Posted by cybill on March 17, 2000, at 11:57:09
Hi all,
I wanted to thank you for all your valuable tips, especially the three people I mention in the header. It is invaluable to have a forum of people who've been there, felt that (or in your case JohnL, HAVEN't felt that--anehedonia(sp?)) I've been reading psycho-babble since last summer and I finally am contributing because hopefully my experiences might help someone else.
I found this site around the time I finally decided it was time to find a med to be on long term: I'd had a major depression when I was 22 and found psychotherapy and zoloft 50 mg to be very helpful. I was on the med for 2 years straight, then weaned off, and have been on/off intermittantly for last 4 years or so--I'll go on it when my body physically starts going haywire (reflux, shortness of breath, un-restful sleep) with stress, life changes, etc. The physicial symptoms (fibromyalgic) are what impact me first and interfere with an otherwise highly functioning life. PMS induced depression was/is a big problem with me, would sometimes trigger problems. Then depression would often ensue. Zoloft was always prescribed by internal med doc. The BIG ISSUE WITH zoloft was total and complete lack of libido, and anorgasmia. Additionally, after I gained back 20 pounds I'd lost during the major depression, I put on additional weight, plus my appetite was insatiable. I also seemed to exhibit this "SRRI apathy", finding myself sleeping in, etc. So I'd go off the drug, only to get weepy and depressed a few months later.
I experimented on my own with limited supervision from internal med docs with various single meds: Celexa, which seemed to work fine at first (a bit of insomnia if I started right out at 20, titered up instead and was fine), but then I discovered after two weeks or so that I was completely zonked out all day, like fall- asleep-at-the-wheel zonked. A friend who has OCD had experienced this symptom @ 60 mg but seems functional at 20 mg. I certainly wasn't. So then I tried Wellbutrin, got insomnia, intolerably wired, and majorly panic-y and went off. Then I got a script for Serzone, could tolerate it and stayed on 300 mg. for 3 months late last year (although in retrospect it made me very sleepy during day) Yet in January/February, maybe with gloomy winter SAD, found Serzone wasn't cutting it with increasing physicial problems, depression--finally decided to see a pdoc and get this thing managed.
The first pdoc was okay, but I kept an appt. with another pdoc at a teaching institution and went as well, liked second one tons better (personality-wise and thoroughness-wise)and will stay with 2nd. Before the second pdoc appt, however, the first doc and I did try to up dose on serzone to 450, 600, (I had gone off it for a few weeks back to tried and true zoloft and noticed how much more energy I had). Back on the serzone after a 3 week break, even at the low doses I couldn't believe how extremely lethargic and pooped I was. I slowly pushed dose and beyond 300 mg. I was a full-on sloth on the couch, plus it wasn't helping mood AT ALL, in fact, I felt crappier!
So, consensus with both docs was to try Effexor XR, now on second week (1st week @ 37.5, this is 3rd day @ 75 mg.) I've read a lot of posts in the past on it. I feel great so far, no insomnia, no excess sleepiness, getting good restful sleep, but as usual am paranoid about potential weight gain and sexual side effects. It's been so long since I've felt like my good-old self (even before my major depression @ 22, I think I exhibited atypical depressive symptoms, overeating, oversleeping, etc.--what seems to have been story recently), that I don't know what my baseline "me" is with energy, weight and sex drive! I think I'm about 10-15 pounds overweight now due to anti-depressants (either directly with metabolism effect--zoloft, or because of low activity--serzone) and also symptoms of atypical depression--overeating. I'm big-boned (honest!) to begin with, can't afford any more weight) If anything, I need to lose, not gain. Also, recently started a serious relationship and do not want sex problems. I feel a little more bloated and heavy on effexor so far (scale reflects a couple pounds more, but could be water retention too), and I think my sex drive has been muted a bit.
Question: will going up to 150 (under pdoc's supervision), with increased NE effect, control weight gain more--in other words, hold on, it'll get better? Also, what do you think might be best sex boost with Effexor, if it's needed, especially at a higher dose (150mg)? I'm very positive about all of this--I think this drug will be a "keeper", and I'm pretty sure that, because I luckily have in the past and seem to now respond well to fairly low doses, it may be just a matter of some low-dose adjustments and additions to my drug therapy to get it right.Take care,
Cybill
poster:cybill
thread:27337
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000312/msgs/27337.html