Low-Dose Lexapro and Weight Gain (Facts)

Depressed woman with weight gain due to antidepressant medication

The average dose size of Lexapro (escitalopram oxalate) is around 20 mg, while 30 to 40 mg would be considered a higher dose of Lexapro. And 10 mg being a low-dose amount of Lexapro. In all circumstances, Lexapro may cause patients to experience some weight gain.

According to a recent study, “The prevalence rate of weight gain was 55.2%; 40.6% of the patients had a weight gain of 7% or more compared to the baseline. Overall, antidepressant use was significantly related to increased body weight. Specifically, citalopram, escitalopram, sertraline, paroxetine, venlafaxine, duloxetine and mirtazapine, but not fluoxetine, were associated with significant weight gain. Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that lower education status, lower body mass index at the onset of antidepressant use and family history of obesity were independent predictors of weight gain 7% compared to the baseline.”

Key Takeaways

  • Weight gain for Lexapro patients was experienced by roughly 40.6% of patients. Lower doses of Lexapro may not curb the weight gain potential.

  • Nearly all antidepressants have relationships to body weight gain for patients.

  • Some antidepressants have lower rates of patients experiencing body weight gain, including Prozac (37.5% of patients) and Zoloft (49.1% of patients), making Lexapro one of the lower chances of experiencing some type of weight gain at only a 40.6% chance of experiencing body mass index increases.

Low Dose (10 mg) Lexapro (escitalopram oxalate) and Weight Gain Facts

Weight gain does not affect all Lexapro patients. In a recent Reddit thread, where Users were asking each other advice on avoiding weight gain, a User chimed in and said, “I did not gain any weight but I did watch what I eat. I stayed within my maintenance calories daily.”

While around 40.6% of patients experienced weight gain on all dose amounts of Lexapro, watching your diet may decrease your odds of experiencing any type of weight gain.

Read more: Best time to take Lexapro for anxiety

Based on this same Reddit thread, it appears that many patients didn’t experience any weight gain with Lexapro when they regulated their dietary habits. Things like preventing snacking or eating clean foods helped these patients not gain any weight.

Does Dosage Effect the Weight Gain Chances

Lower doses of Lexapro (like 10 mg amounts) may have an impact on how much it affects your overall body weight. However, this may be a personal experience and not one that’s recorded through the clinical trials of Lexapro.

Regardless of how many milligrams your prescription may be, you still run the same 40.6% chance that Lexapro (escitalopram oxalate) will have an impact on your body weight.

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Sources

  1. Medsafe. (n.d.). Lexapro Consumer Medicine Information. Retrieved from https://www.medsafe.govt.nz/consumers/cmi/l/Lexapro.pdf

  2. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2019). FDA Label for Lexapro (escitalopram) Tablets. Retrieved from https://www.fda.gov/media/135185/download


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The content on this page is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute professional medical advice. Patients should not use the information presented on this page for diagnosing a health-related issue or disease. Before taking any medication or supplements, patients should always consult a physician or qualified healthcare professional for medical advice or information about whether a drug is safe, appropriate or effective.