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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 18 of 18. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by deb2 on March 12, 2000, at 17:36:44
Hi everyone! I posted a thread a couple of weeks ago about meds in general because i am considering going off my meds. I have been slowly withdrawing from Paxil (very, very slowly 'cause i did it too fast at the beginning), tapering down on wellbutrin (which i only started about 6 weeks ago when i initially started weaning myself off of paxil), buspar but still taking 1 mg. of xanax every day. feel like a walking drugstore. anyway, i've been on paxil for 2 years, buspar and xanax off and on for the past 2 years but at very, very small dosage (for the xanax that is)...i am a very active 35 year old woman with 2 kids, a full-time job in a law office and a husband....i work out about 4 times a week and generally, eat a very, very healthy diet. however, since the start of paxil, i have gained 35 lbs that will NOT budge and have found that the xanax increases my appetite. although when i am off xanax, i still cannot keep the weight off because of the paxil....it seems like no matter what i do, i cannot get rid of these pounds...it really sucks...i am wondering if these pounds will drop off rapidly when i am med free or whether it will take a few months to see any change....what exactly does paxil do your metabolism, if anything at all to make you gain/keep on weight? i do not understand. any advice would be greatly appreciated.
thanks.
peace and good thoughts,
deb
Posted by ptroy on March 13, 2000, at 7:56:45
In reply to Paxil....weight gain revisited., posted by deb2 on March 12, 2000, at 17:36:44
i really hope someone gives us good news on how to drop the paxil weight post meds. Let me tell you my story and you can make of it what you will.
I started taking paxil about 13 months ago (feb of 1999 for panic/anxiety attacks/disorder. It was great, after feeling like a heroin addict while taking xanax (be very careful, very physically addictive, and i personally had very bad withdrawals), paxil seemed to be the best. things went great for about 6 months, no really changes to my life.
After about 6 months, i started noticing that i was gaining weight, but i figured it cannot be paxil because it had been 6 months since i started taking it. I also (which i did not attribute to paxil for the same reason) COMPLETELY lost my libido, and was very tired in the evenings.
As my clothes no longer fit, and the new clothes i bought also began to not fit, i said something must be wrong. I called my doctor, asked our fitness manager, and they both told me the same answer: you are just getting older, this happens, blah blah blah. But i know my body, my health, and my history, and something was just not right. I figured i must have gained 20 pounds, and was disgusted.
I must tell you also, during the year i was taking paxil, i maintained a low cal EXTREMELY low fat (to the point that i am neurotic). I am a 29 year old mail, exercised 4-5 times a week (cardio for 45-60 minutes), and have always been very thin, along with my family. So gaining excessive weight out of the blue was not normal. I read the drug books and the paxil maker drug info, and they both said that it should cause weight loss if anything.
Well, long story short, i finally went on the internet and did some poking around, and quickly found an ENORMOUS amount of people who had taken paxil and gained EXCESSIVE weight (40, 50, 60+ pounds), were unable to lose it while on the drug, and had an EXTREMELY hard time losing it when OFF paxil. Well i just about keeled over, since i would have NEVER taken paxil had i been told there was a possibility of weight gain. I flew back to my doctor, he fed me the same line of crap again about getting old, so i got on the scale and came to the horror that paxil had caused me to gain 40 POUNDS in one year.
I immediately stopped taking the drug, and started taking wellbutrin (but i stopped wellbutrin also because i needed to ensure that no drugs could be playing into my attempt to lose this weight.
Well, it has been 2 months med free (i am fortunate in that i am able to control these attacks naturally, but sadly that is not an option for all), and i have lost 3 pounds. I am DISGUSTED with the maker of paxil, my doctor, and myself for allowing this to happen. I have since changed my doctor, written to the maker of paxil, and been trying to drop the weight with very little results.
It has caused me extreme duress/stress (although i did get my libido back which was putting a serious strain on my relationship with my fiancee), and i hate myself for ever taking it.
