[sushi8kat]

Hey everyone. As the title reads, I am wondering if anxiety and having no appetite are interrelated? I was diagosed with severe depression and anxiety at the end of this Summer and have recently (the past month) been taking an anti-depressant/anti-anxiety medication called Effexor. The medication has unfortunately been causing me to have more anxiety in terms of being shaky all the time, and now, not having ANY appetite. I know that this may be a dream to some people, but it is really out of the norm and uncomfortable for me.

I seriously feel like my brain and stomach are disconnected because for the past month I have never felt hungry. I just eat because I know I should and when I hear my belly grumble. But I don't feel like this is good for me. I always make sure to eat very well so that I don't miss any important nutrients or needed energy since my energy reserves are already lacking. I've been losing weight because of this (about 4 lbs so far), and it really makes me nervous, because I am very comfortable with my weight right now and don't want to lose a lot. I don't like this pattern and I'm not sure how to work through it.

My psychiatrist suggested for me to stick with the dosage at least two more weeks, and then try to lower the dosage, but this may only help my shakiness and not my appetite. Has anyone ever experienced something like this while struggling with anxiety or while taking a medication either an anti-depressant or any other medication? Any suggestions? Thanks.

 

[Jinga]

I had the same problems when I first took Effexor. My appetite was zero. I was never hungry and ended up losing 10lbs on my already small frame. After about 6 weeks, I started to be more interested in food. From the beginning, I had a lot of other side effects like shakiness and blurred vision, as well. My doctor lowered the dosage and I have experienced almost no side effects since. Hopefully, you'll find something that works for you.

 

[sushi8kat]

Jinga, if you don't mind me asking, what did he have you lower it to? He recommended half for me, but he told me to stick with the full dosage for a couple more weeks... I just don't know if I CAN. The blurred vision and shakiness is really distracting and embarassing, and my boyfriend has even noticed my weight loss. Food is my love, and I don't want to lose that

.

It is SO relieving to hear that someone else has experienced the same thing that I am going through and to know that there is an alternative. I really appreciate your post.

 

[Ludi]

Effexor is a difficult drug to go on and definitely a difficult one to go off of. If you ever choose to go off it, make sure you very gradually reduce the dosage. I quit cold turkey (since went back on it) and had horrible, horrible leg pains for a couple weeks, I thought I had a deadly blood clot or something...

 

[sushi8kat]

Ludi- that's pretty scary. I have had a leg blood clot before and don't ever wish to deal with that pain again. I have luckily heard about the cold turkey thing and dont ever plan on doing it, especialy after experiencing the symptoms of beginning to take it. I imagine that even through weaning off of it, it would still be difficult. But that's not something I'll be doing for a while...I just have to worry about that stress of getting used to it. Thanks for your advice.

 

[Jinga]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sushi8kat

Jinga, if you don't mind me asking, what did he have you lower it to? He recommended half for me, but he told me to stick with the full dosage for a couple more weeks... I just don't know if I CAN. The blurred vision and shakiness is really distracting and embarassing, and my boyfriend has even noticed my weight loss. Food is my love, and I don't want to lose that

.

It is SO relieving to hear that someone else has experienced the same thing that I am going through and to know that there is an alternative. I really appreciate your post.

I'm on the ultra-low introductory dosage of 37.5. Every body is different, though. I've also tried Lexapro, Cymbalta, and Wellbutrin. They did not have the side effects of Effexor, but didn't work for me presonally. You may want to ask your doctor about them if you find Effexor isn't a good match for you.

 

[Gnome Chomsky]

>>Hey everyone. As the title reads, I am wondering if anxiety and having no appetite are interrelated? >>

extremely often. SSRIs and SNRIs also often cause reduced appetite.

ebola

 

[sushi8kat]

I've tried lexapro, and it didn't work well enough for me. It caused me to have even less energy which is pretty scary for me since I tend to burn out halfway through the day even when I'm not struggling through depression. That's why I wanted to try effexor, because it is supposed to help with the physical part of depression and loss of energy, but I didn't want it to cause me more anxiety. Anyway, I've moved down to half dose, and will see how that works for me until my next meeting with my psychiatrist. I'm just trying to get lots of rest for now, and to eat very well and often so that I won't lose any more weight. Thanks for everyone's help.

 

[sushi8kat]

Well, I just wanted to give everyone an update on how I've been doing. I lowered my dose to half, and my shaking and anxiety have gone away thankfully. I've still just been struggling with the depression which doesn't seem to be getting better, but I guess I just have to give it more time. As for my appetite, I still have not seen any difference after having lowered the dose, but I have started to be able to hear my stomach growls a little louder (if that makes any sense

), and I don't seem to be losing any more weight at the moment. I'm hoping that my appetite will come back with time, but maybe I should consider it a good thing with Thanksgiving coming up and my usual tendency to over endulge

.

 

[milla]

When I was depressed a few years ago the doctor told me to try going for short (or long) walks every day. Anti-depressants aren't miracle drugs and you should be doing other things to help with the depression.