Posted by lemon68 on September 21, 2004, at 21:56:37
Hi, I've been eagerly watching the posts about Cymbalta on this site, because I plan on switching to it from Effexor XR at my next Dr. appointment. I've also found the posts about Effexor XR withdrawal to be informative and a bit frightening, as I am going to have to go through discontinuation of the med myself.
I am quitting Effexor after 4+ years - I am at 225 mg., though I have been at a higher dosage previously. I have tried pretty much all the SSRIs, a few of the tricyclics, and even a MAOI, all to lesser or greater effect. I had an initial amazing response to Prozac years ago, which made me realize that I was indeed depressed when said depression lifted ( my diagnosis was ADD). However, Prozac soon pooped out, after leaving me sedated and too lazy to work. I had a great response to Celexa as well, but that pooped out rapidly as well and made me gain weight. Probably my worst experience was Remeron, which made me sleep seriously 18 hrs per day, and have these incredibly lucid dreams. The dreams were cool, but got really scary when my dream state would overlap into my waking time, and the dreams would almost not stop. Not fun.
I actually stopped Effexor on my own a few years ago, to find out if I could do without being on an AD ( I know, not a particularly wise thing to do, but my doctor is at a packed free clinic and getting 5 minutes every 2 months with him is a miracle. I am usually too broke to afford more, so a lot of my experience with med dosage has been through personal experimentation). I did not know about the potential withdrawal effects, and honestly, I did not experience the horrible side-effects that others on this site have warned about. I did notice, however, a really strong depression creeping back up , which I assumed was the depression that Effexor had been keeping at bay. In reality, it could have been a reaction to the absence of the med, but I took it as a sign that I should not be without an AD and I resumed the normal dosage.
I have stuck with Effexor XR for so long perhaps because of its energizing effects, which I attribute to its action upon norepinephrine, and also perhaps just because it messed with me the least. It doesn't do anything for anxiety, and doesn't help sleep - I have also been taking Trazodone for years, which generally works - I really can't sleep without some kind of med that makes me fall asleep. I also don't think that Effexor had as many sexual side effects as other meds I've taken - but it still had some. I also don't think that Effexor had as many sexual side effects as other meds I've taken - but it still had some. I have also really become aware of the anger and volatility that Effexor produces - or should I say exacerbates - in me. I think I was just used to it, but when I finally mentioned it to my doctor, he prescribed Risperdal. Sometimes you're only aware of a problem when it's gone, and I suddenly realized my emotional lability on Effexor was definitely a problem. Risperdal is a great med so far, but the side effect profile is scary ( hormonal imbalances? tardive diskenisia? lactating male breasts? yippee!!) and I have been taking it at a really low dosage - .25 mg. ( Risperdal has also made me question the importance placed on serotonin so much more than dopamine in depression treatment, as the addition of a dopaminergic med like Risp. seemed to lift my spirits so much - as much as any serotenergic med). The point being is that sometimes it takes the addition of an augmentative med to show you the problems with your other med(s). Realizing that I have been pretty angry and somewhat antisocial for the past 4 years, and that I need to do something about it, has made me decide to give the new med on the block a shot.
Sorry if this has been long-winded, but I feel like I've gotten a lot out of the threads on this site and perhaps my own med journey could be helpful. I strongly urge those who have already started Cymbalta to please keep the rest of us updated, because I am sure a lot of people are watching eagerly to find out if this is the med for them. I will post a thread as soon as I start to taper Effexor and start Cymbalta, to hopefully add to the helpful info.
Keep your heads up.
( by the way, here's a really strange site I found via Google -it's a site with postings from pharma reps - http://www.cafepharma.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=lilly&Number=332214&page=&view=&sb=5&o=&fpart=3&vc=1.
It's really bizarre to hear these guys talking about something as profound as medications that affect the patient's entire world in terms that sound like they are discussing who is selling more cellular plans or something akin....)
poster:lemon68
thread:393504
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040921/msgs/393504.html