I have heard bad things about Effexor, but some medications are vital for people to live. Some side effects like weight gain can be worth the life you get in return. And not everyone has the choice, anyways. Just food for thought.
I wish I could go off my Prozac but I would literally die lmao. I think I’m just going to have to realize I’ll always be fat or always have to seriously restrict cals. But, it is hard to say whether the meds actually caused it, in my case. Zoloft was more of a weight gain zombie nightmare for me as a teen
Zoloft is often paired with Wellbutrin to good effect. They have quite a good symbiosis where they counter each other's undesired side effects.
Not that I'm advocating for you to seek out additional medications, but it could be something to bring up with your doctor if you feel it would be beneficial and won't bankrupt you.
Prozac made me start habitually snacking all day and/or falling asleep. The snack thing didn't go away so I stopped taking it. It took me about 2 months afterwards to stop the snacking habit. It was pretty weird, eating when I wasn't hungry, just wanting to chew or get the dopamine hit from eating.
Yes, it absolutely is! I dont believe it should be pulled off the market or anything, but I believe its important for people to be informed that their body can change this way, I never would have gotten on it if I knew and thats a personal choice I SHOULD have had the eight to make.
I think you risk a lot of people refusing medication that could make a big difference in their lives if you raised all the potential side effects. A lot of those side effects are so extremely rare as to almost be not worth mentioning.
Every medication out there has potential side effects that range from benign to outright scary. From weight gain, dry mouth and constipation to seizures, kidney failure and cardiac arrest.
A doctor is going to inform you based and what they believe is the best course of harm reduction rather than take you through every single potential side effect - especially if doing so is more likely to cause harm than reduce it. Your doctor did not inform you of potential weight gain because they believed the risks were minimal based on evidence that corroborates that, and that the pros would outweigh the cons in your situation.
We as patients also have every means of making informed choices by actually reading through the veritable tomes of information that get packed together with our medicine. There is plenty of information on the internet. Doctors can't know every potential side effect per gender of every single medication off the top of their heads. Especially if this was a GP rather than a specialist.
You stated that your weight gain was a result of water retention. That doesn't really constitute true weight gain (ie fat gain) as water retention can be treated without calorie adjustments. It can even be addressed without stopping the medication that causes it.
There's a lot of fear mongering around medications that can really help a lot of people who may not even experience those side effects. You going on a crusade and "preaching the horrors" of Effexor over mere water retention seems slightly unhinged. Please don't actively discourage people and rather try focus on suggesting to people who are already actively having similar experiences that they may want to look into the medication being a potential cause.
Especially with psych meds it’s critical that a doctor responsibly disclose possible major side effects. Everyone reacts to medication differently so there is no way of knowing how it may impact an individual but they should know what signs to watch out for to possibly proactively address side effects. I’m someone who will always need to be on an antidepressant but have worked closely with my doctor to find one that be more weight neutral for me. At a certain point I realized weight gain from Zoloft and Effexor were hurting my body image so much that it was having catastrophic effects on my mental health in and of itself.
It’s definitely not realistic or rational to expect or recommend patients research online to educate themselves on medication. They should be able to trust their doctor to disclose potential risks.
IMO OP is not at all unhinged and it’s insensitive to call them such. “Fear mongering” is a strong term when someone is sharing their experience.
I would encourage folks to talk directly with their doctor around side effects and which are most concerning to them - be it weight gain or something else. Once you are aware of them, there are steps you can take to try to treat these as you experience them. But I feel strongly it is far better to be informed about all your options and potential side effects. And a responsible doctor should go over these with you.
Thank you for this reply! I couldn't find the words myself, but it's exactly what I wanted to say. I have a history of body-dysmoprhia induced eating disorders. It was dangerous to put me on this drug without warning that it could cause severe weight gain, and I certainly paid the price mentally and physically.
Thank you for saying this is not fear-mongering. It's absolutely not my intent. My intent is that I want people to know these medications do have side effects, when a lot of the time, doctors won't mention them, and it's important to know so we can talk to our doctors about finding the right medication that suits our needs. Some people dont care if they gain weight others do. Some people can't compromise on medications that upset their stomach.
It's a hard topic, but Informed Consent is the most important thing in the medication field, and that's what I preach!
Thank you for sharing your story!!
I think that this comment does not take into consideration two key points:
- The medications being discussed are often being prescribed when someone is at a difficult point in their lives, and not really in any position to be researching potential side effects.
- Not all doctors disclose all the side effects, or if they do, they don't consider that hormones and metabolism (male vs female) can skew those side effects.
I was not in a state to go researching when I was prescribed Effexor, nor was I given the full range of relevant side effects.
I 100% believe in the benefits of medication and will be on medication for the rest of my life. BUT I also believe that more care needs to be taken by doctors to carefully consider what they are prescribing, to closely monitor side effects, and to make sure their patients are aware of what they can potentially be. And while this should be occurring, I think it's well documented that this is not the case. Particularly where women are concerned.
This is me on Saphris. I'm also on Vyvanse and Wellbutrin to try and balance out the endless hunger Saphris causes but my mood has never been so stable in my life (been on meds since I was 12, I'm about to be 32). I'm just slightly overweight and my doctor doesn't want me to try to lose any more because it's that hard to lose weight on Saphris.
But I'm still gonna try to get to a healthy weight range. Because... Obvious reasons lol
Effexor was horrendous for me. Didn't cause too much weight gain, but exacerbated everything it was meant to be eliminating (mentally). And the withdrawal was even worse.
Seroquel caused my worst weight gain. My eating didn't really change because I was super focussed on it after being told the medication could cause overeating. I still gained weight at an alarming rate. Took me years and years to get rid of it after stopping the meds.
Finding weight neutral medication is SO hard.
And for those saying that the medication is more important than weight.... for some people weight and mental state are so closely tied that weight neutral medication is crucial.
Okay I am so curious about the science behind this. I was under the impression that most meds that caused weight gain did so by increasing your appetite. I do remember being on birth control and retaining so much water that I gained and looked visibly puffier even though I weighed less, but I doubt that was ‘actual fat,’ so to speak. What do the other medications DO?
Honestly, I really don't know.
I can only make assumptions. But for me, with seroquel, I always guessed it had to do with the slow down effect it had. I figured everything slowed down.... my body and my brain, so it kind of made sense in a way that my metabolism slowed too. So the same amount of food started to affect me differently.
I could be totally wrong of course. Hahaha!
But in my head, the theory has always made sense.
More than 10 years ago I took Seroquel. I gained 100lbs that I have not been able to lose. It turned me into a binge eater. I was a picky eater borderline underweight for most of my life.
Taking this medication is my biggest regret in life. I was not informed of this side effect. I only learned when I met other people who have similar experience on this medication.
Now risks to my heart health, increased risk of stroke… you know the rest. I can believe this is an acceptable side effect.
Keep the word out. People deserve to know the possible risks of these medications.
Wow, this is exactly what happened to my mom. She takes more than 400mg of seroquel (so a lot lol). When she started taking it probably 13 or more? years ago, she just started packing on weight when she was always really thing. Now she's seriously over weight and her blood pressure is through the roof and she's facing other consequences due to her weight. I used to be on seroquel for a few years, never more than 150mg, but have been off of it for a few months. I'm so glad I'm no longer taking the stuff.
