Could antidepressants make me stop losing weight?

[Ephemeral]

I have been on antidepressants for almost a year. I began to seriously workout a bit over that, starting around March last year. I did successfully lose about 5 kg including mass gain. On my heaviest, I weighted around 63-64 kg with the added muscle mass (yes, I'm a small guy), but I eventually managed to slim down to an average weight of 58-59 with the same mass, which I'd call a decent success. It took me several months but still not so bad. I did workout, mostly cardio, 3 times a week or so and kept up this routine. However, I began going on antidepressants around the end of the summer and within the span of some months, I changed to a different type because I experienced so many sexual problems it was unbearable. The first type didn't do anything concerning weight, but the second one was known for causing weight issues but had no associated sexual issues involved.

I am not taking a very large dose, only one pill a day. Could this still affect me to such a degree that it's making weight loss impossible? Because I have consistently gone to the gym pretty much at least 2-3 times a week and only skipped it over some weeks like that in a row and overall I try to eat somewhat healthy but I cannot seem to move up or down the scale at all unless I stop doing heavier workouts and I lose a lot of mass. At my lowest, I weighed 54 or so kg, until I bulked up some mass on my upper body. This has gone on for almost a year now and it's been frustrating that I do have such a regular workout routine but I didn't lose anything more than those initial 5 kg that I lost. You'd think that since I especially tend to focus on cardio, it would amount to something? But instead what seems to have happened is that I haven't really lost much fat, if at all. It's seriously frustrating seeing the time frame it's been going on but I just figured I gotta keep at it because what else can I do?

Then I just realized today that hey, the time frame when I began to really stop make any weight progress seems to somewhat coincide with when I changed to these new antidepressants that has weight gain as one of its associated effects. Could that be it? I don't take a big dose and I have been considering to quit taking it for quite some time now because my problems seem to be mostly gone and if anything, I think what I would need now would be something to help me cope when I gain my anxiety attacks due to high emotional stress which is something antidepressants can't help with to begin with.

Have others experienced something similar to this or this just me? Should I just quit my antidepressants and see what happens?

[RaptorChops]

I was on I think 30mg of Cymbalta and Ativan (anxiety) for a few years. I was gaining weight along with the Testosterone (Before T I was 120lbs and now I'm 160)  After awhile I just completely stopped taking it along with my anxiety medication. I had withdrawls and yes it was stupid without my doctors consent but my doctor was not someone I wanted to see any longer.

I actually feel a lot better not taking it and I mean I still get depressed and I still have some anxiety but it's not as horrible as it use to be (I guess because along with the T I started to feel much more comfortable and confident in myself which I lacked for 26 years of my life). I started working out and eating a lot better and the last time I went to my Endo he weighed me and I lost about 15lbs. Unfortunately with having surgery and not being able to do much I ended up gaining some of it back.

But some say that antidepressants can cause weight gain and others can cause weight loss. I would recommend you talk with your Doctor before cutting out your medications all together. He/She can start cutting your dose down even more until you don't need it. I had really horrible social anxiety disorder for a good portion of my life and I also got really depressed too (suicidal thoughts and all that jazz). I did not want to go out anywhere, I hated being in public, I hated talking to people, worse part was going  out to dinner. I would get light headed and sick to my stomach, there was one time where I passed out on the floor of an IHOP because my anxiety got so damn bad.

I realized that I did not want to be putting that crap in my body any longer and I wanted to deal with the issue on my own. Working out definitely helped me a lot with my confidence and my depression. It was an outlet I guess you can say to help me feel better. I just started to work out a very lightly today (4weeks since I had my surgery) and I ate two really healthy meals. One for breakfast and one for lunch, had a protein shake on top of that too. I actually feel pretty happy and relaxed after just that.

It's going to take time and energy to find your "zone" but you will get there and you will be happier than you ever been.

[Ephemeral]

I was on I think 30mg of Cymbalta and Ativan (anxiety) for a few years. I was gaining weight along with the Testosterone (Before T I was 120lbs and now I'm 160)  After awhile I just completely stopped taking it along with my anxiety medication. I had withdrawls and yes it was stupid without my doctors consent but my doctor was not someone I wanted to see any longer.

I actually feel a lot better not taking it and I mean I still get depressed and I still have some anxiety but it's not as horrible as it use to be (I guess because along with the T I started to feel much more comfortable and confident in myself which I lacked for 26 years of my life). I started working out and eating a lot better and the last time I went to my Endo he weighed me and I lost about 15lbs. Unfortunately with having surgery and not being able to do much I ended up gaining some of it back.

But some say that antidepressants can cause weight gain and others can cause weight loss. I would recommend you talk with your Doctor before cutting out your medications all together. He/She can start cutting your dose down even more until you don't need it. I had really horrible social anxiety disorder for a good portion of my life and I also got really depressed too (suicidal thoughts and all that jazz). I did not want to go out anywhere, I hated being in public, I hated talking to people, worse part was going  out to dinner. I would get light headed and sick to my stomach, there was one time where I passed out on the floor of an IHOP because my anxiety got so damn bad.

I realized that I did not want to be putting that crap in my body any longer and I wanted to deal with the issue on my own. Working out definitely helped me a lot with my confidence and my depression. It was an outlet I guess you can say to help me feel better. I just started to work out a very lightly today (4weeks since I had my surgery) and I ate two really healthy meals. One for breakfast and one for lunch, had a protein shake on top of that too. I actually feel pretty happy and relaxed after just that.

It's going to take time and energy to find your "zone" but you will get there and you will be happier than you ever been.

Yeah, well our situations are very different. I began to workout before I took antidepressants, about a month after I started T. I did gain 5kg or so at least, mostly muscle though, just being on T and not doing anything in particular. I lost those extra kg when I began to workout under the span of about the same amount of months though. For me, the weight gain was mostly just leading a very passive life since I moved out.

Sorry to hear about your anxiety though. It seems extremely common nowadays. Almost always run into a person with social anxiety which is odd to me, because I never had it despite having good reasons to have it.

My brand of antidepressant has weight gain and increased appetite as common side effects, though. I am not going to bother seeing my doctor. It's too trivial to book a time for and I already know what they will tell me and how to do it. Just trying to get an appointment with the Swedish doctors during summer is nigh impossible anyway.