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rosej31
rosej31 Posts: 189 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
My doctor (gyn) recommend Effexor XR because I am going through pre menopause which causing me to have hot flashes, low metabolism, headaches and so on. Also I have been trying to lose weight for awhile and have not loss. The doctor think that menopause plays a part in gaining weight which I am very upset that I have go through life like this. If there anyone take anti depression called Effexor XR what do you think about the drug? If you no longer take the drug what kind of side affects did you have?

Replies

  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Good news! There are lots of us here who are peri-menopausal or menopausal and are losing weight.

    I take Wellbutrin, which has some similarities to Effexor. I've taken it on and off since 2000, when I was having some issues with chronic fatigue. It's a little speedy, which helps. I've tried a number of other antidepressants and this is by far the best for me.

    (I'm not suggesting you switch - I just brought Wellbutrin up because the first page I saw said they were in the same class, but the page I linked said they are not.)
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    edited September 2015
    This content has been removed.
  • cnbbnc
    cnbbnc Posts: 1,267 Member
    I took Effexor for depression several years ago. I'm not sure if it was Effexor XR though.... The side effect I had was complete loss of appetite, and not in a good way. Food seemed repulsive and I would feel sick just thinking about eating.

    I know you said you want to lose weight now, but just be aware if you start not wanting to eat while on it. It got bad, and was making me sick so I stopped it.

    Hopefully it will work and get you feeling better. Good luck!
  • kat_d420
    kat_d420 Posts: 1 Member
    A little off topic. I was taking effexor last year, and had bad side effects from it such as hallucinating. Make sure you tell your doctor any kind of symptoms you have taking this medication.
  • Kimegatron
    Kimegatron Posts: 772 Member
    Well, Effexor made me have absolutely NO emotion, and it gave me... all that I can describe it as is... dozens of mini-seizures every day. The weening process was better for me than Celexa, however, I am not pre-menopausal, so I don't know if that matters. This was also about 12-13 years ago
  • dinosaurparty
    dinosaurparty Posts: 185 Member
    edited September 2015
    I took Venlafaxine for my anxiety/depression a few years ago - that's the generic name, I forget exactly what the trade name was for my prescription.

    To be honest, it made me feel emotionless. At first it seemed like it was a good thing because it allowed me to go about my day without panic attacks, but it gets old pretty fast. I didn't feel anything. I could have seen someone be hit by a bus and I probably wouldn't have reacted very strongly. It was like being a zombie.

    My other initial symptoms were (I think) mainly severe insomnia (three days with no sleep, and I was in college at the time), long stretches of nausea, and very little hunger. Most of those passed within two weeks or so, but it completely killed my sex drive, and that lasted until after I stopped taking the drug.

    That's just me, though! Your experience may differ. Talk to your doctor and keep him/her informed of your side effects. :) It can take a few tries to find a drug that works for you.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    Join the menopause group here.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/506-near-or-post-menopausal-group

    folks there can totally understand what you're feeling!
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    Out of curiosity, how many of you ladies who have been on Effexor or Effexor XR are menopausal, and/or how many had weight issues BEFORE you went on some kind of mood stabilizer?

    thanks!
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    Every time I have a day full of hot flashes, I consider taking meds. I won't, because I have enough dang pills to swallow and want as few as possible, but Holy Hell, this menopausal stuff sucks.

    Most of the complaints I have heard about Effexor (the stuff that really bugs people) have been that they feel like they have a brain fog and that there are sexual issues (don't want to, can't, one guy complained that he couldn't...well, can't go into it here, but while he was frustrated, his wife wasn't displeased about the issue.)
  • dinosaurparty
    dinosaurparty Posts: 185 Member
    I'm not menoposal, and I was probably at the high end of 'overweight' on a BMI scale at the time that I took Effexor or its generic version. I'd been somewhat obese in high school, though.
  • ACSL3
    ACSL3 Posts: 623 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    (I'm not suggesting you switch - I just brought Wellbutrin up because the first page I saw said they were in the same class, but the page I linked said they are not.)

    Effexor is a SNRI - Serotonin and Norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor
    Wellbutrin is a DNRI - Dopamine and Norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor

    So if it helps, technically they are not in the same class but they do have one thing in common :)
  • Labyrinthine93
    Labyrinthine93 Posts: 46 Member
    cnbbnc wrote: »
    I took Effexor for depression several years ago. I'm not sure if it was Effexor XR though.... The side effect I had was complete loss of appetite, and not in a good way. Food seemed repulsive and I would feel sick just thinking about eating.

    I know you said you want to lose weight now, but just be aware if you start not wanting to eat while on it. It got bad, and was making me sick so I stopped it.

    Hopefully it will work and get you feeling better. Good luck!

    I had this exact same reaction. I was in high school and I couldn't even be in the cafeteria for more than five minutes before getting sick. Had to force myself to eat anything at all. I wouldn't go through that again.

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