Increased Appetite and SSRIs

I started taking SSRI's for a severe anxiety disorder a few months ago. It has literally changed my life (for the better). I was at my absolute rock bottom before I started taking this medication, and literally a week or so after I started it, I could see a world of difference in my mental state. I finally feel like myself again.

The only negative side effect that hasn't faded away over the past few months is my extremely increased appetite. I have never been overweight, I usually gain and lose a couple pounds here and there. But since I've started the SSRI's I have gained about 10 pounds, and I literally CANNOT stop eating. I try to eat extremely healthy things like I always have, but it's just not enough. I'm like so hungry to the point where I can't even use willpower to starve myself in between meals. I used to have really good willpower. I do snack a lot too, so it's not like I'm trying to only eat 3 times a day or something.

Anyone else experience this? Is there anything I can do to combat it? I definitely don't want to gain any more weight! Is there anything you can do to suppress appetite, besides taking stimulants? I also exercise every day. It's just not enough exercise to counteract the extra calories, lol. I have considered tapering off the medication, but honestly I feel like it saved my life mentally, and timing wise it's not really convenient to be going through the withdrawal period that I've heard horror stories about. (starting a new job)


HELP!!

I don't know if they're SSRIs offhand, but when I was on Depakote ER and paxil, my appetite was insatiable. Getting off the meds was the only thing that stopped my 90-pound weight gain over 9 months...

Have you tried eating a lot of roughage, like lettuce/vegetables, that fill you up without the calories (as long as they're plain vegetables and not loaded with butter/whatever).

Paxil is an ssri. Yikes! That kinda scares me. I feel like that's where I'm heading I have tried to eat lots of things like that, but like you said, my appetite is pretty much insatiable. It sucks! I have never been this hungry in all my life.

How long did your withdrawal period last/how long did it take you to taper off the paxil? Were you able to lose the weight you gained?

It took me three months to taper off, under the guidance of a doctor as I was 15/16. I was also on an extremely high dosage of Depakote ER that prompted the slow tapering--1000 or 2000mg of Depakote ER is nothing to sneeze at. Neither is 300mg of Paxil. 8( 8( (Yes, I was seeing a fucking quack.)

I lost 30-40 pounds in the six months following, by not really doing anything. My weight yo-yo'd for years. Took a long time to lose the last of the weight, but once I got serious about it, it wasn't that tough or long. Took five years to lose the last of the weight, but only three months of actively trying.

Ah, I feel for you dude. And yes damn that is a lot of Paxil. I also went through an awful experience like that around age 15/16 which left me terrified of any sort of prescription antidepressant therapy. The quack I saw prescribed me all different kinds of stuff which I naively mixed with street drugs, and the result was weight gain/loss and suicide attempts. I was able to finally eat normally and healthily for the years that followed as I got more and more sober from street drugs. Then, after reaching rock bottom again a couple months ago I felt I had to give it another go and I've decided to stick to the medication for a bit longer. I am about to go through a huge lifestyle change in a week (moving) so I'm hoping that having a routine again will help me to just not eat as much! You can say mind over matter, but sometimes that's easier said than done. Especially when you're trying to work through other psychological issues.

Mirtazapine done this for me - Cipralex did not, in fact cipralex did nothing for me