Hi everyone...
OK I recently was prescribed Prozac to treat mild depression (only 10mg a day) and was not told anything about a chance of weight gain. I am in my first week of taking them and read that they can cause weight gain and I was wondering if anyone knew if doing Atkins could counteract that? Does anyone know what my chances are of gaining from short-term use of 10mg a day? If I stay dedicated on Atkins I shouldn't have a problem, right?

Sorry for the weird question... If anyone knows anything, I'd love to hear! Is there anything I should/shouldn't do?

Clueless...
Tangie

All of the SSRI antidepressants have a "reputation" for weight gain.

Atkins might mitigate that. It might not.

The only modern antidepressant that has been scientifically proven not to do that is Wellbutrin.

I think most of the cases of weight gain are because the assumption is that depressed people eat less, and when people aren't depressed, they can stand to eat more. Also, there's some neurochemical mumbojumbo by which if serotonin is absorbed more slowly, it can cause hunger.

Try it. If you don't like it, try something else.
Don't worry about a thing. Life's too short!

Hey Hogarth, love your signature... I wish I could just remember those words of wisdom from the good doctor more often.

And Hi TangieK,

I think if you are on Atkins the effect of the SSRI's are a slower weight loss - I take one and I am not losing as fast as the others but then again everyone is unique. You might not gain at all. Also feeling better usually means increased appetite. With Atkins, this should not be a problem as eating to your heart's content is recommended as long as you don't overdo it (!).

Besides, you mention that this is a short-term prescription. Your body will adjust, trust it.

I am on Atkins because of the 85 pound weight gain I had on two different anti-depressants. Yes, 85 pounds!!! I was being treated for severe irritable bowel syndrome. It worked, but the consequence was the weight gain. I stopped the medicine about two years ago and immediately dropped 20 pounds, but that was it. It killed my metabolism. My irritable bowel got bad after going off the medicine, but since starting Atkins, it is totally under control, not one flair-up. Atkins is truly a way of life for me, since it is the one true thing that has controlled my gastro problems with no side effects.

Four years ago I was 125 pounds. I was raising my stepdaughter and life was horrible, she was horrible, my marraige because of her wasn't stable. I ended up on paxil and blew up to 170 pounds. She moved out two years ago, I got off paxil but weight never did. Feb. 3 started atkins, and I'm down to 129.!!!!!!

I never had any weight gain on Paxil. About two weeks ago I started Lexapro, and have had a struggle maintaining my weight, but I think it's mainly due to having a vastly increased appetite as a result of enjoying my life. My advice is to just take the Prozac and don't worry about it, because at that tiny dose, you shouldn't have problems.

I agree with Rose, 10 mg is a tiny dose and shouldn't cause problems. I think antidepressants must affect people differently- I think my Paxil is helping me to lose weight both because it cuts down on my compulsiveness and because I eat a lot more when I am depressed- it's kind of my way to self-medicate.

I have been on Paxil 20 mg for a few years- I started Atkins at the beginning of July and have since lost 40 lbs- not bad!

I take Lexapro currently and recently had my dose increased, I've noticed a slow down in my weight loss. I'm not sure if they are related though...

I do know that when I took Prozac, years ago, I did put on about 20 pounds or so. It also killed my sex drive (which was ultimately why I had my Dr. switch me to something else).

I am thinking of trying 5-HTP, but not sure how I should go about switching from my Lexapro to it, perhaps by easing out of one and into the other.

Thank you all so much for your advice... you really put me at ease.
Have a great day =)

Tangie