Weight Gain On Pristiq? (Page 9)

I have been on Pristiq now since November of 2008...not quite 5 months...and I have put on 15 lbs since starting it. DESPITE working out with a trainer at the gym twice a week weight training, 3 days a week of cardio AND counting calories. My doc assured me that I would also have a decreased appetite on Pristiq, which I have yet to find true...so he has now increased my dosage to 400 mg. Does anyone have anything to add to this?? I'm just frustrated!

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I have been on Pristiq for about 4-5 months. I have lost 20 pounds and have lost my appetite.

I was on Paxil for 5ish years and feel better on Pristiq.

My doctor put me on 100 mg(2pills a day). Is anyone else on 100mg?

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I have been on Lexapro for 8 months. My doctor increased my dose from 5 mg to 20 mg when I wasn't showing improvement. When the does was increased, I gained 25 pounds in 2 months. I was horrified. My doctor said that it was a lot of weight gain. I've now been on Prisiq for only a few days. I've taken naps every day, don't sleep as long at night, have very vivid dreams, and nauseous. I'm hoping that some of the weight will come off. Very nervous about gaining more weight, I'm not sure which is worse-being overweight, being stress about it and cuasing anxiety or getting off the meds and being depressed, anxious, suicidal and maybe losing the weight? I'm getting impatient.

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These comments have been helpful. I have been on a major diet since open heart surgery and lost about 50 pounds. Started taking Pristiq 2 weeks ago and have gained 5 of it back while on the same diet and exercise regime.
Will chat with the Dr this week about it.

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Day 11 of withdrawal from Pristiq and I feel fabulous! More energy than I know what to do with (you should see my spotless house!), creativity at maximum, and good sleep, not too much, not too little. God, I'm glad to be off it! Maybe I simply didn't need it anymore, I have no idea. But I'm so grateful to have my personality back! Thanks for the support. It's amazing how everyone has a different reaction to meds. I wouldn't dream of giving anyone advice but I went off it cold turkey and have only now a residual and intermittant balance issue, can't even be considered dizziness.

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I gained at least 15 lbs. on Pristiq. I am huge. I gained weight in my legs, arms, and stomach. It has been very awful for me, becasue I have always been very petite. I weaned myself off of it, because I was even more depressed with the massive weight gain. Never again... Now, it will take months to lose this awful weight.

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I think all of ytou that say you gained the weight because of the meds, might be looking fot excuses,....Did you eat right, did you get cardiovascular excercise....Did you drink alcohol? If you did not exercise, drink and sleep all the time...chances are the pills were not the problem.

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Jamie, Really? Why have I never gained this type of weight before?And it was after I started taking Pristiq. Stop judging and start helping.

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Wow, Jamie: I can't speak for all of us, but I can say this: I DO exercise. I had been working with a trainer. When I noticed the weight gain, I worked out harder, but I noticed I was eating more and sleeping more. My doctor kept insisting that Pristiq was weight neutral and was not the cause of my weight gain. I believed him. At first I thought maybe it was thyroid. Then metabolism, though I had always been thing. It's only been four months since I've STOPPED Pristiq, and I find I am not as exhausted all the time, and I am not hungry all the time. I am even exercising LESS than when I was on Pristiq, and I am FINALLY losing weight. Slowly, but at least I am FINALLY losing. Hmmm. So in my case, I think it's safe to say, it was the drug and not excuses. Seriously, if you're not going to offer support, go find somewhere else to spread your negativity? Are you even on Pristiq? If you have just started, come back in a year, and let everyone know how well you're doing on it.

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Shea, thank you for your supportive e-mail. It makes me know that I am not alone.

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Lizard: You are NOT alone. It is very frustrating. I've never been petite, but I've been thin. And even though after the birth of my third child, I had a harder time losing weight, I was still able to lose it within six months. The weight gain from Pristiq sort of blind-sided me because I was told it was weight neutral. Then I thought I wasn't doing enough exercise, and I wasn't eating well enough. I had even been going to Weight Watchers (still am) and for months I didn't lose .2 of a lb. About three months after going off Pristiq, I am now finally starting to lose the weight. People who haven't seen me since before I went off have commented, You lost so much weight. Really I hadn't lost more than five lbs. but one thing my Weight Watcher attendees can notice is that I no longer have the bloated puffy face that I had on Pristiq. I actually searched and googled for months looking to see a tie between Pristiq and weight gain before -- thank God -- I found this board.
Methinks Jamie is a pharmaceutical rep for Pristiq. Clearly Jamie has never been on it or at least not longer than a few months.

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Thanks for your brilliant insight Jamie.........guess reading comprehension is not your forte......dumb@ss

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I guess after only 17 days off Pristiq I shouldn't be expecting the 13 pounds to melt away?!?!? I so appreciate the support and sharing of this site. All I knew what what the doc told me, too, and she had never experienced taking it but only believed the information given out by the drug company. Amazing that the stuff takes so long to stop its effects. I still feel great not taking it, appetite decreased and energy increased. Would love to report weight normal by month's end but will be realistic :). Thank you again for the support!

