Weight Gain On Pristiq? (Page 4) (Top voted first)

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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I've been on Pristiq for 2 years, 50 mg for 18 months and 100 mg for the last 6 months. I've gained 15 pounds, have no energy, no motivation, either sleep too much or have a hard time sleeping, have terrible constipation, and want to get off it asap. Is it not plausible that all of my symptoms are the result of the drug simply not working the way it was intended to work anymore? OR my not needing it anymore? I was on Prozac for 10 years and off it for 11 years. Any comments would be helpful. Thank you!

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Day 5 of withdrawal and iti's SO MUCH BETTER!!!!! Dizziness subsiding, no need for the dramamine so far today. Got on the scale this morning and I am 14 pounds heavier! Hopefully with the cessation of the drug, it will come back off. Also notice more energy, not as much fatigue, more brain-energy if that makes sense. So glad to have this blog for the support! Thank you all!

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I have been On pristiq 1 year and gained 15 pounds. More depressed then when I first Started taking it. And If i miss a pill I am very anxious and snappy. Scared to stop But even more scared to gain more weight!

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Botany007 do you work as a drug rep for Pristiq? At no point during the six to nine months that I was on Pristiq did I worry about weight gain. When I did begin to worry (watching diet; training with a trainer) was when I realized I had put on 15 lbs despite being more healthful in my choices and I was putting on weight. My doctor insisted since day 1 that Pristiq was Weight Neutral, and I believed him. I stayed on Pristiq for about six months longer than I should have because I believed my doctor. Long story short: Once I realized that I know myself better than any doctor or drug company with drug interactions knows me, I was wise enough to wean off the Pristiq. And I do have more energy and am much happier than I was when I was on Pristiq. Don't get me wrong: Pristiq definitely helped my anxiety so I could live life rather than fear it, but that stopped after about a year. In the end, I was much more depressed of having put on so much weight in such a short time than anything else. And I felt like the magic was gone. I was taking this pill that suddenly didn't really help me anymore, and I was gaining weight along the way. At that point it became lose/lose, and THAT is why I went off. But this board is such a wonderful resource because this is the only place I could find that people were actually gaining weight on Pristiq. Nowhere else could I find anyone having that as a problem, and it made me feel relief that I was not alone and not crazy because my doctor kept saying it was weight neutral. But not everything affects everyone exactly the same. I just wish I trusted myself sooner, rather than listen to what my doctor said and the paid pharm sales people tell him. I know me best. They get paid to do their jobs.

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It has been 4 months since I stopped taking pristiq. I have not lost more than 5 lbs. I work out every day and watch what I eat. This is one of the worst side effects that I have had from a drug. Also, when I weaned myself off of prisitq, it was pure torture. Be careful! I would never take this drug ever, ever again.

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to Shea: I had the same reaction from my doctor when I asked about my weight gain. "Watch your portions / Are you exercising? / Try eating smaller meals all day to make yourself feel fuller " etc. My weight has always held steady, and even with high activity levels I've gained 15 pounds on Pristiq. My intuition is that Pristiq is messing with my hormones or whatever normally regulates appetite satiation / fat storage. I can't get a better explanation from anyone, so I figure nobody knows exactly how it happens.

