Gained a lot of weight on venlafaxine
Posted , 49 users are following.
I've been on venlafaxine for 6 months and seem to be steadily gaining more and more weight. Before starting antidepressants, I was one of those people whose weight never fluctuated by more than 5 lbs at most- I'd consistently been the same weight from my mid teens. Started sertraline 2 years ago- no weight gain, but it wasn't effective. Switched to citalopram after a few months, and that was where the weight gain gradually started, although my diet was pretty much the same. However, it was when I changed to venlafaxine that it really started to go up.
In about 1.5 years, I've gained 2 stone. I don't look or feel myself anymore, my clothes don't fit, and whilst the venlafaxine is really helping, this weight gain is getting to me a lot. I did a BMI check this morning and for or the first time ever, I'm now at 25, in the overweight category.
I know I can't completely attribute it to the medication, as I also used to run a lot and haven't kept this up regularly over the past year. However, there were previously periods where I'd stopped running for a month or two and my weight wouldn't change at all. I've mentioned it to my CPN who insists it's not the medication.
Has anyone else had a similar experience? Is it the medication, or am I fooling myself?
1 like, 58 replies
heidi1977 a12809
Edited
1) I have OCD with intrusive thoughts. I gladly take on weight gain and some congnitive decline considering the alternative. The alternative being I get sudden thoughts of violence while trying to rituals in order to keep the world from literally blowing up. I seriously considered checking myself into a hospital because I could barely handle my thoughts. So, if you really do have a mental illness, and I take 300mg of the generic for Effexor daily plus Xanax when I am having a full on brain tilt-n-whirl, then weight gain and becoming a ditz is worth it so as not to feel like you are well and truly insane.
2) I read the comments and I don't think you guys realize how bad off you are. You are all complaining about your doctors when it sounded like the Effexor was helping. So what you gained a lot of weight? If your bloodwork checks out okay, then but new clothes and move on with your life.
3) I am 100% Effexor and generics of such cause weight gain. I have known people on strong doses of anti-depressants turn into carbohydrate vaccuum cleaners. There are no miracle drugs. When you have a mental illness, you have to take the good with the bad. I am not saying to just let yourself go. But if you're tired, then sleep when you can. If you're hungry, then eat. Try to eat healthy if you can, but don't stress if you can't. If you find yourself over-eating, talk to your doctor. If may not even be anything more sinister than you are simply feeling better and food appeals to you again. If that is not the case, your doctor will work with you. Maybe you need different vitamins or minerals, ones you never thought of or at a stronger strength than what is available over the counter. I had to get B12 shots for a long time to fight fatigue. A blood test will show if you are lacking in anything.
The long and short of this is simple. Is it causing weight gain? Probably. Should you tell your doctor? Absolutely. Should you stress having to get new clothes for your expanding waistline? Not in a million years.
evelyn777 a12809
Edited
I too am trying to find more information, but on weight loss instead of gain. I was at my Doc's this morning and we were talking about my weight loss during 2 years from 67kg to now 48kg. I am not ill with anything sinister, so the only answer my Doctor and I came up with was that the weight loss has been caused by the Venlafaxine. Two years ago I was very very ill with depression I probably should have been hospitalized but I have 4 pets, 2 little dogs and 2 cats who are my children , I don't know anyone that would be able to look after my little dogs as they are tiny in size and only weigh a few pounds each and are always looking for ways to sneak out of the house. They are always with me and the toy poodle starts crying as soon as I leave the house to go somewhere. I was unable to have human children!
I had gone through a lot of difficult situations and mentally I was totally exhausted since returning from the USA. I was taking more than the highest dose, I was taking 6 Venlafaxine per day, and at first I didn't tell Doc that I was taking an extra tablet. My prescribed dose was 5 tablets per day but of course I had to tell him after about a week. He was not very happy but it was too late I;d already taken the tablets, so from thereon I had to check in with Dr every day and I started to feel better quite quickly. Since then we have decreased the dose to 4 a day.
It was only last week that I weighed myself and saw that I was only 48kg. Strangely I've been able to eat almost everything without having to worry about gaining weight As far as I'm concerned Venlafaxine has saved my life and I don't intend to stop taking it Has anyone else had such a big weight loss over the same period of a couple of years???
anna41336 evelyn777
Edited
I have been on it for 25 years and my weight has been very stable in that time. I take 75mg a day and increasing the dosage has no benefit for me mood wise. I think it saved my life too. Until I went on Effexor I struggled with depression for 25 years and dragged myself through life. Now I function okay. Not brilliantly but okay and so much better than before. I have slowly slowly weaned myself off twice over 9 months and went right back to being deeply depressed immediately. I do not believe I have deteriorated mentally at all. 69 now and sharp as a tack. My kids say I'm smarter than they are. LOL.
It's such an individual thing with drugs, who can say which drug is ideal?
