The effexor withdrawals and weight gain are my main concern

newman99 · Newbie Joined: 14 Sep 2008 Posts: 1

I've been taking effexor xr for 8 years...great years, except when I stopped taking it...until now. I am suffering with joint pain (I used to experience this pain only when I'd forgotten to take my dose for 4+ hours). For the last couple of weeks I have been hurting even though I have been careful to take my meds on time.

I've gained weight but until now effexor xr has been worth the trade off. My doc isn't comfortable weaning me off and I am afraid-quite honestly-to suffer through though withdrawls my mom and so many others experienced.

Does anyone know if effexor is causing joint damage? Has anyone continued to have joint pain after discontinueing the drug?

I take 300mg

No More Effexor · Newbie Joined: 15 Sep 2008 Posts: 5

Hello. I thought I should share my experience with Effexor as well since reading this thread has been very enlightening for me.

I have gained 45 pounds in 6 years. I went from being 135 my whole life to 180. It sucks.

I started taking it 6 years ago at a dose of 150mg per day. After being on Zyban/Wellbutrin for help with quitting smoking, my doc switched me to Effexor. Eventually the non-smoking thing was a losing battle but everytime I tried to get off it I'd have wicked almost debilitating side effects. By 'tried to get off' I mean ran out, or forgot, or was travelling and by day 4 I'd be a complete basketcase. It was easier and more convenient just to keep taking them.

Never had a weight issue, never dieted, was naturally active, fit and slim. For the past two years I have been doing EVERYTHING to lose this new weight. Jogging daily, working out with a trainer 4 times a week, Weight Watchers and nothing has made a bit of difference.

The light bulb finally went off the other day. I asked my new doc to help me get of the evil E since I don't really think I need it and it's just become a habit more than anything else. As an after thought I casually mentioned that I'm having a hell of a time getting these pounds off despite doing everything I should be doing and more. He told me that ABSOLUTELY the Effexor was the cause of this weight gain and my body's resistance to losing it. WITHOUT A DOUBT he said.

It all makes perfect sense and I have no idea why it never occured to me. I sure wish it had but at least now there's light at the end of the tunnel.

He told me not to expect to see any results until I finish weaning off the pills, but that once I take the last one there will be obvious and rapid changes. I'll take any change at this point.

I've been taking 150 a day. He wrote me a new prescription for 37.5 mg. The tapering schedule is as follows.

3 weeks of 75 mg daily
2 weeks of alternating 75 and 37.5
2 weeks of 37.5 daily
1 week of alternating 37.5 and nothing

Then stop and watch the pounds fall off!

I questioned if dropping to 75 from 150 was ok, would I notice anything or suffer withdrawal and he said that people don't often have any trouble on 75. It's only when they get to less that it can mess you up if itr's not been gradual enough.

So there you go. Hope this helps somebody. I'll report back with the good news in a few months Smile

Guest · Guest

I've been taking effexor for 3 months for hot flashes which were dramatically reduced from 9-12 a day to 0-2 a day. It worked within the first 3 days and I am so relieved of the annoying flashes and night sweats. But.....I have had numbness in my hands and acheing. wondering if I was having signs of arthritus, but realized that could be a side effect of effexor. My hands are stiff and I'm an avid gardener, plus a CNA who keeps busy on the job with using gait belts to transfer patients, etc. I need my hands!!!They are the last thing I think of at night before going asleep. Where do i position them so they won't hurt or go numb?
So this is my experience. I'm really calm and I have lost weight because I'm not doing the emotional eating with the annoying hot flashes! But your experiences sound like something I want to avoid. How do I safely get off the stuff. I take no other medications. Is cold turkey advisable?

mommyto3 · Newbie Joined: 03 Oct 2008 Posts: 1

Thank you to "no more effexor". I am soooo frustrated right now reading people's messages. I am po'd at my dr. for telling me my 70+ lb weight gain had nothing to do with the effexor 150 mg i take and that my night sweats and such have to do with my weight gain or peri-menopause! I just turned 38!!!! I am now 3 days no effexor. I feel no trust in my dr. so over the last 3 months started taking the pill every other day (no ill effects) then skipped 2 days and now since Sept. 28 have gone cold turkey. Effects so far: dizziness, still sweating and crazy, crazy dreams (though I had been having far more dreams since being on the drug for the past 2 years than I ever have). I have hope from reading these messages that I will get this out of my system and NEVER go back. I will do it the natural way if need be. I am thankful I found this site and these posts. Thank-you

Guest · Guest

I am so glad I found this info on Effexor. I was prescribed Effexor 2 years ago by my oncologist and ob/gyn after a hysterectomy. I am a breast cancer survivor and because I could not take hormone therapy, they prescibed this medication to offset the menopause symptoms. Now, just so you know, I went through a year of being thrown into menopause at 31 due to chemotherapy and I never asked for anything to help cope with it. I am not depressed and felt like I didn't need this medication. Sure enough, I start taking it and I gained 10 lbs in one month. I also had severe joint pain in my ankles and wrists, noticable attention deficit, and TMJ. I told my doctors that I didn't like the medication and that not only had I gained weight and felt horrible, I felt like it made me ANGRY and short fused. My doctor gave me a new prescription of 37.5 mgs rather than 75mgs. I have been taking the 37.5 twice a day and finally I just decided I was sick of taking it. When I would miss a dose, I would start getting the impulses and ringing in my head, yawn uncontrollably, nausea, heart palpitations and an overall just sick feeling.

I was also taking daily Ambien CR since I could not sleep. I stopped taking the second Effexor at night as the Ambien knocked me out and I didn't notice any withdrawals while I slept. Once I was off the one at night, I quit taking the Ambien CR. I began taking Magnesium and another item the Dr. from the healthfood store recommended. It took about 4 nights but now I am sleeping very peacefully and have noticed more calm feelings during the day.

I then started taking only a half of the morning Effexor and that was 2 weeks ago. Today, I took nothing. Normally I would have been feeling the electical pulses and ringing earlier in the morning but I have surpressed them and am hoping they will stop later on today.

As of now, I am taking a multivitamin, magnesium, and the sleep herbs from the healthfood store. I also want to note that I lost 4 lbs even when I ate mexican food 4 times this past week!

So, let's get this crap out of our bodies!

frank1976 · Newbie Joined: 13 Oct 2008 Posts: 1

I am so thankful to have found this website and forum. I have only been on effexor for about three months, but have gained about 12 pds. For the past 7 yrs I have been on celexa, which I loved. However it was not working as well and the dr. recommended me trying something new. After reading up on several different drugs, I suggested effexor. For the main reason, it was not suppose to make you gain weight but possibly lose weight. I am very in touch with my body and have always stayed right at 119 pds. So when I started gaining this weight, I cut back eating and started exercising. None of this helped, so my question to you girls is, "have any of you started losing the weight yet?" or has this done something to our metabolism?

Guest · Guest

I went off EFFEXOR and on to Paxil. My wrists were so sore and ankles. My Doc didn't think it was from the EFFEXOR but I asked him to switch me to something else to see....sure enough. No more pain.
I am not sure the Paxil works as well on my mental health but could not live with the pain everyday, especially in my wrists...I do a lot of computer work at my job and my fingers were starting to lock up.

Guest · Guest

I have been on this drug effexor for 3 months and have gained 20 lbs its horrible will i have withdraws beein on this for 3 months if i stop?

kfish · Newbie Joined: 28 Oct 2008 Posts: 6

The effexor withdrawals and weight gain are my main concern

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