Before the tonsillectomy I simply could not gain weight. I did not enjoy being a skinny guy, and I would lift weights (to no avail) in an effort to bulk up. Then at age 26, my tonsils were so bad that the ENT doc decided they had to be removed. After the 3-4 recovery, I noticed my body growing noticeably larger. Without much effort, I was able to put on muscle. Usually this process is slow and insidious. But I swear that the tonsillectomy had a transformative effect on my body. From January to July of that year, I was a skinny twerp. For the 3-4 weeks which followed the July surgery, I was a sickly mess. But from August to December, my physique had quickly started to look more like a man's than a boy's. The chronically infected and swollen tonsils were draining a certain amount of lifeforce out of my body. Perhaps my body was so busy fighting the infected tonsils that it neglected other areas. And like a couple others here have said, the chronically infected tonsils were making probably me sickly.

After 5 years on an antidepressant I am now weaning myself off. Let me see, next time somebody says "I am going to give you a drug, it will probably make you gain weight and cause you to have a very dimished sex drive", I think I will say NO THANKS I wish someone had pulled me aside and said start exercising and watch what you eat! Weight gain esp. around the middle for us woman, is very common during menopause. Severe depression is another thing altogether. I would love to hear from others that their drs. thought Zoloft would be good for hotflashes. Is it too cold where you live to start walking 30 mins. a day? After being on EVERY diet and diet pills. I finally realize, I had to burn up more than I took in, to loose weight. Maybe one day someone will invent the magic wand or magic pill for weight loss, but for now it is still what they taught us in middle school. Getting off anti-depressants can be tricky, make your dr. give you a plan for it. Good Luck, be well. Shotz

I took Paxil for a year and a half for depression. At first the it did indeed take the edge off the depression, for which I was thankful. *However,* during that timeframe I gained 40lbs !!!!! And I was not thin to begin with. So, my advice is -- consider switching to something like Welbutrin rather than taking an SSRI (Paxil, Lexapro, etc.) Cutting carbs and sugars is something we should all do, but I am the queen of carbs. It's a struggle, but one thing I want you to bear in mind is that in time, your hormones will stabilize and the terrible anxiety you are coping with will settle down. Anxiety can take control of your world if you let it. Don't let it. Get outside, take some walks, practice deep breathing. Here's what I did -- when I felt the panic kind of anxiety coming, I immediately took half of a 5mg Xanax pill -- and I told myself that between the medication and understanding what was happening, the panic attack would stop. And it almost always did. Things will get better!!

Thanks alisande. It actually feels like fluid retention because once it starts, I seem to blow up - don't laugh everyone because that's exactly what it looks like - LOL; like I could float away. I just had all levels checked and everything is fine. I do know I tend to carry a lot of fluid. I'm taking very small dose of meds for that but not regularly because it's way too much everyday. I end of losing too much magnesium (not Potassium, if you can believe that one). I've been using some supplements that have cut down on some of that. But nothing seems to help that tire area. Glad you mentioned this though. I feel so much better. Although I know that I have to watch the fluid retention and get regular bloodwork, at least it's something that I can deal with other than just gaining weight like crazy. BTW, I just talked to my siser who is really into holistic health, and she mentioned that since my A1c is only 6.4, I might want to try to reduce it further through nutrition. She knows people with much higher levels and on insulin, that have actually been taken off of meds. Diabetes is such an ugly disease - between it's damage and the meds. I put it up there with CA. I'm ready to try anything. Thanks so much for your suggestion!!