I now take a few all natural metabolism "increasers", have stepped up my exercise, and eat even less than i had (1500 no fat calories a day), and have barely lost an ounce. People tell me it does come off in time (6-8 months, sometimes years), but i dont see why people should have to go through this, especially when they are lied to about the effects of paxil.
In closing, if you find out anything about successful post paxil weight loss methods, please post it, i would love to read it. Also, encourage anyone you know who has had bad side effects with paxil (especially weight gain, since the maker of paxil STILL claims this is not a side effect) to post their story. It might make others think twice/heavily investigate taking paxil.
Thanks, i hope all works out for you.
Posted by deb2 on March 13, 2000, at 19:01:11
In reply to Re: Paxil....weight gain revisited., posted by ptroy on March 13, 2000, at 7:56:45
Wow. Thanks a lot for the feedback. I have gained about 40 lbs since I started taking Paxil 2 years and I too have the goal of becoming med free. Congrats and good luck. I do understand, however, that I may need medication again someday during a crisis period. What kind of natural metabolism boosters do you take? I am taking chromium picolinate and l-carnitine as well as some other natural green foods (spirulina) to help with digestion; also take acidophilus for this. Since you have been off the meds, has your appetite decreased? I have always had a large appetite with these drugs but try to keep a good grip on it. Like you, I am active and maintain a healty lifestyle...however, i keep having to buy bigger and bigger clothes. It really, really sucks. I really hate feeling so fat and bloated. Yes Paxil has done wonders for me but the resulting weight gain has totally ruined my self image.....i have tried wellbutrin (still weaning off this) but no luck with the weight thing. Glad to hear you are doing so well. I am curious to find out exactly what it is about this drug that causes weight gain...does it change your metabolism, does it do something to your blood sugar, what? Being overweight SUCKS!
Posted by ptroy on March 15, 2000, at 8:33:33
In reply to Re: Paxil....weight gain revisited., posted by deb2 on March 13, 2000, at 19:01:11
Deb2, i feel your pain, believe me, i feel it. I take chromium and L Carnitine also, along with pyruvate, and st. johns. I wish someone could give me an answer about why/how paxil causes these problems, the theory i have heard most is that it MAJORLY screws up your metabolism, even after you stop taking it. I also read something about its effect on Leptin, but i was unable to find anything else about this.
Sad thing is, no one has a definitive answer on what it does, and until just recently, no one even knew paxil caused grotesque weight gain because the maker says it causes you to lose weight, and the doctors just believe what the drug companies tell them. The funny thing is, i was originally prescribed zoloft, but i read in a drug/medication book that there was a POSSIBLE side effect with zoloft of weight gain, so after researching paxil in these meds books (and the drug makers website, what a crock of poop), i ASKED to be switched to paxil, and my doctor said, great choice, that doesnt cause weight gain.
well, the whole thing has taught me a valuable lesson (never ever take a drug without doing your research, fairly extensive at that), and shown me some valuable information sources for researching meds (this and other BBS's).
I have been off paxil 2 months, and all meds for 6 weeks. What i have read, and i have to believe or i will go insane with depression, is that it takes time to lose the paxil weight. It probably took me 8 months to put it on, so i am giving myself 8 to take it off. I think it might stay in your system much longer than they originally thought, so i keep plugging away with exercise and diet. I fortunately never had a large appetite, before/during/after paxil, so i havent noticed much change there.
mark my words, the real truth about paxil and the other wonder drug ssri's will surface soon, when all the bloated/fattties like us come forward demanding the record be set straight. paxil and those drugs work great for some, and cause no weight gain, but i have gotten into numerous fights on other boards with people who say, "why dont you try diet and exercise, and be motivated"...they just dont get it, and the funny thing is, i bet even being 40 pounds heavier i am still in better shape than them. when normal techniques, proven over decades, dont help drop the weight, it is VERY disheartening.
Just keep plugging along i guess, it is depressing, and i have my days where i am very upbeat and say, oh well, i will just plug along, and days where i want to lop off a limb to reduce my weight...but i guess there are a lot of people in worse siutations out there, so i do the best i can.
i will post anything i find on paxil and weight, and if you would do the same that would be great.
take care and hope you are well.
