Weight Gain On Pristiq? (Page 23)

I have been on Pristiq now since November of 2008...not quite 5 months...and I have put on 15 lbs since starting it. DESPITE working out with a trainer at the gym twice a week weight training, 3 days a week of cardio AND counting calories. My doc assured me that I would also have a decreased appetite on Pristiq, which I have yet to find true...so he has now increased my dosage to 400 mg. Does anyone have anything to add to this?? I'm just frustrated!

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Hi Marianne, Zyban is used in Australia to help with ceasing smoking but is less effective than the other one offered. after studies it has showen that Zyban(welbuten, sorry not too good on the spelleing) has a high risk of causing seizures and doesn't work as well as an antidepressant that all the other drugs on the market used by drs. Drs would prefer to use safer options than puttingtheir patients at risk.
I was in the same boat as you girls and thought Zyban would be perfect to do all three, lose weight, fix depression and quit smoking.
Good luck with it all girls

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I've been on Pristiq 50 since August of this year (this is month 4). I have been eating healthy and exercising almost daily (1-2 HOURS a day, cardio). In almost 4 months I have fluctuated inside the same 10 lbs. I am considered morbidly obese. The inches are dropping like flies but the damn scale WILL not move. The worst part is, as a college student, I don't want to go off of pristiq because my grades have greatly improved. I am happier, more productive and my anxiety has even subsided a lot of the time. My depression is gone. But I need this weight to go away.

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I do feel constanltly hungry after I start Prstiq three weeks ago. I also have insomnia at times. Doctor told me I should have decreased appetite, instead I always want to eat. My sever anxiety in the morning seems to improve a bit, but don't know if it will continue on.

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Beth,
I have been working out way more than I ever had since I started pristiq.. I didn't mention in my last post that I am losing inches. 8 off of my bust, 6 off of my waist and hips, etc. I have calculated since my post that I have lost 10% of my body fat. I think we're used to crash diets, most of us, and losing weight really quickly. We require more calories when our metabolism is working right and we're more active. Be patient. I'm still not losing but the inches are falling off. I've turned 31 lbs of fat into 21 lbs of muscle with strength training. You're probably doing the same.

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I, too, have experienced weight gain while taking Pristiq. For the past year I have had an increase in my appetite which contributed to my 15 pound weight gain. I could not seem to curb my food cravings which were happeni g daily. I knew I needed to switch to something different. I asked my Dr. about Lexipro. I have only been taking it for a week now and I already feel so much befter!!! I feel like this is what I should have been taking all along. :))

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I am a mother of two little boys. I was nursing my 7 mo old and was on reglan to help with lactation. I noticed a bit of depression taking that drug but continued on. I sunk into a deeper depression after having a hysterectomy a week ago. The dr put me on pristiq and the very next day I wanted to DIE. Please DO NOT TAKE THIS DRUG EVER. I spent the entire day on a couch unable to move...crying, headache, anxiety, fearful could not STAND AT ALL. I did not even want my children around me I could not stand them. I ended up going to a holistic dr who CLENSED MY LIVER through IV. I felt better almost immediately. Depression people comes from a TOXIC LIVER. GET YOUR LIVER CLEANSED AND GET OFF THE MEDS YOU WILL BE BETTER OFF> I can't stress this enough that one day ago I wanted to be dead and today I feel so much better.

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Lisa,
I am glad you were able to help your depression by cleansing your liver. However, depression comes from a lot of sources disrupted brain activity. At my last trip to the doctor I learned a little about neural pathways and how exercise increases the efficiency of these pathways by increasing the number of dendrite protrusions that send and receive signals. A lack of exercise can also cause depression. Pain can cause depression (and depression can cause pain). When a person is prescribed medication long term, it is because chemical activity in the brain requires regulation.

Long term takers of Pristiq,
DO NOT go off of your medication cold turkey, the side effects are immense. If you do not think Pristiq is right for you, you may be right, but please talk to your doctor about weaning, and other options.

