Effexor and weight gain

The more posts I read, the more I'm beginning to wonder if Effexor is causing some of my physical problems. I have DEFINITELY had the weight gain (40+lbs), low libido, horrible night sweats, very dry scalp. The vertigo went away as well as the extreme fatigue but I still sleep a lot. I remember when I first started it, however, that I almost got into a car accident because I dozed off while I was driving; when I woke up I was going 80 and was in the other lane (thank God no one else was on the road near me). I do feel somewhat better but this is a drug to use with caution in my opinion. I will be discussing weaning off of it with my dr. sooner than later.

For me, nothing but good. I felt significantly better within days of starting it, and have had no unpleasant side effects at all, not one. No weight gain, no diminished libido, nothing bad. It's been absolutely fantastic for me. It's been 3 years for me.

i feel no emotions while taking effexor. no anxiety, mind you, (which is what i was using it for---GAD.) so no anxiety is good, but is it good to not feel any sorrow, empathy, joy or happiness??? I feel like i am just going through the motions of life, not really living it. but if i don't take even 1 dose, the anxirty comes back. (but the other emotions come back too) i cry more if i miss a dose, and that used to worry me into thinking i am depressed....BUT it is normal to cry when you feel sorrow or empathy. and maybe the tears have to come flowing out as a form of release, because they were withheld for so long by the effexor. other possible side effects could be: insomnia; headaches, clenching teeth, biting cheek and tongue a lot, constipation and weight gain. (hard to know if these are side effects of effexor, or symptoms of fibromyalgia).

I have fibromyalgia and started taking Effexor xr last fall to help combat fibro symptoms as recommended by my doctor. I am also prone to SAD. I have found that my fibro symptoms are worse if anything. I crave junk food and sweets. My doctor told me the drug could not be causing the cravings or the resultant weight gain. I finally five days ago told the doc I really didn't feel I was benefiting from the drug and she agreed that I should stop 'cold turkey'. Wellll! since then I am having nausea, chills, very vivid dreams, bordering on hallucination. I feel I have been sleeping for hours during the night and find it's only been two or three hours. I'm still not refreshed, but I can't get back to sleep. I find myself crying for no reason at all, feeling anxious, feeling angry at the least provocation. Chills, runny nose. While I was on Effexor my libido was non-existent. Now it's increased greatly. What is up with this drug. how long can I expect the after-effects to last? I had to stay home from work today for the nausea and tiredness and just general over emotionality.

Calgon take me away

After reading all the posted side effects I am very scared to continue this medication. The doctor diagnosed me with anxiety. I have to work through this and try and not take anymore of this medicine. My husband and I want to have an active sex life. I mean.....who wants to be on medicine that doesn't let you enjoy sex! I also don't understand gaining weight. I haven't experienced any weight gain yet. My head is very dizzy and I also feel like I can't think straight. I work in a school and have to work with children all day. I don't want to take this medicine. What else can I do?

I had been taking Effexor. It made me gain tons of f***in' weight!! NOT COOL! All you girlies out there understand me! Women gain weight easily, and it so hard to get it off! It took me almost two years, and I'm young!!
It worked....but it stopped. So whatever helps! Just ask about weightloss or weightgain if you're considering it!

I have been taking Effexor for a year now. Not for depression but for chronic pelvic pain due th adhesions from a surgery. Not real sure if it is working. The side effects seem to be worse. No sex drive, not interested in things that I used to be interested in, Leg shaking while sitting, weight gain. Considering talking with the doctor to stop taking it.

Since going on Effexor 3 years ago, I have had similar side effects, as well as withdrawal symptoms when trying to go off the drug. My symptoms while on it are: night sweats, being hot all the time (sweaty hands and feet), rashes all over, excema on my scalp and neck, "lightning flash" type feelings in my brain/head, extreme depression, an inability to feel intimacy (although no sex drive problems), extreme weight gain (despite frequent exercise and good diet). During my pre-menstrual period, I am pretty much psychotic, to the point of wanting to hurt myself and others. With the weight gain and depression, I really AM better off not taking the drug. But I find it impossible to take two weeks off work to simply stop taking a drug. It is not possible to stop taking effexor and work or function in ANY CAPACITY. I really feel for the moms out there who have had to do it. One other thing I have been experiencing is severe joint pain. I would like to know if others have experienced this.

