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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 13 of 13. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Stephan on April 30, 1999, at 13:39:36
Effexor put me into a virtual coma (sleeping 20+ hours a night/day). As I'm running out of options, I'm thinking about trying Effexor XR in the hope that it won't have this effect (or at least that this effect will be lessened). Anyone else have this problem (or another problem) with Effexor and have it improved with a switch to the XR version?
Posted by anne on April 30, 1999, at 14:46:39
In reply to Effexor side effects vs Effexor XR side effects, posted by Stephan on April 30, 1999, at 13:39:36
Stephen,
I take Effexor XR 75mg and at one point it seemed like all I did was sleep. I went through a lot of different stages with different side effects since starting Effexor XR but have found them to subside generally with time. I think it was after my dose was increased from 37.5 to 75mg I went through the sleepy stage but not right away. The initial effect of Effexor for me was activating and I had difficulty sleeping. Then I was sleeping too much. This drug has different effects on serotonin, norepi and dopamine at different dosages - maybe that has something to do with it. I'm starting to wake to early again, wondering if it's time for me to increase the dose again.
I haven't taken regular Effexor but the XR form is nice as you can take it just at bedtime if it makes you sleepy.
Posted by Don Lenihan on May 25, 2000, at 22:57:52
In reply to Re: Effexor side effects vs Effexor XR side effects, posted by anne on April 30, 1999, at 14:46:39
I began taking effexor xr four days ago, the first day was not bad, I sort of felt like I had been up for days but I still slept good at night. The next day I was exausted, could not do my morning workout or much of anything. The third day was worse, I said I was not going to take them anymore as I could not do anything but sleep. I talked to other people and they thought I should stay on them, the fourth day was it; I slept most of the day, like I was in a coma. I can't go on like this. I will not continue this and will talk to my doctor on monday for a possible replacement. Don
Posted by JohnL on May 26, 2000, at 3:13:43
In reply to Re: Effexor xr makes me sleep constantly, posted by Don Lenihan on May 25, 2000, at 22:57:52
> I began taking effexor xr four days ago, the first day was not bad, I sort of felt like I had been up for days but I still slept good at night. The next day I was exausted, could not do my morning workout or much of anything. The third day was worse, I said I was not going to take them anymore as I could not do anything but sleep. I talked to other people and they thought I should stay on them, the fourth day was it; I slept most of the day, like I was in a coma. I can't go on like this. I will not continue this and will talk to my doctor on monday for a possible replacement. Don
Me too. When I tried Effexor I was SSOOO sleepy. Actually I slept terrible, but I was always real sleepy, if that makes any sense. While most physicians would probably urge you to stick with it and give yourself time to adjust to the side effects--they usually do diminish with time--I would instead seek an alternative immediately. But that's just me. Not the most common or the most agreed-upon strategy. Not always--but usually--in my experience the side effects experienced during the first week are fairly predictive of what to expect during a longer trial. The sleepiness may indeed fade in time, but it will likely always be there to some degree. Contrary to mainstream psychiatry, I prefer to seek a superior drug match for my chemistry, which is characterized by a good side effect profile and quick response. That just indicates your personal chemistry likes the drug molecule, whatever it is. Apparently your unique chemistry doesn't like the Effexor molecule much.To complicate the picture, Effexor is known for having fewer side effects at higher doses. It's kind of backwards from most other drugs in that respect. But still, whenever I've had disturbing side effects on a new drug trial my pdoc never had a problem with having me discontinue it immediately. There are just so many other choices, there is no need to waste time in sticking with something that gets off to a rough start.
JohnL
Posted by Noa on May 26, 2000, at 10:18:03
In reply to Re: Effexor xr makes me sleep constantly, posted by JohnL on May 26, 2000, at 3:13:43
How much did you start with? Sometimes, starting at a very small dose and increasing cautiously and slowly helps. Some people get the sleepiness, others, like me, get the opposite.
John, for me, effexor definitely has had more adverse effects at higher doses than at lower. I wonder if there is a correlation between the sleepiness/activation effects and whether or not you get this diminishment of adverse effects at higher doses. Just a thought.
Posted by circe on May 26, 2000, at 17:45:48
In reply to Re: Effexor xr makes me sleep constantly, posted by Noa on May 26, 2000, at 10:18:03
I would have given anything today, for my first dose ever of Effexor XR to have made me sleepy or even calm. No such luck.
