Weight loss after effexor?

WHY does my doctor, who I have come to trust for a long time, resist the notion that I am gaining weigh on this stuff?? It's true, it has helped with my anxiety, but after being on 75 to 150 mg, I could actually feel it leaving my system during the day, and she increased me to 225 and now to 300. I have been on Effexor for 4 months and I can't fit into any of my clothing. But if you look at the side effects of the drug they talk about weight LOSS. Based on most of the posts here, weight gain appears to be more prevalent than anyone is letting on. WHY are so many doctors trying to tell us the weight gain is because we are either eating more, or happier, or whatever? This is AWFUL! Now I fear I have to w/d off of this stuff and what is my alternative? Talk about DEPRESSING.

I think they are quoting studies that were only 12 weeks long. Most people didn't gain weight in the 12 week trials. It seems like A LOT of people gain weight if they are on Effexor for longer than that (which most are). I was on it for 6 years (225 mg.) I gained about 25 lbs. and I am only 5' 1". I blamed the weight on myself-- maybe I was eating more, drinking too much wine now tht the anxiety was decreased... but when I stopped drinking and really working out (really-- consistent working out and no drinking and counting calories) nothing happened. I did that for 6 months! No weight loss-- I was horrible to be around because I was so frustrated and hopeless. I have been off the meds for a year now and have lost about 14 lbs. I work out 5 days a week and see a personal trainer for two of those days. I just started seeing the trainer about 3 months ago and the weight is coming off slowly, but quicker than before. Hang in there. You know yor body best. The Effexor changes the chemicals in your brain, why would it be crazy that it, too, would effect your metabolism? It is also very hard on your liver which controls your metabolism. I really needed exfexor at first because my anxiety was unbearable and it helped. The weight can come off. For me it is taking a lot of time and a lot of work. The drug works differently for everyone; so your recovery may be different as well. I finally found a doctor who totally agreed that the Effxor was the cause of my weight gain. Ironically, the doctor who put me on it 6 years ago swore I wouldn't gain weight-- I asked her and told her that was my concern beforehand. I believed her. I think she believed it, too. As I said short term studies didn't support across the board weight gain, and most of us gain it over time. I believe new studies (and the release of longterm ones)and new schools of thought will acknowledge the very real possiblity of weight gain. Hope this helps.:) There is hope!

I have lost about 15 pounds from an already thin frame after starting Effexor at 200 mg about four months ago. It was Effexor XR. I didn't feel hungry, and I felt jittery. I was put on it for anxiety... go figure. So my PC put me on a lower dose of 75 mg (no more XR). I broke one of these in half today and will try that for a while until I'm brave enough to stop it. I really don't like this weight loss because I can't fit into my clothes, and it's not a healthy look at all. My ribs show, and have gone down about two bra sizes... I really won't mind staying on the small dosage if I can just gain my weight back. My emotions have smoothed out, and I am not as angry or anxious. The jittery feeling is physical and not emotional.

Ive been on effexor xr 37.5mg for 3 days & now my period is late, also .5mg of klonopin for 3 days, is this the cause of my lack of a period or am I pregnant?

I was a pro figure athlete, personal trainer, aerobics instructor, and role model to many people. I took this medication trusting the dr. that it would not cause weight gain... that was a lie! I gained 30 pounds and counting all within a year. I went from rocking the gym daily to becoming like some of my clients who were afraid to be seen in the gym. I no longer inspire people with fitness, can't even consider getting on stage right now, I've lost my pro-status card, and I've gone broke buying new clothes trying to keep at least a couple pairs of pants that will fit over my thighs and stomach. I want off this medication soooo bad! I need to lose this weight because the weight depresses me more than anything ever has.

I started seeing a naturopathic doctor to assist me in detoxing my body of this poison. He told me I am lucky that I didn't "roll into" his office at 250! He is a mad-chemist and says that this medication is steroid based. He says as long as I take it I will continue to gain, which I have. Despite hiring a personal trainer & eating a near-competition diet I still gain about 3-5 pounds a month. He says that the medication is meant to "numb," so everything will slow down the longer I'm on it. My motivation level is nearly gone. I really hate what this medication has done to the past 1 year of my life.

The worst thing now is that I'm too angry and disgusted with this doctor who prescribed it to even think about seeing her. I'm contemplating going off it cold turkey rather than tapering because I do not want to see her ever again in my life. I just want this out of my body.

After re-reading my post... I just want to say that this totally reminds me of the commercial for one of those other stupid pills... the narrator says something like, "let the doctor do their job and you do yours." HAHAHA. I'll truly never go to another "traditional" doctor ever again in my life because of this experience. My chiropractor, fitness trainer, and naturopathic doctor will do just fine. I'm also on a THREE-YEAR waiting list for a "functional medicine" doctor. We don't need pills... we need to be active, smile, eat healthy, and drink lots of water. Sugar, preservatives, fried foods, and inactivity cause all the problems to begin with!

