Sarah girl friend email me. While we were doing ETL we were both going through the same thing. I satarted taking zoloft in Sptember or october and I've lost weight. Lets get back in contact we can do this together.
I have been on the generic for Effexor for one month. I must say I was excited to see one of the side effects was "anorexia" as sick as that sounds. For the first week and a half I was really nautious and couldn't eat very much and never happier. Then of course, that wore off and I was back to my old eating habits. I was sticking to a good healthy eating plan, and up to about 45 minutes on the treadmill per day. I was down about 14 lbs and feeling great. I felt like if anything, the venlafexine (sp?) was just kind of evening out my highs and lows, and I felt better and was more motivated, thus being able to finally stick with an exercise progam and feel better and determined to keep it going. However, during the last 2 weeks, I just somehow lost track, stopped exercising, and so far have gained 5 lbs back. To make it worse, my car broke down on Friday, but I didn't realize until Friday NIGHT that I was totally out of my prescription. So this is the third day with no car and no prescription. I ate enough for 12 people, then finally had to call a friend to go pick the pills up for me before I went and committed myself!
After freaking out, I got on the internet and found postings about how bad the withdrawals off this drug can be, and now I beleive it. It scares me, but yet this seems to be the only antidepressant that has ever worked for me. I have tried them all. So just to let you know, I DID in fact lose weight while on the effexor, but my hope for the side effect of anorexia did not happen. The key to weight loss is exercise, unfortunately, whether on effexor or not for me! So I hope that my little spell of insanity has taught me that all it's about jumping back on track after I get off....Whenever I "blow it" I seem to give up--the old, "What's the use, why bother, I am so fat it won't make a difference anyway." Now I want it to be different, and where there is a will there is a way!
i'm also on effexor and have experienced alot of yo yo ing. I am currently weening off the drug and i will let you know how i feel when done...could be awhile as the process seems slow being taken off.
Hi:
New to the site and noticed this forum and this thread.
I have been on Effexor for about 6 months now - it has made a huge difference in my ability to function, to clear my head so I could deal with the real issues that are causing me to gain weight or stay stuck at same weight.
I don't think the drug itself is the issue for me as it relates to weight gain.
Rather, I still have the problems in my life that were triggering my depression in the first place. I need to do the work it takes to get to the root of those issues so I can replace binge eating with other coping mechanisms.
That's what I hope the medication will give me - the focus to be able to do this work. And the ability to keep myself from spinning out of control when I hit a reality I don't want to face.
I'm new here too. I began taking Effexor about a month and a half ago and noticed in the beginning that I couldn't eat anything. (loved that!) It made me feel nauseous all the time (hated that) but that did wear off. Now I'm going to start weaning off the drug because I don't like the side effects I'm having with it and will probably switch to something else. I've lost and gained on all antidepressants so I'm not sure if its me or the drug that is causing the problem with weight. I do know I started taking antidepressants for post partum depression after I had my daughter in 2000 and then ended up needing them after my son in 2004 and the death of my mom in 2004, so I didn't mind the weight issues so much - until now. Now I'm ready to get the weight off but am afraid to stop taking the antidepressants! I'm willing to switch one more time to something else and we'll see where that goes. Good luck with the Effexor! Let us know what happens!
I started taking Lexapro about 2 1/2 years ago, after having been off antidepressants for 2 years prior. I put 20 pounds on in about 3 weeks taking this drug, but it sure beats not wanting to get out of bed every morning and wanting to drive my car into a tree. And it beats Prozac and Wellbutrin, which I was taking prior and wound up having hallucinations and feeling like I was being poisoned.
I'm not sure if the problem with this drug, or similar ones, increase my carb cravings or lower my metabolism. It could be a combination of both. Of course, the pharmaceutical companies deny weight gain is a side effect of long term use, but I know too many people that it happened to for it to be coincidence.
