Effexor and Weight Loss/Gain

[Jenlynne]

Has anyone taken Effexor and, if so, did you experience any weight related side-effects.  

I am worried about gaining weight and will not take this medicine until I find out.   I'm just scared because SSRIs cause gain.  Even though this is not an SSRI, it could cause weight gain.

[AirForceWife810]

I have been on Effexor for three years.  Although it has helped tremendously with my anxiety and depression, I have gained 60 pounds!!!  It has been nearly impossible to get it off.  I went from a size 4 to a size 12 and I HATE MY BODY!!  I am going to talk to my doctor about coming off of it.  I know the withdrawal is awful because I have missed a pill before and had horrible zapping/dizzy shock feelings through my brain to the point that I thought I was having some kind of seizure activity.  I dread going off of it for that reason, but I cannot stay on it due to my weight.  I refuse to look the way I do and not be able to do anything about it.

[TheBoz55]

My Dr just  prescribed me to Effexor; I start taking it as soon as I wean off Viibryd.  I was first prescribed to Zoloft which did not do anything then Viibryd which sucked, it made me crave junk food sooo much and did not help with depression.  I'm 5'8 very athletic weigh 170 and have 7% bodyfat.  I definitely have body image issues.  The reason I finally realized I was depressed was when I had to start forcing myself to workout.  WHile on Viibryd I gained 10 lbs and it was 100% due to my disgusting increased appetite for junk food (I was never full).  Needless to say I ended up doing a ton of research, literally went through every legitimate antidepressant/depression forum, and found Effexor to be the best option of SSRI/SNRI when it comes to gaining weight.  Prob like 70% of feedback was positive; people who exercise regularly but lost interest from depression, claim it made them enjoy it again and actually want to exercise.  Most people either lost weight or stayed the same.  I'll post my results in a few days when i start it.

[shellybear448]

Thank God for this website! I'm 18 I was diagnosed with depression when I was 15, I was on Prozac for a long time until recently it started to make me gain weight so my doctor put me on venlafaxine and it helped me loose weight at first but I'm gaining weight like crazy now. I've been eating hardley anything but dinner and it looks like I have a pregnant belly, I'm always getting asked when My baby is due! It's super embarrassing. I didn't know what was wrong so I looked things up and found this, feel so much better now. I go to the doctor this month so hopefully we can find a solution.

[nikki2107]

Hi All,

I completely sympathize with those of you who had tremendous weight game and horrific withdrawals.  I have been on effexor xr for almost 4 years at 75 mg a day.  I have gained about 40lbs and the past three months have been working out 5-6 days a week for 1 1/2 hours and have lost 5 lbs.

I was an athlete in high school and weighed 120lbs.  At 25 I weighed 135 and looked great.  After being on Effexor I now weigh 170lbs and feel so unhappy with my body.  I am only 29 and cannot get the weight off.

I have tried twice to come off this medication and the withdrawals were debilitating.  Just like mentioned in earlier posts, I experienced brain zaps, cold and hot sweats, nightmares, nausea, and muscle aches.  

I finally went to the doctor and found a plan to taper off the medication for 3 weeks.  I will be rotating the 75mg to 37.5 everyday for one week, then 37.5 everday for a week, then finally 37.5mg everyother day.  Then done! I know the withdrawals will still be difficult as I've been on this medication for so long, but I'm excited to get off of it and get my old body back.  Good luck to everyone when coming off this medication.  Exercise has made such a difference during the times I have not needed any medication!

[happylynnwaterfall]

Not taking a drug because it MIGHT make you gain weight could backfire on you. You really can't tell what effect a drug will have on your weight until you try it. Everyone is different. I've been on venlafaxine for a year at a relatively low dose and I've lost 40 pounds without even trying. It seems to reduce my appetite, but not so much that I'm not eating and enjoying my food! I was on Ritalin about 10 years ago and lost 20 pounds in a month, which was not healthy or fun...

[mamaseta]

     Good morning bubelh, I enjoyed reading your comment . My situation is a little different only because I wasn't on effexor for deppression but for menopauseal relieve,hot flashes and night sweats. When I started taking the medication I weighed 139lbs. had my 2nd olvary removed because there was a very large tumor(size of a 8 mo. 0ld fetus) attached to it and I thought that tumjor was the reason for my belly swelling up so big,by the way I'm 55 yrs old, since having it removed in 2007 and going on effexor @ that time I now weigh 212lbs , it makes me sick to my stomach that after being in excelent shape all those previous yrs I would become so unattractive. It doesn't make me depresses just angry,& I've decided to do something about it. 1st things 1st I have an appointment with my Dr. to ween off this med ( I also tried to just stop taking without any luck same symptoms as every one else).Then I think to regain my strengh back I'm giong to start walking and increase my distance a little every day with some resistance traing as well. I will keep every-on posted on success.
If it don't work I will keep trying until I find something that does.
Good luk to all   AJ