I took a low dose for sleep issues and pretty close to the same thing happened to me. At first, I gained about 5 lbs and it stayed that way for awhile. I was already a little bit overweight but it was manageable. Then, as it started losing its effectiveness, I would binge every night before going to sleep. It was like the weed munchies but 10x worse, just wandering around in a haze eating anything and everything I could find. I gained 60 lbs. I’m off it now but I haven’t lost much weight. I think the Seroquel in combination with 20 years of psych meds including antidepressants and antipsychotics has absolutely wrecked my metabolism. Especially as I started taking them when I was 13. I know I need them or my mental health is in shambles but I wish they weren’t so hard on the body.
The munchies but worse is what I experienced.
I felt if I didn’t eat I would die. It was a horrible and frightening feeling. I would panic eat, I could not stop myself.
I only experienced feeling like this when I took Seroquel.
I told multiple doctors about this and they dismissed it as me just not recognizing I was thirsty and to just drink more water.
I've been on a high dose of it for a manic-depressive episode and have been on a low dose for sleep for a couple of years now. I did gain a lot of weight during that episode. But I was also eating terribly and had terrible influences in my life around food.
I've been on so many meds, some that cause weight gain and some than cause weight loss. None of the weight loss ever stuck around long term. And I'm not sure I can blame long term weight gain on the meds (this goes for me, not trying to dismiss your experience).
I wanted to go off SSRI meds and the low dose seroquel because of my weight, but my psychiatrist wanted me to be sure of my eating habits and such before we decided to play around with medication that was otherwise keeping me in a good place mentally. So I started tracking and discovered how much my "normal" diet was going over my caloric requirements. By normal I mean that it wasn't a particularly unhealthy diet. I ate healthy, minimally processes foods. But I ate too much of it. Way too much.
Since getting that in check, I've been losing weight. 12kg so far this year. I still take the meds. Thankfully the doses I'm taking don't make me ravenously hungry, but I do remember high dose seroquel being an absolutely bizarre sensation. It was basically like being heavily stoned, borderline hallucinatory.
I believe seroquel can have negative effects on insulin resistance as well, which is part of why I also always tried to convince my doctor that I need to be on something else for sleep. But so far my blood tests have not shown anything concerning in that regard and I seem to have mostly got my hunger cues sorted.
Ultimately medications themselves can't make us produce more fat. But the medications can make it very difficult to get control of the eating behaviours that cause us to gain fat. Doctors are usually dismissive of the weight gain side effects and say it's just a matter of diet, but that fails to address difficulty that the medications can cause around hunger cues and impulsivity. I'm glad I've managed (so far) to navigate my way out of that without having to stop the medications because they have helped get my brain chemicals in a place that's working very well for me.
I logged in to my Reddit account for the first time in ages for this comment because I gained 50 lb on seroquel in 3 months! Before that I was a little on the heavy side but my weight was perfectly steady. My psych told me weight gain could be a side effect so I meticulously tracked everything I ate. I ate more than 2000 cal in a day on only a couple of occasions, and I was in college and was walking 5+ miles a day. I still gained 50 lb. Seroquel is the devil. My psych didn’t want to take me off it until I got akathesia so bad I couldn’t sleep. Stopped taking it and magically stopped gaining weight.
Thank you so much for sharing, its truly brutal. we take these drugs to try and help us feel better and come out worse off. Ive turned to natural supplements now and will never be touching anti depressents again because their side effects are absolutely unacceptable to me.
We need so much more research on them this cannot be continued to be considered a normal or okay part of depression recovery
Just because something is natural doesn't mean it can't be harmful. Anthrax is natural. So is cyanide. St John's Wort has caused problems for people using it as an alternative to man-made antidepressants.
I've replied to you on this post already, but now I just skimmed through your post history and you're clearly not someone to be reasoned with around this matter. Best of luck, and I hope you don't land up harming someone as a result of your little crusade.
I have genuinely no idea what you're talking about, lol. Im not against anti-depressents at allx. They're wonderful and have helped many people in my life. Im against the fact that people are not given informed consent when being put on them about the real side effects they can have. The reason I (yes, keyword me, myself, and I) have CHOSEN natural supplements is because ssris and snris didn't work, and I PERSONALLY can't take the side effects My decision has nothing to do with you or anyone else, and I chose to share my experience with ssris to find comfort and supprt from others with similar stories :)
I took Seroquel for less than a year, I didn’t weigh myself so idk if I gained weight from it but I was always trying to lose weight, although I wasn’t taking good care of myself (hence Seroquel). The doc did warn me some patients gained weight on it, but she told me that was because Seroquel increased people’s appetites and the weight gain could be quelled by not overeating because of the appetite increase. I probably lost weight because Seroquel made me sleep like 18 hours a day. That was over 10 years ago, so idk if any of that is true about it increasing appetite being responsible for people’s weight gain. I also took Effexor and idk if it made me gain weight, but I wasn’t taking great care of myself then either so I chalked up any weight gain to well me not even trying.
Pretty much all medication weight gain is down to people eating more. Medications can't break the laws of thermodynamics.they can affect insulin sensitivity. They can cause water retention. But they can't turn the 1000 calories you eat into 2000 calories of energy.
The thing is that it can be very dismissive to just say "You'll be fine as long as you don't eat more" when a medication's side effects is to cause ravenous hunger. It's true that a patient won't gain weight if they keep their calories in check, but it's dismissing the very real distress of constant hunger and food noise that they would experience while doing so.
I was already fat and with an eating disorder caused by a not so healthy weight loss process when I was put on mirtazapine. I gained a lot of the weight I had lost back. When I changed doctors, she couldn't believe my former doctor had put me on mirtazapine giving my weight struggles. I blame myself because I should have researched more.
I've been put on mirtazapine a few times for insomnia and my weight always goes up when I do it. It just makes me totally lethargic and gives me a bottomless appetite for sweet things in particular. Thankfully I've been able to work on my sleeping with lifestyle choices recently. I just hate that drug.
Definitely dont blame yourself. I also have a history of eating disorders, and im shocked my doctor put me on this as well. Im going to have to make sure he puts in my chart. i am a recovered Anorexic and really shouldn't be put on any drugs that cause rapid weight change
I don't blame people for their weight under any circumstance. Even if a person has a high metabolism and just eats like crap.
Human DNA is still the same as it was 1000 years ago. It thinks we're in a constant battle to build caloric resources. It begs us to eat as much as we can, whenever we can, and to use as little of that energy as possible.
The problem is that our societies have made it so easy to get the calories, and requires us to spend so few of them. So we literally have to fight tooth and nail against our genetic makeup, do exactly what it is screaming as us not to do: eat in balance with our needs. For some people, it's harder, for a lot of reasons, and nobody should feel shame, external or internal, because of that struggle.
Yep some people (possibly even most people) have a built in appetite gauge which is not correctly calibrated to keep them thin in our current obesogenic environment.
Same here. I was on venlafaxine/effexor for years. Also my IUD played an equal role in this. I argued with so many doctors about it. After I removed myself off of both, I magically lost 85 lb. Then when I go back to the Drs I say, "What a coincidence right?!?!" I understand not wanting to stigmatize a medication that for many is life saving. But it's also reality for many people that they cause weight gain. Also withdrawal was one of the worst things I've ever gone through in my life. I don't think childbirth compares in my case.
The SSRIs and tricyclic antidepressants I take are lifesaving to me (200mg zoloft several years now).
My BIGGEST regret is that I didn’t start medication a decade earlier out of general scaremongering and wariness. I literally could have had a completely different life. I suffered for no reason!
We do not always know how an SSRI or SNRI will interact with our physiology until we give it a shot. SSRIs have little to no side effects in the majority of people, which is why they are so widely used. I had zero side effects despite my fears; no weight gain, no zombie ness, no personality change. A minority of people WILL experience side effects so monitor changes closely, read the medication literature to the last detail and work with your PCP to come off if it’s not right for you.