Posted by Julie on March 15, 2000, at 10:52:42
In reply to Re: Paxil....weight gain revisited., posted by ptroy on March 15, 2000, at 8:33:33
Boy, can I relate. My 40 pound weight gain came from Zoloft-- I started ballooning about 6 months after I began taking it, but I stayed on it because it worked so well otherwise. I work out 4 or 5 times a week, 40-60 minutes hard-core cardio; I eat sensibly. I've lost 10 pounds in 6 years. I switched to Effexor almost a year ago, with little weight improvement so far. I think my psych-doc may finally believe me that the weight is meds-related... but the reaction from family, friends, and love interests was extremely disheartening. (My current boyfriend is a sweetheart. We work out together, and he says he likes how I look.) Until the Zoloft, I was fairly slender--no one in my family is overweight. I've learned firsthand about the disrespecful treatment overweight people receive in this society-- it's been an interesting insight.
Ptroy, where did you find the info that Paxil messes up metabolism bigtime?
The cites I've found: A thread from Dr. Bob's RX QX called "Antidepressants least likely to cause weight gain"; a question about Zoloft and weight gain at http://www.thriveonline.com/health/experts/psychdoc. (this may be somewhere else, since thrive's reorganized); and an article at http://www.cme-reviews.com/PP 198_Sussman.html.I really wish researchers would figure out what's up with this. It's upsetting, scary, and unhealthy. (My excess weight's mostly in the stomach; this increases heart disease risk...)
Posted by megs on March 15, 2000, at 14:16:05
In reply to Re: Paxil....weight gain revisited., posted by Julie on March 15, 2000, at 10:52:42
>I too have put on alot of weight with paxil. I was wondering if anyone knows of someone on paxil with wellbutrin that has had success. I know the wellbutrin does cause weight loss in some people.
Posted by Louise on March 15, 2000, at 23:29:31
In reply to Re: Paxil....weight gain revisited., posted by megs on March 15, 2000, at 14:16:05
>Hi Deb2
Add me to the list of previously thin petite people who has gained a lot of weight on Paxil. I took Paxil for 1 yr. for panic attacks and I felt great and free of attacks. Despite the fact that I went on the Weight Watchers but failed to lose weight and now I am on Sugar Busters for 3 months, I still have lost no weight. I put on 1/2 pound at the same time that my husband lost 20 pounds. I bought all the food and did all the cooking and never cheated. I probably would be 20 pounds heavier if I wasn't on Sugar Busters.Do you think that all of us roly-polys could band together and start a class action law suit against the manufacturer of Paxil? Anyone want to consider this. Any lawyers out there who would like to take the pharmaceutical co. on? Thanks for your feedback. Louise
Posted by Jane on March 16, 2000, at 4:06:28
In reply to Re: Paxil....weight gain revisited., posted by Louise on March 15, 2000, at 23:29:31
Hi, I just found this sight and have been reading with interest about weight gain with Paxil. I have been on it for about a year or so and was on Prozac before that. I have put on weight, a lot(!) and thought it was due to my inactivity and age. You have given me food for thought, and am now wondering if anyone has been on Prozac before the Paxil. I have multiple sclerosis and am in a wheelchair so exercise is not a possibility. But like the rest of you, I hate this extra 40+ poundage, and the big lady clothes. I have always been slender and this is just intolerable. I hate the fat worse that I do the MS! Anyone there who can give me some suggestions?
Posted by ptroy on March 16, 2000, at 8:01:10
In reply to Re: Paxil....weight gain revisited., posted by Louise on March 15, 2000, at 23:29:31
I would love to file a suit against them, and i have already thought about that and begun looking for a firm which does that type of work. I think it is up to a pharm. company to be FULLY thorough with their testing, and the fact that the makers of Paxil still dont mention EXTREME delayed weight gain (it would be one thing if you started gaining weight immediately, but it can take up to 6 months, and then there is no stopping it).
I just go on the scale again this morning, after being off Paxil for over 2 months, and have lost a whopping 4 pounds. It ruined my day and is actually ruining my life. I have added running to my exercise regiment, along with my continued EXTEMELY low fat/low cal diet, and i still cannot lose weight.
