Lexapro Weight Gain In Teens

hello, my son is 12 and started taking lexapro 3 weeks ago with the titrating taking a week. Prior to lexapro he was on Prozac, we are very connected to his psychiatrist and we both felt that it was no longer doing the job targeting his minor OCD and his depression. My question for those in the know is this "is there really scientific evidence that there is a significant amount of people, specifically teenage boys who gain weight while on this medication?" I monitor what he eats to a degree but he is a 12 year old boy! I do not see him being more hungry but then again I reference the fact that he is a preteen--he is eating more and has gained some weight over the past 4-5 months so I cannot point to the lexapro. What i can say is that in the short time he has been on it the minor OCD has disappeared and we are able to work through other issues. If the weight gain really is significant and once the Lexapro KICKS in another week or so then I will have bigger problems then I did before he went on it. I would love some concrete advice here--our psychiatrist is not that concerned but I am and I feel that all I do is watch everything he eats and he is not happy with his weight which really he may be a little chunky but to him is a big deal as he is an athlete.

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Lexapro contains the active ingredient Escitalopram, which is an SSRI antidepressant.

It is not, however, associated with significant weight gain, the change for most patients is usually 0.6kgs over a 6 month treatment period.

https:/­/­rxchat.com/­wiki/­Escitalopram/­

What you do have to remember is that he is only 13, so the appetite increase and weight change could just be natural for him and not at all associated with the medication. It is perfectly normal for that to happen, at his age, as his body is getting prepared to grow more.

Are there any other comments or questions?

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