories, menu planning, and in fact am raising 2 kids who have very healthy diets and attitudes about food. But also, it's obvious that Paxil not only messes with metabolism, it also has a really bad effect on our feelings about food, eating, and body image. I was within my ideal weight range when I stared Paxil, and gained 70 pounds over the next 4 years. Yes, I noticed I was gaining "disgusting amounts of weight" (as Answer #5 puts it). My doctor, as most others have done, noted that Paxil is only really known to cause weight loss. As my depression deepened, I doubled my dose - up to 40mg! After 6 months of barely being awake, and almost flunking out of the graduate program of my dreams and gaining more weight, I dropped back down to 20 mg, and in frustration, I finally quit taking any at all two weeks ago.
Despite the debilitating withdrawal effects, I feel better than I have in years. I have a new found ability to eat controlled amounts of food. I am so dehydrated from the massive diarrhea associated with withdrawal, that I am drinking gallons of water, which is a good diet strategy (the water, not the runs ). I'm able to get up at 7 AM and stay awake for the entire day. I can laugh until I cry and then stop crying. I am feeling bitter about being a guinea pig for pharmaceutical companies, and yet, what do you do? For starters, we can all learn more from each other without the mean-spirited answers from people who don't "get it" and yet are eager to tell us what our problems are.
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Answer #7
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To all of you paxil people out there...you are not alone! I have taken paxil for almost two years now, and yes, I have gained some weight as well...basically about 20 pounds, but I exercise constantly AND watch what I eat, so that is definitely not a normal weight response. As for the withdrawal symptoms, they are just as unbearable as the weight gain. I have tried to go off this stupid drug three times and now I'm finally in it for the long haul, but it's not easy. I reduced my dosage to 10mg instead of 20mg for about two weeks and now I have stopped the drug completely. Let me just say that I am constantly hungry, no matter how often or how much I eat. I am dizzy all day long, have ZERO sex drive, extreme vaginal dryness and no energy to do anything. I went on paxil for anxiety attacks, not depression...but going off this stuff has made me more depressed than I ever was before!
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Answer #8
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I have been on Paxil now for 2 years. I have gained 25 lbs (Not Impressed). When I first was placed on this drug, my doctor told me that it was not addictive, HA! HA! I dropped from 20 mg to 10 mg and had to go back to the 20mg. I am very dizzy during the day and finding life very difficult. Well, it makes me feel better to know that I am not alone.
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Answer #9
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I feel there is definitely a connection between Paxil and weight gain. This is, in my opinion, one of the most insidious drugs on the market and they are handing it out like candy. I love the commercials that generally say this is the wonder drug of the century for people that are shy or introverted.
I was on Paxil for two years for depression. Before going on it, I did cardio endurance training 3 times a week and lifted weights. After gaining 30 lbs, I decided to get off this crutch. I have gotten away from it by by dropping from a 10 mg pill to 5 mg and then cutting the 5 mg into 4 pieces. I took 1 piece away every week. This last month, I stopped entirely. The withdrawal was not pleasant each time I took a piece away, but I was determined. Dizziness hit when I dropped from 5 to 3.75 mg. My body stabilized about a week after each drop. Bonine or Antavert helped, and then the body aches and muscle spasms hit. I took Tylenol or ibuprofen to help with those. It is possible to stop, but you have to research how it is going to affect you. Being sick and not knowing why is the worst. I knew what it was going to do to me by reading what others had gone through in withdrawal and felt in control of how fast I was going. I know I couldn't have just gone from 20 mg to 0 without putting myself through hell. The only way I was successful was by stepping down one week at a time. If your doctor is just giving you a blank look, find another one who understands. If you are still going through depression, have them help you find another drug. As for the weight, I now feel I can get this off without being held prisoner by a drug. Good luck.
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Answer #10
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I cannot tell you how enlightening it is to read all of your responses, except for #5 who seems to know all about me and what exactly has caused my "disgusting" weight gain even though we have never met. Hmmmm, interesting ... and until yesterday I would have kept blaming myself entirely as well. However, I will concede that I must be somewhat of a dim bulb because I am just now coming to the realization that my weight gain has coincided directly with my Paxil intake.
Alleviation from the paralyzing depression blinded me for almost four years to the fact that I've put 40 pounds (at least 40, I quit weighing myself) on a frame that never ever had a weight problem. And interestingly enough, BEFORE Paxil I wanted to work out. I ran every day and looked forward to it and was still able to eat anything I wanted. And as we all know, exercise helps to moderate your appetite as well, so I never craved the kind of crap that now I eat just to bring myself fleeting comfort. And as much as I keep thinking that I'll start working out again "tomorrow", just the thought of it exhausts me. Getting up in the morning is painful regardless of how much sleep I've had. In fact, my depressive state of sleeping far too long (I slept until 1:30 p.m. yesterday) is returning and I would have to concur that all the benefits of Paxil seem to be waning. And I'm drinking more than I was before I took Paxil and I don't have much desire to accomplish or finish anything. I'm almost as depressed as I was before, just not as weepy and not afraid to speak in front of a crowd (little comfort now that I'm as BIG as a crowd).
The only real difference, ironically, is that when I was in the middle of a full-blown depression, I couldn't think of anything to eat and lost too much weight. Now I'm fat and depressed and depressed that I'm fat. Why don't I quit the Paxil you ask? Because every time I'm off of it, even for a short period of time, I feel like electrical currents are running through my body. I feel funky in the head almost like I'm coming down with the flu, only worse. I'm weepy and beyond dizzy and I feel sick to my stomach. I feel horrible. And I feel so terribly, terribly sad and I really don't feel like I can function at all, or want to. So I've hurriedly taken Paxil again to relieve those symptoms, not realizing that my drive and energy may well return if I can manage to give it up for good. I'm going to attempt to slowly get off of it this time and try to mitigate the side effects by following some of the advice I've found here. Reading your thoughts and suggestions is very helpful. Thank you all for taking the time to share your experiences, both good and bad. I gotta get off this horse.
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