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Question

17 Jun 2007

weight

Hi Doc, my psychiatrist has put me on a new drug efexor xr. She says that I may put on weight from this drug. I am already overweight and am a little worried about that. My question is, does it cause water retention or body mass and what can I do to prevent it?

Answer 382 views

DietDoc

01 Jan 0001

Dear Hope
It is a known fact that depression can cause weight gain or weight loss and that many of the drugs used to treat depression such as Efexor can also cause weight gain or weight loss depending on the individual reaction of the patient. Some of these drugs do slow down the metabolism. My copy of MIMS lists both weight gain and loss for Efexor. You could decrease your fat intake moderately and increase your physical activity by doing 30 min or more aerobic exercise every day to counteract possible weight gain. Doing physical activity such as going for brisk walks or cycling, skipping, swimming (heated pool at the moment!) or running not only promotes weight loss but also improves your mood because we manufacture natural chemicals called endorphins when we exercise and endorphins cause a natural 'high'.
Best regards
DietDoc

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