Watch out for Prozac. It caused my body to become EXTREMELY resistant to my efforts to lose weight. I tried everything -- from eating nothing to eating only tuna and grapefruit to running up to 40 miles/week to the Atkins diet -- and NOTHING worked. I did not lose one effin' pound. Not one. This agony continued FOR FOUR YEARS (because my incompetent doctor "forgot" to tell me about that side effect).

I hope your experience is more positive, I really do. I'm not saying that prozac is bad for everyone -- just that it was definitely the wrong drug for me.

Good luck.

I started taking Wellbutrin last fall and I love it. I had tried Celexa before that and it numbed me out a bit too much (and I hated the lower sex drive). The first couple of weeks on WB I had difficulty sleeping but, on the plus side, it really curbed my appetite. These side effects, however, eventually subside (sadly, so did the amazing loss of appetite) but I feel less depressed, have more energy, and don't obsess about food as much.

I hope it works as well for you as it has for me. Good luck!

(BTW, I've gone up slowly in dosage; I now take 150 mg SR in morning and 150 short-acting in afternoon.)

I've been on Lexapro for several months now & love it. Then I hit an all time depressive low that I couldn't knock out of & my dr gave me wellbutrin along with the lexapro to see if that helped. The first time I took it (only 100 mg) I was jittery & flying off the walls. I abstained from it for about a week & then tried it again. No problems the second time around. Now, 2 months later I take 200 mg of Wellbutin SR in the morning and 10 mg Lexapro as well. No negative side effects except lack of libido. I have OCD & also take anti-anxiety meds as needed. I wish Wellbutrin would decrease my appetite but it hasn't!

Paty

hi paty-
i am starting to suspect that part of my problem is ocd. could you let me know some of the symptoms and what drugs have worked for you?

thanks a lot.

I had a pretty bad depression relapse just over a year ago. My doctor prescribed Prozac. It definitely took away that feeling of sadness and desperation, but it also made me kind of numb to everything. The worst parts for me were: 1) I totally lost my sex drive, 2) I found it very hard to sit still and concentrate at work, and 3) my appetite became voracious! I gained 40 lbs.... which I have yet to lose.

A few months ago I got a new doctor. I told her I couldn't stand to gain anymore weight and she witched me to Wellbutrin. Since then, my sex drive has returned and my appetite has decreased. But... I don;t know if it's all that much better. My irritability had definitely increased - I get frustrated or in a bad mood very easily now. And, when I forget to my pill in the morning, I start crying at work for any reason at all.

The worst part for me now is being overweight. I was really hoping that the weight would come off when I stopped taking Prozac, but it hasn't. It's going to be a long hard road to get back to where I used to be. When I first started taking Prozac I was in great shape - I got that way by working out hard at the gym for 3 years. I was proud of my shape and my strength (from weight training). I used to feel totally confident baring my abs in a bratop at the gym or sitting on the beach in a swimsuit. Now I look like a completely different person. Everytime I see myself in the mirror, I cringe. I have been forced to spend hundreds of dollars buying new (bigger) clothes. I hide from acquaintances who used to know me a year ago because I can't stand the embarassment of people's eyes popping out when they realize that the "fat girl" is me.

It's been so hard that sometimes I wish I had just suffered through the depression instead of taking those damned Prozac pills.

Anyway, that's my story, in case anyone is interested.

I can relate. Doesn't it make you mad that nobody discloses Prozac's very serious side effect of weight gain? They just say "oh, this will make you feel better, have some. In fact, have some more!"

i had no idea that prozac influenced weight gain. that is one drug that i have not tried yet, and will certainly think twice before i do. i've had no problem with weight loss while on wellbutrin and celexa, and they don't seem to have effected my sex drive. i still don't feel as good as i want to, but better than i have in years. good luck with the wellbutrin and the weight will come off as long as you are committed to getting it off.

