Venlafaxine 75mg (2x daily) major weight gain - time to wean?

I started on Venlafaxine 37.5mg tablets twice daily and did great on it for about a year. I take it for anxiety, not depression. About 4 months ago, I was going through some stuff and my doctor upped my dosage to 75mg capsules twice daily. It also helped a lot, but I've gained about 18 lbs in those 4 months!!! I went from being an active 34 yr old girl, 5'6 130 lbs, still gained about 5-7 lbs on the original 37.5 dosage but I was ok with it, and then in March became tired, unmotivated, 150+lbs, hungry all the time, especially late at night.

I tried Lexapro and Zoloft about 9 years ago after having my daughter, it also caused weight gain but not to this degree. I love how the Effexor balances me, I mentally feel great, my anxiety is lessened a lot, but I can't handle the weight gain.

I haven't talked to my doctor about it YET, I will. I know I need to come off of it slowly. Should I continue taking the 75mg in the morning only, or add a 37.5 tablet in the evening? I was planning on doing this for a few days to a week, and then going back down to 37.5mg twice daily for another week or so, then down to one tablet or every other day until withdrawal symptoms aren't so bad.

Any withdrawal advice is appreciated. Has anyone else experienced this much weight gain on it? What are other options I can take that may not cause this?

Also, before Effexor, I took Wellbutrin (can't remember the dosage, it was low) and I had some major panic attacks on it, for the first time in my life and it seemed to worsen my anxiety, so I don't think Wellbutrin is a good option for me.

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