Hi..
I haven't been on the board in a long, long, time... I reached my goal weight last March-135-after a year of low-carbing. Then had some fairly severe anxiety problems and dropped down to 130. My doctor put me on an anti-anxiety medication called Lexapro- since I am very drug sensitive he said this one would have the least side effects. Since then I have gained 10 pounds, even though I'm not really eating any differently and maintaining a low-carb eating habits- Anyone have any experience with this particular drug and weight gain? My doctor says it isn't the drug- it is just that I am feeling better and my appetite has returned--and yes, from the 130 point I was really wasn't eating at all. But I'd like to get back down to 135 (from 143).

Thoughts?

Hey, eester.

I take Lexapro; started it about a year prior to LC'ing. Since I was already on the med, I'm not sure who it has affected my weight loss. I do know it has really helped me to manage my anxiety, though.

I may be losing at a slower rate than if I were not using Lexapro; I don't know. I do believe, though, that I would be doing WAY worse without the meds because I tend to nibble, nibble, nibble when anxious. Not good.

Commit yourself to doing a good, clean Induction for 2 weeks and see how it goes. You likely will not lose as fast as you did the first time around -- I've seen that in lots of folks here on the board who are 2nd and 3rd timers. And you have so little to lose that it's going to take a bit of time. But you may see that it's easier to stay on plan when your anxiety is under control.

Let me know how you're doing...

From my research into anti-depressants (particularly SSRI's like Lexapro, Paxil, Prozac, etc), it appears that side effects are very individualized. That is, one person may experience weight gain on one drug but not on another. I was given Lexapro myself, but was too scared of the side effects to take it. I got really sick the first day taking it and stopped. Also, it seems many people would experience loss of appetite in the beginning, but then would gain weight with SSRI's after awhile of taking them.


Serre