Weight Gain On Pristiq? (Page 14)

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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Day 7. I think I am winning. No nightmares last night, not shaking, not biting anyone's head off, don't feel sick to my stomach, weight coming off (although I still have about 10 of the 15 lbs to go. The pain from the bloating is gone. Why does this drug say that people should lose weight but I am seeing constantly that most people have in increased appetite. They may be able to eat a lot in the beginning but I am here to tell you that when the drug digs in, it will be at least 15 pounds on your frame. I guess I am so upset about this is because I have a degenerative disk disease and I can NOT carry extra weight. It hurts my back. If I weigh over 130 lbs, I'm 5'5", I will be in a great deal of pain.

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Well I'm on the down-side of weaning myself off Pristiq--it's been difficult to say the least. I've been doing it about 2 weeks--when I told my doctor I believe it's caused my horrible weight gain, he just looked at me like I was crazy and said, "Well, this drug is only known to cause weight gain in a very small percentage of people--I don't think that's your problem." Whatever!! Anyway, I was on 50mg and he had be take 25mg a day for 10 days then stop completely. It's been a rough 2 weeks - very nauseated, snapping poeple's head off at work, awful dizziness, and I've been very tired--I even woke up one morning feeling like my eyes were literally spinning in my head--I couldn't focus. Also, I don't know if I can blame this on the Pristiq, but I've had awful IBS-like symptoms--diarreah, excruciating colon pain, etc. Anyone else experienced this?? I tried stopping Pristiq totally yesterday as my 10 days were here, and I got a horrible headache, so I took a quarter of the pill--12.5mg--plus some Exedrin and my headache finally went away. I'm going to try 12.5mg for a week and then try to stop. The only positive thing, my "bloated-look" has gone away (I looked like I was 5 months pregnant!!) but that's about it. They should really take this off the market, it's just too dangerous. I regret ever taking it and hope I haven't done too much damage to my body--I've been on it about 5 months and it's been hell. Thank God for all you on this forum or else I'd feel like a crazy person! Good luck to everyone on the weight loss--I'm going to be fighting that battle too...

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Kristy, I am on day 10 of being off Pristiq and I went cold turkey. The abdominal pain I am now having is horrible. It's pain I have never experienced before. It's really, really low in the belly area and it's a stabbing pain that stops me in my tracks. I still have the bloated stomach that also really hurts. I was going to go to a health food store to see if I can find something to reduce the swelling. I wish I knew how long this is going to go on for. Just for the record and this has to do with your doctor thinking you're crazy for the weight gain. About 20 years ago I was going through a really hard time and my Dr. put me on Prozac. Never felt better in my life. In three weeks time I went from 125 lbs to 150 lbs and I was itching so bad that I scratched myself in my sleep until I was bleeding. My face swelled up like a balloon and then came the chest pains. I was having a severe allergic reaction and was rushed to the hospital. That doctor told me that only 1% of the population has that kind of reaction so at the beginning he didn't believe it was the drug. Well... lucky me. Same with this drug. It may be a small amount of people that have all these side affects, nevertheless, we became part of that statistic. The thing that really makes me angry is that the doctors don't tell you that if you do happen to fall into that group, the withdrawls are horrible. We should have been better informed. I would NEVER have put myself through this. I am wondering about long term effects after learning that is messes with your thyroid, triglyceride level and whatever else. My triglyceride level is already off the charts and no one knows why. It's in the 400's.

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I am over a month off and not a pound lost and I am still BLOATED!! I AM SOOOO Miserable! Mentally MUCH better but can not fit in my clothes and so DEPRESSING!!

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Shell, it has been six months for me since I have been off that Pristiq and I have only lost 6 lbs. My stomach is still distended and I still can't fit into most of my clothes. Yes, talk about depressed. But, I won't give up until I lose the rest of the weight.

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I started taking pristiq after prozac quit working for my depression. I actually requested it from my doc because it is not suppose to cause weight gain. I went from 125 lbs to 165 pounds within one year! I changed from pristiq to effexor XR a few months ago when my insurance raised the co-pay to 80.00 on the pristiq. I have now gained another 20 lbs! I have only EVER been this heavy when I was pregnant with toxemia. I'm ready to take my chances & give my body a break from all of these meds. The weight gain is more depressing than the depression itself!

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Karen, So sorry your dealing with with weight issues as well. I think the longer this med is out the more DR will learn and prescribe it less. I look horrible from this med. I NEVER gained on any other one and been on them ALL! I am well over a month free of it and not change other than I have some energy back. Just had a boat load of blood work done...my thyroid is mess. I have read lots have this prob from this med as well. Please google and call Wyeth/pfizer. They need and want to know adverse affects. I got a letter after I called for DR info. Careful with the taper and do it slow. I did great with switching to cymbalta and dumping the capsule every few days....nothing Like I dealt with by missing one dose. Keep us posted!!

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Karen, you know what? I have decided the same thing. I'm thinking that a good dose of exercise would be good for all of us. Get off the pills and get on your feet. There are a lot of bad things going on in the world, most of everything is out of our control. If we take ourselves out for a walk in the mornings (get up early if you have to), make some time for some "you" time, and I think most of us would benefit a lot more than taking a pill. I'm proof of it. I get up at 5:00am just so I can take myself for a three mile walk. I would do it for my dog. I think I at least deserve what a dog gets! Anyone agree? The weight is depressing, I'm not saying it's not but the walking has helped me more than a pill ever did. The weight will come off....