I have been taking Effexor xr 225mg for 10 years gain 30 lbs I am sick of looking fat, it makes me more depress. I want to wheen myself off if it but the last time I tried I got depress again. I am afraid but I'm talking to my doctor tomorrow to see if he can switch me to a different drug. I used to take Prozac 20 mg but I would forget to take it and I still had panic attacks but I need to get off the effexor but I'm very scare, wish me luck

MrSuper wrote:

Has anyone who has been off the drug for awhile ever lost the weight the gained on effexor? Like many others I put on weight while on this stupid drug and am just now coming off, and wondering if there is anything to look forward to.
Thanks

I lost 30 lbs, just started to fall off

Nancy wrote:

Has anyone found a different antidepressant that is effextive but does not cause weight gain?

No..and I am choosing to go back on because of my anxiety issues..

I have been on effexor for 5 years now and have put on about 30kgs which makes me more depress than ever. i'm going to start weaning off this drug tomorrow 12.8.12 so hopefully this will start to bring my weight back down. I will keep you all posted as to how it's going for me fingers crossed everyone.

Taking antidepressants affects the serotonin and dopamine levels in your brain. These changes affect the hippocampus in your brain, they alter its behaviour just like a disease would. As Numerous dysfunctions manifest as a result of hypothalamic disease then also any Damage or Change to the hypothalamus may cause the same disruptions. The Hippocampus is responsible for the body's regulation of temperature, growth, WEIGHT, sodium and water balance, milk production, emotions and memories, its also connected with the Hypothalamus which regulates your sense of reality and sexual feelings. The Hypothalmus is also connected to your inner ear which is why most people suffer with nausea, dissiness or even vertigo.
These drugs are not good for you, and if they make you feel less depressed its because they have changed your perception and supressed your ability to feel normal emotions. You have been emotionally blunted, you have also had the risk of stroke and or Parkingsons disease increased because these drugs also calcify your brain cells.
Your weight and sexual problems are not your only worry.
More of you should read the warning labels that come with these drugs and take them very seriously. You should all also read up on how to withdraw properly from these drugs on Paxil progress so as not to inflict more damage on your selves. These drugs are seriously hard to withdraw from.

MrSuper wrote:

Has anyone who has been off the drug for awhile ever lost the weight the gained on effexor? Like many others I put on weight while on this stupid drug and am just now coming off, and wondering if there is anything to look forward to.
Thanks

I find it so unusual that everyone seems to have gained weight while on Effexor. I was on Effexor for 5 years, lost 38lbs on it, size 0 and never felt better in my life, happy and no hot flashes. It took me A year to ween off it, I have gained 15 lbs back and have never felt so awful! It was a wonder drug for me, but I almost died with the side effect hypernutremia!

I've been on 75mg for a year and it made me gain about 10 pounds! Now that i am off effexor for a month i have lost 8 pounds already! You just feel less hungry, fuller and satisfied faster which is great! It took me about 3 months to wean off the drug but i'm glad i took my time because i barely experienced side effects! i thought it would have been wayy worse than that, i'm so glad!

I have been on Effexor for probably 10 years. I probably should have weaned off of it when I was done with menopause. It worked great for anxiety. I have been 25 lbs overweight for 10 years. Weaning myself off and have so far dropped 15 lbs in 3 weeks with no change in diet. Food tastes better and I get fuller faster. The doctor's that say it doesn't affect weight are dead wrong. Hate when they act like you don't know your own body.

I've been on antidepresants since October 2005. Started with Lexapro, which worked great, but eventually stopped working. Switched to Wellbutrin, then Cymbalta. Tried tapering, but found my anxiety went off the scale. Dr. suggested Effexor which worked well. Since 2005 I have gained 60lbs and gone from a size 4 to a size 16. Talk about depressing. Can't blame all the weight gain on the drugs since I have gotten older, gone through menopause and have decreased exercise, however, 60lbs. is ridiculous. I decided to quit E cold turkey and it's been one month since I took my last dose. The withdrawal hasn't been too bad, but I believe that's due to following the vitamin supplements suggested on theroadback.org website. I am hoping my body will eventually "normalize" and some weight will come off. Like others, I experienced horrible joint pain, brain zaps, tracking, nausea, insomnia, etc during the withdrawal. The severe bloating is what's really bothering me now. My abdominal area and my thighs are HUGE! I pray it won't take a year for some of this to go away, but for now, I am so glad to be off this drug.

