Any medications for weight gain?
Hello! I’m an 18 year old female recovering from an eating disorder. I currently weigh 68 lbs at 5 feet tall. In the past, medications that increased my appetite helped me gain around 18 lbs, capping at around 79lbs, which made a big difference for my recovery.
I was previously prescribed Lexapro, and while it did help increase my appetite, I struggled with the side effects. I felt emotionally flat and lost motivation to do the things I normally enjoy, so I stopped taking it.
After stopping the medication, I experienced very rapid weight loss and lost over 15 lbs in about 2 months. Since then, it has been very difficult to regain the weight. I’ve gained about 6 lbs since the major weight loss after stopping Lexapro, but it took around 5 months to gain that back, and I’ve now been stuck at 68 lbs for the past 2 months with little to no progress.
Part of the issue is that I have a very small appetite and feel full quickly, so eating large amounts is difficult for me physically as well as mentally.
I’m wondering if there are any other medications that can help increase appetite, support weight gain, or improve hunger cues without causing the same antidepressant-related side effects. I’m especially interested in options that are commonly used for people recovering from restrictive eating disorders or severe low weight.
I know medication is not a replacement for recovery or nutrition therapy, but I feel physically stuck and would appreciate hearing about possible options I could discuss with my doctor. Thank you. 🙂