Did you gain weight on Lexapro?

Answer 1

In studies, people treated with Lexapro experienced no clinically important weight change as a result of therapy. If you have concerns about any side effects, you should talk with your healthcare professional or doctor. The side effects listed for Lexapro are nausea, dry mouth, somnolence, insomnia, diaphoresis tremor, diarrhea, abnormal ejaculation, dyspepsia, fatigue, anxiety, vomiting, anorexia, sinusitus, sexual dysfunction, menstrual disorder, abdominal pain, agitation, decreased libido. But out of these side effects, only 4 to 8 % of all people who take this drug experience any weight change and that weight change has been reported as anorexia not weight gain.

Personal Experiences

Yes, I did gain weight. After 18 months of 10mg daily, I gained 20+ lbs. I am sure it's a chemical reaction to the Rx, as my diet did not change. In fact, the way the drug works changes your hormones and metabolism. Both medical professionals and patients who have taken the Rx confirm the weight gain side effect. I hope after the 4-6 week withdrawal period, my body will readjust to my optimal weight. Keep in mind it still takes time to lose the weight, but it shouldn't be impossible (FYI: I could not lose more than 1-2 lbs while on the Lexapro, no matter how healthy I ate or active I was)!

Answer 2

The Medical Answer

In clinical trials Lexapro was shown to be weight gain neutral. This is different than other SSRIs that appear to cause weight gain. This is very different than being shown to have no effect on weight. This means that just as mean people in the lexapro group gained weight as lost weight. What's important is that the number of people that changed weight in the lexapro group was significantly larger than that of the placebo group indicating that lexapro does impact weight. What this really means is that Lexapro can increase or decrease weight depending on the person. Scientists really do not know why this is the case.

With that said, there were still many people in the placebo group that gained weight, so it is very difficult to attribute all of the weight gain to Lexapro.

After withdrawing from Lexapro, it may or may not cause a change in weight. There are currently no clinical trials or studies that have been conducted studying this aspect.

One answer

I took Lexapro for 8 years and my weight did not change at all.

An additional answer

It sounds as though many people are contributing significant weight gain or loss to Lexapro, when in reality, although a possible side effect, the shift in weight may be a symptom of an unhealthy diet.

An additional answer

I disagree. It has been confirmed over and over, weight gain is very typical of anti-depressants, particularly SSRIs.

Unfortunately, appetite increases which has a lot to do with the gain, but the hormones/metabolism are affected so the body does not want to let the weight go despite improved diet/exercisezperiodz

At least during use that can happen. Let's see how if changes after withdrawal. However, lifestyle changes will be necessary to get the weight loss started once all the chemicals leave the system.

Good luck to anyone dealing with this!

Doctors hand out meds like candy. They need to stop and not look at their patients as if they are clueless idiots. Doctors get monetary rewards and incentives from pharamceutical companies for handing out certain meds. Like my 90 year old perfectly healthy grandmother says: "everything in moderation" and "whatever happened to a good run to boost your mood?". Almost all antidepressants cause significant weight gain. Part of the reason is a change in the body's response to insulin. This is why some people gain and some people lose weight. These meds cause a sort of diabetic response. Many of the symptoms people report are very much like diabetes, high or low blood sugar. These meds also affect thyroid levels. The resulting symptoms lean either way: sluggishness, headaches, memory loss, inability to lose weight, losing too much weight, etc. I have read hundreds of scholarly articles on this subject. Patients when presenting symptoms need to do their own research. Test your blood sugar levels, liver enzymes, and TSH levels regularly. Weight won't be lost until these levels are back to normal and the meds are completely out of your system. A good supplement that helps improve mood naturally and adjust blood sugar levels is Chromium Picolinate. Cardio and diet are the only solutions to this. Drink a cup of coffee or green tea before a work out. These are natural stimulants and diuretics. Good luck everyone! And never take your docs advice at face value! Do your research and ask them questions, challenge them! Its their job to IMPROVE your health, not to make you sicker so they can make a few bucks! For those of who the meds work wonderfully for, congratulations and stay on your meds.

An Additional answer

I gained 30 lbs on Lexapro.

I eat an extremely good, well-balanced diet, do cardio for 1 hour every day, and work with a trainer 2 days a week. The trainer and my doctors could not explain the weight gain. I decreased my caloric intake and that still did not help. Now, 3 years after taking myself off the Lexapro, I am still having trouble losing the excess weight.

My Experience with Two Periods on Lexapro

The two times I took Lexapro because of severe depression/anxiety, I had lost weight in the run up to being prescribed the drug so that I started abnormally low in weight. The first time I took the drug I was on it for 6 months and actually put the weight on in the 6 months after I stopped taking it. I was exercising and took dietary measures to combat the gain but I ended up at around 185lbs when 175 is a good weight for me. After this period of weight gain I started to drop back down to the 175 range.

After about 18 months I had another depressive episode and went down to under 160lbs before starting on the drug. I have been on for a year and have climbed to a peak of about 195lbs. I am presently taking more exercise than I have in years and I am very aerobically fit but the weight is just piling on around my middle. I am at my heaviest ever and it absolutely has to do with Lexapro. I don't drink sodas and my diet is almost entirely vegetarian. I have been tapering off over the last three months and it does seem that I get most affected when I come off the medication.

The manufacturers completely downplay this side effect which I would imagine would be serious for a person with existing weight issues.

Another Factor

I have found that Lexapro like many SSRI's led to increased cravings to foods high in sugar as well as processed foods which led to weight gain. 3 months after coming off the drug my appetite is back to normal and the weight is coming off.

Answer 3

Yes, I have only been on Lexapro for a wk and have already gained 8 lbs. Unforetunately this is one of the side effects. Yes, I have only been on Lexapro for a 1 month and have already gained 8 lbs. Unforetunately this is one of the side effects.

Answer 4

I did lose weight at first when I was taking lexapro. But then started to gain weight again. The reason why i was losing weight was because I was nauseated all time when I was on it. But once the side effect went away I started eating normally again.

Answer 5

Weight-gain is not listed as a side-effect of Lexapro. However, in the list of its rare side-effects, "increased hunger" is listed.

Answer 6

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