Posted by dde on May 20, 2003, at 21:30:19
In reply to Re: Sexual Disfunction of Effexor, posted by DeanG on May 20, 2003, at 11:46:35
> Hi Misha,
>
> If it was not for this site and concerned people like yourself I'd probably be naively following my doctor's instructions and blissfully medicating myself with Effexor. Unfortunately, it took a 5 year addiction to Ativan, prescribed by my former family doctor to cure a nagging back condition, to open my eyes and make me leery of the ethics of the medical profession. Although their intentions may be genuine let's face it without experiencing first hand the serious side effects and withdrawals associated with any drug there's absolutely no reason for them to be reluctant or averse to distributing them as freely and as generously as they do. Believe it or not but after a mere half hour of a routine physical examination and a few questions here and there my new family doctor was able to deduce that I was bi-polar, had a very obsessive compulsive personality, somewhat manic depressive and overly anxious and high strung. And the miracle cure, none other than Effexor. I was delighted and all too eager to start treatment but I did have one stipulation, a very simple one that I was unequivocally adamant and unmistakably clear on and that was that the drug was in no way addicting which the doctor without any hesitation whatsoever clearly assured me it wasn't. My previous family doctor told me the same thing when he suggested a mild muscle relaxant called Ativan would do wonders for my nagging back. Where was he five years later when I was going through detox? As you, Misha, after going through a living hell, I felt that Ativan should immediatley be pulled off the market, the sooner the better. But that's not to say that certain people don't benefit from these two or any other drug. Although I swore off Effexor after only one capsule just four days ago, I'm now contemplating perhaps reducing the dosage to a tiny fraction of what was prescribed to circumvent the potential and obvious side effects. But my gut feel and past experience says dump the damn pills down the toilet. If only I could find a professional who knows what he's doing instead of trying to come up with a solution on my own. I know I have a chemical imbalance. But are pills the only cure? There have to be other alternatives.
>
> Dean
Dean,My daughter had better luck by going into a psychiatric facility, being treated one on one on a daily basis for 9 days than she did going to a psychiatrist outside. The doc at the hospital said that it is a fallacy that these meds will take weeks to get enough into your system to start doing some good. He said you will know in a matter of 2 days if your system is going to handle and adjust. He also said she would be on this med (lexapro) for a year, then taper off; and if she goes back into depression she will have to go back on and stay on for life, as the chances of future episode would increase from 50/50 to 95%! She is doing terrific now. The reality is this: mental illness doesn't just "go away" after a while like a virus or bacterial infection. The body stops making or doesn't make enough of certain chemicals, and nothing we do can start it back up again. All that can be done is adding to make up for the lack. Effexor is not good stuff. If you have brain zaps in the first days of taking it, get off of it. Only my best regards, dde
poster:dde
thread:13781
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030520/msgs/227974.html