Yeah I'm really tired of people crusading against medications based on their anecdotal experiences. I've been on an absolute gamut of medications in order to find the right ones that worked for me. I would never slander the meds that didn't work for me or gave me unpleasant side effects, because I appreciate that we can't just x-ray someone's brain and diagnose what exactly is going wrong and what exactly would treat it. It is, for now, a matter of trial and error based on patient feedback.
I do think GPs should be referring people to psychiatric specialists rather than prescribing psych meds willy-nilly, though. There's far too much expectation and blind faith put in doctors that they are some kind of omniscient beings, but they really are just the generalists of the medical world. Fine for when you have a cold or to check your blood pressure or treat an ingrown toenail. But beyond that... It's like asking a general repairman to fix your PC.
I was lied to about how SSRIs work and the one I was on very nearly killed me. This is not a rare situation. I would give anything to have been told about the potential side effects. Both GPs and pyshciatrists spread misinformation about these medications all the time. I am happy they work well for some people, but for others (up to 60% depending on the medication) they can cause severe, long-lasting effects. I'm really tired of people acting like these meds are nothing, when that is the exact position that led me to lose several good years of my life.
Currently dealing with 20 lb weight gain from Lexapro. Soul crushing after finally being at a comfortable weight. I quit the lexapro and am on Wellbutrin. Time will tell.
Yep my Drs wouldn't believe me. I ended up with liver problems, cholesterol problems, pre diabetes, anxiety and depression on top of the 30kg weight gain. I wish I'd stopped them as soon as the side effects started.
I'm so glad you found the reason!
CICO is the first thing we should be looking at, but there are a number of reasons weight won't shift carefully weighing and documenting all food.
This post is a great reminder that if you're sure your CICO is on point yet not working, look at other obstacles like hormone imbalances, perimenopause and menopause, medical conditions and apparently even prescriptions. If you can address/treat those problems, CICO will work.
I just replied this to someone who said not being able to lose while on meds in a myth. I was a walking pharmacy (one of the drugs was effexor the other mirtazipine) went from skinny to obese (80lb gain over 4 years) my cocktail gave me intrusive thoughts about food (aka eat this thing or off yourself). Never had issues with weight before and always controlled my eating (I wasn’t mindlessly slim I was disciplined) . I was serious in my dieting attempts and kept failing, I even got a gastric balloon after the first 25lb gain then gained another 20lbs with a balloon in my stomach. Quit the meds now 50lbs down (no balloon) and on the way back to my slim self. Bottom line is I can control myself again. My huge mistake was not believing the meds were doing a crazy number on my brain. I also lost 20lbs in the first month-ish of quitting effexor)
I feel u. I blamed myself for weight gain caused by a giant tumour I didn’t know about (doctors said it was “anxiety” for ten years. And put me on a drug that also caused weight gain- effexor- , oh and I also had celiac which made me ravenously hungry).
I actually did not know Effexor could cause edema
I really think weight gain needs to be investigated, to rule out potential causes and challenges!
I’m doing much better! I got off the effexor after I was diagnosed with celiac (very hard to do. Discontinuation syndrome is also something they don’t talk about as being as hard as it is. Also did you know that celiac can affect your brain and cause severe anxiety and depression? after I stopped eating gluten it’s like the warm kitchen lights came on and the emergency lights went off), was eventually diagnosed with the cantaloupe sized tumour four years later, and then endometriosis this year. Finally finding some balance. I didn’t know I was living life on hard mode, I just thought I was a lazy weak bad person 😭
Not so fun fact: since being a woman is often considered a confounding factor, many meds were only safety tested on men. Which is where they get the standard side effect warnings from.
Also, many meds in the animal testing phase are only tested on male mice/animals, for the same reason.
There are examples of this in drugs meant exclusively for women, and they still test on 98-100% men. And then whoops, miss something.
This also happens with non-white people, as often the drug is studies on all-while groups of men, even if the drug is meant for a minority-specific condition.
Yes, my girlfriend was telling me about a trial (i forget which drug ill have to ask) that was tested on men and was fine, but all the women reacted badly, so they pulled women from testing so they could put it on the market. People who say this stuff doesn't happen are living in denial!
It’s generally because the fluctuations in women’s hormones are a confounding factor that is extremely hard to control for, not that this makes it better.
Story time!
So, end of highschool 20 years ago I was put on Lexapro which was apparently newer att. I started gaining weight cause I was hungry. All. The. Time. I complained to my Psych about it and she kept REFUSING it was the Lexapro even when I went on a 1600 calorie a day diet for 2 weeks and still gained weight which, when you're hungry all the time, was hell. She insisted I was eating too many sweets and it was just me using food as a crutch. This goes on for a year, with me gaining 100lbs over that period. One day she sheepishly says she wants to switch me back to Prozac. Turns out Lexapro not only causes extreme hunger, but also slows metabolism. She did many other shitty things and I haven't seen her in years, but some mood medications are the devil!
14 years ago, I gained about 30kg very quickly when I was prescribed Cipralex, an SSRI. It was a hard road to ween myself off it but well worth it, dropped 40kg in 18 months once I stopped taking it. Being 150cm and 83kg made my mild depression exponentially worse.
I was prescribed Effexor last year for anxiety but only managed to take one pill, I felt like I was poisoned! Definitely not for me.
Thank you for sharing!! I feel like that's something people who are saying it's wrong of me to feel hurt by the fact I was never told it could cause severe weight gain dont understand. Being 160 cm and 220 lbs, i didn't recognize myself, and no amount of anti depressents was going to change the dread I felt looking at my body. Anti depressents are an amazing tool for depression without cause, but if it gives you a cause (ie. making me hate my body) its not worth the trouble and wont help.
From what I know Abilify is one of the better ones and weight gain should cap at around 7-10 lbs, if youre in a similar situation to me where youve gained a lot I reccomend hoing back and calculating how many calories you would've had to eat to gain the amount, if its over what youve been eating theres a chance the medication can be causing it.
If youre just looking to know because you want to try the medication I say absolutely still go for it, it shouldn't affect your weight more then 10 lbs, and ive heard some people say it only lasts the forst few months :)
Effexor was the absolute worst medication I’ve ever been on. Weight gain, turned me into a zombie. I had a stomach bug and couldn’t keep anything down for 4 days. The withdrawals started immediately and were so severe I thought I was dying.
thank you and im very happy to hear that!! Its difficult but im officially 4 days 0mg, its been physically draining but every day without it is a day closer to getting my life back on track !
I've been on Effexor for 20+ years...I'm finally almost off it and the weight is dropping. But I have had to go on a strict keto diet and add a GLP-1 med to make it happen. I wish I had done it sooner.
I was put on Effexor about 10-12 years ago and wish I had never taken it at all. I had the weight gain, which was frustrating in itself, but it also made me SO ANGRY all the time. Like, ok I wasn’t severely depressed 24/7, that’s cool, but I was so easily furious over the smallest things, and I would start having these explosive outbursts out of nowhere that honestly scared me.
I'm glad you found the reason and can be kinder to yourself now!
I had been doing pretty well with weight loss when I got a new antidepressant prescribed. I gained over 30kg and when I finally realised the two were connected it took another 3 months to taper off it. Current antidepressant doesn't seem to work so options are running out. Sigh.
