Gained a lot of weight on venlafaxine

Yes, I've had a steady weight gain for 2 1/2 years (approximately 35 pounds). My Doctor tells me that the Effexor is not causing weight gain. She doubled my dosage to 150mg and I've gained 7 pounds in 2 months. I'm just not sure what to do. The medication does help with depression, but then I'm so ashamed of how I look, that I've fallen back in a depressive state.

GYN prescribed 37.5 XR for nightsweats and menopausal symptoms. i was not ready for HRT but desperate for more than 4 hours of sleep per night, so i filled RX.

At my 2 month follow-up, i was sleeping better and noticed my mood was better Dr wanted me to double dose, but i said No 37.5 was working just fine.

After 15 months, i have gained 15 lbs My Gyn says its not due to VEN, its my eating habits and metabolism due to menopause.

i disagree - i have never had a problem with weight gain until taking VEN.

I'm getting off VEN asap (safely).

I can 1000% agree. I've been taking this for almost 3years and the weight gain is out if control. I've experienced weight gain with anxiety meds, and i kept being active and was hoping not to continue to gain weight. But the weight kept coming on. ive decided to wean off this med and not take any for anxiety. I will let you know of my progress. thank you for sharing. I'm about 40 lbs over my comfortable weight.

I have put on at least 2 stone over 18 months. I am on 375 mg of venaflaxine and was on 30mg of mirtazapine until a week ago when my doctor put it up to 45mg a day. I am waiting for my next appointment to bring it up with her. Surely there must be something else they can give me. I've been depressed but even more so now I have put on so much weight.

I was a bit of a hermit before medication but now I will only go to work cos I don't want to be seen out looking like this.

Arghh!!! Feeling like crap.

I’m wondering if you went off of this medication and what happened?

I’ve been on mine for seven months and can’t get into any of my clothes from one month to the maxnext I’m going off of it and just curious what happened when you went off.

This has been my experience as well. I'm coming off this to see if it makes a difference. Menopause is also a factor to weight gain, but I've been menopausal for years now and my weight has never gone up this fast, which correlates directly to when i started taking this. I workout every day for an hour and am very fit, eat healthy, and don't drink and keep my calories to 1500 or less, depending on my workouts, so there is no logical reason. Doctors and researchers don't seem to put much thought into women after menopause and the hell some of us go through. They just laugh and wave everything away and blame it on menopause so if you know something isn’t right and your doctor is waving you away, find another doctor or insist that you change the medication. And do your own research because nobody else is.

im right there with you. i was weighting 157 before my anxiety and paniic attacks and now im 179 and no matter how much i work out ans watch my diet ill lose like 3lbs and gain it all back. ive wanted to come off the meds but its so hard and im on the lowest dose.

I recently started Effexor XR about 10 days ago, and have gained 10lbs in that timeframe. I keep reading this medication doesn't cause weight gain, but it started two days after starting it. My hands, feet and face have become so puffy. I see no difference in my symptoms. I think I'm just going to stop the medicine

I started Effexor about a year ago and ended up in best shape of my life. I was manic during the summer due to extensive Marijuana use. After I quit smoking and added some antipsychotic drugs my weight started going up. I quit everything except the Effexor and Adderall but my weight is continued to gain. Overall I've gained 40lbs in about 4 months and I feel miserable

my weight was a steady 115 when i started effexor. never exercised or dieted. then, EFFEXOR entered my life! 40 lbs in 6 months. docs thought i was over eating when i was limiting calories. no one understood but the endocrinologist. she said these meds cause weight gain because they tell the brain to lower metabolism. look up dr tracy marks on you tube "why meds make you gain weight" she is the only doctor that understands. i stopped the meds and the weight slowly and i mean slowly, went back to normal. after 1 month it began to drop.if i didnt stop it would have kept going up and up and up, believe me, there are horror stories. YOU ARE NOT CRAZY. doctors are just bot educated on this because theyre not required to be and there are no real studies on it. if they did the studies, it would stop the ned from being sold.

Hi,

Unfortunately, my first experience with the drug was major weight gain. When I went cold turkey off I lost all the weight I had put on. I started taking the medicine again about a month ago and noticed a significant change in weight despite eating healthy and working out daily. It's also been impossible to lose weight while on it.

i started effexor I was 124 pounds, im now 180 and counting. I have repeatdly told my doctor i thought effexor caused my weight gain as im still in my 20s and ive never been overweight. we lowered it for a short time and i lost almost 20 pounds but since increasing twice a few months ago ive gained that and more, im always puffy especially in my face and i always feel tired and sluggish and hungry. he says its not from my meds that it doesnt cause weight gain but im always doing stuff and walking and i didnt change my eating, in fact i hardly ate until my second increase now im always hungry. i feel so disgusting and ugly. i feel stuck.