does effexor cause weight gain

[Jeannie Canada]

I began healthy eating and daily exercise (cardo/weights) and had lost 110 lbs in just over a year...unfortunately, I have anxiety and my depression flared up again, after being off of meds for years. I began taking effexor and after being on a low dose for 4 months...I have gained 10 lbs back...I have never stopped going to the gym and my eating has basically been the same. I have decided (2 days ago) to stop taking this medication cold turkey...I can not handle the weight gain and I am terrified of gaining back more.
My question is: for those who gained weight on this medication and then stopped, how long did it take for your body to start responding again to cardio etc and start losing weight again?
Thank you...Good Luck to all on this medication.
P.S. Yes, effexor did relief my depression and anxiety...no complaints there.

[Jamie]

Hi Jeannie,
I'm with you on this one - I'm hoping so much that I'll be able to loose the 30+ pounds I gained. Be careful of the withdrawls - they were much worse for me than anticipated. I'll be hitting the gym again tomorrow. There are some comments in this forum suggesting that Effexor shuts down the satiation indicator in the brain. Good luck, and I'm sure you'll be able to drop the weight.

[Sam]

I have been having the exact same issues and yet doctor told me that weight gain had nothing to do with effexor! I have developed the sweating too and your story sounds exactly like mine. The weight won't go and I thought I was in early menopause as well, only being 35, people told me it wasn't possible. My question is, if we go off the medication, does the weight go away? Or am I now stuck with the extra 50lbs, yes 50lb, that I have now gained with the effexor, and only have been on it for a year!

Rebecca wrote:

I have been on Effexor for ~2 years.
I am a Dietitian and a triathlete. I have gained wt and CANNOT lose it.
I have been training for my first triathlon of the season (next week) and I have LOST ZERO wt.
And since I am a Dietitian I know what and how to eat.
I a Super frustrated.
Not to mention the sweating!!! Hate having to change my pajamas in the middile of the night. I sometimes would like/need to change my sheets, but can't wake my husband at 3am to do so.
Anyone else haveing this problem?
By the way I am 36 and WAY TOO young for menopause.

[Guest]

THanks! I am going to check this out!!!

ethecraftlady wrote:

Hello,
I have been on effexor 75mg for almost a year and gain thirty pounds. Just awful, the drug did wonders for my panic attacks but not my waistline. I was persistent to diet that would work for me. I came across a book called "The Serotonin Power Diet" by Judith J Wurtman, Phd and Nina Frusztajer Marquis, MD. I highly recommend this book. I have been on this diet only three weeks and have lost ten pounds so far and I have so much more energy. For breakfast you have a carb and protein , 100 calorie carb snack 1 hr before lunch, lunch you have veggies &protein, 100 calorie carb snack 1hour before dinner and for dinner you have a carb and veggie,dessert you have 100 calorie snack and plenty of water for the day.I just want to pass along a little hope. you can continue to take effexor and lose weight at the same time.

[Melody]

Try being in our shoes, I've gained 40 pounds (after being on this drug for 3 years), you might have a different attitude. I recently quit effexor and am losing weight again. With effexor I was hungry all the time and the pull to food was just too strong, now I hardly think about it.

[Mamato4]

NO NO AND NO!!!!!!!!!!
I'm very prone to weight gain, and began Effexor 6 mths after delivering my baby. I managed to take Effexor, and lose all 50lbs. If anything, Effexor made me LOSE my appetite. I don't believe the "causing weight gain" theories. I would consider the individual, and access at whether or not they were PRONE to weight gain BEFORE the drug!

[Mamato4]

And ps. Effexor is actually one of the drugs prescribed to OBESE individuals to help with weight loss!

[Brigid]

Mamato4 wrote:

And ps. Effexor is actually one of the drugs prescribed to OBESE individuals to help with weight loss!

You were one of the lucky people. Each person has slightly different brain chemistry, so reactions do vary. Long term data shows that Effexor causes the majority of takers to gain weight over time.

[Sammie]

I have just been prescribed this medication and have decided after reseaching it that I will not take it. I asked the doctor if one of the side effects was weight gain and she said "no". A,ha!

[Ezin]

Mamato4,

Short-term, weight can either stay stable, drop, or gain. Some people react to the stimulant-effect of the drug by losing appetite +/- dropping weight. This would seem to be your profile, and you are pleased with the result.