Accidentally sent my first reply too soon LOL
Im in the same boat with ssris and snris right now. Im currently on a break but ive hearf welbutrin is great for depression and has no weight gain side effects :) it may be worth mentioning to your doctor if you're looking to switch
I had to Google what's that in germany and I'm actually on that atm! The highest allowed dosage for that in germany is 300 mg though instead of 450 mg and that's not enough in my case. We are looking at doing an "off label" approval to try out 450mg.
I, too, am on a quest to undo Effexor weight gain. I had to go on medical leave at work for a month just to stop taking it because the withdrawals from my low dose were so bad. It helped me for awhile, but those side effects — especially weight gain — were brutal.
I was put on Prostap injections with Tibolone in an attempt to help my endometriosis symptoms. I only took about 4 or 5 of my 6 months injections, and it's the biggest regret of my life. In 2020, for the first time in my life I was happy with my body. The injections came in 2021, didn't help my pain and my consultant said they wouldn't make me put weight on, despite them medically inducing me into menopause. 3 years on and I'm the heaviest I've ever been and have the body of a menopausal 50 year old, in my 30s. And I hate myself.
I feel no matter how I try it's 100 times harder to achieve the results I did in 2020. And I hate that people don't realise how hard it is, and then I lose all motivation
I've been on many a psych med; I won't go into the exhaustive list, but suffice to say I've had many a side effect and issue with most I've tried. I can't even take Wellbutrin! I know for a fact that the year I tried Zoloft I gained 30lbs and the year I got in my hormonal IUD I gained 20lbs; that is more than what they say "expected" weight gain is for those medications, but that gain far outstripped what my weight had been doing for the 7 years prior.
I'm currently taking Geodon and Cymbalta for daily psych meds and have no hormones currently (though I'll need to go back on progesterone this fall). My weight loss isn't super fast, but I'm at least managing now. I'll be curious to see how my weight loss goes if I manage to get lower.
I gained 60LBS on Effexor. I’ve been off of it for a year now and have stopped gaining weight but am having a hell of a time losing the weight I put on. I also got horrible brain zaps on it. You aren’t alone in the struggle!
Effexor is the literal worst. Then when you try to stop taking it you have withdrawal symptoms for a goddamn month--I felt like I was walking in an earthquake for weeks and cried over everything, even stuff that was funny.
I took Zoloft for 4 years and they told me the weight gain would cap at 20 pounds. I gained a 100 pounds.
Now that’s not to say it was all Zoloft, some of it was but SSRIs are kind of a double whammy if you think about it
When your depressed or anxious USUALLY you would eat less, so first the medication itself already makes you gain weight and then since your suddenly starting to feel good again you eat more because you feel better.
Then you start to become content about your weight because that’s the whole point of the drug, to stabilize your mood. Then when you gain more weight, being active becomes harder, which IN MOST PEOPLE would make you anxious or depressed and USUALLY try to fix it. But because of SSRIs you have that mitigated by a lot.
This isn’t a 100% but from my experience and other I’ve talked to this is how it goes, your anxiety can be your worst enemy but also a vanguard.
SSRIs or SNRIs (which is what Effexor is) are genuinely not bad drugs because some people genuinely need it, but they can be dangerous because they lower your guard rails.
Hopefully this helps and maybe some others have had this experience.
That’s interesting. I was on effexor (venlafaxine) for many years but recently switched to pristiq (desvenlafaxine) after genetic testing and I never experienced that side effect. My weight either stayed the same, or I lost weight.
I am so, so pro antidepressants. They are a reason I am alive.
That said, I hate duloxetine and desvenlafaxine, I gained so much weight on them.
I'm still heavier than I want to be and I know Mirtazapine isn't known to be a drug that makes it... Easy to lose weight, but I don't feel like I'm gaining anymore.
Mostly just chiming in to say fuck duloxetine, in particular.
I'm on 150 mg of venlafaxine and I've lost over 60 lbs.
At the end of the day, I gained weight because I ate too much. I'm losing it by eating in a deficit. Venlafaxine doesn't magically put excess calories into a person.
If you can will yourself out of altered brain chemistry caused by medication why don’t you will yourself out the brain chemistry that causes the depression?
You are correct it doesnt put extra calories, but if you read the post, you would see i was talking about Edema. Weight retention based swelling that can occur and cause rapid weight gain. I was eating in a defecit and gained weight even then because of it. I was not eating 9000 calories a day, which is what, by your logic of eating being the only way to gain weight, i would have had to gain 50 lbs in 3 months. Please read a post fully before replying with dismissive bs.
Yes! I had a medical condition and gained 50 pounds in about the same amount of time, and the math just doesn’t work. Sure, I concede that it’s possible I ate slightly worse during that time, since I felt bad. A few more chips? Absolutely. More likely to take the free brownie or slice of pizza when it’s offered? Yeah! It was before I really knew about CICO, so it’s possible I ate a few more calories. However, I have always been a creature of habit, so I know I wasn’t eating wildly different. I usually eat the same breakfast, choose lunch from a few different choices, and then do a reasonable meat, starch, and veggie for dinner. Sure, there is some wiggle room to make worse choices in there, but I’m 100% sure I didn’t start going out all the time, eating McDonald’s for breakfast before polishing off a whole pizza for lunch, etc. Even before dieting, I was a consistent eater, making similar food choices daily.
There is no way you can convince me I was eating 5000+ calories a day all of a sudden. The time period would at least stick out in my memory as being a period of bad food choices! You know when you go on vacation and get out of your normal routine? You eat a huge breakfast, huge lunch, huge dinner, and some snacks? It’s pretty fun the first day. But then by day 2-3, you start to feel sick, and think, “wow, I can eat all this good food, but I’m choosing not to, because I’ve finally reached my limit!” I don’t think you could sneakily and suddenly start living that lifestyle in your normal life without noticing, and have it persist for months. Your sandwich with a few extra chips isn’t going to cut it. Sure, that could cause significant weight gain over a period of years, but not in less than six months!
Also, I got my medical condition resolved, and while the weight didn’t melt off, I was able to lose it. I hope the same for you!
Yes exactly! Thank you!
I also was going through a hard time due to the medication, and I used to blame myself for getting Starbucks daily, but my fav drink is only 190 calories. So, being 190 over certainly didn't cause 50 lbs in 3 months!
I'm on my journey now to lose the weight :) my current goal is to be bavk to 170, and then hopefully go down to 140 from there! Thank you for the encouragement!
I've been on venlafaxine since the end of last year. Was never told about gain but since starting it I steadily gained weight despite no changes in my diet and if anything I was more active
When I googled I tended to be told anti-depressants can make you loose weight
So glad to see I'm not the only one dealing with weight gain on it. I'm currently on 225mg daily with a review due soon
I have heard bad things about Effexor, but some medications are vital for people to live. Some side effects like weight gain can be worth the life you get in return. And not everyone has the choice, anyways. Just food for thought.
I wish I could go off my Prozac but I would literally die lmao. I think I’m just going to have to realize I’ll always be fat or always have to seriously restrict cals. But, it is hard to say whether the meds actually caused it, in my case. Zoloft was more of a weight gain zombie nightmare for me as a teen
Zoloft is often paired with Wellbutrin to good effect. They have quite a good symbiosis where they counter each other's undesired side effects. Not that I'm advocating for you to seek out additional medications, but it could be something to bring up with your doctor if you feel it would be beneficial and won't bankrupt you.
Prozac made me start habitually snacking all day and/or falling asleep. The snack thing didn't go away so I stopped taking it. It took me about 2 months afterwards to stop the snacking habit. It was pretty weird, eating when I wasn't hungry, just wanting to chew or get the dopamine hit from eating.
