Will I lose weight when I stop Paxil?

[alcopop]

Hi, all

So since I started on Paxil/Paroxetine (about 5 years ago), I have put on almost 2.5 stone! My parents are both slim and I was until that.

My question is, will the weight fall off if I stop Paxil, or is a permanent thing now?
Will I go back to my original metabolism or does Paxil permanently alter it?

I want to lose weight, and don't seem to be able to on Paxil, so am looking to change back to Prozac which never caused any weight gain issues.

Many thanks, all, in advance!

[Scissel]

Hello there..

I didn't have any weight changes coming off Paxil as I did with gabapentin ... ugh ... another story.

Honestly, I was glad to be off Paxil but it took me a while before I felt stable. I'm also in the middle of a medication change now myself and some days are better than others - just accept that your body is adjusting to the change.

Try to cut back on sweet and that could help, as well.

Good luck and take care :)

[panic_down_under]

My question is, will the weight fall off if I stop Paxil, or is a permanent thing now?
Will I go back to my original metabolism or does Paxil permanently alter it?

It often does come off, but there are no guarantees.

There are several hypotheses to why ADs cause weight gain, but few definitive answers, however, affecting the metabolism is certainly one of them, possibly mediated by, among other factors, how ADs affect the enteric nervous system (http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/gut-second-brain) (ENS), the mini brain which controls the gut and the influence they could have on the gut biome. The ENS is by far the most serotonergic organ (https://www.apa.org/monitor/2012/09/gut-feeling) of the body, making about 95% of the serotonin produced compared to less than 2% for the brain, so it can be more affected by serotonergic ADs than the brain is. It is known that the gut bacteria can affect weight (https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190212-could-gut-bacteria-microbes-make-you-fat) and the mix of gut flora may change (https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/326299.php) due the the impact of ADs. Another factor seems to be that people simply enjoy eating more when they are no longer anxious and/or depressed.

You may find this useful: How to control weight gain when prescribing antidepressants (https://www.mdedge.com/psychiatry/article/62669/how-control-weight-gain-when-prescribing-antidepressants) (Medscape: free registration required to view)