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I have been on Pristiq for nearly 12mth and am struggling with weight. (Especially around my belly).So good to hear this is not my imagination. I am usually very active but find I have to push myself. Also very compacent, almost a ' no care ' attitude. Very bad as if I don't have the inclination, nothing gets done. And when I have tried to come off them I have had horrible dizzy spells and sick in the belly. How long do this last before you get back to normal?

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It sounds as if you really want to get off this med and it seems like a really good idea since it doesn't seem to be helping you! Hopefully I can be of some help to you. I am on my 2nd week since stopping it - and it has been a nightmare! I was in bed for 4 days straight I won't go into all the details but it was the worst time of my life. At first I tried taking every other day.. That didn't work so my Dr. put me on 20mg Prozac, and since I had immense pain Vicodin and tramadol as needed. I am now starting to feel better and want to let you know if I can do it - you can too! You just have to fight to get yourself back! And work along with your doctor let them know how you are doing! Good Luck and keep us posted !

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Hi, I wrote about my interest to stop taking PristiQ, now I quite 1 month ago under medical supervision it was hard I was sedated 5 days to avoid the collateral sintomps and still now I haven't lose the weight I won and I realize I sleep around 10 hours per day ;) that's my experience

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I've been off Pristiq for a couple months, and have not been able to lose the weight I gain from it. My Dr.insist I can't gain weight from Pristiq. It really is to bad Dr.'s are not listening to their patients. He is no longer my Dr. I have a new one and she seems a lot more willing to listen to her patients. I hope I can find a way to get this weight off, cause it was sure easy to get the weight on. I tried the rasberry keytones but not luck.

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i have just now started on this meds, hope it works.dont need the weight gain...50mg per day.

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Dear Oralia,
The majority of women who have posted on this site, including me, have gained weight in our stomach area and cannot lose it. We have gone off the Pristiq but still cannot lose the weight we've gained. I'm not talking 5 or 10 pounds here, I'm talking like 20 pounds. Please read the posts and reconsider another medication.

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Dear Oralia, I hope that you have reconsidered and stopped taking the Pristiq. Please look into alternatives.
Don't let this stuff into your system, you still have time to stop it without gaining alot of weight and without suffering through withdrawal symptoms that can last for months. For a better quality of life please stop the Pristiq.

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It's true what Jan said About the weight gain on Pristiq, But I can say that this pill save my life from The worst depression That I ever had. Depression can Carry suicide and bad Living.
In 12 months I gained about 20 pounds, I have a ball in my stomach area, Not pretty bad I will try to Lose it.

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I have put on 20 pounds on Pristiq. My doc too said that it's weight neutral and that I shouldn't be hungry all the time. He was half right. I wasn't hungry as much, but I still packed on the pounds. Same diet, same exercise program. I've been off of it for two weeks though and haven't lost anything. Maybe it takes a while to get out of your system?

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hi i stopped taking pristiq and i have gained almost 8lbs. this is more depressing than anything.. when you went off did ;your weight return to normal... i am praying that it does.. i want off because it was doing nothing for me(and i did not gain weight on the pill) i only see a difference coming off the pill

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Christie I've been off it for months and have not been able to lose any of the 30 plus pounds I put on from taking Pristiq. I know that is not what you wanted to hear but that is what is going on with my experience with it.

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How awful! I am going to work out like a fiend and I am trying the body by Vi shape supplement system, as well as an herbal tummy wrap. i'll keep you posted!

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I have posted several times here about the drastic and seemingly permanent weight gain around my stomach since taking Pistiq. According to my PCP my bloodwork is good. Whatever, I am scheduled to see an endicrinologist later this month. I will request a full workup. Additionally, my latest effort to get rid of the fat has been an 8 day juice fast. Obviously this has helped but my stomach is still larger than it ever was in my life. I am slowly introducing solid foods. As my energy increases , I will add exercise and see how the stomach goes down. I am also coming off the standard American diet (SAD). I am going to try to eat more raw veggies and little fruit. No flour/wheat and no sugar. This is pretty drastic but I MUST do something to battle this unsightly fat around my stomach. YUK!
Debbie

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