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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Nonie on September 15, 2004, at 22:17:57
OK, I've been off now a month and still seem to be gaining , maybe even more and faster,(because of nausea side effects?ie;need to eat or will be sick)but only the last few months of the year of treatment on it did I gain, in fact I lost in the first month. Anyone loose it all after the aweful side effects wore off? I'm not usually prone to weight gain, I'm fairly active and healthy, although the withdrawal has made me tired too. Will I loose it or what?
PS, coming off is a bitch, I tapered from 150, to 75 over a month or two then 35 for a month then every second day for two weeks and still suffered, just need to get off the poisin.
Posted by TommyIsland on September 16, 2004, at 0:51:52
In reply to HELP! I gained 20lbs from effexor!!, posted by Nonie on September 15, 2004, at 22:17:57
> OK, I've been off now a month and still seem to be gaining , maybe even more and faster,(because of nausea side effects?ie;need to eat or will be sick)but only the last few months of the year of treatment on it did I gain, in fact I lost in the first month. Anyone loose it all after the aweful side effects wore off? I'm not usually prone to weight gain, I'm fairly active and healthy, although the withdrawal has made me tired too. Will I loose it or what?
>
> PS, coming off is a bitch, I tapered from 150, to 75 over a month or two then 35 for a month then every second day for two weeks and still suffered, just need to get off the poisin.Haha......poison seems to be the right word there. Getting off Effexor was prob the most frustrating thing ever for me. I originally took it for 3 years, then the effects seemed to fade off so I got off of it over a 3 - 5 month period. Anyways, if you are prone to hard core Depression please be extremely careful once this stuff is completely out of your system because after being completely off of it for about a week (and feeling great and drug free might I mention) I crashed hard core and it was an uphill climb from there trying out new drugs until I ultimately ended back on Effexor of which I'm still taking it and now weening off it again to try that new Cymbalta. Good Luck,
Tommy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by Racer on September 16, 2004, at 13:13:03
In reply to HELP! I gained 20lbs from effexor!!, posted by Nonie on September 15, 2004, at 22:17:57
I took Effexor XR 225mg and Prozac 10mgs for about three years, and gained about fifty pounds. Whether that was more due to the Effexor or the Prozac, I can't say, but since 10mgs is pretty low, I'd vote for the Effexor being involved.
Unlike you, I am prone to weight gain from anti-depressants, and -- I think -- in general. It isn't surprising that I gained weight, in other words.
When I stopped the Effexor, I lost the weight. No changes to diet or exercise patterns, the weight just faded away. Not *all* of it, but in the end I was about 10 pounds more than I think I "should" be, so good enough. The only thing I can say is that I didn't weigh myself from the time I realized how much I had gained to the day I climbed on a friend's scale for chuckles, and found that I was within spitting distance of my best, healthiest weight. Maybe the fact that I wasn't thinking about it helped?
I know that isn't telling you anything useful, beyond "give it a chance...", but I hope it helps anyway.
Posted by woolav on September 16, 2004, at 19:44:41
In reply to Re: HELP! I gained 20lbs from effexor!! » Nonie, posted by Racer on September 16, 2004, at 13:13:03
Ive noticed weight gain on effexor and paxil. I am finally on prozac and can tell that if i do some exercise I will lose the extra lbs. I think for me, prozac wont cause the weight gain problem. Another one that didnt for me was celexa or serzone....
Good Luck
Sandy
Posted by Cybele on September 20, 2004, at 8:48:11
In reply to HELP! I gained 20lbs from effexor!!, posted by Nonie on September 15, 2004, at 22:17:57
> OK, I've been off now a month and still seem to be gaining , maybe even more and faster,(because of nausea side effects?ie;need to eat or will be sick)but only the last few months of the year of treatment on it did I gain, in fact I lost in the first month. Anyone loose it all after the aweful side effects wore off? I'm not usually prone to weight gain, I'm fairly active and healthy, although the withdrawal has made me tired too. Will I loose it or what?
>
> PS, coming off is a bitch, I tapered from 150, to 75 over a month or two then 35 for a month then every second day for two weeks and still suffered, just need to get off the poisin.I gained 12-13 pounds in 10 weeks on Effexor-XR, 75mg. I know it has slowed down my metabolism as I exercise A LOT and should have maintained my weight. I was also eating more carbs, but I think that was because I pretty much quit drinking: Effexor causes me to be dehydrated while it is metabolising. I notice this effect starting about 45 minutes after taking it. So, if I had, say, a vodka martini ("Mother's Little Helper") before dinner, the alcohol would still be in my system when I took the Effexor at bedtime. This made me feel like CRAP! I can't take the Effexor in the mornings because I work out most mornings, and definitely don't want to feel dehydrated when I am sweating. Last, I probably did also gain a little muscle-weight during this time because I've been ramping up the level of my workouts. I've only gained about 1/2 a size.
I started to go off it a few weeks ago, titrating down over two weeks. I had no withdrawal side effects at all during that time. I was almost completely off it when my mother died, and I decided it was not a good time to go off of it. I've only been taking it since June, and I do think it helps a bit. I am going to titrate off again, since the weight gain is unacceptable. I started taking 200mg Wellbutrin-SR in the mornings a week ago. I was on this before I started Effexor. It didn't seem to be helping much, which is my doctor tried the Effexor. I'm pretty much fine if I can work out in the mornings (studio cycling class, Elliptical trainer, or treadmill). It's the days when I don't work out that can go south.
Anyway, check out this post:
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000717/msgs/40974.html
From searching through the archives here and on Dr. Bob's and Dr. Goldberg's sites, it seems that a few does of Prozac can help with Effexor withdrawals. From here:
http://www.dr-bob.org/tips/split/Antidepressant-discontinua.html
<begin quoted text>
Date: Sat, 3 Feb 1996 13:08:32 -0800
From: Ivan Goldberg <Psydoc@psycom.net>
Subject: Fluoxetine for antidepressant discontinuation reactionsWhen a patient is having a severe discontinuation syndrome following the too rapid discontinuation of paroxetine (Paxil) or venlafaxine (Effexor), the treatment I prefer is fluoxetine (Prozac) 20 mg. q.o.d. until the reaction disappears. It is seldom necessary to give more than 2 or 3 doses, and because of the long t-1/2 of fluoxetine, no additional doses are necessary.
<end quoted text>
But read that whole web page. Dr. Bob collected together a lot of good information there.
HTH!
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