Anti depressant weight gain? Military veteran asking

Meds affect people differently. I was on Zoloft for about 6 weeks and gained at least 15 pounds. I got off that fast.

Effexor is a SSRI - weight gain is a common side effect.

"Ask your doctor about..." a non-SSRI, such as bupropion.

I've taken all form off SSRIs and all types of older tricyclic antidepressants. Never gained a pound. Some medicines like benzos increase my appetite, but I just keep on eating like I've always done regardless of appetite. Pretty easy if you want to.

Ernest wrote:

Effexor is a SSRI - weight gain is a common side effect.

"Ask your doctor about..." a non-SSRI, such as bupropion.

Pretty sure Effexor is an SSNRI

I take 70mg of Effexor wrote:

I’m a disabled veteran and take 70 mg of Effexor to help with anxiety and depression. Early 30s. Runner.

Never had a problem with running before and then I’m on I’m this medicine and boom, I have like 10 pounds I can’t get rid of. Yeah I have my daily beer but I’m american by golly.

But the med levels me out and makes me feel better so I guess I’ll keep taking it.

Welcome to fattyville OP. Thanks for your service, congrats on your improved peace of mind, and once again, welcome to fattyville.

healterseltzer wrote:

Ernest wrote:

Effexor is a SSRI - weight gain is a common side effect.

"Ask your doctor about..." a non-SSRI, such as bupropion.

Pretty sure Effexor is an SSNRI

Effexor is both an SSRI and NRI, collectively referred to as an SSNRI - so we're both correct.

A common side effects of either is weight gain.

At 70 or 75mg it is effectively an SSRI. The NRI effects don’t occur until higher doses. In the net almost all SSRIs are weight neutral. Paxil is an exception. For some, depression or anxiety decreases appetite. In those, if depression is successfully treated, weight will likely increase.

Others lose weight with treatment(esp if their symptoms led to weight gain)

And yes, Wellbutrin has appetite suppressant effects.

As a side note, Wellbutrin + an SNRI hit all the major monoamines.

Btw, I personally am not a fan of Effexor, as it is one of the most unpleasant antidepressants to wean off. At 70 or 75mg, though, it is unlikely that that is a problem.

trashcan wrote:

At 70 or 75mg it is effectively an SSRI. The NRI effects don’t occur until higher doses. In the net almost all SSRIs are weight neutral. Paxil is an exception. For some, depression or anxiety decreases appetite. In those, if depression is successfully treated, weight will likely increase.

Others lose weight with treatment(esp if their symptoms led to weight gain)

And yes, Wellbutrin has appetite suppressant effects.

As a side note, Wellbutrin + an SNRI hit all the major monoamines.

Btw, I personally am not a fan of Effexor, as it is one of the most unpleasant antidepressants to wean off. At 70 or 75mg, though, it is unlikely that that is a problem.

+1 to all above points

Don't think it's the Effexor that's the problem

Good luck coming off of it though

queen_bee wrote:

trashcan wrote:

At 70 or 75mg it is effectively an SSRI. The NRI effects don’t occur until higher doses. In the net almost all SSRIs are weight neutral. Paxil is an exception. For some, depression or anxiety decreases appetite. In those, if depression is successfully treated, weight will likely increase.

Others lose weight with treatment(esp if their symptoms led to weight gain)

And yes, Wellbutrin has appetite suppressant effects.

As a side note, Wellbutrin + an SNRI hit all the major monoamines.

Btw, I personally am not a fan of Effexor, as it is one of the most unpleasant antidepressants to wean off. At 70 or 75mg, though, it is unlikely that that is a problem.

+1 to all above points

Don't think it's the Effexor that's the problem

Good luck coming off of it though

Then what’s the problem

Yes some certain ADs have a weight gain side effect (but that doesn't apply to everyone who takes it). You can experiment with which ADs work for you and weigh whether the side effects if any are worth the positives affects of the drug.

I take 70mg of Effexor wrote:

queen_bee wrote:

+1 to all above points

Don't think it's the Effexor that's the problem

Good luck coming off of it though

Then what’s the problem

It is hard for me to tell based on the info. What happened in your life when you had troublesome symptoms? Could that have affected your body composition but not your weight? Did you lose weight while symptomatic? Was your weight maintained with a lot of exercise and a lot of food pre-symptoms, moderate exercise and less food during symptoms, and now symptoms have reduced.and appetite returned, but exercise hasn’t increased to a commensurate amount?

Additionally, you are getting older. Maintaining weight and body composition gets more challenging over time.

Ultimately Effexor shouldn’t significantly interfere with the ability to achieve a desired body composition,

More attention may need to be paid to get there than previously If it is 10 pounds you may or may not decide it is worth it.

O.P., your mental health and the details of your mental health are your private business, but you brought it up on a running forum. If you don't mind, give us the details.

O.P., your mental health wrote:

O.P., your mental health and the details of your mental health are your private business, but you brought it up on a running forum. If you don't mind, give us the details.

What will you tell us in return

It is your thread. When posters post about their damaged Achilles tendons, they give back story. For Achilles, low arches may be a genetic factor and for Achilles, various activities and training are the environmental factors.

I started Prozac my senior year of college. Gained 20 lbs and went from a 1:52 guy to a 2:05 guy

Ultimately without good mental health proper maintenance of physical health is incredibly difficult. For that reason, unless competitive athletics are your prime source of satisfaction, I would say even if the Effexor is related to your being 10 pounds heavier, it is worth it.

As a side note, antihistamines are much more suspect with weight gains than most antidepressants. If you are taking Benadryl to sleep regularly that would be something to address. Even Claritin induced appetite.

O.P., your mental health wrote:

It is your thread. When posters post about their damaged Achilles tendons, they give back story. For Achilles, low arches may be a genetic factor and for Achilles, various activities and training are the environmental factors.

Can’t run anymore and there’s the beer

Effects everyone differently. I’ve lost a lot of weight so far this year and was on 100mg Zoloft. It was hard on my stomach but I didn’t gain weight. I mostly got a little happier and started running again.

Why any you run anymore?