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will i gain weight with venlafaxine need good advice

Posted , 40 users are following.

Guest
Guest

i have just been prescribed ven. but i am terrified of gaining weight as i have lost a lot of weight in the past i would appreciate your experiences regarding this topic thanks

2 likes, 63 replies

63 Replies

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  • Spanishsarah
    Spanishsarah Guest

    Posted

    I've put on around 2 stone in a year of being on venlafaxine.  It is a horrible drug, try and avoid it if at all possible.  It's a nightmare to get off of and the side effects are unbelievable!!!! Trust me, I've been weaning myself down for a few months now and now I'm down to only 37.5mg but my head is thumping so bad, that and the brain zaps are just awful.
  • leanne61579
    leanne61579 Guest

    Posted

    I have been on venlafaxine for some years but just for my hot flashes when I went though menapause and they kept up. I was taking just 35 mg and now do 150 mg.  I was blaming all my weight gain on getting steroid injections for my lower back and now I am thinking I have 2 things working against me. I have always kept myself in shape and exercised and ate right and have gained 25 LB over the past couple of years. I wonder if its both or moret he antidepressant .
  • diane13750
    diane13750 Guest

    Posted

    Hi guest,I have been on venlafaxine for bout 6mths but am in the midst of going cold turkey coming off of them,anyway my weight always remained the same as before I took them so all I can say is take one step at a time,sort your problem first then sort your weight out after,its far better to be in a good state of mind first, does that make any sense to you?good luck and keep us all posted....
    • leanne61579
      leanne61579 diane13750

      Posted

      Hi, Thanks for that info and I should of known better and now am cut down to half the dose for a week and then going 1 every other day. The weight seemed so important and yet like you said it has to be done the right way.
  • diane13750
    diane13750 Guest

    Posted

    Hi Leanne you are going to get through it,you just have to believe in your self...take care....
    • leanne61579
      leanne61579 diane13750

      Posted

      Thanks for that and I do work hard on staying in shape and this is why it was so difficult for me to gain all this extra weight. I'm weaning myself off that drug now and hopefully can lose the weight.
  • leanne61579
    leanne61579 Guest

    Posted

    Icant say for everyone but I sure did.  I was 130 Lbs forever with eating right and exercise. After getting on this drug, I have put on about 30 LBs. It seems to also be mostly in the stomach area which is always unbecoming in clothes. Now I was getting the steroid shots every 4 months for my lower back and that also caused weight gain.  I'm afraid that being a woman has this issue with many of the drugs out there.
  • urbanewarrior
    urbanewarrior Guest

    Posted

    Yes, it most certainly does make you gain weight!

    I've been on Ven for 6 months now after being on Duloxetine for many years. Dose is currently 150mg a day but am tapering down to nothing under medical guidance after I realised it truly was a horrible, horrible drug.

    I've put on a huge amount of weight in this time although I eat healthily and never exceed around 1,500 cals. a day. And I exercise regulalrly to the full extent my calorie intake will allow.

    Side effects for me have been depression (go figure!), memory loss, poor concentration, loss of libido, erectile dysfunction, chronic fatigue, insomia, visual disturbance, aching joints and muscles, and of course weight again.

    Withdrawal symptons added to the above now include brain zaps and really weird dreams (not all unpleasant!) but I also take Diphenhydramine HCl (Nytol or Boots Sleepeze in the UK) which I read online helps alleviate some of the withdrawal symptoms, which it does.

    I really don't understand how drug companies are allowed to sell drugs like these, and how doctors can continue to prescribe them although a raft of 'incentives' probably helps!

    And what's worse is that most doctors are also clueless as to how to come off them!

    So let's try and get this poison banned!

  • suzanne45693
    suzanne45693 Guest

    Posted

    I've been on venlafaxine Xl 375mg for 5years, I have put on about 5stone in this time!! I never had any trouble with my weight before. I'm having alot of side effects and am scared of coming off them to go on new medication. For one reason that I become very suicidal again, and secondly the effects of coming off this drug 😪
  • Guest
    Guest Guest

    Posted

    I took venlafaxine for 19.5 years on high doses and it did not make me put on any more weight. It also cured my depression, when many other drug combinations did not - they did make me put on weight. I think it is a waiting game to see which drug suits which person. For those who wish to ban it, I'd like to point out that it is well known that different drugs suit and don't suit different people. At best I would have spent a lifetime in a mental health institution without it.
    • lucy87379
      lucy87379 Guest

      Posted

      Hi jebjew,would just like to say it Has worked well for me too,it's nice to see someone else who it has helped,I still have occasional bad day's but mustnt complain x
    • Dawn1208
      Dawn1208 lucy87379

      Posted

      Hi Lucy I'm on 75mgmorning and night but I feel I'm getting mind numbness I've been on this dose for 6 weeks how long did it take to work for you my doctor gave me long release ones today to see if they help me better.
    • lucy87379
      lucy87379 Dawn1208

      Posted

      hi dawn,so sorry late reply,im new here and only just seen your reply,im on the same dosage as you and it worked amazingly for me,almost straight away,unless i was imagining it! it seemed to lift my anxiety instantly and stopped my mind from being in constant overdrive :-( im considering coming off it now as ive been on it two years and worry about the effects on me plus im feeling better,i still have some horrid down days but not many at all thankfully,im scared of the side effects of coming off it but i want to try,dawn some anti depressants do make you feel kind of 'numb' thats ( i find) is all part and parcel of them if you get me,which is what i wanted personally as i was terribly down and just didnt want to be around anymore when i was put on these and they stopped all the thoughts in my head that were slowwly but surely squeezing the very life out of me..so i personaly have been lucky on them as they helped me very much after no others did,please do stay in touch,how are you feeling on them now? also mine are slow release. kindest regards,

      lucy xx

    • ann55375
      ann55375 Guest

      Posted

      Are you still on it? I am considering best med to take for anxiety and sertraline was last try which made me worse. 
    • Guest
      Guest ann55375

      Posted

      Yes I am still on it for depression. Not depressed though!
    • ann55375
      ann55375 Guest

      Posted

      Thanks so much. It is next one dr will try.  Did you try others first?
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