Lucy, Thank you for the info. I suppose that since I have never suffered the weight gain that I just figured it was caused by the "feeling better, eating more" thing. Phoebe, Your last paragraph was kind of the point I was hoping to get across, that even if the medication does cause a weight gain...isnt the trade off worth it? I know it would be for me as it is for you. I just see so many people suffering from panic/anxiety and letting the possible weight gain keep them from trying medication. I would hope the mental stability would superceed the weight issue and was looking to offer some alternatives that may help motivate people do try it for themselves. It appers that in some people the weight gain is inevitable, but as my particular case shows it is not that way for everyone. As phoebe pointed out, if the weight gain is caused by the medication then there are a plethora of medications to try. And if the medication was to blame, the weight will come back off when the meds are stopped so you have risked little in the experiment. I guess the point is, dont let the weight gain deter you from at least trying the medication, you may find, like many others, that it does not cause the weight gain to begin with or you may find that a few pounds is a fair trade off for good mental health. Have a wonderful day everyone. Mike

Hey Mike, I hate to disagree with you, but SSRIs do tend to cause weight gain in some people. I understand that yes, if you are feeling better your appetite may increase, but I know through my experience, it is the medication that causes the weight gain. I have always been thin, but when I am on medication, I do put on weight. If anything, I have been trying to eat less and exercise more, but the weight won't budge. When I was on Zoloft a few years back, I put on about 18lbs. As soon as I went off the medication, I lost the weight. Over the years I've tried diffent medications and it seems that the ones that work for me, tend to cause weight gain. Back in April, I started taking Effexor XR, and in the course of two months, I put on about 10 lbs. When I went back to the doctor, he noticed right away that I had put on weight and suggested I try something else. He put me on Paxil CR for a month, but I stopped taking it because I did not like the side effects. I am back on the Effexor. I guess it is a trade off. Which would I rather have, panic attacks or a little extra weight? I definitely choose the latter. I am not trying to discourage anyone from taking SSRIs , for fear of gaining weight. Believe me, I am a strong advocate for medication if it makes you feel better. Why suffer when you don't have to.

Another thing to take into consideration is that SSRIs apparently suppress thyroid hormone (that is, make you slightly hypothyroid). I don't know whether this is true or not. But if it is true, it would be difficult to prevent yourself from gaining weight on them. I've been hyperthyroid and hypothyroid, and although I always eat the same and am fairly thin, I was about a stone heavier when I was hypothyroid - it just happens. I agree that this is no reason for people not to take medication if they need it. And I agree that you can probably control it just by eating a bit less than you usually would.

There seems to be what I think is an inordinate amount of fear aimed at weight gain and the use of psychological medications. Lets examine this for a moment. The following information is based on my personal experiences and I [b]stress[/b] that I am not a physician. Here is my thought pattern on this issue...How can a pill make you gain weight? Steriods will puff you up alright but I dont think (someone correct me if I am wrong) that any anti-anxiety/depression medications are steriod based. Perhaps the meds can cause some slight water retention but hardly anything that would really be considered as weight gain. So what is really going on here? My theory is that Anti anxiety/depressant medications tend to give you more energy in order to combat the depression. This of course makes you feel hungry more often and so you eat more. So I believe it is not actually the pill that is adding the weight but rather the food intake generated by the user. So, if this is the case, how do we control it. We can eat carrots and celery when we feel hungry insted of the "comfort" Twinkies and cookies :). Or we can choose to not succomb to the false sense of hunger and maintain our usual eating routine. I have been on several medications over the years that were supposed to cause weight gain and I have never gained a pound. In fact, I was on a diet and continued to lose weight to the tune of 40 lbs. Yes, it was more difficult with the medication making me think I was hungry all the time, but I used my rational inner voice (and some carrots :)) to help me understand that it was the medication that was making me hungry and I would just wait for the next scheduled meal. The next point I would like to address is would you rather be a few pounds heavier or suffer the anxiety and depression? For me this is a non issue...give me the pounds everytime. Even if the medication guaranteed me a 20 lb weight gain and delivered freedom from anxiety and depression, I would choose the freedom. So if you are considering medication and the weight gain is a concern to you, please talk to your physician to find out exactly why that medication causes weight gain. If it is because of a heightened sense of hunger, you can fight it just like you fight the panic and anxiety. The purpos