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Major weight gain with mirtazapine

Posted , 5 users are following.

kate31294
kate31294

I am a female in my early 20s living with anxiety, depression and OCD for a number of years. I have been on 40mg of fluoxetine for about 2 years now. Helps quite a bit with my OCD symptoms but depression was still a big issue, my psychiatrist and doctor then prescribed 30mg of mirtazapine in addition to the fluoxetin. Within a few months I gained 50lbs and with the weight gain came less self confidence, less self care and more depression. I am now off the mirtazapine and in my 9th week of weekly CBT but still feeling lost and feeling awful about the weight gain. Anyone else have any similar experiences or some advice?

Thank you.

0 likes, 5 replies

5 Replies

  • evergreen
    evergreen kate31294

    Posted

    How long have you been off the mirt? Are you starting to lose the weight? It's a terrible drug for weight gain but most people find that they lose the weight once they are off it. It can take a while though.
    • kate31294
      kate31294 evergreen

      Posted

      I am coming up to almost a month off of it. I've lost about 7lbs and have been trying to eat healthy and be more active but it is tough. Quite discouraging that you can gain the weight so quickly but takes much more time to loose it!

      I guess the main thing to focus on is looking forward in bettering myself rather than dreading the past and how much my body has changed.

    • evergreen
      evergreen kate31294

      Posted

      That's a very good weight loss. I didn't lose anything much for two weeks and then the weight loss accelerated. Well done so far!
  • Ponyfeather
    Ponyfeather kate31294

    Posted

    I can really relate to the issue with the weight gain. I gained around 30 pounds, but I experienced the same thing with less self-care, more depression, and less self-confidence.  

    Best thing I can say is try and get out do things that you enjoy, and make you feel better. I think the only reason I didn't gain even more weight is I have to get out and be active to take care of my horses (feed and clean up after them). But the sedating effect of the mirtazapine made me less active with them, I was doing the bare minimum with them. I'm still weaning off it and I'm still not riding them like I use to. 

    • kate31294
      kate31294 Ponyfeather

      Posted

      Thanks, its always helpful to hear others are having the same struggles. I've been working hard to become more active as much as possible but I often let depression get the best of me. Are you switching to a new medication once off the mirtizapine?
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