Also, i have been checked by a doctor for any other possible causes of the weight gain (thyroid, etc.), and they have been ruled out. It is really a shame that so many of us have to lead miserable lives, and focus/dedicate so much time on losing weight which was out of our control and unknown to us. It really sickens me, and i am willing to take the time to bring this to the medical and pharmaceutical industries attention. It just isnt right, they need to be held accountable for their creations.
Posted by megs on March 20, 2000, at 16:11:00
In reply to Re: Paxil....weight gain revisited., posted by ptroy on March 16, 2000, at 8:01:10
I wonder if there is a way to get in contact with smithkline beecham and ask about this concern. I imagine from a pharma point of view the less side effects a med has the better for them. Paxil has worked well for me but I really would like to try something else and see if I could lose the weight. I have asked before but has anyone tried to mix paxil and wellbutrin with any success?
Posted by Louise on March 20, 2000, at 22:15:34
In reply to Re: Paxil....weight gain revisited., posted by megs on March 20, 2000, at 16:11:00
>
> Do you think it would be a good idea to get in contact with Smithkline to tell them of our weight gain if later on we try to file a law suit against them for non-disclosure? Aren't there any attorneys out there who would like to take Smithkline on.
Posted by Cici9601 on January 1, 2001, at 20:00:56
In reply to Re: Paxil....weight gain revisited., posted by Louise on March 20, 2000, at 22:15:34
> >
> > Do you think it would be a good idea to get in contact with Smithkline to tell them of our weight gain if later on we try to file a law suit against them for non-disclosure? Aren't there any attorneys out there who would like to take Smithkline on.
> >
Hi. I totally emphathize with so many of you!!! I actually was depressed partly because I had gained some weight (I'm normally very thin) and was put on PAXIL!!! My doctor acknowledged my concern with weight and told me that it would not be a problem with this drug. I have since gained 15 pounds in 4 months with this drug. Like many of you, I have found the weight gain to be intolerable and resistant to many of my efforts. This is more depressing than the reasons I had sought out the Paxil...The worst is when people comment on your change, like so many do to me, again, because I was so thin before...but its not my fault!! Its the ****ing medication. I hope to God that more people aren't lied to like we were. Devastating to women.
Posted by SSmith on April 9, 2004, at 18:35:13
In reply to Re: Paxil....weight gain revisited., posted by ptroy on March 16, 2000, at 8:01:10
I'm so freaked out now. I have no idea how old this thread is, but it was the first result in my google search on 'Paxil weight gain'. I've been on Paxil for two years now, gaining weight rapidly. My doctor has ridiculed me, lied to me, and been just plain crooked. I was thin, fit and healthy before Paxil, but that didn't stop my doc from BSing me about how my eating and exercise habits must not be up to par. So not only have I had to suffer crippling anxiety, but now I've been screwed over by the doctors I sought out to help me.
I just now dumped a whole bottle of paxil into the toilet. I know the withdrawl is terrible, but not nearly as bad as the hurt I feel knowing that I HAVEN'T been the only one suffering these terrible side effects, as my doctor would have me believe.
A class-action lawsuit is looking pretty damn good right now. My anxiety attacks have been lessened but at the cost of my over-all health. Something I was not informed of.
Posted by SSmith on April 9, 2004, at 18:44:16
In reply to Re: Paxil....weight gain revisited., posted by Cici9601 on January 1, 2001, at 20:00:56
Devastating to women.
>
Its not just women. I haven't had any cruel comments made on my weight by anyone other than my doc. All my friends and girlfriend have been supportive, but they couldn't help but notice the radical change in my weight. No one could. I went from 155, to 200 within a year. I live on one small meal a day, exercise like crazy, thinking that somehow it was my fault. I'm 24 years old, a vegetarian since I was 15, low carb diet since I was 20, and my doc told me it was a result of getting older. This fat cow doc, clucking at me, saying 'you know, we caun't alvays eat like we deed when we were yoonger, Meester Smith' in her snotty foreign accent. ARGH! I'm so glad its not my fault.But now my life is going to crap because my anxiety will be untreated. Maybe a few dozen suicides will straighten out the BS industry.
