Posted by sid on December 30, 2001, at 11:10:06
In reply to Re: venlafaxine side effects » sid, posted by catherine1812 on December 30, 2001, at 7:15:55
I've done my PhD studies myself with major depression, and in retrospect, I realize that I should have taken a year off. Depression is a serious illness. We keep wanting for life to go on "normally" as we treat it, but we would not think of it if it were treatable cancer for example. I think that taking a break can help heal faster and better... If you want to remain functional and continue to be very active however, talk to your doctor. I am not an expert on all this and I've only used Effexor XR for a month for chronic depression. I successfully treated my major depression with acupuncture, cognitive and behavioral therapy and by reading a lot about these therapies in my spare time. I did continue working towards my PhD degree the whole time, but I think my health would have benefited from a break.
Good luck... and ask for help around you if you need it. You have a serious disease, don't take too much upon you until you are better.
> >Thankyou for your advice.I am still taking the Effexor XR 150mg daily and managing (at the moment)to keep the headaches at bay with the Co-proxamol pain killers.I am going to the doctors on Monday 31st (if I can get an appointment)to see about reducing my dose and weaning off altogether.I'm going to mention the prozac and the benadryl as a solution to help me taper off.
> Do you think I should come off the Effexor XR if I am managing to keep the headaches at bay? Is it dangerous to continue taking Effexor XR when you are experiencing headaches as a side effect? I am worried sick because the Effexor definately does help me with my depression.My main concern is that I will return to my previous mental state without the Effexor.
> I am at University as a mature student,I have a five year old little girl too.I have to be able to function normally in order to look after her and concentrate on my studies.I can't afford to be tearful,lathargic and hopeless which is what happens when I miss a dose of Effexor.If I slowly taper off the drug will I have to start taking the prozac at the same time? As you can tell I am a worrier and need all the answers.Sorry to go on and on.But I don't want to make myself unnecessarily ill with withdrawel symptoms if I can avoid it.
>
> You should taper off the Effexor, not go from 150mg to zero in a day. You should talk to your doctor (or go see another one) to get presecriptions of lower doses. Perhaps as you taper off, you won't have the depression that you have had when you stopped cold turkey.
> >
> > Some people still have difficulties tapering off, and they've mentioned Prozac to help in the transition, as well as Benadryl. Talk to your doctor about it. Either way, you should not stop the Effexor completely so fast. If in the process the depression comes back, you can take something else, so perhaps Prozac would be a good transition helper for you.
> >
> > Good luck... a solution will be found.
> >
> > > I have been taking venlafaxine for 6 months at 150mg doses daily, and at 75mg for the year before that. I have had no problems with this drug until about a month ago.I suddenly began to experience severe headaches and neckache.These pains are so severe they make me feel sick and I am unable to function(infact I thought I had a brain tumour at first)My G.P prescibed me co-proxamol pain killers which frankly are not really helping.I tried to cut my dose of venlafaxine, aiming to wean myself off it.I took the normal 150mg dose 1 day then skipped the next day completely.I did this for 3 days.I wanted to get rid of my headaches.This had drastic effects for me.I became immediately severly depressed, weepy and suicidal.I was terrified.I had not realised that my mental state could deteriate so quickly without the venlafaxine.The headaches did however go away.I had to take the venlafaxine again though to get my mental state back to normal which it did after a further 2 days.I am now suffering with the headaches again.I am desperate to come off this drug due to the side effects, but am petrified of the effect it will have on my mental state.Has anyone else suffered anything similar to this? What can I do? Is the doctor able to prescribe something that will help me be able to wean off the venlafaxine safely? I cannot bare to go through that mental state again, yet I am going to have to stop the drug due to the side effects.My G.P surgery is closed at present as it is Christmas.I wondered if anyone had any advice or encouraging words.I can't bare to think that I am going to have to suffer either headaches constantly or be a complete mental wreck.
poster:sid
thread:88146
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20011222/msgs/88228.html