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Re: What can I expect from Effexor XR??? » Angel Girl

Posted by Penny on March 4, 2002, at 15:14:03

In reply to What can I expect from Effexor XR???, posted by Angel Girl on March 4, 2002, at 14:45:23


> I have two questions:
>
> 1. What should I be able to expect taking Effexor XR? Is it possible to not get so upset and have suicidal thoughts if the right dosage is achieved??? Or is this something that I should still expect to have from time to time???

I was on Effexor XR 225 mgs for about a year, during which time I thought I was doing 'fairly well.' Mind you, I never thought I was 'good,' but then again, maybe I just don't know what that is...

In my experience so far, occasional suicidal thoughts are normal even for non-depressed folks, though for those of us suffering from depression, we certainly have to be more cautious, like with how vivid/active those thoughts are. I'm sure your pdoc has asked you the questions: do you know how you would do it, etc. The more thought out the plan, the more dangerous it is, so I've been told.

You might talk to your doc about augmenting the Effexor with something else. I currently take Celexa & Wellbutrin & never augmented the Effexor while I was on it, but then again, my pdoc at the time wasn't very observant of my situation. But, it's something to think about.

>
> 2. What about my major twitches and jerks??? How do I handle that??? They are unbearable at the dosage I'm on now.

I went back on Effexor after 6 months of being off meds, and my dosage was pushed up to 225 fairly rapidly. Even tho' the Effexor had worked for me pretty well the first time around (plus, I had had no trouble getting on it, b/c I was switching from Celexa), the second time I had terrible side effects (similar to yours) that didn't end. My pdoc at the time was baffled, tho' I now think some of had to do with pushing the dosage up so quickly. (He then switched me to Paxil, which didn't help the matter.) Sounds like your dosage hasn't been pushed up too rapidly, though, so it could be that you just aren't tolerating the Effexor very well. If you can stand it (and, of course, after mentioning all of this to your pdoc), my recommendation would be to give the 225 mgs a little while to stabilize in your system. I can't remember how long you said you had been on it, but if the side effects are still there after a week or two, you might talk to your doc about lowering the dose (were the side effects bad on 150?) and adding something else to help with the depression.

Hope this helps.
Penny


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poster:Penny thread:96345
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