Depression meds and weight gain

I've been on the antidepressant Effexor XR for about 4 years now and I have been on a very low dose (75 mg a day) but I have also gained about 35 pounds in that time.  It's also been nearly impossible for me to lose the weight.  I am 42 and weigh 235 lbs.  I have read lots of conflicting reports from both the effexor website and from some people's personal experiences that this medication doesn't cause weight gain, but for me it has.  I exercise 3 to 4 times a week, eat healthy meals (1500 calories or less a day), and drink water like crazy (today I've drank 60 ounces of water and plan to drink at least 20 more ounces later).  I avoid getting my picture taken because I hate the way my face and body look. Why doesn't the scale budge?  Should I get off the medication so I can lose the weight? 

If you think the medication is leading to weight-gain talk to your doctor and ask if weight-gain is one of the contra-indications.  Keep your food diary and take it with you because the first thing the doctor will suggest is that you've simply been eating more than you think.  There are medical causes for weight-gain, of course and those should be explored at the same time.  Thyroid function, PCOS, certain insulin-related conditions would be a few...

If you've been eating 1500 cals a day for more than three months there's also a possibilty that your body has got accustomed to living on a lot less food than it needs.   A 235lbs 42 year-old woman who is lightly active and (I'm guessing) 5'6" or 5'7" tall needs about 2500 cals a day to maintain her weight.  If you're maintaining (or even gaining) on 1500 and your calorie-counting is accurate it means your metabolism is running very slowly.

It could well be that you need to give your body more energy in order for it to start burning energy at the correct rate.  For a week, try eating 2500 cals a day and see how you feel.  You will gain some weight so stay off the scales for a week.  But judge your energy levels and your appetite... both should increase and you may even find your mood is improved at the same time.   When you've finished your week at 2500 go with weight-loss at no lower than 1800 cals a day.   You may find you get better results.

I just had my annual blood work a few months ago and everything was within normal range.  I get this checked yearly due to a family history of high blood pressure, overactive thyroid, and diabetes.  Also had my annual pap and mammo and they were normal too. 

Then we're sort of left with either... the meds causing weight-gain... or...  you having a depressed metabolism due to long-term dieting.  The one you can most directly influence being the latter with what I mentioned earlier i.e a period of taking in your full energy needs and then resuming weight-loss at a higher intake level.

Effexor XR is an SNRI. You might want to talk to your doctor and see if you can get on an SSRI (such as Prozac, Zoloft, etc.). SSRIs do not really cause any change in weight, whereas SNRIs are known for causing weight gain.

I was on Effexor XR for about a year and gained 30lbs on the same doseage that you were on. I would ask if you can switch to something else. I was counting calories, drinking tons of water, and excerising like you and the weight didn't come off till I stopped taking them.

From what I've heard, everybody reacts differently to SSRIs. One medication might make someone gain weight, while someone else on the same medication might actually lose weight. 

It sounds to me like it is the medication that has caused you to gain weight. Like GI-Jane said, you need to talk to your doctor. I'm not sure if Zoloft would meet your needs, but I am on it and I actually lost weight. Zoloft worked really well for both my depression and anxiety. I do know that my doctor who prescribed it made sure that I got the NAME BRAND prescription, not a generic Zoloft. She told me that in her experience, the generics caused weight gain. So maybe that had something to do with it. 

But I swear by Zoloft, lol. It has worked really well for me, and I'm happy to say that I'm actually now getting off of it!! bye bye depression and anxiety!

Good luck :)

I second what jcl76 says. Zoloft is a brilliant drug for depression/anxiety. I'm actually taking the generic though and find myself losing weight (that's to be expected because when I'm depressed I overeat, and now only eat when I'm hungry)

I had a very similar experience.  I was on a farily lose dose of Effexor and gained about 20 lbs despite not changing my eating (which was very healthy) and exercise (running an hour almost every day).  It was also making me really numb emotionally.  I made a stupid decision and weened myself off of it (I would highly recommend NOT doing this), but ended up feeling better and eventually lost the weight after several months.  Definitely go talk to your doctor about other medication alternatives, such as SSRIs

I've talked to my doc and he agrees that I should start taking a half dose to wean myself off slowly.  Unfortunately that means I have to open up the capsule and count out the individual grains and they taste horrible! 

On the plus side, I've already lost 4 pounds this week!  Hopefully I will continue to lose, wean off the meds, and be healthier!

If you mix the (crushed) meds with applesauce or yogurt, it tastes a lot better.

Im in the same position. Ive been on steriods for Rhumatiod Arthritis for 6 months and gone from 130lbs up to 144lbs which is the highest ive ever been. Im not eating differently to normal, some days its a lot other days I pick as constaly feel bloated form the meds. The frustration is i cant exercise becasue of the illness which i used to love and do daily and i cant lose weight, im just watching myself get bigger and bigger knowing i have another 6 months at least on these steriods. So depressing not being able to fit in most of my clothes anymore, i dont want to have to buy a whole new wardrobe of large clothes when i have loads of beautiful clothes that i want o wear.

Karen,  i know youre going to hate me for saying this but are you really being honest with yourself? (remember i sympathise as im in the same position) But if youve gained 35lbs that means you were 200lbs before the meds which probably means you were originally over eating and gaingin weight as a constant befoer the meds? Apologise if im wrong. But if that the case then yes the anti depressants may be contributing to an excelarated weight gain , but if they are not the sole cause of you being over weight the good news is you can change whatever the other factors are. Perhaps a change to your diet or exercise patterns will help curb the weigh gain?