Best anxiety meds with NO weight gain
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Anonymous
Yes- I lost weight on it and my anxiety was remarkably improved |
Anonymous
I am on SSRis because I agree. But being fat also sucks. |
Anonymous
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Just want to add a note about this. Everyone was all, people are different, blah blah metabolism. But Ozempic and other weight loss drugs have shown that if you fix the eating, you lose weight.
SSRIs are either stimulating your appetite, or removing the anxiety that depressed your appetite. You absolutely can *not* gain weight when taking these drugs, but you may have to count calories and accept being hungry. If you can't accept those parameters, then yes you may gain weight. |
Anonymous
| Prozac is known for being weight neutral or a slight loss |
Anonymous
Paxil is known to be an SSRI that causes weight gain |
Anonymous
| Darn it. Weight gain on Paxil |
Anonymous
| Anyone manage not to gain on Paxil? |
Anonymous
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There is no pill that will make you happy. It's a jumping off point to getting better though.
In terms of side effects, I wouldn't fixate on weight gain because it's really about the overall profile of all side effects and how they impact you. I have been on anxiety meds that caused insomnia, low energy, depression, night sweats, and (confoundingly) increased anxiety. All of those side effects can lead to weight gain because it turns out when you can't sleep, don't feel like exercising, or just feel like crap, you will gain weight. There's were meds that other people take without those issues. It's very personal. I'd tell your doctor you would like anxiety meds and want to minimize ALL side effects. This will ensure they start you on a low dose. Try one, see how it goes, if it doesn't work out, try another. People have suggested some good starter meds on here, but your doctor may also have good suggestions. BUT don't stop there! View the meds as a way to address the urgent issue, and then create a plan that will actually reduce your anxiety. I think this HAS to include: - Exercise plan, focus on something you can stick to, bonus if it gets you outside because moving your body outside is a proven way to reduce anxiety. - Sleep plan. This maybe should be first. Aim for 8 hours, every night, on the same schedule, without screens or other disruptors in the room. Really high quality sleep. - Check in with diet to see if there is anything that could be making anxiety worse (caffeine is an obvious culprit, but alcohol, lack of key vitamins, and anything that can cause lack of energy can be bad too). Look at how your diet might be impacting sleep, too. Sleep is so key. Other stuff to try that I have found to have greater longterm impacts on anxiety than medication: - CBT workbook. Do the exercises when you feel anxiety mounting. Read about the kinds of anxious thought patterns and how they cause your anxiety to spiral. This will help you get to know your own mind and train yourself to disrupt anxious thinking. - Mindfulness or meditation. For me, meditation does not work but other people like it. I think an app is a great way to introduce this. I prefer mindfulness exercises and have taken classes in mindfulness (lots of online option). Again, helps you learn to disrupt anxious thinking when it mounts. Just this morning I did mindfulness exercises through a stressful dental procedure and it was enormously helpful. My dentist knows I have major dental anxiety but he said "you seemed so relaxed!" It's because I was using mindfulness to relax my body, which helped calm my mind. I was still anxious, but not panicking or spiraling. In the long term, it's about mastering you own thinking so you are no longer a slave to anxiety. I don't think I'll ever get rid of anxiety, but it no longer feels like it rules my life all the time. I get through very stressful periods a bit more easily, and I know how to address an anxious spiral when it happens. Good luck, OP. I know you can do it. I was anxious from childhood and into my 30s before I started the above, and a decade later it's really well controlled. If I can do it, you can do it too! |
Anonymous
Get on semaglutide. I got on it to only lose about 15lbs. Losing that weight was the world's biggest mood booster. |