I have been battling an eating disorder for the past four years. It is still a huge part of my life, but it is slowly getting better every day. I recently talked to my doctor about everything and he prescribed Effexor XR for depression - saying that it would help my eating disorder and my 'out of control' feelings. Well, I have not taken the medication yet, and have been doing a lot or research online about it - and have seen that this particular drug makes you gain a lot of weight when you take it. Because of my past, I don't know if that is something that would be smart for me to do right now....gaining weight is one of my biggest fears in life, and I am terrified of falling back into my eating disorder every day. I was wondering if anyone had any experience with this drug - my doctor says it is not supposed to cause weight gain at all, but can have horrible side effects. Any information would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!
2007-09-30 07:03:28 · 7 answers · asked by ACA12354 1 in Health ➔ Mental Health
I don't see weight gain as a side-effect, but there are several other side-effects that people may experience while taking this drug. Please check out this web site because it lists the side effects that people may experience. I don't know if you went to a medical doctor or a psychiatrist, but there are other drugs on the market with less side effects than Effexor XR for depression. And Effexor XR is hard to come off of. If you are not seeing a psychiatrist, please have your doctor refer you to one for the depression. I work in a psycholgoical field, and I do not feel your doctor may be aware of some of the other medications on the market. Also, there might be a support group that a psychiatrist can refer you too for depression. It might help. If you are battling an eating disorder, are you working with a nutritionist? You should be, it did wonders for me! If you are not, talk to your doctor about it. I know that some health insurances won't pay for it and others will, but I didn't find it to be expensive at all. I thought I knew how to eat healthy, but got quite a surprise after working with the nutritionist! When you feel healthy, you also feel better about yourself! Oh, the web site:
http://www.effexorxr.com/taking.asp
and good luck with everything!
2007-09-30 07:21:19 · answer #1 · answered by bpsgirl123 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
One of the side effects of Effexor can be weight gain. However, it may help you overcome your eating disorder, which should be more important. Another option is to add Wellbutrin. It is often used along with Zoloft. You would have to check with your doctor about taking Wellbutrin but it has the side effect of making you lose weight so it is often used with other anti-depressants to balance the weight loss/gain side effects out. If you are not already in counseling or a support group you may find these very helpful.
2007-09-30 14:14:18 · answer #2 · answered by talon 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Are you seeing a therapist and involved in group therapy? If so, was it the therapist that prescribed the medication? They must have a reason for doing so. Just because a medicine has side effects doesn't mean that you will have them.
If you aren't in therapy and group therapy, you should really get into them. Getting past an eating disorder is a tough thing to do without support. A psychiatrist or psychologist will be able to greatly help you deal with your feelings and get you back onto the path of being healthy.
2007-09-30 14:13:38 · answer #3 · answered by Liz 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I personally wouldn't even get started on Effexor. I've taken it in the past, but I can't say it benefitted me as far as depression goes. There were some very weird side effects the first few days -- it gave me a weird dizzy feeling and I was seeing trails/tracers, where everytime I moved my head -- I don't even know how to describe it other than by saying it was "very strange." When I came off of it, I had withdrawal symptoms that lasted a few days which made it a very difficult drug to come off of. I had to wait until I had a few days off of work so it wouldn't affect my performance or attendance.
As far as losing weight and increasing your mood, look into Adderall, Ritalin, or Dexadrine. I'm not sure if they're used to treat depression, but my wife said her mood got better when taking Adderall.
2007-09-30 14:14:34 · answer #4 · answered by Mickey Mouse Spears 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, my mom take it.
I'm not quite sure if i t does or not, but I'm pretty sure that it does. About the eating disorder, you have to be strong about it. Just look at Patrick Stump {{of Fall Out Boy}} and Gerard Way {{of My Chemical Romance}}. They have/had problems with being overweight. Patrick is and everyone points that out, but he doesn't really care. And Gerard was a..er...**cough, cough** chubby when he was younger, but now tons of girls luv him!
2007-09-30 14:31:58 · answer #5 · answered by Folie a Deux♥; 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
from my life experience it sounds like you need to do some soul searching to make your self happy with your self......because until you are happy with your self you jsut wont be happy... .love your self for what god made you... because you are awesome and rock jsut the way you are.... look in the mirror every morning and tell your self "im freaking awesome" it worked for a close friend of mine... self esteem is a hard thing to earn from yourself... take the meds to... the help me.... sometimes are brain needs help with chemicals bc we arent producing them... and if the cause weight gain just excersie... usually the just put it on there it doesnt mean it will affect you that way... good luck hope you find what you are searching for
2007-09-30 14:10:02 · answer #6 · answered by JebbieCakes 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
do what you think is best and healty for you and the people around you the love and care for you
good luck
2007-09-30 14:08:01 · answer #7 · answered by Twilight182 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