Posted by jrbecker on June 18, 2004, at 14:53:59
In reply to Re: Help with Effexor side effects! » questions, posted by Sad Panda on June 18, 2004, at 11:35:05
Effexor has helped immensely with mood and irritability. Unfortunately, I do notice that all ADs (more the SSRIs than Effexor) can increase agitation and irritability at times. I definitely notice these symptoms more in the spring/summer than any other time of the year. This makes sense since my atypical depression cycles seasonally -- I have more energy in the lighter months, but am prone to more anxiety and irritability then as well. And the Effexor definitely exacerbates this.This was just one thought that comes to mind from your post. But it certainly doesn't explain why she's having all those somatic symptoms.
I would recommend that you make sure she brings up these issues with her doc. In my opinion, increasing the dose of the Effexor or augmenting with another antidepressant like Wellbutrin is not a good idea until you talk to the doc.
> > My Fiancee' has been on Effexor for just under a year. At first she improved, but lately she has been as anxious and irritable as ever. What has me the most concered however is some of her physical side effects which resemble those of someone developing Leukemia or Thyroid problems. Here is a list of both the physical and mental side effects I have noticed.
> >
> > Physical:
> > - Numerous painless bruises on her thighs
> > - Night sweats
> > - Weight loss
> > - Tender Lymph Nodes in her armpits
> > - Insomnia
> > - Too tired to go to work
> > - Too tired to do anything around the house
> >
> > Mental:
> > - Becomes inconsolable at times over very minor things
> > - Zero sex drive
> > - Arguing with her is like quicksand. She starts arguments with you for no reason, and you can't get out of them no matter how diplomatic you try to be. What's more, she gets worse and more angry at you as the one-sided argument goes on regardless of what you say or don't say. I tried letting her air out all of her complaints while I just listened, but this didn't help either. Instead of feeling better as she went on, she just got more agitated. You basically have to sit there and let her berate you, and it doesn't make her feel better. If you finally give in and snap back, then you make it ten times worse as she can't handle any criticism well at all. This happened once and it was total disaster. I was freaked out.
> >
> > This has all happened recently. I want her off this stuff, but I realize she may get worse from the withdrawals. In any case I am worried about the bruising and some of the other physical side effects. Are these common? What could they mean?
> >
> >
> > Thanks for any help.
> >
> >
>
> Sounds like she is due for an increase in dosage. For side effects I highly recommend Remeron especially since she is losing weight. Remeron is a great cure for SSRI induced insomnia, anorgasmia & nausea. It also is mildly anxiolytic. Bruising isn't too much of a worry, it is caused by platelets not recieving serotonin. I don't know what is causing her tender lymph nodes, it might be a good idea to get a white cell count.
>
> Cheers,
> Panda.
>
>
>
poster:jrbecker
thread:357760
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040614/msgs/357880.html