# Nasty Antidepressant Withdrawal



## frlsgirl (Aug 6, 2013)

Is Abilify an SSRI? Many anti-depressants have weight gain/loss as a side effect. I always loose weight when I go off Zoloft or when I reduce the dose. I was off it for 5 months or so before I went back on it for GAD. I initially lost about 3 pounds when I started it back up and have since gained 5 pounds so the net effect is only 2 pounds; but I get a lot more exercise than I did previously so that might explain why I'm only netting a weight gain of 2 pounds.

I had to play with the dosage to find just the right amount for me. Most of these meds come in a standard dose, say 100 mg for Zoloft for example, and then you go up or down from there. I feel fine on 50 mg of Zoloft so that's all I take. When I'm doing really well, I go down to 25 mg of Zoloft (all under dr supervison of course). I'm a zombie on 100 mg and at first will loose a ton of weight and then gain it all back and then some. 

I know exactly what you mean about being ravenous; and the weight sneaks up on you so slowly that you don't even know it's happening. 

I weigh myself every day now, which is probably not healthy either, but I can't say that the weight is creeping up on me without my knowledge.

So I would suggest you talk to your doctor about adjusting the dosage to see if you can function on the lowest possible dosage, that way the side effects won't be so bad.

One trick I've used that keeps me from overeating is to put on a tight pair of pants before I sit down to eat. Makes me think twice about stuffing my face.


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## dernhelm1984 (Dec 19, 2013)

Hi! 
Abilify is actually an anti-psychotic med that is used to "boost" the effects of antidepressants. Am slapping myself right now for calling it an antidepressant. Oops.

I am on Zoloft too. It and Welbutrin are the only meds that have consistently worked for me, heh. I have heard of weight gain problems with Zoloft but I have been on it since high school, and luckily it doesn't affect my weight (Lexapro is another story!)

I will definitely be talking about all of this with my psychiatrist. I have started weighing myself every day too btw.  And I love the idea of wearing tight pants while eating! Will give it a try!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

Heya! How long have you been on antidepressants, and have you ever tried complementary or alternative therapies?

In Sweden there is a lot of depression related to short day lengths in their long winters, and bright light therapy is used successfully there with many people.

There was a recent study comparing the efficacy of antidepressants with that of an aerobic exercise programme alone, for treating depression. The aerobic exercise programme came out ahead.

These are just two examples of interesting findings in depression treatment.

Whether or not a doctor chooses to treat you with pharmaceutical drugs, it is always good to look at your nutrition, exercise, and sleep to see if any of these foundations for your health can be improved. Involvement in enjoyable social activities and having some sort of job or volunteer work that you think makes a positive difference to society is also excellent for mental health. People need to feel connected, valued and loved to thrive. For some reason this is a massive struggle in our modern societies and rates of depression have increased along with our material wealth and living standards. It's often difficult not to feel alienated and anxious.

It's my personal view that as a society we are coming at depression from the wrong end, which is why it's continuing to grow. I think it's symptomatic of problems with the way our society operates. Our lifestyles, synthetic chemicals in our foods and environment, and how we treat our bodies also play a huge role.

One thing that helps a lot of depressed people is to start helping others less fortunate than ourselves. Working, whether paid or voluntary, in disability care, a soup kitchen, a homeless shelter, aged care, a cancer ward, hospice, etc can be a very rewarding experience. Organisations like that are always looking for volunteers, and even just doing a day a week can make a huge difference for you and for the people you are helping.

Hope at least some of this information comes in useful!

All the very best to you.


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## DuffyDuck (Sep 27, 2011)

Was there a reason he took you off your current medication, and not feel the need to put you on something else? There may be other options.. I'm not expert in anti depressants, however.

But, I can sympathise with the withdrawal. I had a strong reaction to tramadol and it took me 6 weeks to wean off it. Nose bleeds, head aches, restlessness, insomnia, sickness, exhaustion, terrible mood swings and black periods... Did you stop taking the meds straight away, or cut down?

Is there something that can help you with the symptoms when you come off it?

Wishing you the best of luck


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