Pristiq And Weight Gain (Top voted first)

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I started pristiq approx 5 weeks ago and altho my doctor assured me that it was a weight neutral drug I have easily gained 12 pounds and right exactly around the middle. I have been very careful not to consume more calories and have even been more active. I am very concerned that the weight gain will continue or will it just become a side effect that the body gets used to and eventually levels out? I do feel so much better on the drug and this has been my only side effect. I have a small frame however, and a dozen pounds all in the same spot is hard to conceal especially in the warmer weather. If anyone has any thoughts on some solutions other than discontinuing the drug I would greatly appreciate the advice. I sure wish that all these antidepressants did not come with some major trade offs.

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13

i also have gained weight on pristiq, and also in the midsection which is confusing as I am a Pilates/Yoga teacher. I have currently taken myself off pristiq and my psychiatrist is talking about taking prozac or pristiq with topirimate. Pristiq made my feel better than ever, but the weight gain is too depressing itself. I would love any thoughts on taking the topiramate with prozac or pristiq.

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25

I have also been on prestiq for about 6 months now & it has helped me so much, but I started taking prestiq when I had went to the doctor about being depressed, My FIRST question was " is it gonna make me gain weight" he said no I should lose weight..... It's the first depression med I have ever taken, so I decided to give it a try..... It helped my depression but I catch my self
Clampin down on my jaw for no reason & I have gained 40 lbs. I worked hard to lose 107 lbs prev to this depression & gaining 40 back & having no clothes to fit makes me sick & even more down on my self. I AM trying to come on this med this week actually. I been taking 100 mg ever 3 days, instead of daily. Whatever I have to do I will bc it's NOT worth the weight gain. If your thinking about trying prestiq, it worked wonders for me mentally but I my self can't handle NO more weight gain.

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2

I have been taking Pristiq now for 9 months I too have gained about 20 ponds, I am 53 and all in the mid section. Also I noticed lack of energy and always tired and sleepy. Is this normal or should I be concered. My doctor has told me it will level out, but it has not.

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21

Some of these drugs, and it's Russian roulette depending on your psysiology, interfere with your thyroid function, hence your metabolism. For those whose antidepressant stopped working, my psychiatrist recently put me on a drug called Deplin, which is supposed to enhance the effictiveness of antidepressants. It's basically just a form of folic acid that is accessible to the brain. I haven't been on it very long, he said it takes about a month to notice the difference so I can't tout its effectiveness. Just passing along the info.

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23

I started pristiq 5 mths ago,@ first it caused sweats not only during the night but all day long @ different times,after being on it for 1 mth it started messing my periods up which really sucked,I was spotting and having my period for 3 weeks out of the mth.On the 4th mth it seemed like I woke up one morning and gained 15lbs around the middle and it is a painful gain,I feel so tight and miserable,I have quit taking the pristiq but have had a headache for about 2 weeks since coming off of it.Im hoping This weight will shed soon b-cause I am miserable.Although mentally it helped alot and I felt so calm all of the time and clear minded,Im 5'2,126lbs normally and 15 added lbs looks like 200 on me.

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27

I have been on pristiq for a couple of years now and have gained 55 pounds in the mid section, I am wanting to wean off I know I can't do cold turkey tried that before. I am also tired all the time I am tired of feeling this way I am very depressed from the weight gain it is a vicious cycle seems like. Good luck to everyone God Bless.

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29

This is my second reply as without these forums no one else would know the side affects of this drug. I agree that MD's tell patients that it is weight neutral....this is not true as we can see from all these posts. The doctors themselves do not known this as they only know what is told to them by these drugs companies? If they fixed the weight issue I agree it's a great drug, but as others have stated its like it happens over night and quickly...as one person said it's a painful gain like someone stuck a air hose in your body...stiff and bloated?

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30

I was interested to read these weight gain stories, as the doctors never mention this. I was on Lexamil after a traumatic incident in my life. I was fine mostly except for the sweating to begin with, but I have always been careful with my weight and it balloned so fast that I only realised it too late. I weaned the drug with weeks of side effects, again not mentioned by the doctor. I have lost very little of the weight round my middle, despite diet and exercise. Makes you depressed, don't it?

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34

Just an update:: I took my last half a dose on Feb 8,12 & I have felt better then I have in a long time. I actually have my energy back & don't freakin starve constantly. I went to see my doctor this past week & explain to him that I couldn't continue with the weight gain, so I slowly took my self off. The first 3 days I had a headache that wouldn't go away, stomach tore up, no energy..... But A few days later I started feeling better & better. I'm just so happy to say I'm okay with out this medicine & feel like normal again. I actually get up for work & get all doll'd up again, & care to take that extra few mins for my self, I believe that med was holding me back & making me tired all the time. Good to everyOne!!