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Kristy:
Good luck with finding something new and with weight loss. I was 38 when I went on as Pristiq as well. It took me forever to find this web site and confirm what I felt all along, that Pristiq at least contributed in a large way, to my weight gain. My doctor kept telling me it was "weight neutral." I was also relatively sedentary, but when I started gaining weight, I found a personal trainer who told me that I should have no trouble getting rid of the weight. Well I just kept packing it on. I had my thyroid tested also. My doctor called and said, "The good news is that your thyroid is normal." I said to him, "The bad news is I'm just fat." I seriously had hoped I DID have a thyroid issue, which at least would have explained my weight gain to myself. I was on Pristiq as I turned 40, and thought, again, the issue wasn't the drug, but that my metabolism must have started to slow down. That was with watching food intake and exercise at that point that I kept putting the pounds on. I finally became so disgusted and depressed with how I looked and felt (I was ALWAYS exhausted and always taking an afternoon nap for two hours, after which I was NEVER refreshed). I feel like Pristiq took two years of my life that I will never get back. I've been off since May, and I'm now exercising (using a pedometer to make sure I take at least 10k steps a day AND I do make sure to do the treadmill for 30 minutes for aerobic exercise), and I have finally with watching my diet have been able to lose 7 lbs. (I gained 32!). It may not seem like such a big deal, but the fact that I had finally STOPPED gaining, and now am on the road to losing is all I need to keep the motiviation. Life is too short for crappy anything. Don't get me wrong. I'm still anxious, but as I told my doctor, "I'm not a wreck 24/7. I don't need something 24/7 like pristiq ever again." I'm now on Xanex (spelling?) generic brand "as needed." I may go days without taking one, and then I may take two on a really stressful day. I've been exercising and living my life. It's nice to have gained control and live it instead of having it live me. Good luck to you.

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I've been on Pristiq for at least 1 1/2 - 2 yrs. I was put on this medicine after cancer & a stroke, which happened because of a negligent biopsy. Since being on Pristiq, I have absolutely no sex drive, have gained 10 pounds, and if I miss one dose, I have the most severe withdrawl effects possible! My head spins, I am off balance, I actually hear loud buzzing in my head. When I take my Pritiq again, it finally subsides. On the positive side? I don't cry all day long and my night sweats have pretty much subsided. Sometimes I think of going back on Wellbutrin. I lost weight and had a sex drive, but I felt anxious and wasn't sure how well it worked for my depression. I guess you just wegh out the options. No miracle cure.

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Daisy:
If your weight has a huge impact on how you feel, then you need to get off of Pristiq. I gained 32 lbs over 1 1/2. My appetite was decreased in the first week, but the weird thing is, I was never eating crazy more, I think it just really screwed badly with my metabolism. After the year and the half, I was more disgusted with myself 32 lbs. heavier (I was doing weight watchers and working out with a trainer during this time). My doctor insisted Pristiq was weight neutral. It might be for most people, but for me it's not. I've been off since May and it's taken me THAT LONG to lose 10 lbs. I refuse to give up. I have 22 more to go, and I will do it. No thanks to Pristiq though.

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Did you go off antidepressants before you started losing weight? I talked to my pharmacist yesterday about the weight gain with Pristiq. She said some people have decreased appetite, some have increased. I asked if taking a higher dose of Pristiq would increase appetite more or decrease it. She was not sure. She suggested I ask my dr. about Wellbutrin. Has anyone switched from Pristiq to Wellbutrin?

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Been reading about Pristiq's side effects and feel like a light has been turned on for me! I was switched from Cymbalta which was giving me side effects like low/no sex drive, dizziness and basically I was still depressed. I felt depression improvement almost immediatey after starting the Pristiq (50mgs) but still had dizziness and INCREASED appetite! My libido returned although not to my natural level.Now, a year later, I am 20 lbs heavier. All belly fat. I want to eat all the time, especially craving sugar; I work out and it only makes me hungrier! I am now weaning myself off and it is a living HELL and I don't recommend going cold turkey to anyone. Anyone else want to share their withdrawl nightmares? Thanks...

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Monica: My withdrawal wasn't horrible. I think the doctor told me to take it three times and then miss one, for a week, and then bring it down to two times, and miss and two times and miss for a week. Eventually I went to every other day. I had no side effects, which was great.
I agree with you: I gained 32 lbs of belly fat. I exercised, but ate a lot. I have been off for maybe 9 months, and I have only lost about 7 lbs. I've been working out and watching my diet. I do believe Pristiq has screwed up my metabolism. I'm still going to work to lose the total of 32 lbs. I know I can do it. I slept a lot on Pristiq. I think it actually made me more depressed. I know the weight gain did.

