from citalopram to venlafaxine, good stories please!!!

[Tufty]

Hello,
I've just caught up on the last few months posts and they have made me smile. I too had reduced my meds because of weight gain with subsequent snoring but am very more anxious as a result. I'd been really well for over 6 months on 112.5mg Venlafaxine and 22.5mg Mirtazapine but am eating for England, put on 2 stone and feel very fat and uncomfy as a result. I walk lots and have tried dieting but cannot seem to lose the weight, I was going to the gym 4 times a week for 9 months and that didn't shift anything.
So I blame the meds but particularly the Mirtazapine as I know that is a appetite stimulant. 2 or 3 weeks ago I reduced from 22.5 to 15 of Mirtazapine, I felt fine until the past 3 days, now I feel more anxious and depressed. I'm going to give it another day or so and then increase again.
It took me so long to find the right meds and effective doses. Everyone is right, a bit of extra weight is not important if it means you feel OK. It's certainly been a reminder of how crap I can feel and how far I've come.
I hope you settle down quickly Pink.
Love to all
Sam

[nicola1980]

Hi Sam it's so lovely to hear from you, sorry to hear your struggling with lowering your meds, the weight gain is really a downer, I've lost 7.5lb now in 3 weeks doing slimming world, it's the only diet that's worked for me, it's def the venlafaxine as I've never suffered with my weight before :( don't let yourself fall back tho hun, i know it's depressing the weight but I always tell myself what's worse anxiety or a bit of weight gain? and I def don't want to ever go back to that dark place i was in ever again so I'm going to stick with slimming world and see how I go...only another 10.5lb to go...sigh!! XX

[clio51]

Hi all
Wow lots of the old gang back for a look in!
Isn't it weird that when you try to decrease it sends you back to square one virtually! God don't think I'll ever try, never want to go back there again especially self inflicted! I'm not that brave. I'm doing ok still and still on 150mg long may it continue

I've crept the weight on could do with losing stone at least, but I think it's me crisps,biscuits,chocolate, I was thinking about slimming world Nic. Night time is my worse glass of wine and then we'll you have to have a nibble. You seem to be doing really well Nic.

Nice to see you Sam, it's good to see how people are doing maths/years later good or not so good I think we all occasionally pop on to see if there's anybody we still recognise.

X

[nicola1980]

Hi Clio, slimming world is really good, you'll be surprised how much and what you can actually eat and still loose weight, it took me of a bit of time to get my head around it all but I'm actually quite enjoying it, it's changed my way of eating that's for sure and I'm not left hungry like you are on alot of diets plus there's no weighing or measuring of your food that's a bonus, there's a group of us who go together and one of my friends has lost nearly 3 stone since Christmas! It's quite a laugh too and gets me out the house and you can still have a glass of wine a night on it if you want too!! XX

[MyNameIsTerry]

Hi Clio, slimming world is really good, you'll be surprised how much and what you can actually eat and still loose weight, it took me of a bit of time to get my head around it all but I'm actually quite enjoying it, it's changed my way of eating that's for sure and I'm not left hungry like you are on alot of diets plus there's no weighing or measuring of your food that's a bonus, there's a group of us who go together and one of my friends has lost nearly 3 stone since Christmas! It's quite a laugh too and gets me out the house and you can still have a glass of wine a night on it if you want too!! XX

Nothing like the one on Little Britain then?

Well done for losing the weight so far. You might find it helps on its own as being over weight can affect various physical factors let alone how it will improve your self confidence & self esteem.

[rockbottok]

Hi guys. I'm back and need some advice. Been doing so well for years now but last week my doctor thought it would be a good idea to start to decrease from 75mg to 37.5 well before I even started to do so I was getting panic attacks over it so doctor said to take 2 of my 37.5mg xr tabs so when I collected my new prescription it was a diff brand (still venlafaxine xr) just a diff producer. Well the past week I've not been feeling great and yesterday I noticed both my tablets that I had taken in the morning in my poo 🙈 sorry tmi. And again one today. So I think for the past week I've been getting no meds at all as they are coming out whole and not broken down at all. So got a diff make from the Drs today. How long do u think it will take to get back up to my 75mg in my system? Feel crap and nervous zxxxx

[nicola1980]

Hi Lou, it's lovely to hear from you what your describing about the tablet showing in your poo is totally normal and it even warns you on the patient information leaflet that that happens, basically the whole tablet doesn't desolve when it's slow release just the contents of it so the outer is just like a case for it I suppose! So you would have still been getting your daily ven allowance but hopefully you'll feel better on the other brand you've got, i take the capsules XX

[rockbottok]

Hi Nicola. I did scan it earlier but couldn't find it. Thanks for the info. Well why do I feel crap all of a sudden then I wonder if I'm still getting the full 75mg. Weird. Maybe it's in my head cos I thought i wasn't getting any meds. Haha it's so nice to see the originals still here xxxx

[pinkdove]

Hi lou, great to hear from you, i tried reducing down to 37.5mg. and felt like crap, so had to increase again to 75mg, within a week i felt loads better, what nicola says about the outer of the capsule sounds right to me, can't say i've noticed tho'

hope you feel better soon,how are all the wee doggies ???

just thought, you cant get 37.5mg on capsules, so was it tablets ??

[nicola1980]

It's just the tablets that do it Pink i think not the capsules, it's in my venlalic tablet patient information leaflet. Oh and they've just started doing 37.5mg slow release in capsules now, there venlablue, i got prescribed them this time along with my effexor 150mg and I must say apart from some odd dreams to start with i actually feel better on them than the tablets? Apparently all slow release tablets come out the other end! My friends daughter is on some ADHD tablets and the same happens with them. Hopefully you'll feel better on the different brand Lou, if not ask to be specifically prescribe ven capsules XX