Posted by ELENI4 on September 12, 2003, at 3:47:34
In reply to Re: Paxil experiences? I have questions., posted by Emmy333 on September 11, 2003, at 10:07:37
> i can totally relate to your story--i have been on effexor 75mg. now for almost 2 months and it has helped w/ my panic attacks, but it has almost made me MORE self conscious in public--i avoid speaking to people whenever possible and i cannot stand it. i honestly think that the effexor is making my social anxiety worse. so i have decided to wean off of it and go back onto the zoloft--have you ever tried that?? that was one of the only medications that has ever helped me to feel like myself again--but, like an idiot, i quit taking it when i felt better. i hated the lexapro--i only took it for like 1 week. i have tried paxil before too--but i was sooo incredibly tired all of the time that it wasn't worth it for me.
> one more thing...i think that it's strange that some people gain and others lose on the effexor--i have lost about 15 pounds on it--i have no appetite whatsoever. i guess it's all about finding out what is right for you. the dreams that i have on effexor are definitely very vivid though--i look forward to going to bed b/c i know how interesting they always are. hope that this helped at all??Oh I can definitely sympathize with everything you've said. There were a few things that made me stop taking Effexor. First, I have a tendency to go off a med once I've been feeling normal for a while. Cold turkey withdrawl was absolutely horrible. I usually just spontaneously decide to go off and that's it. The Effexor enabled me to more clearly see the anxiety I was experiencing and everything else that went with it since my depression and mood swing were finally taken care of. I avoided talking to people and noticed myself getting more excited and worked up when it did happen. I was (and still am) shy, meek, and seemingly very quiet...until I open my mouth. Then whomever I'm speaking to gets a glimpse of the whirlwind within lol. It was a nightmare when I had to account for something at work. I was very capable, but I noticed that my bosses tended to equate hyper, rapid speech and animated gestures with stupidity. I never really noticed how much my anxiety affected things. I also experienced withdrawl symptoms if I missed one dose. All that coupled with the fact that my doctor refuses to prescribe benzos (at least until I've exhausted all antidepressants) and I'm a "grass is always greener" kind of person, made me want to check if something better might be out there. I also feel that Effexor increased my social anxiety. And despite the fact that I've been off it since the end of April, that same high level of anxiety has persisted. Unfortunately, without an antidepressant it's also accompained my mood swings, low boiling point/frustration level, and all out panic attacks, etc.
Regarding weight gain, for me, it's stupid because I'm not hungry. Sometimes I just have nervous energy and end up eating to make me feel...I don't know...slower, more calm. I'm not sure exactly. Mostly though I gained weight on Prozac and was never able to lose it while on Effexor. It is strange though because I lost weight on the non XR version, but can't go back to that. It's too hard on my system. I switched from Prozac to Effexor because though the Prozac worked, it made me feel ditzy-happy, and for whatever reason, the Effexor gave me a mental boost. I have ADD too, so maybe that has something to do with it. I also have tried to go back on Prozac (for a week and a half), and couldn't for some reason. I had to pee every five minutes, was very jittery, and had massive panic attacks. One would come on and I'd feel sick to my stomach and throwing up was the only thing that calmed me down.
I also had some VERY vivid dreams while on Effexor. They were scary, but made for some cool short stories since I have no imagination to speak of. =)
I tried Zoloft once, literally. I yawned all day, which is fine, but I experienced really severe jaw pain and tightening. That was enough to put me off. Nausea, fine. Some insomnia, fine, but that was too much. It hurt like hell.
I tried Lexapro twice, but as I've mentioned on other posts, it was four days of bad, bad things. I slept for a day and a half straight, had muscle aches, a fever, nasal congestion, sore throat, always had to pooh, and got a hungry feeling about 1/2 hr after I'd snack or eat a meal. I just had too many side effects to be able to stick it out.
With Wellbutrin, I literally had to pass out in order to sleep. It also made me really mean. I was more easily agitated and more agitated in general, so that was the end for Wellbutrin.
Personally, I just want to take Effexor and a benzo, but my doctor won't have it, and it's driving me crazy. So, my only option now seems to be to try Paxil or Luvox, the only two I haven't taken yet. I just don't know what to do. I switch between wanting to go back to the way it was...shutting up and going back to Effexor and hoping/searching for something that will work better. I just don't want to get caught up in some kind of quest for a cure-all, because that's not going to happen. It's not realistic. I just want to strike a nice balance...reduced symptoms and side effects I can deal with (some freak me out and are way more bothersome than others). However at this point, I just want to give up because it's so frustrating.
Ok, this was really long, and I didn't mean it to be. I commend anyone who actually read the whole thing lol. I also just want to say that I love this group. Thank you so much for responding...to me, to others. It's just great. People here seem to really care, really listen. Because of this, I don't feel alone.
poster:ELENI4
thread:258921
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030907/msgs/259302.html