Benzos & weight gain?

[Pestaña]

Has anyone else here experienced weight gain with long term regular benzo use?

I've been taking alprazolam, about 1.5-2 mg per day, for almost 2 years. It helps me a lot with my panic attacks, social anxiety, general anxiety, agoraphobia, and anxiety-related insomnia, and right now I feel like these benefits outweigh any negative effects. I don't want to change medications at this time.

That said, I have gained around 10-15 lbs during this time, very slowly. I used to take everything out on exercising, possibly to an unhealthy degree. I had bad panic attacks and anxiety, but the only way I could gain some degree of control over my life was through compulsive exercise. I did a triathalon, climbed mountains, ran and rode my bike for miles up crazy hills, and if nothing else I worked out hardcore for at least an hour or two per day. Sometimes to the point of self-torture: I remember being in the gym one night, on the Jacobs Ladder machine (look it up, it's one of the hardest cardio machines on earth) at the highest speed possible, reminding myself that if I didn't push myself to the breaking point then there was no way I would sleep that night. And it was no lie.

I still work out a couple times a week, and I still need it to help manage my anxiety issues, but I've noticed a decline in the amount of exercise I get. So, I guess this is a big reason I've packed on the pounds. I guess there is no way to match that level of fitness unless I go back to that self-torturing space, but I'm not happy with the weight gain. I really don't feel like xanax gives me the munchies and I eat really healthy; but I do feel like it might be slowing down my metabolism and my activity level. I'm also in grad school full time and pushing 30, so that might also have something to do with it.

Anyway, I'm wondering if anyone else has had gained weight with benzo use and/or figured out how to manage this?

[melissaw72]

When I take xanax, I get relaxed/sleepy, and for me that means I just eat and eat and eat (when I am tired I just eat, almost like there is no hunger control. I regret it after I fall asleep though and wake up). Actually anytime I am tired, it is like my body's ability to control hunger (whether I am actually hungry or not) isn't there. I've found that if I am in the middle of constantly eating, I remember that I am tired, and I need to sleep for the feeling to go away. Once I sleep, and wake up, I am totally fine. It is just when I am tired I eat and eat. When I am not, I can control it. And xanax makes me sleepy, or just tired enough to cause this to happen.

[Jen78]

I've never experienced weight gain on a benzo and ive been on all of them, currently on valium

[Wooster]

I couldn't tell you if slurroquel or lorazepam was more to blame. I suspect the slurroquel. Though I did look up the prescribing information and it appears that alprazolam does cause weight changes (up or down) in enough people that they reported it.

It sounds like you have some good reasons that explain the weight gain aside from the med itself. That doesn't mean you have to like it.

[midnightman]

It sounds like your weight gain probably has a multitude of factors going into it, not just your alprazolam consumption. I think some people tend to gain weight on benzo's just because they feel disinhibited after taking them and will eat more carelessly than usual, like melissaw72 explained. In addition, if you're on an AAP, it's very likely that the AAP is more to blame for the weight gain / appetite increase.

Another factor you mentioned could be that your metabolism is slowing down a bit as you age; I don't mean this in a disrespectful way at all and hope you don't take it that way, but it's natural for metabolisms to slow down as you move from your teens into your 20's and 30's. If the weight gain is really concerning you, maybe consult a nutritionist to figure out what type of eating habits would be best for you individually.

On a last note, if you end up really feeling like the Xanax / Alprazolam is the reason you're gaining weight, maybe try switching to Klonopin / Clonazepam for the longer half-life. It's possible that the more "peaked" effects of the alprazolam are causing a more disinhibiting affect than the clonaz would, so if you get really desperate, that's something to look into with your psychiatrist.