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41

I gained 40 lbs on this drug! within a 4 month time frame, i never stopped excercising or watching my diet, i finally took myself off it, now I am struggling to even lose one of those lbs, very depressing! wish I would have NEVER took even one!

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44

Hi Jan & other gals w/ this same darn problem~ hot flashes, feeling sad & weight gain.
I am a recent stage 3 breast cancer survior, went thur chemo, radiation, double mast, I had started menopause before I found my lump & chemo made my hot flashes crazy every 20 mins for at least a year. I've tried EVERYTHING that the drs & anyone esle would suggest. I have NOT slept through a night in over 2 years. My hot flashes are every 45-60 mins & wake me up. I have gained weight in the middle from many of these meds. I've always been thin, i'm 55 now. Cancer free now:) BUT the hot flashes keep coming, my doc wants me to start pristiq but I won't do it! Sadly I am crying & just feel terrible:(
How are you anything you can pass on? I hope your feeling better. Just needed to tell you that I feel the SAME as you about the weight gain.
There got to be something out there for us~
Best to you, Diana in Ct

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48

I went on pristiq a year ago 50 mg and was good so 8 months ago went up to 100 mg and gained 35lbs. Have never been this heavy it's making me crazy and have spent the last month weaning myself off it. I am on day 3 of being completely offf couldn't sleep the last two nights and have a headache but am optimistic that will level off I just want to get this weight off!!

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52

There seems to be a pattern - the people who have gained on effexor have lost or maintained weight on Prestiq and the people who have gained in Prestiq have lost or maintained on effexor. Although the medical world doesn't know why some do and some don't its obviously an issue that causes concern-especially if there is history of heart disease. Our doctors can only be knowledgeable about our unique makeup based on the amount of information and specific details we tell them. I'm not a vane person but gaining more than 5-10lbs in a short period of time can be unsettling and uncomfortable...its enough to make clothes uncomfortable & carrying the extra weight can be cumbersome. I personally think that anything that makes you gain weight other than food is a significant concern and needs to be diagnosed. I have wondered if women experience hormone changes that have an effect on the thyroid or pituitary with antidepressants- men don't seem to experience the same burden.

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54

Pristiq works well, but I think it causes weight gain. I think it is more of a problem with metabolism than it is with overeating.

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55

I have been taking pristiq for almost a year now, im a cury girl and last march i probally weight around 170, but now i weight 210. I dont eat a ton and i work out. I also have had irregular periods, rapid heart beat and problems urinating, all side effects of pristiq and i just put two and two together. Pristiq is also almost 120$ PER BOTTLE and my health insurance will not cover it because its not in theyre fourmulary. Lets just say as of this week i will no longer take pristiq.

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62

I have lost 50 pounds on Pristiq. I have taken it for two years and it has SAVED MY LIFE!!! I am full of life and energy. I guess it does affect different people in different ways.

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63

Next month my doctor said I can try to go back on Wellbutrin and wean off the Pristiq to deal with my 45 pound weight gain as I mentioned earlier. I have lost over 6 pounds recently but have been very strict with my food intake using SparkPeople online to keep track of all I eat. I am more active, too but have decreased the Pristiq from 100 mg to 50 about 3-4 months ago. Forty pounds is a lot for me to have gained. It bothers me and then I try to talk to myself about who I am is more important than what I weigh. My doctor is sympathetic. I have been on almost every drug out there for my depression and anxiety. I'll let you know how this goes. Pristiq has been helpful with my mental health issues, but the weigh gain makes me feel poorly about myself. May all of you do well and find ways to deal with the adverse symptoms.

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1

Pristiq is an SNRI antidepressant that contains the active ingredient Desvenlafaxine.

Weight gain from taking it does not happen to everyone, but drugs can affect different people in different ways and most of the antidepressants in this class do cause it for a lot of people.

However, it should not continue indefinitely, as your body gets used to the medication it should level off.

You may also experience other side effects such as: nausea, drowsiness and dry mouth.

Read more here:

https:/­/­rxchat.com/­wiki/­Pristiq/­

Is there anything else I can help you with?

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3

I have been on Pristiq and am about to go to the doctor to get off. I have gained 40 pounds - have tried desperately to lose it - and then have gained it all back. At one point I was eating 1200 calories a day, exercising 30 minutes and still stayed the same or gained a pound.

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4

I've been on Pristiq for 10 months. I've recently noticed a weight gain, and I'm wondering if it has something to do with the Pristiq, too. However, I am under several life stressors right now, which may be contributing. I've gained about 15 lbs., but really noticed it in the last 5 months, when I moved to a new place and help a family where I also live. That is likely a contributor, too. I was not working out as much as normal and I was eating too much, too. So, all of it is likely contributing. I do know that if your Leptin is too high (often caused by too much sugar or starchy carbs in the diet), it can cause weight gain specifically in the mid section, too. The Rosedale Diet is a great book for this. It's balanced and healthy.

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