Sorry. Why can’t you run anymore? Are you doing substitution workouts?
Sorry. Why can’t you run anymore? Are you doing substitution workouts?
STEVE THE ADDICT ^^^^^^^------- wrote:
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.
^This! My nephew deals with depression that started in college. He went on an SSRI and immediately gained 15-20lbs. His psychiatrist worked through several different SSRIs and dosages to figure out what made him feel best and caused the least weight gain. Individual drug response to anti-depressants is very individual, and it is a trial and error process to find the best drug and right dosage for every individual.
I am not a huge fan of this approach. With antidepressants you’re talking about 4 to 6 weeks before you see full effects from a medication. The placebo effect can be large. Also, if the side effects you are concerned about our of the nebulous variety such as weight gain, it can be very unclear as to the medication is role in the problem. In short it can be very difficult to know what to attribute to the medication, both bad and good.
As an example, many people have their weight fluctuate by 10 pounds every year. It is very easy to get on a medication carousel which leaves you in a situation where you have essentially no constancy in your neurochemistry. I find this undesirable.
WellButrin has a better weight profile then Effexor but it is definitely not good for anxiety. It is pretty hard to argue that any other antidepressant has a notably better profile regarding weight gain than Effexor. Also, it is much easier to maintain mental health than to regain mental health. For example outdoor exercise is great for mental health, but hard to do when you’re depressed . So switching switching in this case is risking your mental health for a very questionable benefit.
If you do ask for a change, you might want to request Genesight testing, so your doctor is not working in the dark so much. I will admit that company can make exaggerated claims about the impact of the genes they test for (particularly on the pharmacodynamic side), although I think that they have tempered that as of late. Still, given that you are currently stable on a med, and the side effect is NOT normally attributed to that med, AND no other med that is likely to be helpful has clearly superior evidence regarding weight, I certainly would be concerned about making a change unless you had the best possible outlook for the new med
trashcan wrote:
I am not a huge fan of this approach. With antidepressants you’re talking about 4 to 6 weeks before you see full effects from a medication. The placebo effect can be large. Also, if the side effects you are concerned about our of the nebulous variety such as weight gain, it can be very unclear as to the medication is role in the problem. In short it can be very difficult to know what to attribute to the medication, both bad and good.
As an example, many people have their weight fluctuate by 10 pounds every year. It is very easy to get on a medication carousel which leaves you in a situation where you have essentially no constancy in your neurochemistry. I find this undesirable.
WellButrin has a better weight profile then Effexor but it is definitely not good for anxiety. It is pretty hard to argue that any other antidepressant has a notably better profile regarding weight gain than Effexor. Also, it is much easier to maintain mental health than to regain mental health. For example outdoor exercise is great for mental health, but hard to do when you’re depressed . So switching switching in this case is risking your mental health for a very questionable benefit.
If you do ask for a change, you might want to request Genesight testing, so your doctor is not working in the dark so much. I will admit that company can make exaggerated claims about the impact of the genes they test for (particularly on the pharmacodynamic side), although I think that they have tempered that as of late. Still, given that you are currently stable on a med, and the side effect is NOT normally attributed to that med, AND no other med that is likely to be helpful has clearly superior evidence regarding weight, I certainly would be concerned about making a change unless you had the best possible outlook for the new med
Although the only person who is really equipped to make recommendations is a medical provider who has actually seen the patient in person, so anything I say shouldn’t be taken as a rule, but rather general principles that may help people to work with their psychiatrists, nurse practitioners, or PCPs
I take 70mg of Effexor wrote:
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
Are you able to reduce the amount of beer you're drinking?