Posted by michael on March 17, 2000, at 3:08:17
In reply to Re: Effexor CamW,Noa Or Anyone Taking Effexor, posted by michael on March 16, 2000, at 18:25:24
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> > Hi, I had my first visit with a pdoc today. I liked him. He says I have low level energy chronic depression. He has prescribed Effexor. I tried Celexa(weight gain and lethargy) Prozac, Buspar, Zoloft (to weird side effects) So my question is will I get bad side effects and will I have weight gain and be just a couch potoato. Pdoc said no, but I am leary. I did not want to make a fuss on the first visit. I follow these posts all the time. So is Effexor a crap drug or a keeper. I know everyone is different! Just want to hear stories good or bad. Thanks Gloria
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> Like you said, everyone is different. For me, effexor made me slightly less withdrawn/more outgoing - like I used to be. Didn't mind or avoid talking to people (in stores, etc.) and would even start conversations. Previously, hoped nobody would start a conversation with me, just wanted to be left alone. Not a very big change, but I noticed it.
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> Other than that, it made me pretty sleepy, a little less so as I increased the dose. As for side effects, a little tinnitus (sp?) as the dose increased. More so at the higher doses, I would occassionally wake up in the middle of the night soaked in sweat (through what I was wearing, to even the sheets) - uncomfortable and very annoying.
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> As for weight, if anything, I may have lost a couple pounds. Oh yeah, main drawback was difficulty with orgasm. Impossible in the beginning, close to impossible later.
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> Aside from that last point, not a real big impact pro or con for me. I started @ 75mg/day and went up to 225mg/day - also taking wellbutrin, which doesn't really do anything for me related to psych stuff, but helps w/reducing (hopefully stopping) smoking.
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> Might someday go back to a low dose, (for the "more outgoing" aspect) as part of a cocktail, if I can also find something to counter the anorgasmia.
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> Not terribly interesting, but you asked for it. (btw, I've got similar symptoms - dysthymic)I was reminded of another side effect for me while reading another post about a different med. That side effect was really vivid dreams. Not at all bad, actually kind of neat/entertaining. Not all the time, but sometimes. This also seemed to diminish w/inreases in dosage.
One last note - I've read some posts from some pretty miserable people about weaning off effexor. I'd keep that in mind, but just to throw a little contrary info out there, lest we think we're starting to understand these meds... I tapered off from 225mg/day to 0 in roughly a week, w/no misery whatsoever.
The side effects for me, in general, were pretty minor - the sweating and anorgasmia were a drag, but might've been tolerable if had more of a positive response overall.
poster:michael
thread:27219
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000312/msgs/27297.html