How to Lose Weight After Taking SNRI Medication

A SNRI is a serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, or a type of medicine that acts as an anti-depressant. Unfortunately, as with most medicines, they can also cause unpleasant side effects, such as weight gain. Once you stop taking the SNRIs, it is much easier to lose weight than while you are still on them. If you have finished with your course of meds, you now have the perfect opportunity to lose those extra pounds.

Instructions

• 1

  Allow one to two weeks after you stop taking the medicine for its effects to fully leave your system.

• 2

  Readjust to the way your appetite works when you are not taking the medicine. A bigger appetite is a common side effect with SNRI medicine, so your natural, smaller appetite should now return, causing you to eat less without even trying.

• 3

  Cut back on sugary, sweet foods. It might be tempting to turn back to chocolate to deal with sad feelings once you are off your anti-depressant medicine, but this will greatly hinder your weight loss progress.

• 4

  Exercise a minimum of five days a week, for at least 30 minutes at a time. If the medicine was truly the cause of your weight gain, you should find that the pounds naturally fall off once you stop taking it, but regular exercise can speed the process.

• 5

  Keep a food diary to stay on top of what you are eating. Write down every meal, snack and even little "tastes" of food, which can all add up. Every few days, review your diary and see if you can make any changes.