loridianeFinished first week of 10 mg viibryd. I have gained two pounds, and am needing to lose weight. Viibryd is not supposed to cause weight gain, and was wondering if anyone else has experienced this. So far, my depression is much better. Any comments are appreciated!
Has anyone experienced weight gain on viibryd?
- Posted:
- 17 Sep 2011 by loridiane
- Topics:
- depression, obesity, weight, viibryd
Details:
Answers (42)
ChrisDDD
ctgal
19 Sep 2012
You are very lucky. I usually lose my appetite on antidepressants. This one makes me crave sugar so much that I can barely control it. I hate it. I also bruise like crazy. It has improved my depression, but I am asking my dr. for another drug. I hate this!!
shannaann
1 Feb 2013
I have been on viibryd a few months now and have cut the dose in half to 20 mg a day. but I have gained 20 pounds and have massive swelling. wonder if I can just stop taking it or not.
shannaann
LauraLea4126 Nov 2011
I have been on Viibryd for about a month and a half now and I have gained quite a bit of weight. I keep seeing things that say it's not a side effect but it definitely is for me, and obviously everyone reacts to things differently. I have been on numerous medications and have learned that they all react differently with different people.
I started taking Viibryd because I was tired of my decreased (almost not even there) sex drive when I was on Zoloft. Viibryd has improved my sex drive quite a bit but I've also gained weight (probably about 5 lbs in 1.5 months). I feel constantly hungry. BUT, my depression seems to be better too. I'm going to try to stay on it for a while and see if I can control the food cravings.
krissy_o
8 Apr 2013
I also was very happy when I learned that Viibryd does not affect sex-drive! That was a major plus for me. And, because my MDD is refractory, I was very excited to see an improvement in my depression! But for me, the improvement is small (I just came out of a Major Depressive Episode), compared to the side-effects I have experienced. I am now considering going off of it...
Sanvean
Dee1959
10 Mar 2012
I was on Lexapro for about 6 months but it was expensive so my health care provider switched me to Celexa 20mg & in 5 wks I gained almost 15 lbs! He changed my rx from Celexa to Viibryd ystrdy. I hope it doesn't cause weight gain!! Also, he didn't tell me to tapper off Celexa b4 starting Viibryd so not sure what to do... should I stop Celexa G just go on the Viibryd??
Kimber_1682
12 Mar 2012
If it were me I would just go right off the Celexa and switch to Viibryd. I think the 20mg Celexa is a low dose anyway. Good luck!
4 Jan 2012
I have been on it since September 2011 and to date I have gained over 30 lbs. My Doctor is also my boss and keeps telling me that the weight gain isnt from the medication but from my acute streess and binge eating ... (I have many recent life changes). I have always battled my weight and have always been able to control my weight by poriton control and self control... I seriously think that this medication has somehow taken away my "filters" when it comes to food. I find myself CRAVING junk food 24/7 and have zero will power.
My life has calmed down and now that the holidays are over I will be tapering off this medication.
Kimber_1682
5 Jan 2012
I stopped Viibryd because of the weight gain and started Celexa and it works wonders! Feel like myself again!
johnhopps
22 Jan 2012
I gained 33 pounds on prozac. Ive been off 5 months and have lost 7 pounds. This is with doing tons of excercise and wathching my calorie intake. It is the meds so show your boss this please. My thyroid checked out ok.
6 Jan 2012
umm I loathe viibryd. I recieved the sample pack and started on 10m which i took for 4 days and then upped to 20. I took the 20m pills for 3 days. I've been having crazy cravings for sweets like never before and even had a binge episode. also major bloating. It has been about 8 days since my dr's appointment and my dr starting me on the sample pack. The scale this morning told me i have gained 21 lbs. Not even exaggerating.
Kimber_1682
8 Jan 2012
Have you tried Celexa? If not I recommend it. 20mg worked great for me :)
JFBS
12 Feb 2012
Darn me too! I have been craving for a lot of food. For example lunch I will have a big meal and after lunch eat bag of Doritos and have a bag of LiveSavers candy. Dinner I will eat dinner and finish with a pint of ice-cream. I am trying to find a way avoiding these cravings. ;(
North shore
mandib112716 Jan 2012
I started this drug back in Aug 2011 and have gained 20lbs. It has worked wonders considering my severe situation I had that July. I also have night sweats real bad. They say it dsnt have these side effects. I have taken antidepressents for years and never experienced this. It is really messing with my eating disorder and bulimia treatment. Going to the Doc today. Just hate starting new stuff as I don't react well to them in the beginning. Have to get this under control
krissy_o
8 Apr 2013
OMG!!! I had not put 2 and 2 together until reading your answer! I also have been experiencing night sweats! I have had trouble throughout the day, but it has been so much worse at bedtime, that it has become difficult for me to sleep! And my poor family has suffered as well! Because the hot feeling is so unbearable, we have had to keep our home pretty cold, and I feel horrible about that, but I just cant cope with how hot I feel! Thank you so much for mentioning this side-effect so I can now discuss it with my doctor!