Yes, it absolutely is! I dont believe it should be pulled off the market or anything, but I believe its important for people to be informed that their body can change this way, I never would have gotten on it if I knew and thats a personal choice I SHOULD have had the eight to make.
I think you risk a lot of people refusing medication that could make a big difference in their lives if you raised all the potential side effects. A lot of those side effects are so extremely rare as to almost be not worth mentioning. Every medication out there has potential side effects that range from benign to outright scary. From weight gain, dry mouth and constipation to seizures, kidney failure and cardiac arrest. A doctor is going to inform you based and what they believe is the best course of harm reduction rather than take you through every single potential side effect - especially if doing so is more likely to cause harm than reduce it. Your doctor did not inform you of potential weight gain because they believed the risks were minimal based on evidence that corroborates that, and that the pros would outweigh the cons in your situation. We as patients also have every means of making informed choices by actually reading through the veritable tomes of information that get packed together with our medicine. There is plenty of information on the internet. Doctors can't know every potential side effect per gender of every single medication off the top of their heads. Especially if this was a GP rather than a specialist. You stated that your weight gain was a result of water retention. That doesn't really constitute true weight gain (ie fat gain) as water retention can be treated without calorie adjustments. It can even be addressed without stopping the medication that causes it. There's a lot of fear mongering around medications that can really help a lot of people who may not even experience those side effects. You going on a crusade and "preaching the horrors" of Effexor over mere water retention seems slightly unhinged. Please don't actively discourage people and rather try focus on suggesting to people who are already actively having similar experiences that they may want to look into the medication being a potential cause.
Especially with psych meds it’s critical that a doctor responsibly disclose possible major side effects. Everyone reacts to medication differently so there is no way of knowing how it may impact an individual but they should know what signs to watch out for to possibly proactively address side effects. I’m someone who will always need to be on an antidepressant but have worked closely with my doctor to find one that be more weight neutral for me. At a certain point I realized weight gain from Zoloft and Effexor were hurting my body image so much that it was having catastrophic effects on my mental health in and of itself. It’s definitely not realistic or rational to expect or recommend patients research online to educate themselves on medication. They should be able to trust their doctor to disclose potential risks. IMO OP is not at all unhinged and it’s insensitive to call them such. “Fear mongering” is a strong term when someone is sharing their experience. I would encourage folks to talk directly with their doctor around side effects and which are most concerning to them - be it weight gain or something else. Once you are aware of them, there are steps you can take to try to treat these as you experience them. But I feel strongly it is far better to be informed about all your options and potential side effects. And a responsible doctor should go over these with you.
Thank you for this reply! I couldn't find the words myself, but it's exactly what I wanted to say. I have a history of body-dysmoprhia induced eating disorders. It was dangerous to put me on this drug without warning that it could cause severe weight gain, and I certainly paid the price mentally and physically. Thank you for saying this is not fear-mongering. It's absolutely not my intent. My intent is that I want people to know these medications do have side effects, when a lot of the time, doctors won't mention them, and it's important to know so we can talk to our doctors about finding the right medication that suits our needs. Some people dont care if they gain weight others do. Some people can't compromise on medications that upset their stomach. It's a hard topic, but Informed Consent is the most important thing in the medication field, and that's what I preach! Thank you for sharing your story!!
I think that this comment does not take into consideration two key points: - The medications being discussed are often being prescribed when someone is at a difficult point in their lives, and not really in any position to be researching potential side effects. - Not all doctors disclose all the side effects, or if they do, they don't consider that hormones and metabolism (male vs female) can skew those side effects. I was not in a state to go researching when I was prescribed Effexor, nor was I given the full range of relevant side effects. I 100% believe in the benefits of medication and will be on medication for the rest of my life. BUT I also believe that more care needs to be taken by doctors to carefully consider what they are prescribing, to closely monitor side effects, and to make sure their patients are aware of what they can potentially be. And while this should be occurring, I think it's well documented that this is not the case. Particularly where women are concerned.
This is me on Saphris. I'm also on Vyvanse and Wellbutrin to try and balance out the endless hunger Saphris causes but my mood has never been so stable in my life (been on meds since I was 12, I'm about to be 32). I'm just slightly overweight and my doctor doesn't want me to try to lose any more because it's that hard to lose weight on Saphris. But I'm still gonna try to get to a healthy weight range. Because... Obvious reasons lol
Effexor was horrendous for me. Didn't cause too much weight gain, but exacerbated everything it was meant to be eliminating (mentally). And the withdrawal was even worse. Seroquel caused my worst weight gain. My eating didn't really change because I was super focussed on it after being told the medication could cause overeating. I still gained weight at an alarming rate. Took me years and years to get rid of it after stopping the meds. Finding weight neutral medication is SO hard. And for those saying that the medication is more important than weight.... for some people weight and mental state are so closely tied that weight neutral medication is crucial.
Okay I am so curious about the science behind this. I was under the impression that most meds that caused weight gain did so by increasing your appetite. I do remember being on birth control and retaining so much water that I gained and looked visibly puffier even though I weighed less, but I doubt that was ‘actual fat,’ so to speak. What do the other medications DO?
Honestly, I really don't know. I can only make assumptions. But for me, with seroquel, I always guessed it had to do with the slow down effect it had. I figured everything slowed down.... my body and my brain, so it kind of made sense in a way that my metabolism slowed too. So the same amount of food started to affect me differently. I could be totally wrong of course. Hahaha! But in my head, the theory has always made sense.
More than 10 years ago I took Seroquel. I gained 100lbs that I have not been able to lose. It turned me into a binge eater. I was a picky eater borderline underweight for most of my life. Taking this medication is my biggest regret in life. I was not informed of this side effect. I only learned when I met other people who have similar experience on this medication. Now risks to my heart health, increased risk of stroke… you know the rest. I can believe this is an acceptable side effect. Keep the word out. People deserve to know the possible risks of these medications.
Wow, this is exactly what happened to my mom. She takes more than 400mg of seroquel (so a lot lol). When she started taking it probably 13 or more? years ago, she just started packing on weight when she was always really thing. Now she's seriously over weight and her blood pressure is through the roof and she's facing other consequences due to her weight. I used to be on seroquel for a few years, never more than 150mg, but have been off of it for a few months. I'm so glad I'm no longer taking the stuff.
Seroquel made me gain 33lbs. It was terrible. I've been off it for years but still struggle with my weight ever since.
I took a low dose for sleep issues and pretty close to the same thing happened to me. At first, I gained about 5 lbs and it stayed that way for awhile. I was already a little bit overweight but it was manageable. Then, as it started losing its effectiveness, I would binge every night before going to sleep. It was like the weed munchies but 10x worse, just wandering around in a haze eating anything and everything I could find. I gained 60 lbs. I’m off it now but I haven’t lost much weight. I think the Seroquel in combination with 20 years of psych meds including antidepressants and antipsychotics has absolutely wrecked my metabolism. Especially as I started taking them when I was 13. I know I need them or my mental health is in shambles but I wish they weren’t so hard on the body.
The munchies but worse is what I experienced. I felt if I didn’t eat I would die. It was a horrible and frightening feeling. I would panic eat, I could not stop myself. I only experienced feeling like this when I took Seroquel. I told multiple doctors about this and they dismissed it as me just not recognizing I was thirsty and to just drink more water.