PS I'd love to be 48kg again. I seem forever stuck on 62kg for the last 25 years but I am careful not to overeat.
linda93647 a12809
Posted
I have been on venaflaxine now for 2 years and gained so much weight and water retention and eating healthy, my moods are manic for weeks then low for weeks, I have numbness in my legs and hands , they say I have clinical anxiety but am positive I have bi polar? who am I to argue but in the last 3 months my symptoms have gotten so bad I can't cope am on 225mg of venaflaxine and feel there no longer working any advice?
sue38560 linda93647
Posted
Is anyone in your family Bipolar? Get a second opinion or find someone who specializes in mood disorders.
If the meds are not working, insist you keep trying. Are you getting any treatment outside of medication? Meds are only one factor in treating depression and anxiety.
CBT or ART are some options.
jen44502 a12809
Edited
I have been on Venlafaxine for 6 years and while it's been a godsend for my GAD, I've gained over 50lbs in fluid retention (30lbs first year). I thought I had a serious physical issue and have spent thousands here in the US getting kidneys, urinary tract, hormones, etc., tested. Finally, after reading through material on Mayo Clinic, I discovered that significant fluid retention is indeed a side effect of this particular SNRI. Cymbalta is also a SNRI used to treat GAD and other anxiety disorders, but does not have the fluid retention complication. I did a teledoc a few minutes ago and have just made the switch. keep you all posted as to how it goes.
anna96409 jen44502
Posted
Hi I have been on this for 8 years at 225mg XL. I have put on 11 stone in ten years and nothing I have tried helps to stop it. I crave carbs 24/7 and have tried everything. I am at the point of getting off the venlafaxine or having gastric bypass. Problem is with bypass the venlafaxine uptake is going to be altered anyway so I may as well try getting off that first. I'm scared. Genuinely terrified of ending up where I was before it but something has got to give. I was 11 stone before taking this drug and now I'm nearly 22! It's becoming life and death. 😦
jen44502 anna96409
Edited
Anna, so sorry you're going through this! I can identify. effexor actually destroyed my appetite, but if that's your issue, I've read that there are prescription weight loss drugs specifically for anti-depressant appetite increases. I'll send you the link if i can find the information again. xx
trish12308 anna96409
Edited
hi there how are you going? i have been on 37.5 for about 13 years and i am slowly coming off now taking 70 beads out of the capsule each day, some withdrawal but i can cope with it. i too put on large amount of weight evenwith doing many diets exercise etc. i have been cutting back the tablet for about 2 months and will continue the same way. no weight loss yet though. cheers
klaire61274 jen44502
Posted
@jen44502 Hey there! I am having a pretty similar experience as you. My dr suggested Cymbalta but I'm afraid to switch and have even more weight gain. how has it gone for you?
jen44502 klaire61274
Posted
hey Klaire - sidnt really see an improvement on Cymbalta but i did on Pristiq. i went down anout 30 lbs in 2.5 months.
laura95213 a12809
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I'm 34, have always been active and in pretty good shape. When i started Ven about 2 years ago, I put on about 5 lbs but it was an ok trade off because Effexor has lessened my anxiety and kind of balanced me. About 4 months ago though, we upped my dosage from 75mg day (very low) to 125mg, and I've put on 20 lbs since then. I'm MISERABLE. Mentally great, but I'm tired, no energy, sluggish and I HATE the weight gain.
I can't handle it. I feel like there are enough carbs in an Olive Garden to curb my appetite. So I'm starting to taper very gradually. Scared but desperate! and I'm hoping this weight comes off.
trish12308 laura95213
Posted
hi there how is the tapering going? anybweight lose? 殺
sleejeffcoat laura95213
Posted
My situation is similar. My doctor started me on Venlafaxine 5 months ago and I've gradually gained 25 lbs My weight has never fluxuated until now so i am in the process of coming off the Ven. I am much more depressed because of this horrible weight gain than before the Ven
mikhail80487 a12809
Edited
In my opinion one has to be extremely careful regarding this type of site ..... One must surely take it all with a vast pinch of salt.
Myself I am basically immobile the last 10+ years ..... I take a plethora of drugs, 30+ tablets a day, plus injections. In truth I was 'struck down' overnight by chronic illness and went from extremely fit off road motor cycle racer of 40 years to power wheel chair in 3 months flat.
Yes I gained weight due to drugs + lack of exercise + over eating. So I gained about 7 stone over 3 years. Then after I had a heart attack.stent fitted in 2011, I chose to stop smoking as well .... I took Citalopram for years and now have taken Venlafaxine for years. Plus I take a daily high dose of steroids plus other weight gaining medications.
The simple fact is this ..... Forget exercise, forget medication .... it is about ones Resting Metabolic Rate and how many calories one ingests.
Myself I have lost 5 of the 7 stone, which happened over 2 years when I worked out I needed c. 1750 calories a day, not c. 2500.
People are not powerless to control their weight, IMO ..... Rather, they make choices and decisions, which can unfortunately include justifications for poor behaviours.