Posted by Juniper Piedmont on July 12, 2006, at 14:12:09
In reply to Paxil....weight gain revisited., posted by deb2 on March 12, 2000, at 17:36:44
Hi All,
I am 30, 5'6 and went from 140 to 190 (fifty pounds!) In the tree years I've been taking Paxil. Things that had helped me lose weight before Paxil (exercise, Atkins, Weightwatchers) have no effect and in fact my weight just keeps going up, up, up.
To the perso who said they threw the bottle in the toilet...I've read of some pretty apalling side effects if one stops cold turkey--including temporary paralysis etc...If you don't mind some advice, at least go to half dose for a week, then half of that, until you get to 5 mg, then you can stop. After reading the other postings I may do this too, even though they say to always tell your doctor, I don't have a good doctor right now.
Part of the problem is that I take it (and it works really well) for social anxiety, and am a teacher, so it could really affect my job if I stop taking it. I also live a much fuller and pain-free life without the shyness...it's a really tough decision, as much as I'd like to be thin and attractive!
If anyone finds info on how exactly it might be affecting our metabolism, I would really like to know. thank you and best of luck to all of you who are in the same boat!!!
-Juniper
Posted by HadEnough on October 15, 2006, at 23:39:28
In reply to Re: Paxil....weight gain revisited., posted by Juniper Piedmont on July 12, 2006, at 14:12:09
> Hi All,
> I am 30, 5'6 and went from 140 to 190 (fifty pounds!) In the tree years I've been taking Paxil. Things that had helped me lose weight before Paxil (exercise, Atkins, Weightwatchers) have no effect and in fact my weight just keeps going up, up, up.
> To the perso who said they threw the bottle in the toilet...I've read of some pretty apalling side effects if one stops cold turkey--including temporary paralysis etc...If you don't mind some advice, at least go to half dose for a week, then half of that, until you get to 5 mg, then you can stop. After reading the other postings I may do this too, even though they say to always tell your doctor, I don't have a good doctor right now.
> -JuniperWell,
I have weaned myself off Paroxetine (Paxil) 20mg around 9 months ago, after 2 years of treatment.
Paroxetine worked wonders, I felt great, but it made me gain 30lbs that I haven't been able to eliminate yet. I quit it because I couldn't stand the thought of becoming any bigger than I was.
Now I have two problems: I'm still depressed and, to top it off, I'm overweight!!!
It sucks. Big time!
HadEnough
Posted by SSmith on October 24, 2006, at 22:24:36
In reply to Re: Paxil....weight gain revisited. » Juniper Piedmont, posted by HadEnough on October 15, 2006, at 23:39:28
It's been a few years for me. I've lost the weight, my anxiety has improved somewhat, but I still have trouble. Paxil helped me get my mind around the idea of functioning on my own. I don't think anyone should be left on it for long at a time. My Dr still clicks her tongue and wags her Paxil ink pen at me.
Posted by aubrey1117 on August 27, 2007, at 18:15:29
In reply to Re: Paxil....weight gain revisited., posted by Cici9601 on January 1, 2001, at 20:00:56
OMG-----I have found my people-----i have gained 50lbs in the last 2 years-----i come from a family that is not what you would call thin---but i have always been thin and active----so when i started to gain weight i figured well here it comes its finally going to catch up with me-----well thats what i thought when it was still in the 30lbs gained range-----when i hit 40-45-----and i was running 3 miles a day and barely eating i knew something was wrong------i didnt think for a second it was the paxil---cause its not a listed side effect----so i have an IUD also---and that is where i placed my blame------so i went to the gyno and reqested it be taken out and explained why-----she says its 100% the paxil and not the IUD----so here i am a litte over a week later and i have lost 10 lbs already------i am so upset that i let myself live like that and feel so awful about myself for even a minute-----i am luck and have not had any issues without the meds----i wish everyone luck and good health without this med----AM
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