I am wondering if Cymbalta has the side effect of weight Gain , I suffer with Anxiety I only take 30 mg and don't feel good at all on this dose , I was told maybe the dose is not high enough, but I am worried if I increase I will put weight on , I was on Zoloft and Effexor and gained weight
Do all Antidepressant tablets make you gain weight . Thanks
Cymbalta and Weight Gain?
Question posted by Missybon on 8 Oct 2013
Last updated on 30 December 2022 (5 weeks ago) by CHoward99
36 Answers
This is very helpful! I started Cymbalta in March of this year and gained 40 pounds (mostly around my middle) ! I have severe sweating, insomnia, dental problems, lethargic, flat affect - no at all myself AND my neuropathy is not better. My dose recently increased and after reading some of these responses I am very worried. My doctor never told me about the withdrawal potential and even said it causes weight loss. Pretty clear this drug is at least partially causing my problems. I am not on FB but I am interested in learning more!
Thank you to all who opened up and shared.
I have never had a problem with weight gain while on Cymbalta and I have been on it for 15 years now, at a dose of 60mg. Actually I have have experienced no side effects what so ever. I wish I could say the same for the other medications I have been on. I still have days where the depression is off the chart, but they are few and far between.
Please! Look at all the Facebook support groups (there are at least a dozen) just dealing with getting off Cymbalta. I thank these woman tremendously for warning me not to take this drug made by satan himself. Listening to their stories will bring you to tears. If you have been given an RX this by a doctor please join those groups first. And if you really think Cymbalta doesn’t make you gain weight then the devil got you again. There is no magic pill and this might feel like it for a while... but there’s always a price to pay. Are you willing that price with your body, your memory, your emotional state? I’m not.
Hi Treasuredjems. Yes you are correct! I am in one of the groups. It’s called Cymbalta Hurts Worse. We have almost 19,000 members now and many of us have gained weight from this medication. Along with many other horrible side effects. I was prescribed Cymbalta for chronic nerve pain but it caused me to experience anxiety, depression and suicidal thoughts. And dizziness, confusion and exhaustion. It causes apathy and it’s a miserable way to live. I had memory loss, hearing loss and blurry vision. Along with hair loss, excessive sweating, many cavities caused from dry mouth and muscle loss with muscle weakness. And many more side effects. It never did help me with the pain. My pain actually was worse than before I started taking Cymbalta. Some people have said that weight gain has a low percentage (like 1%-10%) as a side effect but personally I believe it’s much higher. Just check out the group/groups and you will see for yourself.
Then when you decide you don’t want to take it anymore because of all the side effects or because it stops working many people have to taper off very slowly. The advised tapering process is by no more than 10% of the last dosage taken every two weeks. Many people have to go slower; such as tapering by 5% or 2.5%. I started taking Cymbalta over 10 years ago and I started tapering off in 2017 and I’m down from 60 mg to 1.2 mg and I’m hoping and praying that I’m completely off by the end of this year. Cymbalta has ruined many lives. It has taken over 10 years from me. Please look for the side effects and be careful. The longer Cymbalta is taken and the higher the dosage can have an effect on your tapering journey. In my opinion and experience Cymbalta should never have been approved by the FDA and should not be on the market. I wish you all the best. Take care. Cindy59
I just realized that I forgot to add that I gained over 80 pounds during the time I’ve been taking Cymbalta!
ALL psychotropic medications have the potential to cause weight gain by metabolic and fat storage changes. Cymbalta is considered one of the more weight neutral of the antidepressants. From the literature and listed in the product insert that comes with your prescription:
"Metabolic
Common (1% to 10% of users): Decreased appetite, weight increase/decrease"
YEs, yes and yes. I can speak for myself. I'm in my 50's and have never gained weight before. I too am on only 30 mg/day. However, I've gained 20lbs over 20 weeks and feel like I'm wearing a fat suit. None of my clothes fit me... so I had to buy "fat clothes" and I cry every day about it. I'm NOT eating sweets or eating late at night like some of the others have replied. It just happened on it's own. So, I began myself on 1200 cal/day for 30 days. NOTHING!!! I didn't loose one stinkin' pound. I dropped it down again to 1000/day and NOTHING!!! I then went on a 10 day juice fast. STILL NOTHING!!! I have no problem with self control. I simply can't lose weight. I began running 3-4 days a week for 40 min. each day. NOTHING still. I'm going crazy with self loathing. I'm seeing my doc and getting off this crap asap before I can't walk any more.
