has anyone got any experience of ven weight gain and if it comes back off? Or is my metabolism ruined? I have put three stone on in the few months I was on it, despite being active!I asked to be put in an antidepressant that didn't have that side effect so this has made me feel even worse.tapered down over the space of one month to the smallest 37.5 dose, I am on day 7 of no ven and it's been the week from hell!hearing voices,vertigo, nausea,vomiting,crying for hours, mania,severe anger, crazy thoughts, head zaps (the weirdest sensation) confusion,memory loss,sweating, took me a week to feel even slightly human and still feel crap!taking diazepam to calm symptoms,terrified it has caused irreparable damage. Any help would be appreciated!
I also had a dreadful withdrawal. Brain zaps, sickness, isolation. Their just the start. I persisted and did without any anti dep for a month. I couldn't take life anymore and ended up in hospital having OD. I am now on sertraline 100mg and feel great again. I was on veneflaxine for 20 years max dose. Don't get me wrong they worked. I had to come off due to other medical issues. Sorry, but my weight has stayed on. I also put 3 stone on, if not more. Iv just learned to live with it. I eat healthy and remain active so I'm ok with that. Best of luck 🤗
Thanks for the reply Elaine! I'm sorry you had such a hard time. Sertraline sadly didn't work for me, I maybe should have gave it a bit longer. I actually felt great on ven just the side effects scared me if I forgot a dose by a few hours! I'm a bit scared to try another antidepressant now after ven! I've tried to sit the week out, luckily I've been off work, felt like I was totally losing my mind at points, hopefully it gets better as I'm starting college again in August, can't concentrate on anything.xxx
It does get better but it takes along time. Best of luck Jane 🤗
Thanks Elaine, you too!😊X
Hi Jane,
One month is a very very rapid taper for Venlafaxine. I tapered off 75 mg over a period of about one year, and still had withdrawl symptoms, although I avoided the brain zaps, nausea, voices and insomnia by doing the slow "bead count" weaning. Still, expect memory confusion, agitation, and mood swings for months. I have now been free of this drug for one year and still don't feel entirely "normal" although some things have improved. To answer your original question, I gained weight on ven and did lose 25lbs during the first three months I was off this drug. All the best to you, it takes time to heal, longer than most people think.
Hi, thanks for the reply!😊 Yes, I suspect I may have made a mistake with this, I just wanted right off it and the thought of faffing about with beads etc was making me a bit anxious so just stopped. I had just over a week window off work where I had could just ride it out. Did you start to take another antidepressant after it? I think I'm going to try best I can without anything. Fantastic the weight came off for you!have heard conflicting views on the weight loss,I have tried all sorts of diets on ven and still the weight creeps up, so hopefully it shifts now I've stopped. How long did you take the meds if you don't mind me asking?xx
Hi Jane,
Oh I was on it way too long..about 17 years!! First took it when my Mom was terminally ill and I was trying to care for her and my daughter, who was a toddler at the time. My Mom passed away, then my father was diagnosed with cancer and dementia, so more care giving. Plus, working full time in a stressful job in advertising, there never seemed a convenient time to stop taking it. And so it went, for years. Until I began to worry/ suspect that the long term use, even at 75mg was affecting my memory and cognitive abilities. I knew I could not just stop cold turkey at that point, so researched various withdrawal methods and settled on the bead counting. Even so, it was much more difficult than I had imagined. I still have residual agitation/panic at certain times of day, which I never had prior to taking ven. I don't plan to take another anti-depressant, and I don't take any other prescription meds. It is astounding to me that lack of knowledge most doctors seem to have regarding these drugs. For me, eating sugary foods seems to excacerbate the withdrawl symptoms and so did B vitamins. Omega fish oil pills seem to help. Well that is way more than you wanted to know, I am sure.
All the best to you on your journey off ven!! Take care of yourself!
Hey, thank you so much for taking the time to reply, not at all I like to gain information and it's nice to speak to others who have been through it! I'm so sorry you have such a hard time, sounds awful you are a strong lady for getting through it. Is this fairly recently you tapered off or was that also a while ago? I understand what you mean about the permanent issues, it frightened me when I could literally feel the drug working on my brain! I have tried to explain this to others and they look at me like I'm mad!my local pharmacist when I tried to discuss with her made me feel small when I discussed the symptoms with her and treated me with contempt! More awareness needs to be made about ven or (preferably) banned! You too I hope the symptoms subside soon, I'll try the fish oil!xxxxx
Unfortunately for me I have been on it for 20 years and have finally convinced my doc that it isn't working anymore (I have severe panic disorder that spun out of control 2-3 years ago and he just kept adding additional meds).Through the years I've gone up and down on dosage depending upon my 'stability'. When my dosage is high my weight balloons, regardless of diet and exercise. When it has been lowered the weight fell off (prior to Effexor I was never more than a size 4 to 6-i have been up to size 16 a few times). You'll drop the weight,don't worry! I'm currently on 300mg of XR and about to start tapering off of it. I am so scared of the withdrawl-those brain zaps are no joke. I sincerely wish you the best!!!
