Posted by sid on February 18, 2002, at 0:50:47
In reply to Re: Success with Effexor XR!, posted by Frankie on February 16, 2002, at 17:19:14
> I would like to ask you a question sid. How does Effexor do for
motivation and drive? I have been considering the medicine because I am on
Celexa, which works pretty well, but I feel terribly unmotivated. Numerous
others have suggested Effexor to me. But, I have heard that it is
overstimulating more than anything. What do you say about this? I have
never been on it. I have heard mostly good though, I must say.
>
> Frankie.No problem about calling me a he. My reply was not clear at all, I suppose. The internet has its limitations in terms of voice modulation and such... I was trying to be funny but failed miserably at it.
A lot of people writing here are weaning themselves off Effexor XR, it's true, but people who don't have trouble with their meds don't write much here, it seems to me. So, on this web site, you hear about treatment resistant depression and problems. I don't find the sample representative of what goes on in general, and many people have written to me that it was like that, according to them as well. People who get better and do well tend not to write as much or as long. They move on to an actual life rather than writing about their illness and meds, because they are doing better. That's what I'm doing myself: I used to write a lot here but now not so much, and I check the web site less often too because I feel like doing more active things. Anyway, that was my 2 cents about Reneeb's answer.
So to answer your question to me... Effexor XR was overstimulating at the beginning, as I had terrible reaction to it for the first week or so. I barely slept then, and I was only at
37.5mg. I toughed it out though and I have increased to 75mg 6 weeks later, which I am still on after about 8 weeks. Some people have zero reaction at that level, mind you, but I felt drugged initially (37.5mg). The transition to 75mg was not as bad as the initial dosage; in fact I only had sleep problems but much less severe than the first week on 37.5mg.About motivation? Now I am more active and I WANT to do things rather than tell myself that I
should do them. I feel like going out, I am happy just to be alive, which I had not felt for so long (21 years of dysthymia). I'm still having sleep problems (too little for a while and then too much b/c I get so tired). If I can manage my sleep pattern better, I'll feel even better - I'm working on yoga routines for the evening that could help, and my doc prescribed some sleeping aids for when it gets too dificult (zaleplon, because I have trouble FALLING asleep, but once it's achieved, I sleep well, 7 to 8 hours nonstop). My motivation is not at its best yet, but it's certainly better than it's been before Effexor XR. More importantly for me (given my previous symptoms), my self-confidence is better, which enables me to do more things and to believe in their fruition. Better motivation therefore, because I believe in myself more. Rationally, I had no reason not to believe in myself, but it was not sufficient to feel self-confident. I also had anxiety which made it hard to work in a constructive manner; at times I was too nervous to do anything right. Effexor XR makes a difference.I suppose I'll get to a higher dose in a couple of weeks when I go back to see my doc, but I'm not sure. I'm using it for long-standing dysthymia and anxiety, so we may not have to go very high, dosage-wise; rather, I expect it'll be a long treatment (1 year+). Effexor is often used for major depression, which I've had in the past. Given my history and latest symptoms, my doc decided to try Effexor XR first. I must say I was initially turned off by the side effects, but after 10 days at 37.5mg, I felt a bit better in ways that were not clear. I was less anxious and my thoughts were less negative, especially about myself. After 21 years, that was a welcome change !
In conclusion, for me, Effexor XR is not over-stimulating anymore although it definitely was in the beginning. And it is helping my motivation
directly because I want to do things and indirectly because I feel better about myself. Experiences vary a lot however, and as we both wrote, increasing dosage slowly and weaning off slowly later are important strategies.- sid
poster:sid
thread:93710
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020215/msgs/94479.html