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Thank goodness I found this blog. I am on day 1 of getting off prestiq. I have taken this medication for 9 months. Am so glad I made the decision to get off. I too have had weight gain, vivid dreams, napping quite a bit and its good to know I'm not alone and that I'm making a good decision getting off this stuff. I am following my doctor's schedule of taking one pill every other day for 2-3 weeks, one every 3rd day for 2-3 weeks and then none. She will talk to me at the end of 9 weeks. This makes sense to me. I believe that you should get doctor's help when on meds such as these. Thanks for sharing all your info and making us feel like we're not imaging symptoms.

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Wow - Thanks for the posts everyone. I am challenged with Dermatomyositis and ended up on Pristiq to save $ after being on another AD. I'm not hungry all the time and I get full easily, but have battled my belly increasing for no reason. I too work out with a trainer and do extra stuff on my own. To no avail. Yes, I eat healthy, etc. etc. I attributed the lack of energy to my medical challenge. It takes every fiber of my being to get out of bed because I don't sleep, when I do sleep it's short lived. Needless to say, it's very hurtful that others would assume you're not doing the right things with your body if science says it shouldn't have certain reactions, even when it obviously does. Prior to taking this med, I was actually losing clothes sizes. Now, I've reversed and gained about 12 lbs. I agree, that makes me even more depressed. I too have recently stopped taking it. Praying with the continued work outs, etc. lbs will fall off soon! So glad I'm not alone on this either! The best to each of you battling this issue and whatever your other med challenges are.

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I was on Pristiq from May 09 to May 10 when I began trying to stop taking it. I gained 15 lbs right in the middle and hip area...I am 5'10 so when it got to the point when I was going buy size 12..could not get my pants past my hips..I decided being fat and happy wasn't cutting it. It took me 3 months to stop taking it and 2 weeks after my last pill...I dropped 10 lbs. 5 came off a few weeks later. I also take synthroid (sp?) for my thyroid so I am not srue how all that works with it. I could really use the medicine to take the edge off our hectic life but the weight was killing my attitude. Any recommendations....

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I am 24yrs old and was on Lexapro for 2 weeks, but after an appointment with a mental health specialist, I was commenced on Pristiq 50mg daily. I have only been on Pristiq for 2 days now and haven't noticed any major side effects as yet (only the common ones like nausea and headaches etc). I'm now stressing completely about gaining weight on the medication based on all of the previous comments. I'm an average size now but can't really afford to put on weight because I'm a bit of a shorty. I'm really glad I stumbled across this site - I'll really have to make sure I'm very careful about diet and exercise now. I hope I don't gain weight.

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Tara, I gained weight in my hips and stomach also. It is like I am pregnant. It is the worst. I have been off of Pristiq for about three weeks now, but I still have the big belly and big hips. I think it will take months to lost this weight - if ever. This drug is not worth it. I feel so much better off of it and hopefully I will eventually lose this horrible weight.

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I, like Lizard, also gained my 32 lbs mostly in my belly and hips, but my face was bloated like Elvis circa 1977. It was horrible. The weight is not coming on as easily as it went on.
Mandy, I turned 40 while on Pristiq, so I did attribute some of my gain toward slowing metabolism and turning 40. It was really sort of gradual -- maybe 15 lbs. in the first four months. By the end of the year it was 32 lbs. I have only lost about 4 lbs. total, and I've been off for four months now. I am very frustrated. Everyone who knows me tells me how thin my face looks. At least it's not so bloated from the Pristiq anymore. Just keep an eye out.

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Okay, reading all of the posts. Please someone give me some hope about losing the 15 pounds! I'm 3+ weeks off Pristiq, 65, hypothyroid, and have been normal weight for years until this. Can anyone talk about how long it took for metabolism/body weight to normalize after being off Pristiq? 15 pounds extra is not cute and cute is VERY important to me!!!

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Ann:
I have been off Pristiq since -- I guess -- May. So I'm going to say it's been almost 5 months. I am JUST NOW starting to lose weight. Very slowly. I've only lost 5 lbs., and I have 27 to go, but I will be happy if it comes off in the steady progression it went on. For me, it took about a year to gain the 32 lbs. so I'm giving myself a year to get it off. I can honestly say that I think it has actually take me the full five months for my metabolism to get better. It's still not the same as it was before Pristiq, but with exercise I am finally losing weight. I had been doing exercises AND Weight Watchers while on Pristiq, and I just kept seeing the numbers rise. I also don't nap every day (with I swear Pristiq made me so bone tired, I needed a two-hour nap each day). Some days, I might catch a 1 hour nap, but it's nothing like the daily 2 hours naps I required to get through life. I think this is also helping with my losing weight. Again, it's not like I'm losing fast, but at this point, I am happy just to be FINALLY losing.

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