Active Health

What you want is to wake up and look in the mirror and see yourself happy about the joys the day will bring. But sometimes it’s a tough choice between grabbing the glass of water - taking the pill to face the possibility of gaining more weight; or not taking the anti-depressant and living the day however it decides to unleash itself. Well the only reason why you’d take an anti-depressant is for the positive effects right? So you take it anyway and decide to endure what I call Depressionless (but) Overweight Syndrome. (That’s not a medical term, but it fits) After a few weeks you notice that things are going okay, but you’ve added some un-necessary pounds.

Since 2002 over 13 million patients use the FDA approved Lexapro (escitalopram oxalate) to help with depression and generalized anxiety disorder. A large majority of its users only considered taking Lexapro after trying out other prescriptions that failed. Some of those users have stated the side effects overwhelm its positive traits. If you have gained weight from using lexapro the first and most important thing to know is that you are not alone.

Facts about serotonin and health

Lexapro is a SSRI (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor) and works by increasing your Serotonin levels. Generally it has a life of more than twenty-four hours and is taken once daily. Serotonin has an important role in controlling mood, sleep, sexuality, and appetite. It’s located in your gut and in your blood stream.

The deeper you get in learning about Serotonin you find that it has an effect on the fluctuation in weight. Most users who’ve experienced an increase in weight are taking the 10mg dose and have gained an average of twenty (20) pounds. Some even experience fatigue and loose the sensation of when-to-stop-eating all while maintaining a rigid exercise routine.

I came across SeroTab, a Serotonin supplement. It seems that it was originally designed and targeted for users who wanted to increase Serotonin levels but my guess is that poor marketing and advertising led the makers to market it towards the weight loss market.

“Young explains that Serotab is a supplement and not a prescription drug, but it was developed by a medical doctor and is manufactured and marketed exclusively by Directly Young. Practicing doctors completed studies on the effectiveness of the drug on migraine headaches, fibromyalgia and weight loss. The tests lasted six weeks and included approximately 40 patients. ‘The results showed a 74-percent success rate compared to a 67-percent success rate of prescription antidepressants,’ says Young.” [Taken from Recipes Today]

The best knowledge of combating the fluctuation is compromised from reading various forum posts, expert opinions, and general knowledge of serotonin and lexapro - so the suggestions below may or may not prove to yield results.

• Research and consult with your doctor about the use of Seroslim (formerly SeroTab)
• Try eating carbohydrate-rich meals to increase serotonin but understand that using food as an alternative is a temporary solution vs. a anti-depressant prescription
• Develop a strong and consistent exercise routine to combat weight and depression
• Develop consistent sleep patterns
• Try and determine if using Lexapro works better for you in the day or at night
• Consider changing your diet/nutritional values
• Consider switching to another prescription
• Be careful withdrawing from anti-depression prescriptions
• Variations of the above all with the consultation of your health care professional

Other Resources:

How to Withdraw from Anti-Depressants

Another forum at drugs.com

Lexapro Weight Less Forum

Anti-depressants Forum

Panic disorder and Zoloft

Antidepressant Prozac

Zyban Antidepressant

Celexa and Depression

Remember that what really matters with any emotion; is to know that you’re not alone foremost and there are people who can help you along your journey. Your journey to depressionless days while keeping your weight in check.