[springonion]

Hey all,
I'm Sara and I ave been on Effexor for about a year and couple of years now. In July last year I weighed bout 60kg and now I weigh 100kg..... Crazy.

Doseage has been 112.5mg then I tried to withdraw with dr advice however I felt depressed so am now back up to the same dosage again.

I was put on Effexor for an eating disorder where in jan 2010 I got down to 48kg by restricting and over exercising. I then started eating after the birth of my second child and taking the antidepressants. The Effexor had the most impact on m y weight, So from being small to now huge I'm finding it hard to focus on which way to lose weight. I did ww to lose the weight and at first it worked, I ate up to my pp and lost 30kg the right way however I started restricting and when I think. About losing weight again I think ww but bad memories creep in.

Not only the weight gain but I also now have very tight Achilles and find it hard to exercise.

I don't know where to start, so can someone help me find motivation? I will be on Effexor for a while I think.

Thank you for reading my novel

[mountain walker]

Hi spring onion.
I am on Effexor 75mg bd as well as valproate semisodium 500mg bd. I have tried to cut dow the Effexor with little success and my psych added the valproate as a mood stabiliser.
I can only speak from my personal experience my lovely you need your head in the right place to be successful in your weight loss.
I started just cutting out one thing at a time.......then getting a lift to take my son to school but walking home....gradually your head gets in a better place. Forget about the scales for now just treat yourself with more kindness. Fighting weight issues and mental health issues at the same time is a difficult battle on 2 fronts and that is HARD.
I know people have great success with WW and SW etc but the session leaders are not trained in mental health problems so it may be they can't offer you what you need to succeed in the long term.
Good luck and feel free to PM me at any time.

[magnolia39]

Okay, first to springonion, know exactly what you mean. On 225 mg of Effexor daily. My doc told me to get 30 min. cardio each day to battle the weight gain, and to cut down on the carbs, but I just can't seem to stick to it. Now, mountain walker, are you talking about Snowdon in Wales? I did that when I was fourteen, and it was awesome! I lived in Surrey for six years and got to do all kinds of exciting things while in the UK. That trip to Wales was especially fun though. And you are so right about the having to fight two battles thing. It is really hard, and when I don't do it, it just feeds my depression and self-loathing.

[Porthardygurl]

I find this interesting as im on 225mg of effexcor and have not gained weight being on it..are u sure its not somthing else??? Cause i never gained weight from taking it and ive been on it for over 2 years now

[southern]

the only thing that works for me on effexor is some form of a low carb diet
i take 150mg, it's not something else, it's the effexor

[scoutycat]

I was on effexor, but now I'm on pristiq. I find the side effects with pristiq much more manageable. I had been switched to a generic version of effexor, and side effects were out of control - I felt like a zombie, couldn't get out of bed, etc. When I switched back to brand name effexor, the side effects got better but were still harder than they had been Pristiq is a big improvement for me, and is basically effexor to our bodies. I did put on weight when I went on it, but hard to say if that was just where I was heading anyways (since I wasn't really dieting & had been gaining already anyways) or if it was the medication.