Fluoxetine and weight gain

[OncewasSupergirl]

Hi,

I've been on fluoxetine for 15 months now and it's the best I've ever felt!
However I've put on nearly 10lb in a year, I was a size 8 when I started Fluoxetine now I'm a 12 or more 😞
Despite people saying I'm happier n healthier I just can't get my head around it, my eating habits and exercise regime have remained the same so wonder if it's the meds?
Anyone any experience of weight gain whilst on fluoxetine?

Thanks

[leenalou]

hiya

like you ive been on 20mg flux for just over 14 months
i cant keep control of my weight either it has a mind of its own
fluctuates a lot.
glad they are working for you though apart from the weight issue im struggling at the min but im hoping its just a blip.

take care x

[KeeKee]

I went on Fluoxetine when my daughter was just over 1 year old. Within 10 month I was a size bigger and had gained 'about' a stone. I stayed on it a few more years not knowing what had caused my weight (I too was always skinny, I llost all my baby weight in a matter of weeks and people even used to comment on how slim I was, this stopped after Fluoxetine).
Last year I switched to Citalopram and Gaines a bit more weight, I then switched to Paroxetine and gained yet more weight. I am now a tight size 12. Thus I have decided to stop raking SSRIs altogether. They have worked wonder for me, but my weight us seriously getting me down to the point where I no longer want to leave the house. My diet and appetite have never changed in my whole life.

[TweetyBird2]

That's interesting. It sounds like these SSRI's affects our metabolism. Just lovely. :ohmy:

[MrsCav]

I haven't gained any weight. I lost quite a bit when my side effects got bad, but then once I got better I went back up to my normal weight and I have stayed there, kinda ... my weight does fluctuate, but that is quite normal for me over a month. My weight is controlled by my menstrual cycle and not my meds which are Prozac and Propranolol. I thought I would gain with using propranolol as it slows your heart rate and I presumed it would slow my metabolism, it hasn't.

Prozac is given to people with eating disorders, not for them to gain weight but just to be in control of their eating habits. Start a food diary and look at what calories you are eating.

[OncewasSupergirl]

After doing a little research it appears gradual weight gain is quite common with fluoxetine.
Like I said my eating habits and exercise regime haven't altered at all, I'm a yoga loving healthy eater so I know exactly what I'm consuming!
However, I am now 37 so could be hormones and I now appear to have IBS so that maybe a factor.
As a close friend said "Would you rather be a bit bigger n happier or skinny n miserable" so I guess that about sums it up!!

[Oosh]

I was on Fluoxetine for four years and didn't gain any weight. Probably the opposite as i found it stimulating and felt an increase in nervous energy.

[Janine]

Me too, I lost loads of weight at the beginning but am now back to normal which for me is 16/18, I usually lose a few pounds easily when I feel my clothes feel a bit tighter but have found that I can stay the same but difficult to lose any, I am still on a high dose of propanolol though as well so I think it is a combination of the two, but i would rather be like i am and happy than the quivering wreck I was. xx

[BusyMom12]

I gained some weight during my 2 1/2 + years on it but always thought it may not be the fluoxetine itself as much as the fact that it's doing it's job and mellowing me out to the point that I'm not worrying about it. After going off of it and back on , I don't think the spell when I couldn't eat helped because then you get it in your mind that it is good that you can finally eat without forcing yourself and maybe over do it. Then there is also the fact that I'm on it for peri-menopausal anxiety , debilitating anxiety. So my hormones could be effecting my weight also. I'm not huge but could use to lose 30lbs. At this point I think it may be the fluox causing me to gain weight but when I went off of it and bottomed out with anxiety again....all I could think was that I wouldn't care if I weighed 500lbs. , if I could just feel good.