I've been popping Xanax just to get my hands to stop trembling.
I don't know whether to try another pill tomorrow or not. I can't take another day like today. Even now, after 8 hours, my skin is crawling and itching, my eyes are watering, and I can feel my heart in my throat. What a wonderful feeling this is.
circe
Posted by Megan on June 3, 2000, at 20:32:45
In reply to Re: Effexor side effects vs Effexor XR side effects, posted by anne on April 30, 1999, at 14:46:39
I started taking Effexor XR about two years ago. I started taking 37.5 mg on the first day and 75 mg on the second day so that the dose settled around 50 mg. I gradually increased the dose to 75 mg after about the first year and I've been taking 150 mg a day for maybe the past 6 months. I found that my body needed a long time to adjust to the medication. Since I've been taking 150 mg a day, I've started sweating really bad at night and dreaming heavily. I seem to also have a real hard time waking up in the morning. (I take my dose at breakfast so I don't know if the medication has anything to do with this or not.)
I'm wondering if anyone has noticed that it doesn't take nearly as long to get tipsy if you've been drinking, or if the difficulty sleeping side effect is heightened by ingesting too much caffeine?
My suggestion to anyone that's having trouble adjusting would be to try 37.5 mg on day one and 75 mg on day two if 75 mg each day seems to be too much. This really helped me adjust. Also, if you've just started taking it, be prepared if you miss a dose 'cause my head always feels funny, I feel a little dizzy, and I drop things and run into things. I also get headaches. I read that if you miss a dose by more than several hours that you should skip the dose altogether and wait until it's time to take the next one, but I can't wait that long. I feel too bad.
Posted by Theresa Pye on June 4, 2000, at 7:32:22
In reply to Re: Effexor side effects vs Effexor XR side effects, posted by Megan on June 3, 2000, at 20:32:45
> I started taking Effexor XR about two years ago. I started taking 37.5 mg on the first day and 75 mg on the second day so that the dose settled around 50 mg. I gradually increased the dose to 75 mg after about the first year and I've been taking 150 mg a day for maybe the past 6 months. I found that my body needed a long time to adjust to the medication. Since I've been taking 150 mg a day, I've started sweating really bad at night and dreaming heavily. I seem to also have a real hard time waking up in the morning. (I take my dose at breakfast so I don't know if the medication has anything to do with this or not.)
> I'm wondering if anyone has noticed that it doesn't take nearly as long to get tipsy if you've been drinking, or if the difficulty sleeping side effect is heightened by ingesting too much caffeine?
> My suggestion to anyone that's having trouble adjusting would be to try 37.5 mg on day one and 75 mg on day two if 75 mg each day seems to be too much. This really helped me adjust. Also, if you've just started taking it, be prepared if you miss a dose 'cause my head always feels funny, I feel a little dizzy, and I drop things and run into things. I also get headaches. I read that if you miss a dose by more than several hours that you should skip the dose altogether and wait until it's time to take the next one, but I can't wait that long. I feel too bad.In my experience it doesn't matter whether I was taking IR or XR. I still had the same side effects. The XR has a longer half life so it isn't as bad between dosages. When I was on the IR I would begin to have withdrawal symptoms before my next dose.
I'm wondering if anyone has noticed that it doesn't take nearly as long to get tipsy if you've been drinking,
You're drinking with this medication? It's clearly contraindicated to drink with this medication.or if the difficulty sleeping side effect is heightened by ingesting too much caffeine?
The difficulty sleeping and weird dreams are part of the side effects with this medication. I was on Trazodone to help me with sleep problems.
Theresa
Posted by Noa on June 4, 2000, at 12:56:22
In reply to Re: Effexor side effects vs Effexor XR side effects, posted by Theresa Pye on June 4, 2000, at 7:32:22
Both forms of effexor have made it hard for me to sleep. Somehow, taking the XR version in the morning lessened the effect a bit. BUT, I still need something to help me sleep. It was trazodone for a while, now it is Serzone. And, yes, caffiene just adds to the sleep problems.
Some people find Effexor makes them drowsy. For me it is very activating, and when combined with caffeine, I get agitated.
I had terrible sweating on the regular Effexor, when at higher doses. On the XR, I don't notice this problem. I do "run hot" now but it is hard to tell if this is from the Effexor or the thryoid hormone replacement. It isn't a problem except when sharing space with someone who wants to turn off the AC when I am comfortable.