I was on cymbalta and I did gain weight but I think other ad's can also make you gain weight
CYMBALTA:
Metabolic
Common (1% to 10% of users): Decreased appetite, weight increase/decrease
I started February 27, 2018. Was on 30mg for 6-8 weeks, then 60mg. It is now June 2, and I have gained 10lbs, which is a big problem because I am already obese. I am very upset, especially since weight gain is said to be uncommon, my doctor won't believe me that nothing has changed except this medicine.
Hi everyone. I believe that Cymbalta and other antidepressants DO cause weight gain. In my experience I’ve been on Cymbalta for 8-9 years at 60 mg. I went from size 9 to size 13. Cymbalta did seem to help a bit in the beginning; but then it all went down hill from there. I started to get many side effects; but I thought it was all from my illness getting worse. I was dizzy, confused, forgetful, depressed, and couldn’t concentrate on anything for very long. I started gaining weight and continued to have bad falls. Once I fell down a flight of stairs; another time I fell and broke my leg. I was losing my hair in clumps and my eyesight and hearing were getting worse. I was sweating all the time and I had to have a fan on me even in the winter. My perfect teeth started to get cavities and falling out. One tooth broke in half and another one broke off at the gum line. I became a miserable overweight angry woman.
I was weak and tired all the time. I lost interest in everything and everyone. I had no interest in sex anymore and when my husband and I would have sex I could never have an orgasm. I realize this might be tmi for some people; but this was my life on Cymbalta. Once I realized that the problem was this drug I started tapering in June last year (2017) and I’m down to 25 mg now. It’s been very hard; but I’m losing weight and I’m getting ‘me’ back again. It will be worth everything once I get this drug out of my body. Take care everyone and I wish you all the best. Cindy59
It can go either way for a very few users (<10%):
"CYMBALTA
Metabolic:
Common (1% to 10%): Decreased/increased appetite, weight decrease/increase"
ALL psychotropic drugs (antidepressants, anti-psychotics, anticonvulsants) have the potential to influence weight... it just depends how your individual metabolism reacts. I wouldn't be afraid to start any of these medications because the benefits far outweigh the slight risk. If you DO find that you are gaining/losing MEDICALLY SIGNIFICANT weight you can always try a different medication.
It's not that easy. And a horrific withdrawal when you come off. I was on 15 years. NEVER again.
No, I don't think Cymbalta causes weight gain. My doctor prescribed it for me 10 years ago when Effector finally wore off after five or six years. I started at 30mg in 2008, and am now at 120mg daily.
My current dose is very high, and took some getting used to about a year ago. But I feel better now than I ever have. My only complaints are dry mouth & profuse perspiration. I have gained weight over the years but I attribute it to menopause and inactivity since I am now retired due to medical issues. I am a 62 year old woman.
Don’t worry , you’ll lose some weight most likely in the first 6-8 months. Thereafter, you may have to keep all carbs and sweets down ; unless you sweat each day a bit. If not, you may gain some weight. Watch everything you eat strictly
Hi,
Cymbalta actually helps us to lose weight & quickly for the first month or longer, for some people. Its the best Antidepressant I have taken ever taken. It was prescribed by my Phyd Doctor for, anxiety/depression, due to chronic pain & Advanced Osteoarthritis. I will stay on it for the rest of my life if necessary, as its totally safe, with no nasty side effects, like other I have taken, in the past.
Sincerely
Animal_Lover :)
Within about 3 weeks I felt great being on Cymbalta 60 mg- and I lost weight in the beginning - been on it for about 4 years now- but over time I started gaining weight and always hungry - maybe long term affects . I started to eat 6 small meals a day and now I am losing again-. Only problem I ever had on it. I would never just stop though -
I am 67 years old and was put on cymbalta for pain control for neuropathy associated with MS. The dose was 60 mg taken at night. It helped with the pain but I went from 120 lbs to 160 in less than 2 years.
Related topics
cymbalta, weight loss (obesity/overweight), anxiety, side effect, weight
Further information
- Cymbalta uses and safety info
- Cymbalta information for Healthcare Professionals (includes dosage details)
- Side effects of Cymbalta (detailed)
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