The Safe Way To Lose Weight While On Snris

Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, or SNRIs, are a common treatment for depression and anxiety disorders, such as bipolar disorder, says MayoClinic.com. They work by either reducing your brain's production of chemicals related to depression and anxiety, or by reducing your brain's ability to process those chemicals Examples of SNRIs include duloxetine, venlafaxine, desvenlafaxine and milnacipran. Although SNRIs are an effective treatment, patients taking an SNRI who wish to lose weight should monitor themselves for potential side effects.

Step 1

Monitor your diet carefully while taking SNRIs. Loss of appetite and resulting weight loss are common side effects of SNRIs, according to EMedTV. Because of this, it's better to focus your weight loss efforts on exercise rather than reducing how much you eat.

Step 2

Take a multivitamin daily. In "You: The Owner's Manual," authors Dr. Michael Roizen and Dr. Mehmet Oz, recommend this step to ensure proper nutrition while dieting. With your possible malnutrition due to the SNRIs, this step is especially important.

Step 3

Engage in an exercise program four to six days per week. In his book "Body for Life," personal trainer Bill Phillips recommends alternating between cardiovascular workouts and resistance workouts. Each kind of workout has different benefits when it comes to losing weight.

Step 4

Monitor yourself for dizziness, lightheadedness and tunnel vision during your workouts. Low blood pressure is another common side effect of SNRIs. These symptoms are signs of low blood pressure, which could result in a dangerous fall or even losing consciousness.

Step 5

Check your weight regularly. Health counselor Maya Paul writes that 1 to 2 lbs. per week is the maximum rate of healthy weight loss. If you are losing weight faster than that, scale back your efforts until your weight loss is back under control.

Step 6

Check with your doctor regularly. Some dangerous side effects of SNRIs can be detected only via medical testing. As with any other weight loss program, when in doubt--trust your doctor's advice.

Tips and Warnings

MayoClinic.com and other resources indicate that exercise is a strong, natural way of mitigating many symptoms treated by SNRIs. This is another reason to focus your weight loss efforts on exercise rather than diet.