I agree about going slow to get used to this med, at least for some people.
And, I agree about taking extreme precaution when drinking any alcohol.
Do you notice more relief from the depression at your current dose? Would you consider lowering it to a point where you wouldn't have the side effects, and adding a second med to augment the antidepressant effects and also help you sleep?
Posted by Megan on June 4, 2000, at 21:04:15
In reply to Re: Effexor side effects vs Effexor XR side effects, posted by Noa on June 4, 2000, at 12:56:22
> Both forms of effexor have made it hard for me to sleep. Somehow, taking the XR version in the morning lessened the effect a bit. BUT, I still need something to help me sleep. It was trazodone for a while, now it is Serzone. And, yes, caffiene just adds to the sleep problems.
--I haven't noticed an inability to sleep on a regular basis. I suppose it's possible that the medication causes me to get agitated and restless more easily when something is bothering me. I'm thinking that when I do have too much caffeine, my system is more sensitive, same with alcohol. My doctor never mentioned that having alcohol is particularly bad. I don't have a tendency to over do it, just noticed when I'm out with my friends it affects me much more, and more quickly, than it used to.
>
> Some people find Effexor makes them drowsy. For me it is very activating, and when combined with caffeine, I get agitated.--Sometimes I feel agitated, sometimes I feel tired. I think the tiredness has a lot to do with my diet.
>
> I had terrible sweating on the regular Effexor, when at higher doses. On the XR, I don't notice this problem. I do "run hot" now but it is hard to tell if this is from the Effexor or the thryoid hormone replacement. It isn't a problem except when sharing space with someone who wants to turn off the AC when I am comfortable.--I only sweat at night.
>
> I agree about going slow to get used to this med, at least for some people.
>
> And, I agree about taking extreme precaution when drinking any alcohol.--Now I know. I would've thought it would've been marked on the bottle.
>
> Do you notice more relief from the depression at your current dose? Would you consider lowering it to a point where you wouldn't have the side effects, and adding a second med to augment the antidepressant effects and also help you sleep?--I honestly wasn't aware that you could do that.
I upped the dose because I felt like the medication wasn't working to the same degree as it had been, so no, I wouldn't decrease my dose at this time. The side effects are tolerable. I try to get as much exercise as possible to help me sleep.Overall, I think my body must be more sensitive to caffeine and alcohol. Also, I'm generally happy with this medication.
Posted by fanderson on September 10, 2000, at 12:44:32
In reply to Re: Effexor xr makes me sleep constantly, posted by Don Lenihan on May 25, 2000, at 22:57:52
> I began taking effexor xr four days ago, the first day was not bad, I sort of felt like I had been up for days but I still slept good at night.<
Hi,
I wonder if this was due to the Effexor? I have been on it for 8 weeks and felt no effect at all until week 7 when I went to 225mg. I have not heard of anyone getting effects the first day.
Posted by cath on September 11, 2000, at 18:41:56
In reply to Re: Effexor xr makes me sleep constantly, posted by fanderson on September 10, 2000, at 12:44:32
> > I began taking effexor xr four days ago, the first day was not bad, I sort of felt like I had been up for days but I still slept good at night.<
> Hi,
> I wonder if this was due to the Effexor? I have been on it for 8 weeks and felt no effect at all until week 7 when I went to 225mg. I have not heard of anyone getting effects the first day.I have been taking Effexor XR for 6 weeks. I am taking 75mg, twice daily. In the beginning I was very jittery and had trouble sleeping but was alert and active during the day. Now I am sleepy and losing interest...not depressed, but also not ambitious about getting the basics done. Will this pass? Does one increase or decrease dosage for this? I have also increased Adderall from 10mg per day to 20mg per day and still prefer a nap to daily activities. thanks, cath
Posted by Mary Jane M on September 25, 2000, at 3:51:07
In reply to Re: Effexor xr makes me sleep constantly » fanderson, posted by cath on September 11, 2000, at 18:41:56
I just started effexor xr 5 days ago and feel that groggy /not motivated to do anything feeling during the day. Started at 37.5mg. Increased today to 75mg. Am weaning off paxil. I do find effexor makes me drowsy at night. Per a pharmacist the peak time is ~5 hours and the 1/2 life 10-11 hours. I'm hoping if I take it at 5pm I'll be sleepy at 10pm and it will be starting to werar out of my system by 5am.
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