Posted by PoohBear on December 19, 2003, at 11:31:51
Since I sought treatment for severe depression 10 weeks ago I have been not only taking meds, but also reading these threads. It has been both informative and alarming. Informative because I've learned a lot. Alarming because of some of the experiences shared. Because of the large number of negative posts regarding Effexor XR, I wanted to share my own experience...
I was diagnosed with ADHD and co-morbid depression 6 years ago (age 41). At that time we decided to treat the ADHD and NOT the depression (I don't really know why...). We tried all the litany of drugs to treat ADHD, but NOTHING seemed to work and I eventually gave up. Six years later...
I had noticed a steady decrease in my quality of life over the last year or so and after two specific incidents, decided to ask my Pdoc about Effexor XR. I have inherited depression (my mother and all of her sisters died early from depression and alcoholism), so there is definitely a neurological link. We had tried the normal Effexor before and my system had not tolerated it, but we agreed to to trial the XR.
We started at 37.5mg, ramping up to 225mg over 5 weeks. I then made a list of side effects to share with my doctor (a nurse practicioner whose specialty is psychiatric drugs) and she apologised, saying that I was obviously over medicated (it had been three weeks since my last visit). I was glad to have stuck with the trial however, because we wouldn't have known otherwise. This is important. It is CRITICAL to be patient when trying these drugs. Six years prior, I had been expecting a 'magic bullet' that would solve my problem. I didn't give any ONE drug enough time for my body to adjust.
These side effects included: shaky jitters, insomnia, difficulty urinating, frequent urination, nightmares, etc. We tapered off gradually to 75mg per day which has been fine for me. The benefits of increased happiness and joy coupled with the lifting of the darkness in my mind and the suicidal thoughts was too precious to give up. There was a decrease in libido and ability to orgasm, but we added Wellbutrin to compensate for this and it has worked well, though the initial dose of 150mg made me irritable, so I got a pill splitter and cut them down to 75mg. Also, taking them in the morning with the Effexor was too much, so I tried changing to evenings for the Wellbutrin and then went to noon on my Pdoc's advice. (The WB was contributing to my sleeplessness...)
I've tried Trazodone for the sleeplessness, but only got extremely vivid, disturbing dreams form it and no rest. Lorazapam has worked best for the sleep, but it's habit forming, so we're trying Serequel, my first dose of which left me tired and groggy. I'll try cutting the pills in half...
Neither of these AD's has really helped that much with the ADHD, but they have certainly cleared up the fog that I had been living with for years and I can relate to those around me much better now. My wife was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at the same time I started treatment and I can't imagine the basket case I'd be without the Effexor. We'll look at the ADHD later.
All of this is to say that finding a good Pdoc who will WORK with you and who KNOWS the drugs and their interactions is essential as is PATIENCE. The later is very difficult when results are desired soooooo badly. I have come to grips with the fact that I will most likely need to be on meds for the rest of my life. So be it, if I can enjoy life and be 'normal'... The darkness is gone, I can finally CONTROL my thoughts.
TR
poster:PoohBear
thread:291601
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20031219/msgs/291601.html