Posted by MKB on November 2, 2004, at 20:31:48
In reply to Re: doctors and prescriptions, posted by yoopergirl on November 1, 2004, at 15:29:08
I'm going to throw in my experience here in hopes that it will prove helpful to someone.
I went to my regular practitioner for another problem (blood pressure), asked for an antidepressant I had previously taken (Wellbutrin), but was offered Effexor XR samples instead. The reason was that I needed something for anxiety and Effexor is better for that. I said OK, not knowing anything at all about it. I was not warned of the side effects.
I took 37.5 mg for a week and then 75 mg for 3 weeks. The Effexor worked extremely well on my anxiety. However, I was very tired and absolutely could not get out of bed in the morning. All I wanted to do was sleep. My contacts started bothering me and I noticed my skin was very dry. I could also sense my blood pressure was elevated (no, I didn't actually check it) and that is bad because the reason I went to the Dr. in the first place was to get my blood pressure medicine.
I ran out of the samples and had not been given a prescription. The first day off I felt wonderful, but the second or third (not sure which) day I thought I had the flu. The minute I woke up I knew I was not going to be able to get out of bed. Depression set in fiercely and I found myself crying for no reason. That's when I started wondering what the side effects of withdrawing from Effexor might be and found this website. I was relieved to find out I did not have the flu.
I went back to the Dr. and discussed my experience with her since I needed a prescription. She gave me literature on Effexor and said she usually warned people about the withdrawal. We discussed alternative medications, but I ended up taking some more samples of Effexor. I hesitated because I did not want to deprive anyone else of getting those samples. The Dr. shrugged her shoulders and said the pharmaceutical rep would just bring her more.
So I tried the 37.5 mg again. Even that small amount caused some of the same problems. To read on this site of someone dying of liver disease from Effexor as well as some of the other problems clinched it for me. First of all, I cannot afford to go get an eye exam and new contacts right now. Also, I already need to lose weight and sleeping all day is not going to help. In short, I decided again not to take it after only a few days. It was a bad withdrawal experience, but not as bad as the first time. I have had a rash for about a week that I am sure is a result of going off the Effexor. I have found that it is true that Benadryl helps overall with the bad withdrawal. My skin and eyes are just now getting back to normal. I have started awakening each morning before 8:00 instead of 12:00 noon when I was on the med.
I wish I could get the benefits of Effexor. I need something that works exactly like that. I am taking L-Tryptophan for the moment and plan to continue, but I doubt it can completely heal me of my depression and anxiety. I am seeing a counselor and that is going well. She did not want me to get off the Effexor. Even though the Effexor really helped my mental and emotional state, the side-effects outweighed the benefits for me. I definitely need something as I am going mentally and emotionally downhill fast, so I am just trying to hang on until I can see a psychiatrist for a thorough evaluation and a proper diagnosis and prescription. I am probably older than most of you (50+) so maybe your experience will be completely different.
poster:MKB
thread:13781
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20041029/msgs/410846.html