Wellbutrin & weightloss

Hi there,

I was talking to my MD today about weight loss surgery and other weight loss options and she mentioned the idea of going on Wellbutrin, the anti-depressant.  I am not depressed and do not have a tendency toward depression, but I guess this is a med that has been effective in impulse control for smokers and she thought could have the same effect when it came toward food.

A little research turned up studies done on Wellbutrin and weightloss and it seems with a bit of success, maybe 5-10% of overall weight.

Just wondering if anyone has ever gone this route, if only for a short period of time?  

Thanks

I was on it for several years and it did not help me with weight loss.  Only surgery did that.  It might be worth a try though.  If you are 100 pounds overweight and can lose 5 or 10 pounds, that is healthier. 

I doubt it would help you lose weight.  Years ago my doctor put me on it and didn't mention anything about it helping you stop smoking and when I saw her again she asked if I was smoking less and I told her that it was exactly the same.  Without knowing that it was supposed to help with the cravings I didn't have the placebo effect, which I think a lot of that is.

That said, I was put on it 3 years ago and it is perhaps the only antidepressant I've ever taken that hasn't caused me to gain weight.  It is supposed to be weight neutral and in my case it is.

Yes, as you have already apparently seen, weight loss using Wellbutrin is minimal and happens only sporadically at best. It is not going to help anyone who has any significant amount of weight to lose, so I personally would not take a drug that alters my brain chemistry for the possibility of losing 10-20 pounds.

Lora

I have bipolar and took Wellbutrin for about 5 years as my antidepressant. I've gained weight on every psych med I've tried (and I've been on a lot in the past 15 years), though Wellbutrin was the lowest-gain med I tried. Unfortunately, it sent me manic at higher doses (pretty common in BP patients) and I don't take it anymore.

The relationship between antidepressants and weight is a really tricky one, since scientists aren't 100% sure how exactly they work in the brain and how they affect weight and hunger. With most meds, even those considered "weight neutral," some people gain a LOT, some people gain a bit, and very few lose. There's NO way to predict which way you'll go or how much you'll gain in advance on any particular drug; reactions to previous meds and other medical history seem to have zero impact.

Plus, psych meds have all sorts of other weird side effects that ALSO differ randomly from person to person. They can screw with your sleep, cause nightmares or weird vivid dreams, make you twitchy or anxious, dry mouth, night sweats, make it difficult to focus or screw with your short-term memory, make you queasy... and unfortunately, it's all considered "par for the course."

For those of us who need these meds to stay sane, it's all well and worth it-- usually. But If there's a LOW chance of losing weight, and potentially HIGHER chance of gaining, PLUS funky weird side effects, if you take an antidepressant for weight loss only? I'd say the risks far out-weigh the benefits. (But that's just one woman's opinion.)

Thank you, everyone.  I'm sooooo glad I posted here.

I am currently on wellbutrin for anxiety, and have never seen a difference in my weight with the medication. I do not feel that it has helped me to suppress my appetite, it could have a different effect on everyone although I would be a little hesitant as to why your doc would want to put you on this when you are not depressed at all. side effects of antidepressents when you do not really need the meds are that you can become depressed and have suicidal tendencies, this is not always the case. But if you dont need it for depression I wouldnt take it. Have you asked your doc about Xenical? It is a medication that blocks fat and helps weightloss...something you could ask your doc about as Xenical is strictly prescribed for weightloss purposes.

Xenical?  Really?  If I'm not mistaken, it can cause oily bowel leaks.  That is a rather unpleasant side effect, to my way of thinking.

Don't take anti-depressants if you don't need them.

I was on it for a little while. I had little success with the weight loss but honestly, in hindsight if might have worked better if I had used it in conjunction with a comprehensive plan with diet and exercise. I had better success with phentermine. 

Its not going to work for weight loss long term. Its a mind altering drug with many side effects.  Seems like your doctor offered you a fingertip bandaid as a solution to a severed leg.