Posted by Molly on April 20, 2001, at 8:59:45
In reply to Re: New to Effexor, posted by A Cates on April 19, 2001, at 18:51:44
>
> > Hi! I ended up going to my internist rather than continuing with my ob/gyn. I have been on 75 mg/day and she explained to me that Effexor is a dual mechanism drug and that you only get the effect of one mechanism if you are only taking 75 mg - in order to really get the full benefit of both mechanisms, you have to take 150 mg/day. I have been feeling much better this last week (my sixth week) and so I decided to follow her advice and step up to 150mg/day. I start tomorrow. She said that for anxiety, she recommends being on the drug for 3 to 6 months - just until the cycle is broken. I'm doing ok for now - no panic attacks in over a week. We'll see. Thanks for asking.
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>
> Hi, Molly. I read this thread and thought I'd add my two cents. It really sounds as though you have been through a lot in the past month. It would be a strain on any person so you should give yourself credit.
>
> Last year I was started on Effexor during a period of big life stress and I THOUGHT it was helping--but it wasn't. It was making things worse. Even though I was more anxious and panicky than I ever had been in my life, I thought it would be worse it I weren't on the drug. Even after the drug progressed to episodes of paralyzing terror, I STILL did not realize it was the drug. My doctor finally recognized what was going on and discontinued it.
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> You might want to think about this.
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> The diagnosis of postpartum depression is interesting. The thyroid is one of the organs controlled by the pituitary gland. At first drugs like Effexor stimulate the pituitary. But after you have been on it for awhile, they suppress the pituitary. So even if you do get thyroid testing done, an abnormal result could easily be from the drug. (So, before you let someone diagnose post-partum thyroiditis, I would suggest making sure that it is not just an adverse reaction to the Effexor.)
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> Good luck!
Thanks for the advice - I've been on 150 mg for about three months now and I am anything but anxious. It is making me feel kind of blah, though. I feel like I can't focus really well and am not as attentive and "sharp" as I used to be. I even find that my driving is not as careful - sounds weird, I know. My son is doing a little better and things have slowed down a bit, so I think after this round I am going to wean back to 75 mg. I just can't accept that I need this med forever.
poster:Molly
thread:51295
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010417/msgs/60562.html