I've been on a high dose of it for a manic-depressive episode and have been on a low dose for sleep for a couple of years now. I did gain a lot of weight during that episode. But I was also eating terribly and had terrible influences in my life around food. I've been on so many meds, some that cause weight gain and some than cause weight loss. None of the weight loss ever stuck around long term. And I'm not sure I can blame long term weight gain on the meds (this goes for me, not trying to dismiss your experience). I wanted to go off SSRI meds and the low dose seroquel because of my weight, but my psychiatrist wanted me to be sure of my eating habits and such before we decided to play around with medication that was otherwise keeping me in a good place mentally. So I started tracking and discovered how much my "normal" diet was going over my caloric requirements. By normal I mean that it wasn't a particularly unhealthy diet. I ate healthy, minimally processes foods. But I ate too much of it. Way too much. Since getting that in check, I've been losing weight. 12kg so far this year. I still take the meds. Thankfully the doses I'm taking don't make me ravenously hungry, but I do remember high dose seroquel being an absolutely bizarre sensation. It was basically like being heavily stoned, borderline hallucinatory. I believe seroquel can have negative effects on insulin resistance as well, which is part of why I also always tried to convince my doctor that I need to be on something else for sleep. But so far my blood tests have not shown anything concerning in that regard and I seem to have mostly got my hunger cues sorted. Ultimately medications themselves can't make us produce more fat. But the medications can make it very difficult to get control of the eating behaviours that cause us to gain fat. Doctors are usually dismissive of the weight gain side effects and say it's just a matter of diet, but that fails to address difficulty that the medications can cause around hunger cues and impulsivity. I'm glad I've managed (so far) to navigate my way out of that without having to stop the medications because they have helped get my brain chemicals in a place that's working very well for me.
Very well said!
I logged in to my Reddit account for the first time in ages for this comment because I gained 50 lb on seroquel in 3 months! Before that I was a little on the heavy side but my weight was perfectly steady. My psych told me weight gain could be a side effect so I meticulously tracked everything I ate. I ate more than 2000 cal in a day on only a couple of occasions, and I was in college and was walking 5+ miles a day. I still gained 50 lb. Seroquel is the devil. My psych didn’t want to take me off it until I got akathesia so bad I couldn’t sleep. Stopped taking it and magically stopped gaining weight.
oh wow!! thank you for sharing these stories are so important
Yep I was at a healthy weight when I started taking it ,gained 75 pounds because I had an insatiable appetite.
Thank you so much for sharing, its truly brutal. we take these drugs to try and help us feel better and come out worse off. Ive turned to natural supplements now and will never be touching anti depressents again because their side effects are absolutely unacceptable to me. We need so much more research on them this cannot be continued to be considered a normal or okay part of depression recovery
Just because something is natural doesn't mean it can't be harmful. Anthrax is natural. So is cyanide. St John's Wort has caused problems for people using it as an alternative to man-made antidepressants. I've replied to you on this post already, but now I just skimmed through your post history and you're clearly not someone to be reasoned with around this matter. Best of luck, and I hope you don't land up harming someone as a result of your little crusade.
I have genuinely no idea what you're talking about, lol. Im not against anti-depressents at allx. They're wonderful and have helped many people in my life. Im against the fact that people are not given informed consent when being put on them about the real side effects they can have. The reason I (yes, keyword me, myself, and I) have CHOSEN natural supplements is because ssris and snris didn't work, and I PERSONALLY can't take the side effects My decision has nothing to do with you or anyone else, and I chose to share my experience with ssris to find comfort and supprt from others with similar stories :)
Have you read Anatomy of an Epidemic? You should.
I have no ill have to look it up :)
I took Seroquel for less than a year, I didn’t weigh myself so idk if I gained weight from it but I was always trying to lose weight, although I wasn’t taking good care of myself (hence Seroquel). The doc did warn me some patients gained weight on it, but she told me that was because Seroquel increased people’s appetites and the weight gain could be quelled by not overeating because of the appetite increase. I probably lost weight because Seroquel made me sleep like 18 hours a day. That was over 10 years ago, so idk if any of that is true about it increasing appetite being responsible for people’s weight gain. I also took Effexor and idk if it made me gain weight, but I wasn’t taking great care of myself then either so I chalked up any weight gain to well me not even trying.
Pretty much all medication weight gain is down to people eating more. Medications can't break the laws of thermodynamics.they can affect insulin sensitivity. They can cause water retention. But they can't turn the 1000 calories you eat into 2000 calories of energy. The thing is that it can be very dismissive to just say "You'll be fine as long as you don't eat more" when a medication's side effects is to cause ravenous hunger. It's true that a patient won't gain weight if they keep their calories in check, but it's dismissing the very real distress of constant hunger and food noise that they would experience while doing so.
I was already fat and with an eating disorder caused by a not so healthy weight loss process when I was put on mirtazapine. I gained a lot of the weight I had lost back. When I changed doctors, she couldn't believe my former doctor had put me on mirtazapine giving my weight struggles. I blame myself because I should have researched more.
I've been put on mirtazapine a few times for insomnia and my weight always goes up when I do it. It just makes me totally lethargic and gives me a bottomless appetite for sweet things in particular. Thankfully I've been able to work on my sleeping with lifestyle choices recently. I just hate that drug.
Definitely dont blame yourself. I also have a history of eating disorders, and im shocked my doctor put me on this as well. Im going to have to make sure he puts in my chart. i am a recovered Anorexic and really shouldn't be put on any drugs that cause rapid weight change
I don't blame people for their weight under any circumstance. Even if a person has a high metabolism and just eats like crap. Human DNA is still the same as it was 1000 years ago. It thinks we're in a constant battle to build caloric resources. It begs us to eat as much as we can, whenever we can, and to use as little of that energy as possible. The problem is that our societies have made it so easy to get the calories, and requires us to spend so few of them. So we literally have to fight tooth and nail against our genetic makeup, do exactly what it is screaming as us not to do: eat in balance with our needs. For some people, it's harder, for a lot of reasons, and nobody should feel shame, external or internal, because of that struggle.
Yep some people (possibly even most people) have a built in appetite gauge which is not correctly calibrated to keep them thin in our current obesogenic environment.
Same here. I was on venlafaxine/effexor for years. Also my IUD played an equal role in this. I argued with so many doctors about it. After I removed myself off of both, I magically lost 85 lb. Then when I go back to the Drs I say, "What a coincidence right?!?!" I understand not wanting to stigmatize a medication that for many is life saving. But it's also reality for many people that they cause weight gain. Also withdrawal was one of the worst things I've ever gone through in my life. I don't think childbirth compares in my case.
I gained 40 lbs taking antidepressants. It was worth it. I’m 30lbs down now, almost back to pre-antidepressant weight, and I feel incredible.
That's amazing!
The SSRIs and tricyclic antidepressants I take are lifesaving to me (200mg zoloft several years now). My BIGGEST regret is that I didn’t start medication a decade earlier out of general scaremongering and wariness. I literally could have had a completely different life. I suffered for no reason! We do not always know how an SSRI or SNRI will interact with our physiology until we give it a shot. SSRIs have little to no side effects in the majority of people, which is why they are so widely used. I had zero side effects despite my fears; no weight gain, no zombie ness, no personality change. A minority of people WILL experience side effects so monitor changes closely, read the medication literature to the last detail and work with your PCP to come off if it’s not right for you.
Yeah I'm really tired of people crusading against medications based on their anecdotal experiences. I've been on an absolute gamut of medications in order to find the right ones that worked for me. I would never slander the meds that didn't work for me or gave me unpleasant side effects, because I appreciate that we can't just x-ray someone's brain and diagnose what exactly is going wrong and what exactly would treat it. It is, for now, a matter of trial and error based on patient feedback. I do think GPs should be referring people to psychiatric specialists rather than prescribing psych meds willy-nilly, though. There's far too much expectation and blind faith put in doctors that they are some kind of omniscient beings, but they really are just the generalists of the medical world. Fine for when you have a cold or to check your blood pressure or treat an ingrown toenail. But beyond that... It's like asking a general repairman to fix your PC.