i was advised to go onto this drug for depression 3years ago. i gained weight and lost my emotions had no remorse,guilt nor feelings for anything that was dear to me. i had no life. i feel that this drug has robbed me of the three years that i was on this devil drug. i lost my partner and close friends. i lost touch with reality. i was basically dead. i was in a catotonic state for three years. i was forced of this drug as it was causing problems to my heart. whilst comming off the drug i had memory loss and very nearly killed my partner and myself. i tried to hang myself and beat my partner up who had done nothing to me apart from love me. i told him on many occasions that i loved him but was not in love with him. which was far from the truth. it is the most horrible thing to be on this drug and then to come off it only to find that all your emotions come flooding back. even harder when you realise that your partner had had enough and left for his own safty! we are just retrying to repair the damage that this drug has done to our relationship and our lives. we due to this drug may not be alive today. please do not even attempt to try one day of this evil devilish drug. it is not worth it at all. god knows how many people have died and are suffering due to venlafaxine! i took it as i was told that it would help me. i trusted the doctors and took it. never again, NEVER

My boyfriend took Effexor for 4 weeks. The whole time he was tired and yawning due to interrupted sleep. He also twitched a lot in his feet, hands and face. 3 of his brothers were on Paxil, and although he hasn't been on it, his conclusion is that Effexor is worse. No weight gain, but also no sign that it did what it was supposed to do.

I felt that the Effexor did what it was supposed to while I took it. It helped my anxiety and slight depression, and I felt very happy the three years I took it. I did not have weight gain or any other side effects, other than crazy, vivid dreams that actually were funny to me. However, withdrawing from this drug was the worst I have ever experienced. I spread it out over 6 months, and it was still horrible. I was nauseated, disoriented, weak, had constant vertigo, felt electrical shocks in my head. I missed a week of work thinking that I was seriously ill, and then realized it was the Effexor, but it took another month until I felt like it was completely out of my system. I am back to feeling like my anxious and slightly depressed self again, but no way am I going back on Effexor knowing what the withdrawal symptoms are. I will find a way to feel better through diet modifications and lifestyle changes instead.

I have been taking 150mg of Effexor 3 times a day for about four years now. Yes, I sweat like a pig! I have absolutely zero for a sex drive,gained weight and I have trouble making choices of things.Going to the store is a big ordeal because I cant make up my mind which item is better, but I have tried other meds and this one is the best for me. I am bi polar and manic. Effexor helps me be calm in my head and I dont have so much chaos going on in there. I dont think I would want to be taken off it. But everybody is different so its not going to be the wonder drug for some people like it is for me. Good luck out there.

I have been on this drug for almost 3 years. I have had headaches, very vivid and realistic dreams, dizziness (especially when I skip a dose), severe weight loss (66 lbs) followed by severe weight gain (70 lbs), paranoia, leaking nipples (I am male), and breathing difficulties. I am thankful that this medication got me through a very difficult time in my life, but now I am going to try to get off of it.

I quit taking Effexor 5 months ago. I did it cold turkey. That was the only way I could do it. I have to admit I felt great. I had more energy when I quit than I had in years. I no longer woke up feeling hung over. I have to say though it did get me through some pretty tough times. I lost 20 lbs since I quit taking it so for those of you with the weight gain don't worry, the weight will come off. The only thing I still have is the intense dreams and night sweats. Everything else seems to have gone away.

i was on effexor,4 about 9mths,ive never known anything like it...at first it made me feel rather alert,which i liked,then i started 2 feel puffy all over,speially my stomach....iv always kept my figure,even tho iv had 4 children,,and always regained a pretty good stomach,,but this drug ruined me,,,i could never understand why i was gaining weight,when i was eatting next to nothing,,my wilpower 2 diet has always been good,but using this drug made me fat without eattin....i came of the drug ,6months ago now,im slowly losing the weight again,iv lost all my confident,self esteem,the lot...im tired and depressed over th weight gain by this drug,,it will b along time 2 get bak to the normal me,,but i,ll get there...my advice...dont touch th drug

I have been on effexor for about three yrs. I am experiencing chronic urticaria and am wondering if anyone else has. I also have excessive sweating,hot most of the time, weight gain, and many other side effects. I looking for anyone with similiar side effects.

Well, I have been on Effexor 75mg for about six months. I certainly haven't lost my sense of humor, but the weight gain I have experienced is no laughing matter (25 lbs). I do know that my appetite has strongly increased -- eating all the time, and I started smoking cigarettes again; I think this drug makes me too relaxed and I feel indifferent to many things... Maybe wanting to eat & smoke is a desire to get "highs", as this drug makes me feel too lifeless. I have decided to wean myself from this drug on my own (starting tomorrow), because I want my appetite to go away, and I miss the higher sex drive I once had. Also this drug has given me a feeling that I am "not myself"... like "personality disintegration"... Who am I?

Anyway, I shall let you know how I make out during my withdrawls... Oh, incidentally, I also have experienced "shock-like" twitches in my head (times when I miss just one dose)... Wish me luck!!

Wow, there's alot of comments about this drug on both sides of the plate. I've been off and on Effexor four about 5 years now. I never had any bad side effects coming off Effexor. I take a whopping 300mg a day, and it keeps me out of trouble. I am also bipolar and take lithium which is a mood stabiliser. Effexor is NOT a mood stabiliser, anyone who tells you so, is wrong. It is an anti-depressant and only an anti-depressant. With any antidepressant there is the chance of weight gain, but I personally have lost weight on the drug, and perhaps like all drugs of this category, one should have their thyroid checked, to make sure that their weight gain is not due to hypothyroidism. Sexual side effects, like any anti-depressant, are always mentioned as a possible side effect, though I haven't experienced any change...maybe these affects are caused by depression and not always necessarily by the drug. All drugs work differently because we alll have our own specialized brain chemistry. Finding the right drug for you is important. YOu cannot make this decision until you've taken the full course of the drug which is 6-8 weeks for full effect. The first few weeks are usually when you're are going to feel any strange effects as your body gets used to this new element in your system. Good Luck to all.

I have been taking Effexor for about 6 months. I took zoloft for about 5 years and it worked great for my depression, but eventually caused my sex drive to be non-existent. My doctor then put me on Celexa which made me VERY tired and also gain weight. Now I am on Effexor, and it seems to work fine for my depression, but I too have noticed that if my dosage is even a little past 24hrs, I get very agitated about everything. If its more that a few hours past that time, I actually begin to feel physically ill, with stomach aches, dizziness, inability to concentrate. My doctor did not tell me about this effect of the drug, he actually told me that I would experience less dizziness when coming off this drug, as compared to other SSRIs such as zoloft. I now am deathly afraid to run out and I am sure to be at the pharmacy before I run out of pills due to how horrible I feel even after a few hours of a missed dose. I do not like being a slave to any medication, especially since I am a recovering addict. I feel I need something for my depression, but I am getting really tired of all the drugs and their side effects. I am afraid to go off them entirely but feel it can't be any worse than the withdrawls, which they don't tell you about when prescribing these drugs. They are advertised as being"not addicting" but I have found that they actually change the chemistry of your brain to the point where you cannot function normally without them, especially after years of taking these drugs...will try to slowly wean myself off of the 75 mg effexor and start from square one..anyone who has any tips for successful withdrawl from this drug, I am open to any suggestions, Thanks.

I have been taking Effexor and Effexor XR for about 13 years. I have a chemical imbalance and that cause me to have severe depression. I had to try many other anti-depressents before I found one that worked well with my chemistry. Effexor did! At the same time I started taking Effexor I started to gain the weight. The weight gain was fast and no matter what I did I coundn't control it. In 2 years I gained 88 pounds before the scales stopped climbing. I went to the doctor and had all kinds of tests run and everything was fine. The doctor said that I was going through menopause and my metabolism has slowed down. I have always watched what I eat and have been active. I have never contributed my weight gain to Effexor until now. If there is another anti-depressant that has the same affect but without the weight gain, I would like to know about it.

I'm sooooo glad to be off this "nightmare" drug. I had to stop it cold turkey almost 4 years ago because I found out I was pregnant. The withdrawals had me in bed for 2 days, crying, unable to sleep, wanting to die....it was horrible. Not to mention the 50+ pounds of weight gain over the two years I was on the stuff. If I was even a couple hours late with my dose, I (and everyone else around me) noticed that I would get very angry and mean. Here is some advice for anyone out there taking Effexor and having bad side effects....go back to the doctor and get him/her to prescribe something else...there are MANY good drugs out there that have minimal side effects.

I've been taking it for 8mos or longer--horrible weight gain
-25-30lbs! will be speaking with MD asap to discontinue.

I was prescribed effexor 150mg daily as an anti depressent. I swear up and down by it. It has increased my saratonin level and I now get a good nights sleep. Clearly more focused at work and less moody. I am clearly more focused and better able to concentrate on variuos task.
The one major drawback in my situation is noticeble weight gain. Thirty-five pounds. Noticeable awareness in sexual drive, longevity and discharge!