Stimulants can cause weight loss, which is why they are prescribed, often off-label. The usual statements associated with their prescription often caution that the weight loss is associated with the initial 6 months e.g. "Some antidepressant medications have been studied as appetite-suppressant medications. While these medications are FDA approved for the treatment of depression, their use in weight loss is an "off-label" use. Studies of these medications generally have found that patients lost modest amounts of weight for up to 6 months. However, most studies have found that patients who lost weight while taking antidepressant medications tended to regain weight while they were still on the drug treatment."

Many doctors will agree with you, when you say "I don't believe the "causing weight gain" theories"... which is very unfortunate for those patients who find their bodies bulging at the seams - particularly since there are the academic papers to back it up - long-term use is associated with various side-effects, and weight gain is absolutely one of them.

You are bang on, when you say "I would consider the individual, and access at whether or not they were PRONE to weight gain BEFORE the drug!" - and a little research will uncover umpteen individual accounts from those who flatly state they NEVER had any weight issues prior to the taking of this category of antidepressants. That also includes those who were not prescribed for psychiatric conditions, & those who participated in triathlons and other high-energy use sports.

I'm glad the drug has worked, for you, in the manner you wished it...

[Amber]

I think everybody has a different experiance. I have been on Effexor for a year now and I went from a size 8-10 to a size 2-4. I do admit that I am constantly hungry.

I don't doubt that some of you have truely experianced some weight gain due to the drug. Everybody's body is different. I am just wondering if anyone has given thought to the fact that before the drug they were depressed and probably not eating well, and now after taking the drug, they are happy and have returned to normal eating habits, which in turn may have caused them to gain a little. It was just a thought. I do feel for those of you who have had a bad experiance with the drug. I hope that you will find a drug that works for you.

[bree]

I have only been on Effexor for a couple of months and have also lost weight. I had huge problems losing before taking this pill. I saw a nutritionist, exercised, etc. The nutritionist would be thrilled when I would drop a pound a month and some months I had no loss. I couldn't maintain that pace and sometimes even gained on the same plan.Depression set in bigtime. Now that I'm on Effexor the scale seems to magically be dropping. From reading about the opposite happening to others, I would say this med definitely affects the metabolism differently for different people.

[pattyk]

Rosie O'Donnel has lost like 15 lbs. while on Effexor. She pretty much just gave up pop and beer and tried to move a bit more. If she can do it--we can too!

[MCfromNYC]

Everybody's experience is different with these drugs and in fact with depression itself. Some people, when they get depressed, get anxious and don't want to eat at all. Others want to hiberbate in bed with a bunch of sweets and chips.

I have been on various SSRIs since 1991, and I've had a lifelong weight problem. I was obese for most of my life. The first time I went on Prozac it was like I had *no* appetite. Food completely lost its appeal to me and I thought that for the first time I actually had a normal attitude about food. The second time I went on, similar. The third time I was on Prozac for several years and it didn't have much effect at all on my weight or appetite. In the mid 90s I was on the weight loss "wonder drug" Redux, which eventually got pulled off the market. I had a similar experience to my first time on Prozac - when it came to food, I could take it or leave it . Guess what? Redux effects serotonin. About 7 years ago I finally lost my weight - thru diet and exercise - and have been in the normal range since.

I've been on Effexor now since the first of this year since it was clear to me that Prozac and Wellbutrin have "pooped out" for me. I've gained weight, maybe 15-20 lbs. It scares me of course, but I know I gained it because I *have* been eating more, I think Effexor had something to do with it, my appetite has been much more since I've been on it.

So yeah, that was my long-winded way of saying that the same drug can cause weight loss AND weight gain, maybe even in the same person at different times.

I just went from 150mg to 75 of Effexor yesterday and so far I'm very lucky. I have "fuzzy head," sleep VERY deeply, and have vivid dreams. But it's nothing that realy keeps me from living a normal life - knock wood!