MrSuper wrote:

Has anyone who has been off the drug for awhile ever lost the weight the gained on effexor? Like many others I put on weight while on this stupid drug and am just now coming off, and wondering if there is anything to look forward to.
Thanks

About 2-3 months after being off the Effexor, the weight started falling off. I lost about 25 pounds over a 3-month period; however, since that's a significant weight loss without my trying to lose weight, now I'm having other tests done to make sure there's nothing else going on.

Joanna wrote:

I am also starting today to wean myself off Effexor 150mg. I have been on this medicine for almost 2 years and have gain more weight than I did when I was pregnant with my twins. I sweat all the time, which is enough to drive anyone crazy. My doc tells me it's not the Effexor but after researching I beg to differ! Hope this works for me and all of you. Good luck everyone

Joanna ...I'm in the same boat as you. I was on effexor 75 to start and then they upped it in Jan. Since Jan... a whole 10 months I've gained almost 30 pounds. As my mood has improved ...my weight skyrocketed making my mood and anxiety...well also heighten. Now I'm just feeling horrible because most women who gain 30 pounds and don't fit into any of their clothes will tell you they don't fell great about themselves. I now weigh more than I did when I went into the hospital to have my twins 5 years ago!! Depressing! I'm trying to get off this stuff and not quite sure how. I'd like to just stop and be done with it but have heard horrible things on that also. Any suggestions. I'm hoping that the weight will come off once I get off this stuff. I also have hypo thyroid and MS so that doesn't help the metabolism issues. Any suggestions greatly appreciated.(By the way...I'm very active and have now been gluten free for a good month w/o any change in weight...do an average of 15-20 miles a week plus weights and cardio class so I don't just sit around and worry about my weight w/o doing anything about it)

Allison wrote:

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Joanna ...I'm in the same boat as you. I was on effexor 75 to start and then they upped it in Jan. Since Jan... a whole 10 months I've gained almost 30 pounds. As my mood has improved ...my weight skyrocketed making my mood and anxiety...well also heighten. Now I'm just feeling horrible because most women who gain 30 pounds and don't fit into any of their clothes will tell you they don't fell great about themselves. I now weigh more than I did when I went into the hospital to have my twins 5 years ago!! Depressing! I'm trying to get off this stuff and not quite sure how. I'd like to just stop and be done with it but have heard horrible things on that also. Any suggestions. I'm hoping that the weight will come off once I get off this stuff. I also have hypo thyroid and MS so that doesn't help the metabolism issues. Any suggestions greatly appreciated.(By the way...I'm very active and have now been gluten free for a good month w/o any change in weight...do an average of 15-20 miles a week plus weights and cardio class so I don't just sit around and worry about my weight w/o doing anything about it)

There is a thread here on Topix called "effexor taper schedule" and also one called "reasons to taper slowly" ~ search for these in the search engine below and they will help you with how to taper off this drug.

By the way, many, many people on Effexor have become hypothyroid while on it, and many, many have been diagnosed with MS-like symptoms. This drug does more than cause weight gain. It causes permanent changes to the body's physiology. Doctors say when you are diagnosed with depression that you have a "chemical imbalance" which is causing your depression. It's quite the contrary; the chemical imbalance comes after you start taking these brain-altering drugs.

Good luck, and I hope you are able to stop taking it safely and stay off this and all antidepressants. They are all the same. They change the body chemistry. I'd rather be depressed, frankly. At least that comes and goes.

mel wrote:

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About 2-3 months after being off the Effexor, the weight started falling off. I lost about 25 pounds over a 3-month period; however, since that's a significant weight loss without my trying to lose weight, now I'm having other tests done to make sure there's nothing else going on.

. I hope I lose. DNT really want to go off but I hate the weight gain. Was a 4 now. A 12. I work out every.day. ran 3 miles today and I continue to gain.

Terri wrote:

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There is a thread here on Topix called "effexor taper schedule" and also one called "reasons to taper slowly" ~ search for these in the search engine below and they will help you with how to taper off this drug.
By the way, many, many people on Effexor have become hypothyroid while on it, and many, many have been diagnosed with MS-like symptoms. This drug does more than cause weight gain. It causes permanent changes to the body's physiology. Doctors say when you are diagnosed with depression that you have a "chemical imbalance" which is causing your depression. It's quite the contrary; the chemical imbalance comes after you start taking these brain-altering drugs.
Good luck, and I hope you are able to stop taking it safely and stay off this and all antidepressants. They are all the same. They change the body chemistry. I'd rather be depressed, frankly. At least that comes and goes.

. I have thyroid issues. And have gained weight. Work out every.day hard and still gaining. Going off. Weaning slowly. Have bad anxiety. That's why I'm still.up. I have a prescription for adivan that I DNT use but might have to to get over the hump. Any suggestions??