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I've been taking antidepressants for 10 years. They either make sick,sleepy,gain weight or more depressed. I googled "loose weight while taking pristiq".I also have hypothyoroidism & acid reflux. It seems after some research pristiq inhibits the dopamine and causes loss of libido among a lot of other issues. The advice given on line by Ryan was to take Cabargoline. It increases dopamine levels. Having thyroid problems and acid reflux, the medications I take for each one can also affect the gland that controls all of these issues. I fel like pharmecutical companies hook us on all these meds ans make it difficult to get off of them because of the bottom line. Dosinex and cabaser are name brand names of drugs to help restore dopamine and libido levels. I don't have insurance anymore so I can't afford to go to the Doc to check it all out. WAHHH!

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400 mg is a rediculous amount. I was upped to 100 mgs from 50 and couldn' handle it. Pristiq is bad JUJU.

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I went off my pristiq replacement (effexor XR) about a week and a half ago. It was rough for the first several days, but it's better now. My energy level is slowly returning, although I am also taking Lithium for depression (NOT bipolar disorder). I've been treated for depression on & off for years, & the drugs have usually helped at the outset, but long term the side effects are just plain miserable. I agree they get us hooked on them and then it is difficult, and sometimes dangerous to stop taking them.

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Well, I'm back. I believe I am on day 29 or so from being off this junk of a drug. My mental state is in the toilet. I started walking 3.5 miles every morning waiting for the dopamine to kick in. I don't think I have any left in my body. I can't understand it! I have been walking all my life and I always get that euphoric feeling when I'm done and it just isn't coming. I've tired cardio and yoga along with the walking. What is happening to me? Is this ever going to work it's way out? This can't be the way it's going to be. Excerise has always been the answer and now that's not working. Have I screwed up my brain with those stupid "brain zaps" I was having. I feel I have been damaged for life from this drug. Anyone else experiencing any of this? HELP!!!

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Hang in there, Cheryl. I truly believe these drugs ruin your body. I'm afraid I'll never be like I was before the depression, or the drugs. Keep up your walking -it's bound to do your body good & hopefully eventually your mind. I've been walking too but must say I'm impressed you can do 3.5 miles. I've got a lot of spinal issues, so I do good to go 2 blocks! Good luck to you & keep us posted. I think the people who post here really do care because we can all relate. I think Pristiq is the worst anti-depressent I ever made and it should be taken off the market.

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Girls, I can't tell you how glad I'll be when I can get off this Pristiq! I've had to really taper off sooo slowly. I'm scared though that I'm addicted to it because when I try to go off it completely (after being on the lowest possible dose for 2 weeks) I start getting the horrible side effects. I get "waves" of dizziness, nausea, running to the bathroom, heart racing, headaches and cannot sleep at all. The withdrawal symptoms are so difficult and scary to deal with that I go right back on the pill to make them go away...it's been a vicious cycle and I always go back on the pill too because I don't want to be struggling with this at work, but I know I can't get over it in just a weekend. I can't get the motivation to exercise as I know that will totally help me. I'm on the lowest dose and am now GAINING more weight - what am I supposed to do, starve myself?? It's like any little amount I put in my mouth now is causing weight gain. I remember the days when I was 117 lbs - I'm now 160 lbs and I'm only 5'2"!!! This stuff has messed up my metabolism so bad I wonder if it'll ever be the same!

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Kristy: I agree with you that it's bad stuff. My doctor told me to go off by taking one every other day for two weeks. Then one every two days for another two weeks. Then one every three days for another two weeks. You get the idea. I was so frustrated. I just wanted to be off it and done forever. I put on 32 lbs. in the course of a year and a half, all the while the doctor insisted it was "weight neutral." I honestly believed it must be that I was turning 40, etc. I had felt so good that I told everyone, "If I put on 20 lbs, I'd be OK." Well, I was OK with 20. I was NOT OK with the 32. It got to the point I was more depressed over the weight gain AND it wasn't working as well as it was when I first went on it. Good luck getting off it. The way I did it, I honestly had zero withdrawal, but it took a painfully long time. I just wanted to be done period, but sanity prevailed, and I wanted to really do it the safest way possible. So I don't know if it was my reaction or the way I went off it, but I had no side effects. I will be off it one year in May. Let me just tell you, I've only lost 7 of the lbs., and I'm working my ass off. I guess it's better than when I was on Pristiq. I was doing Weight Watchers and actually had a trainer, and I just kept packing on the lbs. I think it messed up my metabolism bad. Even being off it for almost one year -- I don't think I will ever be the same.

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I gained 27 lbs in 5 months. I was great on Wellbutrin but after my divorce, I wanted to lose the sex drive so I switched meds. Huge mistake. Weight gain has made me more depressed. I'm going to try Cymbalta and the weaning off Pristiq has been difficult. We'll see what happens.

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Please double check with your doctor and pharmacist.I was strongly advised and told by both my doctor and pharmacist that you cannot take both of those together?

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Please update us on how Pristiq works for you. I have not dropped a pound in months and I am depressed not on meds. Not sure what to do or try now. I know pristiq will not be it and I also realize it made me crave alcohol! I hardly drink anything now and when on it I had wine every night. Another friend craved cigarettes and she does not smoke...what is this stuff??

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The alcohol cravings I believe are directly related to the sugar cravings this drug causes. I have been off this drug for over a month and still have the sugar cravings. I won't drink alcohol with it because I believe it can or will cause siezures or death.

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did you gain after stopping it? I gained about 6 on it and now another 7 after stopping it..NOT Hungry and feel full and bloated all the time...I run and workout...not dropping and ounce and I do not pee much either....

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