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Monica, It was very difficult when I weaned myself off of Pristiq. It took me about a month to do it. It was not a pleasant experience and I really can't even describe what I went through, but it was very bad. This drug is the worst. Between the weight gain and the horrors of weaning yourself off of it, it should be taken off of the market.

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Shea...I can totally relate...I know it has to do with stopping as I tried one other time to stop and gained right away so I went back on it. Well I have been off weeks not and it just keeps coming ...I am a runner and I work out 1-2 hours a day.NEVER gained weight from any AD...I just do not know what to do..I look so BLOATED!

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Cheryl: I did not have bad withdrawal symptoms. But I did something like two in a row, drop one day for a week or maybe two. Then one every other day for a week or two. Then one day taking the pill and then two days without until I was off it. I think it took 6 weeks, but I wished it took sooner to get off. I am almost off it a year. I gained 32 lbs during the time I was on (1 1/2 years). I have been off since May of 2010. I have lost only 7 lbs. I agree. It is all belly fat. I am now doing 30 to 40 minutes of Cardio a day AND Kinect Active 2 four times a week. And 7 lbs. is the best I could do for weight loss. That being said, I can see I look less bloated. Your doctor is wrong. Pristiq IS causing you belly bloat and the weight gain. My doctor said the same thing as yours and I stupidly believed him. No one knows you better than you. Good luck!

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Just stay away from the Pristiq is at all possible. This is the worst drug ever. I think the Dr's are getting kickbacks from the pharm company's. There are so many Dr's wanting to change patients medication even though they are doing fine on the meds they are currently taking. Something is going on that we don't know about. Stay away from it. It's not worth it.

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Day 6 of being off this horrible drug and I feel so much better. Everyday, I get better. Today I don't have any fuzziness in my head and there aren't any "brain zaps" that was having. Bloating going down, no constipation, not snapping anyone's head off and I slept like a baby last night. First time since I had started taking the Pristiq. No tremors, no sweating and my appitite is almost back to normal. Although I didn't act on the sugar cravings, I am really happy the cravings have subsided. There is hope for everyone that is trying to come of this drug, I just hope it hasn't caused any permanent damage to something I don't know about yet.

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Karen, you know what? I have decided the same thing. I'm thinking that a good dose of exercise would be good for all of us. Get off the pills and get on your feet. There are a lot of bad things going on in the world, most of everything is out of our control. If we take ourselves out for a walk in the mornings (get up early if you have to), make some time for some "you" time, and I think most of us would benefit a lot more than taking a pill. I'm proof of it. I get up at 5:00am just so I can take myself for a three mile walk. I would do it for my dog. I think I at least deserve what a dog gets! Anyone agree? The weight is depressing, I'm not saying it's not but the walking has helped me more than a pill ever did. The weight will come off....

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As I learn more about these medications (as I've taken some) I learn that they all have weight gain issues...some more than others. Currently I'm on Pristiq and Abilify. I just started Abilify after trying Seroquel XR. Seroquel XR made me drowsy. These medicines also have different drowsiness levels as well. I'm not a doctor and am just sharing what I've learned. What I want to know is what research is being done on these meds. My sister in law is in school to become a nurse and she said that they seem to know the least about these medications.

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I have been on Pristiq since February after losing twins & being so depressed. I have been on anti-depressesants for 14 years since the birth of my son. Lexapro, Effexor, Welbutrin, Prozac ...my God, I cannot remember anymore! The Lexapro seemed to help the most, but after 5 years on it, it wore off. I have gained 30 pounds since February 2011, all of a sudden a really round middle (& feels hard) & this is even WITH the lap-band weightloss surgery I had 6 years ago! I am beyond depressed! I hate myself the way I look! Sex drive is okay, my bf isn't overly sexual anyway, so whatever. I didn't Fr my script filled for 2 days, for no reason, and I am crying, yelling, nauseous, dizzy, headache, can't sleep (weird dreams when I do) throwing up..just HORRIBLE!!! I need a different medicine, but I'm scared. I have friends on Zoloft, and thy gained....No idea what to do :(

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