Can an Antidepressant (Effexor/Venalflaxine) make you obsessed?

[Wills]

I've been given these pills to deal with my extreme PMT bouts since having my third child. My GP is hoping that I wont be on them for long. But I've become obsessed with loosing weight. I'm thinner now than I have been in 10 years (when dh thought I was too thin but I was stressed out by our forthcomming wedding etc etc). I'm in size 10s etc yet its not how I look its more a drive to prove I can. But most of my brain knows thats illogical. I'm not throwing food up or anything but some days I'm having less than a couple of pieces of toast. How can some of my brain be screaming that this is stupid yet another part of my brain is feeling this intense (and its really intense) drive to loose weight? Its as though its a endurance test, can I eat less today than I ate yesterday. If I manage it I will get a sense of satisfaction (control). Yet a large part of me knows that this is seriously wrong.

I have no medical expertise (other than as a user of ADs) but I think it is not usually used as a treatment of first resort becase it can sometimes activate some 'manic' tendencies, which I suppose your obsession with weight loss might count as.

It could also be that the pills made you lose some weight and this was gratifying and activiated a strong obsession with weight loss just for that reason?

In any case it definitely sounds like it would be worth talking to your GP about this, and perhaps trying another AD

My sis was on this and I remember reading an American magazine advert for Effexor and it did list anorexia as a side effect.

I have a psychiatric drugs book here - wnat me to have a look?

I take these and unfortunately I haven't had these side effects-could do with them though .
I haven't really noticed any side effects except feeling better in myself having switched from another type.
Good luck though-the best thing is you have noticed it happening and can hopefully take a bit of control over it.

appetite suppresion is a side affect.

Cheers guys. I agree it supresses my appetite but only for about an hour after taking it. i.e. I feel queasy. No its definitely a control thing here. I was annorexic as a teenager when my parents were going through an awful divorce and thinking about it yes I would say I was "manic" about being in control of something then. I've been on these pills for 2.5 months now and they're great in terms of curing the pmt. Think I'd better go back to the doctor and talk to him about how long he thinks I need to be on these to resolve the pmt effects and balance that against my desire to loose weight etc.