11 Feb 2012
I have intense sugar cravings taking Vybriid and I've gained 5 lbs since starting it a month ago. It seems like it works well for my depression at 40mgs. If I can't control the cravings, maybe I'll have to stop. One night on my way home from work I was craving sugar so bad I had to stop at the store and buy some sugar cookies with the frosting on top and couldn't wait until I got in the car to eat one, or two, etc. For me, that's the worst side effect so far.
sweetolive
9 Sep 2012
I've had the same issues! One day, after picking up my prescription (oh, the irony) I saw a 4 lb bag of skittles and I developed an instant need for them. I opened that bag as soon as I got in the car and I ate handful after handful after handful for the entire 15 minute drive home. The cravings and intense hunger have been absolutely awful. I was on 20mg at the time of the skittles incident, and now I am on 30mg. After seeing all of these posts and threads, I am definitely going to take steps to get myself on something else. Gaining 20 lbs in 4 months is not my idea of "happy."
ctgal
11 Sep 2012
I've been on Vibryd for a month or so. My depression is better, but I am getting wicked sugar cravings. Usually it's salt, but never sugar. I am trying my hardest to stay away. I buy things and then throw them out. I am at a size I love, and I am not giving in to this. Try sucking candy. That may satisfy the sugar need. I've been doing that some. I did eat a half a bag of candy yesterday, and I didn't even really like it. I never eat after dinner and now I want something sweet all the time. Terrible!!! But, I'm not depressed for the first time in ages. I'm giving it some more time. I get night sweats too, from it, but I get night sweats from all the nssaids. So if they say this is weight neutral, they are wrong. I've lost weight on most drugs. Not this one. I'm fighting every minute not to eat.
menyg351 Apr 2012
Loridiane, I am just reading this post... 7 months after you posted your question. I had been taken Viibryd around 8 weeks and decided to call it quits. I gained quite a bit of weight. Not sure of the exact lbs. (since I don't weigh myself) but my jeans became extremely snug within 3 weeks time. The GI issues were not a problem until about the same time as the weight gain. It did nothing for my depression..actually it made it worse due to the incredible amount of weight gain! I have been on every AD under the sun. The one that seemed to have the least side effects (for me) was Prozac, but it also had little effect on my depression, as well. I would love to hear how Viibryd is working for you!
3 Apr 2012
I'm so glad I saw this site. I've read all the literature for
Viibryd and weight gain is not a side effect but I've gained 20lbs since I started about 2months ago. I like the drug but can't stand the weight gain. I wake up every morning with new resolve to watch what I eat and then proceed to eat my way through to dinner.
3 Apr 2012
I haven't been "slim" since high school but since starting viibryd about 5 months ago I have gain almost 40 pounds. My appitite has increase dramatically. I am tapering myself off now hoping to lose the extra weight. Has anyone who has tapered off had many side effects when doing so?
menyg35
4 Apr 2012
Hi Lenny!
13 May 2012
Most definitely yes in my case. I've been taking Viibryd for approx. 2 mo. Have been on 40mg x 5 weeks. I have gained about 10 pounds. In the evening I have extreme bloating and feeling of fullness (as if I were 7 months pregnant), and in the morning I have frequent bowel movements, diarrhea, abdominal pain and cramping. My depression is most definitely better, but the physical side-effects are not worth it. I am seeing my Doc next week and requesting another antidepressant.
18 May 2012
I'm soooo glad I found this thread. I was prescribed Viibryd in January and have had continued cravings for sweets and carbs, which is COMPLETELY out of character for me. I've gained 21lbs!! I couldn't figure out why or what had changed in the last few months and the only thing I could come up with is that the weight gain started around the same time I started this medication. So I thought I'd look up side effects and found this. NO more for me! Thanks for posting this.
stella marie
1 Apr 2013
I feel better after reading all of these comments. While it has helped with the depression, I have gained so much weight AND I am very agititated - more so then ever before. I need to make an appointment with my doctor to change. When I miss taking a pill, (I'm just talking hours) I get extremely agitated and get very itchy and get a red rash everywhere. It's very scary.
Bon478
8 days ago
I'm so glad I found this site. I'm on cymbalta and my healthcare insurance is charging so much for this drug. My Doctor gave me samples of Viibryd. After reading all the comments I will not take this drug. Thank you all for comments. You saved me because I have diabetes and sugar cravings would be awful for me. I hope everyone stays well. Thanks again. Bon
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That is great information; thank you so much. But I have not experienced increased appetite. In fact, I eat so little that I often experience low blood sugar! Yet I gained 86 lbs in 6 months! I eat healthy (except for the not enough part), and I exercise at least 2 hours daily, but I still gained the weight. This experience is very similar to when I was taking Seroquel. It has to be the Viibryd affecting my metabolism or something, because I was losing weight on this same regimen prior to going on Viibryd!