Posted by Ron Hill on January 29, 2001, at 12:52:58
In reply to TERRIBLE WITDRAWL!!FROM EFFEXORXR, posted by vickilynn10 on January 28, 2001, at 8:40:12
Vicki,
I responded to your "vitamin post" ( http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010122/msgs/52877.html ) prior to seeing this thread.
Are you seeing a pdoc or just a family doctor? Have you had these symptoms all your life or only recently? If only recently, was there a life event that brought on these symptoms?
I am no expert but, for someone like you with irritability as a primary symptom, I would have tried an SSRI first instead of the SNRI Effexor.
My layman's analysis is that your brain is low on serotonin relative to the level of norepinephrine (its not really this simplistic, but this terminology will suffice for our disscussion here). If this is correct, an SSRI (Paxil, Prozac, Zoloft, etc) might help since the SSRI will only raise serotonin. Effexor increases norepinephrine and, to a lesser degree, serotonin.
However, don't shoot in the dark (and definitely do not make any changes based solely on what I have said here). Instead, put first things first. Make sure the dx is correct! Could be depression, could be bipolar, could be a lot of things, but get the dx verified to your satisfaction prior to another med trial.
I provided you the link to an online diagnosis site in my post on the other thread, but here it is again:
http://www.mentalhealth.com/fr71.html
If you don't have a pdoc or are dissatisfied with him/her, get a new one. Vicki, be encouraged, there are treatments available that will help your condition and your Effexor withdrawal will end soon (but not soon enough, huh?).
If I can help, let me know.
-- Ron
-------------------------------------------------
> I WAS PUT ON EFFEXORXR BY MY DOC WHEN I WENT TO HIM ABOUT MY SEVERE IRRATABILITY NEEDLESS TO SAY EFFEXORXR HAS'NT WORKED AT ALL SO I ASKED HIM TO WEAN ME OFF,ITAKE 75MG A DAY HE GAVE ME 37.5MG TO TAKE FOR 1 WEEK I WAS FINE FOR THAT WEEK THEN THE WITHDRAWL STARTEDTHE NEXT DAY SO I DECIDED TO TAKE MY NORMAL DOSE IT TOOK THE SYMPTOMS AWAY BUT I STILL WANT TO GET OFF EFFEXORXR AND FIND SOMETHING FOR THE IRRATABILITY!SOMEONE ANYONE PLEASE HELP MY CHILDREN AGES3&4 ARE ACTUALLY SCARED OF ME ANYONE WITH ANY ADVICE MY CHILDREN AND MYSELF WOULD HIGHLY APPRECIATE IT taylin@dc1.net THANKS VICKI
poster:Ron Hill
thread:52742
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010122/msgs/52880.html