Dear Toe and Pecan,
--I gained 30 lbs on those SSRI's too. Plus they don't work for migraines. Plus on Celebrex, I got double vision and swollen hands well before the theraputic level.
--I went to a doc who said he always wondered why other docs don't regard weight gain as a serious side effect. Besides, getting depressed because of a serious weight gain kind of defeats the purpose of an anti-depressant, doesn't it?
--I'd been pushed into taking SSRIs for years and wondered why I was so fat when I hardly ate anything because of GI problems. I stopped taking all these type of SSRIs after the scary bout with Celebrex. I eventually lost the weight simply by not eating. At work, they asked for the name of my "new diet". I told them it was the "GERD/IBS" Diet. "Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease/Irritable Bowel Syndrome" which I'd developed after decades of barfing with migraines (plus abdominal surgeries) and too much aspirin and ibuprofen.
--Melatonin is supposed to help with Serotonin, I take a lot for sleep and have no side effects despite the fact that I got a lot of side effects on all those SSRIs like Depacote, Celebrex, etc.
--Welbutrin is the one anti-depressent-type drug which does not cause weight gain. In fact, it really suppressed my (feeble) appetite (so much so that I can't take it all the time or I get a migraine from not eating). AND, it seems to give me energy. Plus, docs don't seem to be so afraid of it as they are of other drugs.
Good luck,
E.