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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 4 of 4. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by adamie on August 8, 2001, at 13:00:06
hi. I went to my pdoc today who was away on vacation.
I really wanted to try Wellbutrin for my severe lack of emotions and severe lack of concentration/thinking ability. The depression currently is very moderate. no motivation to do old activities because they aren't fun due to my lack of emotions.I wanted Wellbutrin because it's supossed to be good for poor thinking/memory/concentration problems and also supossedly good for restoring emotions. I want ALL my full emotions back. I need to feel everything. So I didn't want an SSRI with those numbing effects like the paxil did on me.
The pdoc instead kept urging me to try Effexor because she said she has recently had a lot of sucess with it. She said that anti depressants generally have had 70% effectiveness rate for her patients but her experience with Effexor has been 75% to 80% and that she feels it is one of the most effective anti depressants out there. She also said that if a few anti depressants dont work for me then we can try something else. I think she means other classes such as anti phychotics and whatever else which would be good. I asked her but she managed to change the subject and so I forgot.
She told me she really would prefer me to take the Effexor over the Wellbutrin and has told me that Wellbutrin can make some people phychotic and says she wouldn't want me to end up in the hospital and also mentioned the risk of seizures. Which of course is tiny but she mentioned it anyway. I told her what I learned about the various medications. THat Wellbutrin supossed to be good for thinking problems and seemed very well suited for my specific symptoms. and that effexor is supossed to be a mead for difficult to treat depression and generally has more side effects than other meds. but she convinced me in the end anyway since her track record for how her patients have responded to it. It was a very split decision. I kept trying to make up my mind. She said it was an activating type of med since that is what I said I wanted. Something activating. Oh and she also said it usually works faster than other meds. That it can work in as little as 2 weeks or start to work. So that was the main draw for me. So in the end I chose effexor. Then i regreted it a bit. but then I guess it's an okay choice. I can always try Wellbutrin later if it doesn't work.
I also told her before that i was considering reboxetine. she told me it was very new that she doesn't feel it is too effective and that it is more of a med to be added to other meds but not too good on it's own. so that choice was out.
Effexor from what I read before has usually higher remission rates. And also it's supossedly good for difficult to treat depression. So perhaps this would have been a better choice for me than the wellbutrin. Only expected problem I think will be loss of libido and other sexual side effects. But if I feel great and have all my full EMOTIONS back... expecially loving ones then that wont matter. I just need to feel more love for my fiance again. She has beene verything to me. And this sick decease prevents me from even being able to remember almost anything about her! I cant remember hardly anything. my fiance was my life. nothing mattered but to always be with her and I was perfectly happy. now i cant feel almost anything for her. i need my full emotions back. everything back.
I also got a liver function test done today. the needle hurt. more than a normal blood test. i guess I will see what they say next time.
The Effexor I was told by the pdoc should be taken in the morning with food. first week 37.5mg a day. then 75mg a day after the second week and then raised again. i forgot how to take the 75mg but I will ask after the first week.
I hope to see an improvement in the coming weeks. I am sick of being like this. I want to be able to at least somewhat enjoy things again. It would make waiting so much more easier. I got hope I will feel better eventually. even cured eventually. it will just take time for the accutane effect to go away. accutane is the med I took for 5 weeks which created a biochemical reaction and caused my severe suicidal depression. but now my depression is I guess very moderate. but not far from being severe. yesterday I was feeling quite horrible.
Oh and I forgot to ask. Can Effexor be good for poor concentration/thinking/memory due to depression? Can it restore creativity? Full strong intense emotions? strong loving emotions? how have your experiences been with effexor? thanks for reading
Posted by pellmell on August 8, 2001, at 13:49:42
In reply to Update: I got Effexor instead of Wellbutrin and.. , posted by adamie on August 8, 2001, at 13:00:06
> Oh and I forgot to ask. Can Effexor be good for poor concentration/thinking/memory due to depression? Can it restore creativity? Full strong intense emotions? strong loving emotions? how have your experiences been with effexor? thanks for reading
>Take a look at some of my recent posts. I'll put them in order from least to most recent so you'll get an idea of my experience with it over time:
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010708/msgs/69789.html
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010708/msgs/69865.html
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010708/msgs/70056.html (this one was addressed specifically to you :) )
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010714/msgs/70918.html
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010720/msgs/71650.html
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010725/msgs/72104.html
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010804/msgs/73787.htmlAnd today: I'm still pretty happy with Effexor, though I suspect next appointment I'll get a dosage tweak. I'm feeling at about 75% (as in "very good," not "C" :) ).
-pm
Posted by pellmell on August 8, 2001, at 14:05:52
In reply to Re: Update: I got Effexor instead of Wellbutrin and.. , posted by pellmell on August 8, 2001, at 13:49:42
> > Oh and I forgot to ask. Can Effexor be good for poor concentration/thinking/memory due to depression? Can it restore creativity? Full strong intense emotions? strong loving emotions? how have your experiences been with effexor? thanks for reading
> >
>
Oh, I forgot to add (because I thought I mentioned it in a previous post..hmm..) that those cognitive blahs have largely disappeared. I've got my wit almost completely back. It's wonderful.-pm
Posted by adamie on August 8, 2001, at 14:22:02
In reply to Re: Update: I got Effexor instead of Wellbutrin and.. , posted by pellmell on August 8, 2001, at 13:49:42
> > Oh and I forgot to ask. Can Effexor be good for poor concentration/thinking/memory due to depression? Can it restore creativity? Full strong intense emotions? strong loving emotions? how have your experiences been with effexor? thanks for reading
> >
>
> Take a look at some of my recent posts. I'll put them in order from least to most recent so you'll get an idea of my experience with it over time:
>
> http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010708/msgs/69789.html
> http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010708/msgs/69865.html
> http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010708/msgs/70056.html (this one was addressed specifically to you :) )
> http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010714/msgs/70918.html
> http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010720/msgs/71650.html
> http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010725/msgs/72104.html
> http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010804/msgs/73787.html
>
> And today: I'm still pretty happy with Effexor, though I suspect next appointment I'll get a dosage tweak. I'm feeling at about 75% (as in "very good," not "C" :) ).
> -pmthanks for the links. me will look
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