Posted by Racer on February 2, 2001, at 13:41:53
In reply to Effexor : I feel WORSE!, posted by Chris Topher on February 2, 2001, at 7:35:50
Effexor can be a wonderful drug -- if it works for you. My experience of it at first wasn't as bad as yours sounds, but then I was switching from Serzone which made me so sick I hadn't been able to eat for a couple of days, so it seemed much better on the Effexor. I do remember that I didn't sleep at all for the first two nights, and not much the third --BUT I rested better all three nights than I had in about a year.
In other words, it's all relative, and your mileage will vary.
On the other hand, once the initial side effects went away, I felt great: no side effects, except some that aren't really bothersome: dry mouth, slight insomnia, etc. Nothing worth calling a side effect, really. (That's the good news!)
For GAD, have you tried biofeedback type treatment? I don't know if that's the answer, I only know that one thing that helped me a lot was working with horses, since I had to learn to read my own body language around them. It all sounds very eastern mystical to my skeptical mind, but it's true that a deep breath will make my body fall into alignment and allows me to access strength and balance I didn't know I had. Please, someone, tell me that doesn't sound as touchy-feely as I think it does!
What I'm trying to say is that drugs are a great immediate help. But just like the lifesaver ring thrown to you from a boat, the next step is learning to swim. Maybe some sort of physical learning would help you, as well as psychological work.
I sure hope that makes sense?
poster:Racer
thread:53160
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010131/msgs/53176.html