Posted by Angel Girl on March 25, 2004, at 15:57:51
In reply to Scared to take AD MEDS!, posted by Jeano on March 23, 2004, at 19:10:42
> Hey, I'm fairly new to using any type of AD med. My OB/GYN prescribed a mild dose of Prozac about a year ago when I was going through a family disaster. I took it for about 6 mos, as needed and it seemed to help.
> Another crisis came up recently and I haven't been handling it well at all...freaking out about little things, long spells of uncontrollable crying, etc. I just didn't think the mild dose of Prozac would be enough so my doc put me on Effexor XR, 37.5mg for one week. I just took the last one today and will "graduate" to 75 mg tomorrow. I have noticed a dramatic difference in the way I feel. I'm coping better and getting some much needed sleep. The only side effects so far are a few mild headaches, gassy stomach and feeling sleepy sometimes.
> Of course I decided to do some research on my own and stumbled across this web site. Let me say that what I have read hasn't been very encouraging. In fact some of you guys are really scaring me. Are the withdrawals that bad? Another thing I've noticed is how common it is for many of you to switch AD meds several times. I just can't see myself taking something so long term. I'm concerned that taking something like this could cause me to eventually need AD meds for the rest of my life. I'm seriously considering stopping now before I become dependent.
> Please, PLEASE, seriously think of what you are going to print on this forum before you make AD meds seem so horrible! Maybe it would be better if you focus more on what HAS helped and not be so extreme about what hasn't...at least for the benefit of others.Another thing to take into consideration is maybe there is more people who are having negative effects researching on the net and reporting what they're going through. I'm sure there is a lot of people who have had great results from ADs. Just because somebody else has had a negative effect weaning off of something, doesn't mean that you will. I weaned off of Effexor XR 367.5mg/daily without any problems BUT I did it slowly. It appears for the most part, that some of the people who have experienced problems or are experiencing problems weaning, didn't do that. Some did it cold turkey. Never a good idea IMHO. As the previous posted stated, sometimes it's necessary to try several different meds in order to find which one works for you. Although you should take heed to the negative posts, there are plenty of others who have had positive experiences. Everybody reacts differently. Good luck.
Angel Girl
poster:Angel Girl
thread:327520
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040325/msgs/328314.html