Oh goodness that's a long time! The docs don't listen, I thought my doctor was great until he put me on these! That's great news it comes off, I am huge and such a bad shape, I look like I'm pregnant which isn't helping my mood haha! All the best to you too, message me anytime if it helps! If you can take a week off work I would definitely suggest that, try and sleep a lot! I took anti sickness tablets to help the head zaps, they are the worst! Xxxxx
Hi Jane, I have trouble explaining to people too. I absolutely can feel this drug working in my brain. It feels like a whole lot of little spiders running around in you head. I get the feeling not long after I take the meds. It is freaking me out and I just want to get off it. I am down to 75 from 100 but am worried about seizures etc....coming off. I was put on Prednislone for a health issue and went on the venflaxin because the other drug made me nuts. I am so over all these drugs. I came off pred rapidly ignoring the doc's slow step down so hopefully I can get through ditching this one too. Martine
Hi Jane,
I'm not sure if you're still following this thread but I came across your question while doing my own research. I have felt so alone in all of this but reading your comments and others, I know it's not in my head. I've been on ven since Nov 2014 due to PPD/PPA. I have gained 25-30 lbs. I too look pregnant!! I can't tell you..I've taken many negative tests to me sure. I've seen SO many doctors and they just give me the run around. I am 38, so I'm sure that has something to do with it as well. I am slowly counting the modules and coming off. I look like a bloated whale all the time. I hope after 10 months you have had success. All the best.
Hi Susan,
I have been reading through a few reviews and came across you response to Jane. I was on venlafaxine for almost 11 years. I gained about 35 lbs, I finally could not take it anymore. I was already depressed and to gain so much weight jyst made it worse. I decided on my own to quit taking venlafaxine rather than tapering off. The first day I was fine, but then the dizziness, headaches, ear ache etc started in with a vengeance I didnt think I could make it but I had read that taking 3 to 4 fish oil and lots of water helps. I started taking fish oil and multi vitamin and I promise I felt so much better. It was a horrible week don't get me wrong but it lasted a week and I have now lost 20 lbs and feel better than ever. Drink as much water as you can, ice packs on your head and neck take the dizziness and nausea away to as well as peppermint candy or gum, these things make a difference. Best of luck to you and just know you can do this and you will feel so much better in the days ahead!!
Hi, I too came across this post while doing my own research. I went cold turkey off of Effexor 5 days ago and will say the withdrawals have gotten a little less intense but are still TERRIBLE. right now the worst is the anger. Any advice for this?? I have been taking a ton of omega 3 as well as b complex I've also had to take xanax at times.
Hi Sarah, I'm on 75mgs per day. I dropped to 37.5 and turned into the angry monster. So after a week I went back to 75. I will have to wait till I have clear time to be a big bitch and try again. Martine🦋
So glad to know the anger thing is not just me!!!! I have been on 75mg for 9 years, have tried to wean once before around 2 years ago but nearly lost my mind with the physical and mental withdrawals.... have been losing my memory and feeling really terrible this year so I started weaning around a month ago, having 2/3 of the beads from my 75's for around ten days and now am on 37.5 tablets. The only withdrawals so far are terrible headaches and the anger/irritability. The only thing I can attribute to the fact I've had no brain zaps, vertigo, nausea ect this time around is because I started excercising daily about a year ago and eating a lot of fresh veg oats eggs meat ect. I have been doing a lot of research and actually found a study online. They gave a test group of rats (or mice?) ven for a month and none to the other group and fed them the same things. The group receiving the drug started retaining fat around their stomachs. It was a relief to read this and know it's not just me eating something wrong and proof this drug does cause this
Good luck everyone!! We are all in this together..... xx
Hi Sarah,
Hope you are well today. I did not have to much of an anger issue, however I took walks by my self a few times a day just to relieve the irritability I could feel building inside. The way I feel today I really believe that getting effexor out of my system was one of the best things I ever did. Fish oil, multi vitamin and vitamin B every morning and Fish oil and Vitamin D every night before be. I have so much energy again, lost the weight I gained over the years and my hair and skin seem to be much better too. (That could be the fish oil) I probably drink a gallon or two of water a day but I have always drank a lot of water. Deep breathing exercises are great and everyday exercise helps tremendously. Best of Luck continues from Me to you and everyone else who is trying to get off this debilitating drug!!
I recently stopped Effexor as well, it took me 2 months to wean off I went from 250mg-150-75mg and then I stopped. It was so difficult to do. But I could not deal with having my life depend on taking this medicine everyday otherwise the withrawl side effects wouldn't even let me leave my bed and even then it was like a nightmare in hell. 2 month later now, I have so much hair loss, hair thinning, breakage etc, I'm still struggling with photosensitive/ increased reactivity for my skin and eyes, although it has decreased in severeness. I did gain weight on this medicine but with a super healthy, smaller potioned diet and daily 2-3 hours of excersise I did lose half of it in 6 months but since this is such a strict routine, I gained it all back when I relaxed and stopped working out so much with that. Although I have finally stopped having hyperhidrosis, which I am so thankful for but I really still don't like the idea of losing all my hair.
Dear Jane
I feel that way too, my psychiatrist made me feel that way, after I had weaned off it car quivkly and didn't take the other antidepressents she prescribed. from reading stuff people using and stopping effexor, everyone can see the patterns, the side effect of taking it are so serious and withrawl from it makes their lives a living hell, I felt so insulted, when she said that I keep complaining but am not doing what she prescribed. I didn't know then that even after coming off and being over the severe withdrawal symptoms, there is still residual side effect, and apparently she doesn't know either, which is why she made my mood swing, aggitation, frustration problems symptoms of my mdd diagnosis even though before ven, I never had anger problems or agitation, my mood was just always depressed and you know ... suicidal, I had been that way since I can Remember, my first memory of feeling like this is when I was only 8 years old. Anyways so she just prescribed another anti depressant which I am so scared of taking. I not anti medication, I'm in university, study biology and one day medicine. I also have ADHD, for which I take what is prescribed and a decently high dosage 40mg dexamphetamine, and I don't suffer from withrawl from it ever or never effects taking it either. I've been on anti depressant for 5 years out of which 4 for venlaflaxine. It does make you less depressed but the side effect are just not worth it. I'm so scared of having to take them again.
Sorry this is so long but people need to be aware, not everyone reacts well to these meds and long term side effects from them arent all that great either