Does Welbutrin XL cause weight gain? I used to be on Lexapro and gained 50 pounds! Yikes.?

I know that many people claim that Wellbutrin causes weight loss, but my mom, a nurse, said that she knows two people that gained a LOT of weight from Wellbutrin. I'm currently taking buspirone and have stopped Lexapro. I was wondering if adding Wellbutrin with buspirone (which I take mainly for anxiety as a substitute for Lexapro) would aid in losing the weight that I gained with Lexapro. Does anyone have any direct experience with these medications?

Remember: no pill can make you fat. A pill can increase your appetite and certain meds can slow your metabolism. But you still have to consume the food and calories.
Some anti-depressants can cause weight gain. None more than 3 to 5 pounds. A pill can lift depression which was causing loss of appetite. Follow a healthy diet and exercise.

On welbutrin xl I maintained normal weight. Then again, I'm not prone to gain weight on antideppressents because I don't generally lose weight when I'm depressed. That's the difference. Most often, you gain weight on antidepressents because your increased seratonin levels give you an increased "zest for life" that leads to eating more. Except in the case of medications for bipolar, which raise your blood sugar and therefore really do make you gain weight. Think of it this way: while antideppresents will help you feel better, excercising and eating healthy will help you feel even better.

I have been taking Wellbutrin XL for over five years and the only weight gain I have experienced is when I had a severe drop in mood and put too much food in my mouth.
I will tell you one thing though, I used to smoke 2 packs of cigarettes a day and now I smoke maybe 3 (cigarettes). I actually forget to smoke and the craving goes away. I can walk around, looking pretty dumb probably, for two hours and have the thing hanging out of my mouth and not light it. I never have had the urge to eat more either. Everyone is different. If you try it and you start to gain weight, then you have your answer. But now that you are thinking about it - will psycho-somatic urges take over? Sorry if that is spelled wrong, I have never had to write it down before.

Medications affect everyone differently. You know this. Wellbutrin is WELL KNOWN for having an anorexic side effect. In other words, you have a sharp decrease in appetite. I have known MANY patients who were advised to stop taking it because they lost too much weight.

Nope its ok - no weight gain by me

My mom's husband said he gained about 25 pounds with Welbutrin; here's a reputable site you can read about it on and get all the dirt:

http://www.drugs.com/mtm/wellbutrin-xl.h...

I have been taking Wellbutrin XL for about 2 yrs. now, and have not noticed a significant weight gain. However, when I took Celexa, I definitely gain a huge amount of weight(45 lbs).
Lexapro was supposed to be Celexa with the weight gain molecule removed, however, when they marketed Celexa, they swore you would lose weight. After large amounts of people complained to their dr. about this, they then swore that Lexapro was the answer.
I can tell you that some drug tests given will read positive for amphetamines if you are taking Wellbutrin, so this may explain the lack of appitite generally felt when taking Wellbutrin.
Good luck to you on finding one that works without the crummy side effects.