[Kay]

I have been taking Effexor since last April after being diagnosed with an eating disorder.
I didn't think to research the medication as help was all I was after.
I have gone from 5'7 110 lbs to 130lbs in just over a year.....so weight gain I would say is a definite with being on this medication.(now I know why it was prescribed)
I just recently have stopped taking it and the side effects have been HORRIFIC!!! My sister actaully found this forum for me and all I have been doing for the past week is reading everyone's comments. Had I known then what I know now about this drug I would have never taken it.
Over the past 5 days I have been experiencing extreme dizziness, headaches, fatigue, nausea, sweats, shakes and ZERO APPETITE!!!! I have never felt so awful in my whole entire life..........I keep thinking I am dying or something. I am a mother of 3 and my children are so confused as to what is wrong with their mother.
At my wits end I found myself at a hollistic healer to see if she could offer me some help as the loss of appetite has me worried that I could go back to the eating disorder that brought me to this drug Effexor in the first place.
I am now holding hope that through some natural remedies I will be able to get a good grip on the withdrawl and get back to normal (whatever that may be!!). I have been off the Effexor now for 6 days and I am starting to feel a touch better but know this is going to be a long road.
I am very grateful for this forum and other sites like it as I thought I was the only one going through the dark sides of this drug.
Good luck to everyone who deals with the struggles of being on and trying to come off Effexor.

[Well]

I was on another medication for 6 years before the Doctor switched me to 75mg Effexor/day. In less than a year, I have gained nearly 40 pounds. Nothing's changed as far as my diet, activity level, etc. is concerned (I don't over-eat, I take walks with my dog). It's a bit distressing. I plan on speaking to my Doc about this at my next appointment. Oh, well.

[Brigid]

Kay wrote:

I have been taking Effexor since last April after being diagnosed with an eating disorder.
I didn't think to research the medication as help was all I was after.
I have gone from 5'7 110 lbs to 130lbs in just over a year.....so weight gain I would say is a definite with being on this medication.(now I know why it was prescribed)
I just recently have stopped taking it and the side effects have been HORRIFIC!!! My sister actaully found this forum for me and all I have been doing for the past week is reading everyone's comments. Had I known then what I know now about this drug I would have never taken it.
Over the past 5 days I have been experiencing extreme dizziness, headaches, fatigue, nausea, sweats, shakes and ZERO APPETITE!!!! I have never felt so awful in my whole entire life..........I keep thinking I am dying or something. I am a mother of 3 and my children are so confused as to what is wrong with their mother.
At my wits end I found myself at a hollistic healer to see if she could offer me some help as the loss of appetite has me worried that I could go back to the eating disorder that brought me to this drug Effexor in the first place.
I am now holding hope that through some natural remedies I will be able to get a good grip on the withdrawl and get back to normal (whatever that may be!!). I have been off the Effexor now for 6 days and I am starting to feel a touch better but know this is going to be a long road.
I am very grateful for this forum and other sites like it as I thought I was the only one going through the dark sides of this drug.
Good luck to everyone who deals with the struggles of being on and trying to come off Effexor.

Hang in there Kay. From here, things should get a bit better each day. Good luck, Brigid

[Lee Lee]

Hey...well, Im not sure if I am gaining weight from eating sweets late at night or from Effexor?! I have to agree with 'Jane' Does everyone on here follow a strictly healthy diet with moderate excercise? This Forum actually makes it quite stressful for those of us who have just started on the drug. However, it is nice to see other peoples experiences...I have felt more relaxed since being on it so, I will stick with it. Ive been on it about 3 months now and I might have gained about 5 pds but, this could be from anything...

[cyclechick]

Jane wrote:

There are some seriously wierd problems with reporting side effects of a medication to a forum, and not to your doctor, or the manufacturer.
I have been on 2 X 1 year efexor prescriptions without any ill effects apart from increased sweating, and some post urination drip.
Really, you need to eliminate any confounds : Overweight/eater, non-exerciser, smoker (triple whammy), Drinker, the list goes on.
How do you expect the pharma company to cater to your individual lifestyle???

Hi Jane,

If you read the various threads I think you'll see that the problems with the med only really start after you quit taking it. Also, most of us have mentioned these disturbing withdrawal effects to our GPs and received a blank look in return.I don't know how the pharmaceutical companies operate in Oz but there a virtually no checks or balances in North America. Here the drug companies perform all the testing of new drugs and give this data to the FDA in the US to receive approval. Canada then adopts these drugs based on their FDA approval. Call me a cynic but isn't this how thalidomide,cox 2 inhibitors and many other dangerous drugs that are now gone or on their way out got approval?

[kaydal53]

hi all - it seems like the effexor withdrawal problems are taking over these forums and the people that are singing its praises are just trying to tell their experiences... i for one am glad that effexor is helping these people but i sure wish i had researched it by way of the internet before i started taking it... i NEVER would have!!!!