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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Pattyk on April 6, 2001, at 7:15:24
I have been off of Effexor for almost two months. I gained about 20 pounds while on it (and Zoloft before Effexor). I want to get it off badly! I excercise several times a week...but it doesn't seem to want to budge. Has anyone heard if SSRI'S slow metabolism? I continued to excercise religiously while on AD'S but STILL gained weight. How discouraging is that? How exactly do SSRI'S cause weight gain? Increasing the appetite? They must slow metabolism somehow, because I was gaining weight while working out in the gym 3-4 days a week. I am no longer on any medication. Any info regarding this would be greatly appreciated.
Posted by mila on April 6, 2001, at 13:44:42
In reply to Has anyone had luck losing Effexor weight?, posted by Pattyk on April 6, 2001, at 7:15:24
dear patty,
you might go to the psychopharmacology tips here on Dr.bob's site, and do a search for 'SSRI metabolism' several threads will appear, one of them is specifically 'medication and weight gain'. You might find the answeres to your questions there.
I have gained 40lbs while on SSRI. Now, that I am almost off my medication, I started to lose it. The key to me is abundant amount of sleep (minimum 8 hours) when I go to bed i notice at what time I have to get up so that it would be 8 hours of sleep, and if i wake up earlier than that I relax myself back to sleep. This is because i read about research linking sleep deprivation and weight gain. another trick is to bust the metabolism several times a day. In my case it is walking several times a day, 20 min each time, vigourously, so that I slightly sweat. I also eat ONLY things that I want and when I want. overall, I am losing 2 lbs per week, which is a comfortable and healthy rate for me.
mila
Posted by Wendy B on April 6, 2001, at 21:53:39
In reply to Has anyone had luck losing Effexor weight?, posted by Pattyk on April 6, 2001, at 7:15:24
If you are off the medicine now, Patty, you probably will be able to lose the weight over a number of months. I don't know for sure, but I think body fat is body fat. If it's created in your body while you're on the SSRI, or if it was there before, it's all the same.I know what it feels like with the weight gain - Zoloft and depression made me gain 30 pounds over 4 years. Do you still need an antidepressant? If so, you might try Wellbutrin. I have lost about 17 lbs. through willpower and exercise and, I do believe, the medicine. The mechanism is: since it's an anti-obsessive kind of drug - it's used in Zyban, the med that helps people stop smoking - it really helps you not obsess about food. Zoloft and Effexor made me a snack freak, all that would 'comfort' me were sugary or fatty foods. Oh, and naturally, chocolate. Bad bad bad.
So just keep on keepin' on as they say... Get a real workout 3-4 times a week, full-body aerobic exercise. If you run, as I do, cool... I run on trails because I don't like the impact of asphalt or a track, it's bad for knees and ankles, too much shock on the body.
At a gym, do the machines, get a real full-body workout, raise the heartrate, work on increasing the lung capacity (then you will be able to naturally bring up your speed or distance). You don't have to do any more than 45 minutes per workout.
Of course diet is at least as important. I think the SSRIs make you crave stuff that's bad for you. Cleanse your system. Drink water with fresh lemon squeezed in it, several glasses a day, and flush out your water weight with that. It makes you lose a couple of lbs. right there. Eat fresh fruit and vegetables, just like they say. Not much beef, chicken is great if you leave off the skin, eat fish at least once a week. Don't keep sweets in the house. Read labels, check fat in a comparable item. Stay away from prepared foods. Most restaurants overfeed and overfill us with all-you-can-eat specials, etc. Avoid like the plague. And keep on drinking the lemon-water, eight glasses a day at least.
Finally, I also did a natural 'internal cleansing' thing. You can find a 'cleansing supplement' at the local natural-foods store, I bought a brand called Yerba Prima. It really helped my stomach feel better, less indigestion, less bloating, less... well, you know… My digestion was always off, and this helped. It says on the package that it cleanses, protects, rebuilds your lower intestine. Whatever… it really did help me feel better. Another thing it helped me with is portion-control.
So these things, combined with the Wellbutrin, have helped me lose about half of the 30 lbs over two months. That's a little more than 2 lbs per week. Like Mila mentions in her post, that's a pretty good rate. You gotta take it slow…
I wish you the best of luck, and keep me (us) posted… ok?
Wendy
> I have been off of Effexor for almost two months. I gained about 20 pounds while on it (and Zoloft before Effexor). I want to get it off badly! I excercise several times a week...but it doesn't seem to want to budge. Has anyone heard if SSRI'S slow metabolism? I continued to excercise religiously while on AD'S but STILL gained weight. How discouraging is that? How exactly do SSRI'S cause weight gain? Increasing the appetite? They must slow metabolism somehow, because I was gaining weight while working out in the gym 3-4 days a week. I am no longer on any medication. Any info regarding this would be greatly appreciated.
Posted by Kimba on April 7, 2001, at 10:55:40
In reply to Re: Has anyone had luck losing Effexor weight? » Pattyk, posted by Wendy B on April 6, 2001, at 21:53:39
I'm trying to lose Paxil weight. I found the website www.dietwatch.com. It's a good tool. It tallys up carbs/protein, fat, sodium for you as you go through the day with minimal effort to input your food intake. It also helps you track your weight itself and exercise. The amount of sodium I'm taking in was a wakeup call, but I was relieved to find that my carbs were at an appropriate level.
Posted by Lorraine on April 7, 2001, at 18:35:33
In reply to Has anyone had luck losing Effexor weight?, posted by Pattyk on April 6, 2001, at 7:15:24
> I lost all of my Effexor related weight gain (40 lbs) by going low carb when I got off Effexor. Effexor increased my carb cravings causing me to eat more. I exercised day and night to no avail. Low carb cuts carb cravings.
This is the end of the thread.
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