I am currently going off of Effexor (whoo this has been a nightmare) but YESSSS you are right. It makes you gain weight. I went from 135 to 171. Im 5'7. The weight gain was fairly consistant the whole time. I walked, dieted, the whole nine yards. My weight wouldnt budge. So my doc said yes its def the Effexor. I agree its a great med. But if I can get a similar result with another one and lose some weight then I am going to try. Im weaning onto Wellbutrin xl. Ive heard it really helps to lose weight. You can even add it to your Effexor depending on your doses of each one. I have also read that Wellbutrin has caused some to gain weight as well. So I will have to see. Im hoping for the best. Sheesh I just want to be sane and not fat. Does that sound like too much to ask?!?! haha[/B][/B]
Try asking your doc to add Wellbutrin to your effexor to counteract the weight gain. Im going off of effexor too and its a nightmare. You can PM me anytime if you want to talk about whats working for me as far as going off.
Okay, me too. I gained on Effexor, about 25 lbs in 2 years, POST PREGNANCY! Prior to that I had lost 15lbs in 6 months on Prozac, which I quit when I got pregnant. I am now on Wellbutrin, 3 months. It took me three total months to wean off of Effexor, and it wasn't pretty. Now, another three months I am into Wellbutrin I am very pleased with the drug, but have gained 10 lbs. I was promised that Effexor was a far better medicine than Prozac, and to tell the truth I don't remember how well Prozac worked...I did get pregnant which means I was having sex, which is more than I can say for the last year!!
I think all of these medicines have quirks that need to mesh with a person's individual makeup. Some work with just Seratonin level, some Seratonin and Dopamine, some with Norepinephrin...you really need to try them out to know what is going to work for you. I know people who have had GREAT success with drugs that weren't right for me...so here's hoping you find your match sooner rather than later.
Add me to the list. I was on it for about 3 years before I went totally nuts when i tried to get off of it... (intense anger, paranoia, i just felt like i was going to crawl out of my skin). i ended up on zoloft for a few months until the effexor was out of my system, and now that i'm off everything i'm losing much easier.... but i'm also pretty depressed and withdrawn so who knows if the tradeoff is worth it?
Right back at you, djs06...what a roller coaster! I'm not sure of your personal situation, but I have 2 young ones and a hubby that I have to be 'here' for. I swear, if it was just me I would choose to be off of everything. I always thought that if only I was thin, I would be happy. I thought that way when I was 130 lbs. Obviously the meds are keeping me alive and present (...a little too present!), but I found great comfort in a counsellor who 'gets' me, as well. I think this blog is a form of therapy, too. Anyhow, blah, blah, blah...it was **** for me too, but we gotta do what we feel is right!
Karwie, I completely agree- I'm not married and no kids, so I don't really have to be 'here' for anyone but myself... I know it would be a LOT different if I had to care for anyone else... wow, that's a scary thought!
I was on it to wohooooo and i gained alot from it. but i have been on a few over a period of 6 years unfortunatley! But i do remember I gained alot of my weight on it but was aslo told that you should gain that much ha ! that was a lie!!
I finished taking cetalopram 40mg in the summer last year as my weight had gone up to 15stone from 10 when i was first diagnosed. I think that with any anti depressant weight gain is going to happen. Lets face it, its just another thing to make us feel just peachy hehe!!
Just thought Id tell you about me lol hope you all dont mind.
I just started seroquel and have gained 10 pounds in three weeks. The important thing is that my doc and I really are trying to address my depression AND my eating disorders together. It is HARD because so many of the meds cause me to binge.
One thing he told me last week was that if I start late-night bingeing or constant eating that I should go on Phase I of South Beach for two weeks. He said that it was the best he found as a quick fix to knock me out of the craving cycle. After that, he says that any diet that works for me and is healthy (Weight Watchers, Sonoma, South Beach, etc.) is allright with him. I'm on day two and me craving for bread is already gone!
gggbdomino , 01-30-2007 11:28 PM
hamptonsnrh , 03-06-2007 08:18 PM
LittleLori , 03-09-2007 02:34 PM
BeccaBelle , 03-13-2007 11:08 PM
