Does Lexapro Cause Weight Gain?

Posted on Sat, 27 May 2017

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sat, 27 May 2017 Answered on

Fri, 23 Jun 2017 Last reviewed on

Question : I am overweight, and I need to do something about it. One thing I would like to know is, do anti-depressants (like Lexapro) cause weight gain?

Answered by Dr. Prof. Kunal Saha (34 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
It can lead to weight gain although the opposite has also been reported

Detailed Answer:
Thanks for asking on HealthcareMagic.

I have gone carefully through your query and understand your concerns. Lexapro (escitalopram) is an antidepressant that can either cause weight loss (generally initially) or weight gain (subsequently). There are other antidepressants that cause one of the two (weight loss or weight gain), not both.

Let me know if I could help further.

Regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar