Depression :: Coming Off Venlafaxine - Weight Gain
Dec 24, 2014
3 weeks off ven and gaining weight by the day despite the fact that I have stopped eating rubbish for the last 4 weeks. I have read that you normally lose weight when you come off antidepressants so I'm confused to say the least. Has anyone else had the same experience?
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I heard it can cause heart problems and i have put on two stone since being on it. so i'm thinking of coming off it but am scared to death after all iv'e read..what are these 'head zaps' it sounds horrendous.
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I didn't do well on cymbalta (duloxetine). Initially, I started to feel better, but after a couple of months I started to feel depressed again. I also gained weight.
When I started to withdraw from cymbalta, my weight started to creep up even more. I've always been 7 st, and now I'm 8 st and 5 lbs.
My Psychiatrist wants to start me on venlafaxine, but I'm so worried that I'm going to end up gaining more weight. In the past, I've been on Citalopram and Fluoxetine. None of those worked for me, that's why my Psychiatrist tried the SNRI.
I feel like a complete failure, and am believing I'm unhelpable. Weight gain is a big issue for me, I don't like not being in control.
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Has anyone been successful going off of Topamax and still keeping the weight off?
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I'm already taking Pristiq however was having episodes of anxiety, panic attacks and insomnia and so my doctor also prescribed me mirtazapine. In some ways it has been a miracle, as somebody suffering from severe social phobia it has helped me to open up a little to the outside world and even attending social outings which is not like me. I feel far less stressed as well. I WISH I could stay on it!
The problem I am having is I've put one a huge amount of weight in the month or so I've been taking it. I've put on at least 7kg but probably more by now, I am visibly much fatter, and being a bit overweight in the first place (and wanting to lose weight) means this far outweighs the benefits. I suddenly have a huge appetite and I cannot control my eating, it is becoming a real problem. I've read people say to get over it and simply control your eating but it isn't that easy, before I even try a strictly healthy diet, I need to get off these pills and give my body a chance to get over these cravings.
My first question is, if I were to stop taking mirtazapine, or even start taking one every 2nd day to eventually taper off, can I expect any awful side effects? I have big exams in a week and I don't want to risk nasty side effects, however I'm really worried I will just keep stacking on the weight even in that short week, I want to get off them ASAP. I haven't been on them all that long so am wondering if I will experience anything bad if I cut back on them. My other antidepressants cause me vertigo if I miss a pill.
Second question, has anyone had any luck with other anti-depressant or anti-anxiety medication that helps with general/social anxiety, that does not cause weight gain? I know everyone reacts to medications differently but I'm just interested to see if there is an alternative to mirtazapine without this one (seemingly very common) side effect.
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I have gained a stone since taking sertraline. This is quite depressing in itself. My diet hadn't changed and I've never done as much exercise as I'm doing now!
What I'd like to know is has anyone else gained weight whilst taking sertraline?
Has anyone gained and been able to lose weight whilst still on sertraline?
I am currently weaning off it slowly but envisage I'll be on it until the end of Sep. Currently on 25mg from 50mg a day.
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I have just started using Remeron (Mirtazapine) but i am really worried about this weight gain thing. Often when I read side effects for medications I can conclude that side effects do not appear that often as it seems and that only the affected people are active on the forums. But in this case I can only find people saying that this will cause you to gain weight, and none that says it does not. Have not felt the extreme craving yet I think.
Does anyone have any experience on the subject?
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I started taking nuvaring a month ago, around the same time I started exercising and eating healthy. I lost 12 pounds in the first two weeks, and now, a month later, I have gained 5 pounds back. I am still eating healthy and have started exercising twice a day for an hour each time, and I'm still gaining weight. Which leads me to my other issue, anxiety and depression. I have always had anxiety, but I only ever seem to get depressed while on birthcontrol (which this weight gain is really not helping). I am running out of options for birth control and I don't know what to do. I need a form of birth control that isn't going to make me gain weight and cry all the time.
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I was diagnosed with depression just before christmas, I had quite a traumatic year with a series of bad events occurring, I was also getting married which I think was the only thing keeping me going, looking back now I realise I was slipping into a depressive state for about 2 months before I finally broke. I fell into quite a catatonic state being unable to function at even a basic level, it was as if my brain had just shut down.
The doc started me on sertraline but this made my anxiety so bad that I couldn't even go into my back garden, unable to leave the house or speak to anyone for a month, he then gave me citalopram, this reduced my anxiety but gave me insomnia, so I spent another month sleeping (or rather not sleeping) on my sofa and only getting a few hours of sleep here and there.
So my doc decided to try mirtazapine, my depression has reduced dramatically but I've have gained a lot of weight, which at first I thought was a welcome side effect compared to anxiety and insomnia but now this is really starting to lower my mood again,
When I was at the beginning of my illness and was unable to function, eating didn't even enter my head and I lost around a stone and a half (my usual weight sticks around 10 - 10 1/2 stone) to 9 stone, I looked really unwell at this weight, but since being on mirtazapine I have gained 2 1/2 stone in the first month (I'm into my second month now) and it's just staying there. I have tried changing my diet and exercising but I'm stuck at nearly 12 stone.
I look overweight, none of my clothes fit me and the worse part is that I look 6 months pregnant and because I am only just venturing out again after months of solitude, a lot of people think that I am pregnant and that's why they haven't seen me, I'm struggling to keep my smile and tell people I'm not as I am infertile and this has been one of the issues that led to my depression in the first place.
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Have been on Citalopram for years. Over sleeping with it, horrendous weight gain.
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I have recently been prescribed Mirtazapine as the Dr says it won't affect my libido or make me gain weight. I have gained even more weight, (recently fought to lose a stone from rapid weight gain from antipsychotics) and feeling very cross. I feel more depressed and my state is becoming angry every day. Has anyone else experienced similar effects. I used to take Fluoxetine which worked wonders but he won't allow me to take it anymore as he says it makes me too hyper.
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I am a 25 year old female and I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's Disease probably around 2012 or so. I take 75MCG every morning and I do blood tests about once or twice a year to make sure my levels are stable. What I need help with are symptoms. My boyfriend has been very supportive, he was the reason I went to get the initial blood test because he said my symptoms reminded him of Graves Disease and it worried him. Well, I went to the doctor and got the tests done and he told me I had Hashimotos. Since then, my boyfriend has told me that he hasn't seen any improvement in my symptoms, in fact he thinks they've gotten worse. I have looked at a lot of different lists of symptoms that people with Hashimoto's Disease can experience and I experience a lot of them. I'll list the ones I experience the most and a little bit of a description to each so maybe someone can help me with what I need to do to feel better because honestly it makes me miserable.
-Hair Loss - Every time I brush or wash my hair there is always tons of hair in the brush or tub. It's everywhere all the time, I shed like the cats.
- Depression - I don't know if it is actually depression, but a lot of the time I feel like I'm just not good enough to be around anyone. I'll find myself crying at ridiculous moments with absolutely no reason for it. I also find myself thinking that people I know (and can acknowledge even when I'm feeling this way) love and care for me, and yet I still think they don't care about me and will abandon me at the drop of the hat, which breaks me down mentally.
- Stress - This is probably one of my worst symptoms. I am always stressed out about something, even ridiculous things that shouldn't be stressing me out. One of the biggest things I stress about is what I mentioned with the depression. I feel like my friends and loved ones are going to abandon me at any minute, which scares me and results in me lashing out at them in ways that if I can't control it soon enough may result in them actually leaving, which terrifies me and just puts me into a never ending loop of stress and depression.
- Anger - I can't seem to rationalize other people's behaviors. Completely normal behaviors that don't normally bother me result in me lashing out and screaming at people and saying things that I don't mean to say.
- Memory Loss - This is a really bad symptom. I forget things very quickly. If I don't actively keep it in my mind, I won't remember it. A perfect example, when I was still in college I was walking through town with some people and when we were going back to the dorms I made a comment about a truck I saw. I used to see it all the time and hadn't seen it in a while so I made the comment. The people I was with looked at me really confused and just flatly stated "You said the exact same thing when we walked by it on the way out" and I honestly don't remember seeing it at any point that day. In fact I didn't remember seeing it for around 5 months, and yet they claimed that I made the exact same comment I just had, earlier that day. It really messes with my head when people tell me that I did or said something and I can't remember doing it to save my life.
- Weight - Before I started taking synthroid I weighed 110 lbs, after I started taking it I gained like 30 lbs and I can't lose it. I'm stuck between 135 and 140 (I'm about 5'6" tall)
- Headaches - I get headaches on a daily basis. Sometimes they're really bad but generally they're just a slight discomfort in my frontal lobe area.
- Sleep - It takes me forever to fall asleep and even when I do I can't stay asleep and then I feel exhausted all day when I wake up, as if I never slept at all.
Another thing I've noticed and that is that sometimes I feel like I can't swallow properly, I always feel like I have to yawn to get a lung full of oxygen, and my nails curl downward along the curve of the tip of my fingers on like 3/5 fingers.