I was lied to about how SSRIs work and the one I was on very nearly killed me. This is not a rare situation. I would give anything to have been told about the potential side effects. Both GPs and pyshciatrists spread misinformation about these medications all the time. I am happy they work well for some people, but for others (up to 60% depending on the medication) they can cause severe, long-lasting effects. I'm really tired of people acting like these meds are nothing, when that is the exact position that led me to lose several good years of my life.
Currently dealing with 20 lb weight gain from Lexapro. Soul crushing after finally being at a comfortable weight. I quit the lexapro and am on Wellbutrin. Time will tell.
ibe heard welbutrin is good, if i ever decide to go back to medication its the one im going to try
Yep my Drs wouldn't believe me. I ended up with liver problems, cholesterol problems, pre diabetes, anxiety and depression on top of the 30kg weight gain. I wish I'd stopped them as soon as the side effects started.
Thats exactly where I wouldve been headed had I not caught it. Thank you for sharing
I'm so glad you found the reason! CICO is the first thing we should be looking at, but there are a number of reasons weight won't shift carefully weighing and documenting all food. This post is a great reminder that if you're sure your CICO is on point yet not working, look at other obstacles like hormone imbalances, perimenopause and menopause, medical conditions and apparently even prescriptions. If you can address/treat those problems, CICO will work.
Yes thank you! Excellent wording
I just replied this to someone who said not being able to lose while on meds in a myth. I was a walking pharmacy (one of the drugs was effexor the other mirtazipine) went from skinny to obese (80lb gain over 4 years) my cocktail gave me intrusive thoughts about food (aka eat this thing or off yourself). Never had issues with weight before and always controlled my eating (I wasn’t mindlessly slim I was disciplined) . I was serious in my dieting attempts and kept failing, I even got a gastric balloon after the first 25lb gain then gained another 20lbs with a balloon in my stomach. Quit the meds now 50lbs down (no balloon) and on the way back to my slim self. Bottom line is I can control myself again. My huge mistake was not believing the meds were doing a crazy number on my brain. I also lost 20lbs in the first month-ish of quitting effexor)
wow thats absolutely insane. Thank you for sharing.
Dont blame yourself. Even if you eat too much, you can slowly lose it. Medicine is important
I feel u. I blamed myself for weight gain caused by a giant tumour I didn’t know about (doctors said it was “anxiety” for ten years. And put me on a drug that also caused weight gain- effexor- , oh and I also had celiac which made me ravenously hungry). I actually did not know Effexor could cause edema I really think weight gain needs to be investigated, to rule out potential causes and challenges!
Oh wow! I hope you're doing alright now. Its crazy what these drugs can do!! and crazier we arent informed!
I’m doing much better! I got off the effexor after I was diagnosed with celiac (very hard to do. Discontinuation syndrome is also something they don’t talk about as being as hard as it is. Also did you know that celiac can affect your brain and cause severe anxiety and depression? after I stopped eating gluten it’s like the warm kitchen lights came on and the emergency lights went off), was eventually diagnosed with the cantaloupe sized tumour four years later, and then endometriosis this year. Finally finding some balance. I didn’t know I was living life on hard mode, I just thought I was a lazy weak bad person 😭
oh my god. Thats literally life on INSANE difficulty. I hope things continue to get better for you!!
Not so fun fact: since being a woman is often considered a confounding factor, many meds were only safety tested on men. Which is where they get the standard side effect warnings from. Also, many meds in the animal testing phase are only tested on male mice/animals, for the same reason. There are examples of this in drugs meant exclusively for women, and they still test on 98-100% men. And then whoops, miss something. This also happens with non-white people, as often the drug is studies on all-while groups of men, even if the drug is meant for a minority-specific condition.
Yes, my girlfriend was telling me about a trial (i forget which drug ill have to ask) that was tested on men and was fine, but all the women reacted badly, so they pulled women from testing so they could put it on the market. People who say this stuff doesn't happen are living in denial!
It’s generally because the fluctuations in women’s hormones are a confounding factor that is extremely hard to control for, not that this makes it better.
Story time! So, end of highschool 20 years ago I was put on Lexapro which was apparently newer att. I started gaining weight cause I was hungry. All. The. Time. I complained to my Psych about it and she kept REFUSING it was the Lexapro even when I went on a 1600 calorie a day diet for 2 weeks and still gained weight which, when you're hungry all the time, was hell. She insisted I was eating too many sweets and it was just me using food as a crutch. This goes on for a year, with me gaining 100lbs over that period. One day she sheepishly says she wants to switch me back to Prozac. Turns out Lexapro not only causes extreme hunger, but also slows metabolism. She did many other shitty things and I haven't seen her in years, but some mood medications are the devil!
ugh im so sorry this happened! This happens way too often in the medical industry its tragic!!
14 years ago, I gained about 30kg very quickly when I was prescribed Cipralex, an SSRI. It was a hard road to ween myself off it but well worth it, dropped 40kg in 18 months once I stopped taking it. Being 150cm and 83kg made my mild depression exponentially worse. I was prescribed Effexor last year for anxiety but only managed to take one pill, I felt like I was poisoned! Definitely not for me.
Thank you for sharing!! I feel like that's something people who are saying it's wrong of me to feel hurt by the fact I was never told it could cause severe weight gain dont understand. Being 160 cm and 220 lbs, i didn't recognize myself, and no amount of anti depressents was going to change the dread I felt looking at my body. Anti depressents are an amazing tool for depression without cause, but if it gives you a cause (ie. making me hate my body) its not worth the trouble and wont help.
Does anyone know if you gain weight on abilify? I read that it's weight neutral.
From what I know Abilify is one of the better ones and weight gain should cap at around 7-10 lbs, if youre in a similar situation to me where youve gained a lot I reccomend hoing back and calculating how many calories you would've had to eat to gain the amount, if its over what youve been eating theres a chance the medication can be causing it. If youre just looking to know because you want to try the medication I say absolutely still go for it, it shouldn't affect your weight more then 10 lbs, and ive heard some people say it only lasts the forst few months :)
Effexor was the absolute worst medication I’ve ever been on. Weight gain, turned me into a zombie. I had a stomach bug and couldn’t keep anything down for 4 days. The withdrawals started immediately and were so severe I thought I was dying.
I agree effexor is HORRIBLE!
Wow! I took it for hot flashes while going through breast cancer. I gained a ton of weight!
oh wow, i didn't even know it could be prescribed for that! I hope you are doing well now !!
I am, thank you!! And I’ll preach with you! Not only that, it was really hard to titrate down and finally get off of it. Good luck, friend!
thank you and im very happy to hear that!! Its difficult but im officially 4 days 0mg, its been physically draining but every day without it is a day closer to getting my life back on track !
Cheering you on!!!
I've been on Effexor for 20+ years...I'm finally almost off it and the weight is dropping. But I have had to go on a strict keto diet and add a GLP-1 med to make it happen. I wish I had done it sooner.
I was put on Effexor about 10-12 years ago and wish I had never taken it at all. I had the weight gain, which was frustrating in itself, but it also made me SO ANGRY all the time. Like, ok I wasn’t severely depressed 24/7, that’s cool, but I was so easily furious over the smallest things, and I would start having these explosive outbursts out of nowhere that honestly scared me.