Hello, I am a manic depressant and have been on both Wellbrutrin and Effexor... Effexor was okay but caused me to become manic so they took me off and put me on Wellbrutin... If helped me to lose about 30 pounds and helped my depression at 100 mg a day. However, it became less effective and he upped the dosage. At 300 mg it made me very ill...so he switched it... Recently, I am back on it and feeling better...it is supposed to aid in weight loss, and not have any side effects on your sex drive... By the way, I took the 300 mg's in 2 dosages a day so yes they do prescribe it like this... But I would see how the one dose works for a while first... Doctors like to go by the book but not everyone reacts the same to meds...I am very sensitive to it... I've been on every antidepressant, mood stablizer, and a few other drugs... Hope this helps you..good luck!!!

I just started 150 mg Wellbutrin on top of 150 mg Effexor to counteract sexual dysfunction and weight gain..but now I have vaginal bleeding. Anybody had experience with this combo? Deb G E

I was on Wellbutrin for about a year for help in treating depression. On the positive side I lost a considerable amount of weight and the drug really helped my depression. But the negatvie effects of the drug were just too overwhelming. I discovered that I really was dealing with an anxiety problem and the wellbutrin seemed to exascerbate those symptoms. Wellbutrin also made it very difficult for me to concentrate. I could just not retain any information while I was on wellbutrin.

Wellabutrin caused a major increase of anxiety for me. I'm on Lexapro, which helped both my anxiety and depression.

I also take lexapro 25mgs daily. My dr gave me a script for Wellbutrin to conteract the weight gain, my pack a day smoking habit and non exsistant sex drive. I haven't started taking it though.

Remember that everyone reacts differently to different medications. Some people gain weight and some lose weight. I had a friend who took zoloft and couldn't gain a pound. Another who gained weight on it. I developed a rash while taking it. So see it just depends on the person. You have to find out which one works right for YOU

Oh I forgot to add this!

Avlimil works for decreased libido. I got the 30 day trial for 4.95 online and after about 25 days.. I felt like a teenager again!

http://avlimil.com/index.html

it doesn't cause any problems with any drugs and my dr said it was ok to take with my lexapro

ketodiva- I also have agrophobia. No panic attacks in 2 years. The SSRI's are great aren't they?

In Nov 1999 I started taking Wellbutrin for my depression and it was also rec to help me stop smoking. To date I am 2 months away from celebrating 5 yrs SMOKE FREE! A wonderful side effect is that my sex drive was wonderful and I started excercising and dieting (all of a sudeen it was a no brainer that you took care of yourself) so 30 lbs later my life was wonderful. Then my brother died from un-diagnosed lupus. Needless to say I hit rock bottom and it was a long time before I was able to get back on track. I yo-yo'd from then on when it came to dieting. I was also an alcoholic and new that alcohol with my medication was not doing me any good, and the weight I gained and bloatedness was all a result in my alcoholism. It wasn't until Jan 1, 2001 that I had the strength to tackle my alcoholism. I have not had a drink since. I had never felt better in my life and the weight started to melt off without even trying. Before I new it I had substituted my alcohol for a pint of decadent ice cream every night and again the weight is back on plus. (Boy do I sound pathetic) So here I am smoke free, alcohol free AND heavier than I've ever been before!
I take 400mg a day of Wellbutrin (200mg tabs 2 x's a day, they must be taken 4 hrs between each dose) I also take Effexor 75mg a day. I am looking into going off my effexor but with my history who am I to tempt fate.
I started Atkins on 8/1/03 and as of today I have lost 13 lbs. and 10.25 inches. This way of eating is very easy for me and I'm hoping to get my sugar craving under controll for ever.
My weight is the last thing I have to conquer on my list of things to do to get my life to "normal" My most frustrating moments were when I would look at others and say to myself "Whats it like to be normal" Hopefully I will know soon, I know I'm closer than I have ever been in my life.

Taking every day at a time!
Rhonda

Rhonda -- that was a really beautiful post, and inspiring. Thank you.

It's amazing to me how the topics that come up in this forum end up touching on everything under the sun. We start out talking about weight and metabolism and we end up talking about everything.