Posted by Racer on June 30, 2005, at 12:54:41
In reply to Effexor and weight gain solution?, posted by allibaba on June 30, 2005, at 4:57:43
From what I've read, Topomax or Glucophage are possible solutions.
Otherwise, my advice in this situation is to keep a food journal for two to four weeks, and take that in to your doctor. The food journal -- which should list every bite you eat, and the amounts -- is to avoid having that talk with your doctor where you have to say things like, "No, doc, really -- I'm not eating everything in sight, it really is the medication!" A lot of doctors will start off saying that you "just have to eat sensibly and exercise regularly" and so on. We know they're wrong, and some of them know it,too. That doesn't mean that they won't start off that way, since there's not a lot they can do about this really horrible side effect. The food journal gives you some concrete proof that you're not overeating. (I usually approach it as, "Gee, doc, I'm so ignorant so I kept track of what I ate to see what the problem was..." Since I'm anorexic, the food journal usually helps a lot...)
The good news I can offer is that I lost almost all my Effexor weight when I went off of it. I didn't change a thing, didn't think about it -- just gave myself up to being fat forever -- and one day stepped on a scale to find that I was at a "normal, healthy weight for my size" -- which was still higher than I would have liked, but I'm anorexic, so what do I know?
I hope that helps, and am only sorry I can't offer better news. (Although it might be worth trying Cymbalta, which has a similar action but seems more weight neutral...)
poster:Racer
thread:521417
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050627/msgs/521552.html