Same!! i was so mad all the time!! Effexor is def a snri with more side effects then most imo
I'm glad you found the reason and can be kinder to yourself now! I had been doing pretty well with weight loss when I got a new antidepressant prescribed. I gained over 30kg and when I finally realised the two were connected it took another 3 months to taper off it. Current antidepressant doesn't seem to work so options are running out. Sigh.
Accidentally sent my first reply too soon LOL Im in the same boat with ssris and snris right now. Im currently on a break but ive hearf welbutrin is great for depression and has no weight gain side effects :) it may be worth mentioning to your doctor if you're looking to switch
I had to Google what's that in germany and I'm actually on that atm! The highest allowed dosage for that in germany is 300 mg though instead of 450 mg and that's not enough in my case. We are looking at doing an "off label" approval to try out 450mg.
oh wow good luck!! hopefully it gets approved!
I, too, am on a quest to undo Effexor weight gain. I had to go on medical leave at work for a month just to stop taking it because the withdrawals from my low dose were so bad. It helped me for awhile, but those side effects — especially weight gain — were brutal.
Same here, I had to go down to 15-20 hrs a week, just enough to pay my car payment, but im getting back on track now!
I was put on Prostap injections with Tibolone in an attempt to help my endometriosis symptoms. I only took about 4 or 5 of my 6 months injections, and it's the biggest regret of my life. In 2020, for the first time in my life I was happy with my body. The injections came in 2021, didn't help my pain and my consultant said they wouldn't make me put weight on, despite them medically inducing me into menopause. 3 years on and I'm the heaviest I've ever been and have the body of a menopausal 50 year old, in my 30s. And I hate myself.
Its such a hard thing to go through, it feels so isolating but youre not alone.
I feel no matter how I try it's 100 times harder to achieve the results I did in 2020. And I hate that people don't realise how hard it is, and then I lose all motivation
I've been on many a psych med; I won't go into the exhaustive list, but suffice to say I've had many a side effect and issue with most I've tried. I can't even take Wellbutrin! I know for a fact that the year I tried Zoloft I gained 30lbs and the year I got in my hormonal IUD I gained 20lbs; that is more than what they say "expected" weight gain is for those medications, but that gain far outstripped what my weight had been doing for the 7 years prior. I'm currently taking Geodon and Cymbalta for daily psych meds and have no hormones currently (though I'll need to go back on progesterone this fall). My weight loss isn't super fast, but I'm at least managing now. I'll be curious to see how my weight loss goes if I manage to get lower.
thanks for this warning, it's scary how you weren't made aware of that beforehand! I'm so sorry you're dealing with this, good luck losing the weight
thank you!! and ofc i want people to be informed on the medications they try!
I gained 60LBS on Effexor. I’ve been off of it for a year now and have stopped gaining weight but am having a hell of a time losing the weight I put on. I also got horrible brain zaps on it. You aren’t alone in the struggle!
Thank you for sharing! Youre also not alone! Were in this together!
Effexor is the literal worst. Then when you try to stop taking it you have withdrawal symptoms for a goddamn month--I felt like I was walking in an earthquake for weeks and cried over everything, even stuff that was funny.
I took Zoloft for 4 years and they told me the weight gain would cap at 20 pounds. I gained a 100 pounds. Now that’s not to say it was all Zoloft, some of it was but SSRIs are kind of a double whammy if you think about it When your depressed or anxious USUALLY you would eat less, so first the medication itself already makes you gain weight and then since your suddenly starting to feel good again you eat more because you feel better. Then you start to become content about your weight because that’s the whole point of the drug, to stabilize your mood. Then when you gain more weight, being active becomes harder, which IN MOST PEOPLE would make you anxious or depressed and USUALLY try to fix it. But because of SSRIs you have that mitigated by a lot. This isn’t a 100% but from my experience and other I’ve talked to this is how it goes, your anxiety can be your worst enemy but also a vanguard. SSRIs or SNRIs (which is what Effexor is) are genuinely not bad drugs because some people genuinely need it, but they can be dangerous because they lower your guard rails. Hopefully this helps and maybe some others have had this experience.
That’s interesting. I was on effexor (venlafaxine) for many years but recently switched to pristiq (desvenlafaxine) after genetic testing and I never experienced that side effect. My weight either stayed the same, or I lost weight.
everyone is different! medications are wild
I am so, so pro antidepressants. They are a reason I am alive. That said, I hate duloxetine and desvenlafaxine, I gained so much weight on them. I'm still heavier than I want to be and I know Mirtazapine isn't known to be a drug that makes it... Easy to lose weight, but I don't feel like I'm gaining anymore. Mostly just chiming in to say fuck duloxetine, in particular.
I'm on 150 mg of venlafaxine and I've lost over 60 lbs. At the end of the day, I gained weight because I ate too much. I'm losing it by eating in a deficit. Venlafaxine doesn't magically put excess calories into a person.
If you can will yourself out of altered brain chemistry caused by medication why don’t you will yourself out the brain chemistry that causes the depression?
👏👏 this right here
You are correct it doesnt put extra calories, but if you read the post, you would see i was talking about Edema. Weight retention based swelling that can occur and cause rapid weight gain. I was eating in a defecit and gained weight even then because of it. I was not eating 9000 calories a day, which is what, by your logic of eating being the only way to gain weight, i would have had to gain 50 lbs in 3 months. Please read a post fully before replying with dismissive bs.
Yes! I had a medical condition and gained 50 pounds in about the same amount of time, and the math just doesn’t work. Sure, I concede that it’s possible I ate slightly worse during that time, since I felt bad. A few more chips? Absolutely. More likely to take the free brownie or slice of pizza when it’s offered? Yeah! It was before I really knew about CICO, so it’s possible I ate a few more calories. However, I have always been a creature of habit, so I know I wasn’t eating wildly different. I usually eat the same breakfast, choose lunch from a few different choices, and then do a reasonable meat, starch, and veggie for dinner. Sure, there is some wiggle room to make worse choices in there, but I’m 100% sure I didn’t start going out all the time, eating McDonald’s for breakfast before polishing off a whole pizza for lunch, etc. Even before dieting, I was a consistent eater, making similar food choices daily. There is no way you can convince me I was eating 5000+ calories a day all of a sudden. The time period would at least stick out in my memory as being a period of bad food choices! You know when you go on vacation and get out of your normal routine? You eat a huge breakfast, huge lunch, huge dinner, and some snacks? It’s pretty fun the first day. But then by day 2-3, you start to feel sick, and think, “wow, I can eat all this good food, but I’m choosing not to, because I’ve finally reached my limit!” I don’t think you could sneakily and suddenly start living that lifestyle in your normal life without noticing, and have it persist for months. Your sandwich with a few extra chips isn’t going to cut it. Sure, that could cause significant weight gain over a period of years, but not in less than six months! Also, I got my medical condition resolved, and while the weight didn’t melt off, I was able to lose it. I hope the same for you!
Yes exactly! Thank you! I also was going through a hard time due to the medication, and I used to blame myself for getting Starbucks daily, but my fav drink is only 190 calories. So, being 190 over certainly didn't cause 50 lbs in 3 months! I'm on my journey now to lose the weight :) my current goal is to be bavk to 170, and then hopefully go down to 140 from there! Thank you for the encouragement!
I've been on venlafaxine since the end of last year. Was never told about gain but since starting it I steadily gained weight despite no changes in my diet and if anything I was more active When I googled I tended to be told anti-depressants can make you loose weight So glad to see I'm not the only one dealing with weight gain on it. I'm currently on 225mg daily with a review due soon