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i finished my last tablet about 5 days ago after weaning off then i started to get a whooshing in my ears a slight headache and i keep crying and i'm convinced im going to die, is this normal or have i something else wrong with me.
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Been on Venlafaxine 75 mg timed release tablets for about two years. I have waited til the spring to try to come off as it's sunnier and better time of year to do it. Had mild depression for two years and then had some nasty panic attacks when I moved house two years ago. In the UK we have the normal tablet and then the timed release tablet. I am trying to come off by using the 37.5mg timed release in the morning then the 37.5mg normal tablet with 10% (7.5 mg) chopped in the evening, for a starter. I previously tried going one day on the 37.5 and then the 75mg and try to alternate but this seemed too big a drop for me. Funny now as I feel a bit more snappy and vulnerable with this tiny 10% reduction. I was hoping that this small reduction wouldn't be noticed and I could slowly withdraw from this drug.
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My GP recently took me off of venlafaxine slow release from 150mg a day to 0 over the period of 2-3 weeks! This was done due to high blood pressure. I learnt a lot from people on here that it was done too fast, hence the severe withdrawal, so GP put me on mirtazapine 15mg! I've had a severe breakdown, depression back worse than ever, anxiety that I'd never had and self harm that I haven't done since a child, I'm now 48!
New Year's Eve, psychiatrist upped mirt to 30-45mg, yesterday psychiatrist put me back on venlafaxine 150mg and told me to also continue mirt!
On top of that, local GP has doubled my blood pressure tablets and introduced another medication to try and control the blood pressure!
First dose of venlafaxine 75mg last night had me throwing up and, sorry but watery stools!
So now I'm back to square one with 3 different lots of meds on top, shaking and dehydrated, just to name a few! I'm losing the will to fight anymore
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All I have eaten while on the 40mg pill for five days is fruits, veggies, lean protein, and whole grains. I've drank lots of green tea and water.
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been on venlafaxine for 17 years. dr.took me off in three days. i think i was taken down to fast. been off since oct. still feel real depressed is my main concern. i am taking prozac for the last three weeks. anyone have any suggestions for me
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I've just taken my second tablet of the day about 20 mins ago and I'm having serious side effects. I've been on them since Thursday and have had a few issues with shaking, palpitations, insomnia and some mega weird dreams but nothing I couldn't cope with. in fact nothing I didn't have in one degree or another before.
Tonight I'm in serious pain with my chest. My heart feels like it's breaking out and breathing is hard. I'm light headed and dizzy when sitting but when I lay down my head starts pounding as if all the blood is being pumped in there.
My legs feel numb and everything below the knee has pins and needles.
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I've been on Venlafaxine for the last few months now. I've just moved to a new city and I can't find my prescription anywhere, and trying to find a new doctor is rather difficult with a limited income. Can anyone tell me what adverse effects I will suffer without these? It's been 2 days since my last pill and I've started throwing up this morning. Is this from not being on them?
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i had an assessment after struggling with depression and anxiety for yrs , finally went back on ADs just before xmas, after trying sertraline , mirtazapine i'm now on venlafaxine , over the last 6 weeks it's increased to 225mg. My assessment came out with a high score in the range of severe depression and anxiety . I have previously had time off work due to this , however i'm doing my best to stay at work as i'm only p/t and work with some fab ppl . However i feel like everything is getting too much again , i had gp last wk and i just said all was ok , it wasn't but my child was in the room so couldn't speak , Also had my first cbt session today a ' panic workshop ' one , even with them discussing panic attacks makes me feel edgy and haven't been able to shake the feeling off since , i feel like i'm fighting a losing battle and just cant cope. So much has gone on recently , 7yr relationship breakdown / ended . Problems with child behavior , time off work last yr for an op that didn't go to plan ( should of been day surgery - 3 days in hospital , 7.5 wks off work ) moving house , family disagreements ( not to do with me but get dragged in ) Just so much - i don't know what to do , i feel like a whinge if i go back to gp again.
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I'm currently taking this combination for postnatal depression my baby is 10 weeks old! The Venlafaxine was started alongside the Mirtazapine three weeks ago and at first my anxiety came back slightly however for two weeks now I've been feeling great and back to myself and been very happy😃 but now all of a sudden since yesterday I've been having feelings of anxiety again, having hot flushes and have this horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach like a churning sensation! I have been rather upset today because I've been feeling so good because I was in such a dark place a few weeks ago! And now I'm feeling like this! What should I do? Will this pass?
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