Effexor XR side effects please help :)

[Dollface805]

Hi,
I am currently a 20 year old female who was diagnosed with an eating disorder. I'm not all skin and bones but I had dropped a significant amount of weight in a month by not really eating. I am currenlty in therapy and my therapist recommened I see somoene about medication so I did. She put me on Effexor XR b/c I was concerned about weight gain and anti-depressants. I currently exercise at least 5 days a week for an hour and I do not eat more then 1300 calories a day. I just began this medication a few days ago and I can't help but feel bloated and that I gained weight(even though I went to the gym and haven't eaten anything horrible) Is this all in my head( is it just that i have already convinced myself) or does this anti-depressant make you gain weight. I am really concerned about this and would like to hear others experiences with this.
   My second question is with alcohol.I know it says you shouldn't be drinking but is one or two glasses going to hurt me one day of the week?? Thank you guys so much for reading! Please please help me!!

[sk299]

Effexor DOES make you gain weight....and get bloated, etc.  I was taking effexor XR since 2004 and gained 45 pounds....my Dr. said it's not from the drug; but I knew it was and couldn't convince him until I mentioned the other side effect of not being able to have an orgasm.  I would also get extremely bloated & had severe stomach pain & my stomach felt hard as a rock.  I had stomach ex-rays and nothing was found to be wrong so finally after all these yrs I convinced the Dr. to take me off of it & I am now losing weight slowly, I have no stomach problems anymore and my sex life is back to normal!!!  I feel human again.  I am on Wellbutrin now & much much happier.  I have waisted a lot of years feeling so miserable.  I will now insist on a drug change when I know things are not right; it is my body & it tells you when something is not right.  I wish I could sue the effexor company!  Good Luck!

[Roger Gould, M.D.]

You got some good advice from sammyb88 below.   But, you may still be bloated in the bigging by retaining water, and if that is so, it will go away.  It is not real weight, just the body adjusting to the medication.

[sammyb88]

People typically lose weight on Effexor, and if you're working out so much the weight gain that comes with it for some isn't a problem for you, it's a problem for inactive people! As for the drinking, I took Effexor XR for 2 years and drank many times, you're not supposed to, but it wont kill you.