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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 15 of 15. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Kel on August 14, 2001, at 19:33:13
I am going to begin taking Effexor XR tomorrow morning and after reading these postings, I am scared out of my mind!! Does anyone have any good experiences to share or is it a bad drug??
Posted by pellmell on August 14, 2001, at 20:25:52
In reply to scared to death!, posted by Kel on August 14, 2001, at 19:33:13
> I am going to begin taking Effexor XR tomorrow morning and after reading these postings, I am scared out of my mind!! Does anyone have any good experiences to share or is it a bad drug??
>Yeah, the positive Effexor postings tend to get buried under the negative ones on this board. :) I and many others who post here are having success with Effexor, and experiencing only mild side-effects. I really think you should give it a chance. You'll know in a few weeks if your body finds it intolerable. It would be a shame if you quit before you started; this whole meds game is trial and error anyway.
Good luck, and keep us posted (by posting. ha! sorry...). We can help you through the start-up side-effects, which can be disconcerting but are nothing to be afraid of.
-pm
Posted by Cressida on August 14, 2001, at 20:37:13
In reply to scared to death!, posted by Kel on August 14, 2001, at 19:33:13
> I am going to begin taking Effexor XR tomorrow morning and after reading these postings, I am scared out of my mind!! Does anyone have any good experiences to share or is it a bad drug??
It's normal to be a little scared. My advice is stop worrying and disregard all the negative postings. Apprehension over taking Effexor XR will definately work against you. Every person will respond differently to the same medicine - remember this because it's true.
Undoubtably, the postings you've read are extreme examples; the rare cases. Pretend you're swallowing candy when you take it, and distract yourself as much as possible over the next week or two. You'll be fine if you have faith in both yourself and the drug.
Posted by pellmell on August 14, 2001, at 20:41:20
In reply to scared to death!, posted by Kel on August 14, 2001, at 19:33:13
> I am going to begin taking Effexor XR tomorrow morning and after reading these postings, I am scared out of my mind!! Does anyone have any good experiences to share or is it a bad drug??
>I've compiled a list of links to my posts about my experiences with Effexor. You'll see that I was pretty worried in the first few weeks, too.
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
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
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010804/msgs/73834.html
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010809/msgs/74296.html
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010809/msgs/74699.htmlI hope my experience with this drug will help inform yours. And like I said before, keep us posted.
-pm
Posted by DP on August 14, 2001, at 21:01:11
In reply to Re: we're not scaremongering, posted by pellmell on August 14, 2001, at 20:25:52
PM-
I have been on this board for about a week and I've found your responses to be very intelligent and informative.
I have specific questions for you from one "guy" to another (I feel kind of silly asking you in an open forum like this).
First of all, I'm very much like Kel (the original poster of this thread). I am still sitting here with my unopened bottle of Effexor scared s*less from everyone having negative experiences with the drug. My doc prescribed it for anxiety, panic attacks and to help with getting over my eating disorder.
My question for you is - a. did you gain weight on the stuff and b. did you have any sexual side effects from it? I don't quite remember if you mentioned having a girlfriend or not, but I was wondering if it affected your relationship.
Ok, while I'm at it, how many mg's are you taking a day? The doc is starting me out on 37.5mg's and I'm wondering what time of the day I should take it? I asked the doctor and he said it was up to me (thanks, that REALLY helps).
If the questions are too personal, you can personally write me at < discopuppy@yahoo.youknowwhat > (you'll have to change the "youknowwhat" to "com" - I don't want these spammers using software to automatically extract email addresses.
Thanks so much, PM, in advance for your help and time.
Jimmy
> > I am going to begin taking Effexor XR tomorrow morning and after reading these postings, I am scared out of my mind!! Does anyone have any good experiences to share or is it a bad drug??
> >
>
> Yeah, the positive Effexor postings tend to get buried under the negative ones on this board. :) I and many others who post here are having success with Effexor, and experiencing only mild side-effects. I really think you should give it a chance. You'll know in a few weeks if your body finds it intolerable. It would be a shame if you quit before you started; this whole meds game is trial and error anyway.
>
> Good luck, and keep us posted (by posting. ha! sorry...). We can help you through the start-up side-effects, which can be disconcerting but are nothing to be afraid of.
>
> -pm
Posted by Kel on August 14, 2001, at 22:36:39
In reply to Re: we're not scaremongering » pellmell, posted by DP on August 14, 2001, at 21:01:11
> PM-
>
> I have been on this board for about a week and I've found your responses to be very intelligent and informative.
>
> I have specific questions for you from one "guy" to another (I feel kind of silly asking you in an open forum like this).
>
> First of all, I'm very much like Kel (the original poster of this thread). I am still sitting here with my unopened bottle of Effexor scared s*less from everyone having negative experiences with the drug. My doc prescribed it for anxiety, panic attacks and to help with getting over my eating disorder.
>
> My question for you is - a. did you gain weight on the stuff and b. did you have any sexual side effects from it? I don't quite remember if you mentioned having a girlfriend or not, but I was wondering if it affected your relationship.
>
> Ok, while I'm at it, how many mg's are you taking a day? The doc is starting me out on 37.5mg's and I'm wondering what time of the day I should take it? I asked the doctor and he said it was up to me (thanks, that REALLY helps).
>
> If the questions are too personal, you can personally write me at < discopuppy@yahoo.youknowwhat > (you'll have to change the "youknowwhat" to "com" - I don't want these spammers using software to automatically extract email addresses.
>
> Thanks so much, PM, in advance for your help and time.
>
> Jimmy
>
>
>
> > > I am going to begin taking Effexor XR tomorrow morning and after reading these postings, I am scared out of my mind!! Does anyone have any good experiences to share or is it a bad drug??
> > >
> >
> > Yeah, the positive Effexor postings tend to get buried under the negative ones on this board. :) I and many others who post here are having success with Effexor, and experiencing only mild side-effects. I really think you should give it a chance. You'll know in a few weeks if your body finds it intolerable. It would be a shame if you quit before you started; this whole meds game is trial and error anyway.
> >
> > Good luck, and keep us posted (by posting. ha! sorry...). We can help you through the start-up side-effects, which can be disconcerting but are nothing to be afraid of.
> >
> > -pm
Thank you so much for your responses. I feel better already! I will keep you guys posted as to my progress. Please feel free to e-mail me personally. (I posted my e-mail address) Thanks again!!
Posted by Kel on August 14, 2001, at 22:43:36
In reply to Re: we're not scaremongering, posted by Kel on August 14, 2001, at 22:36:39
> > PM-
> >
> > I have been on this board for about a week and I've found your responses to be very intelligent and informative.
> >
> > I have specific questions for you from one "guy" to another (I feel kind of silly asking you in an open forum like this).
> >
> > First of all, I'm very much like Kel (the original poster of this thread). I am still sitting here with my unopened bottle of Effexor scared s*less from everyone having negative experiences with the drug. My doc prescribed it for anxiety, panic attacks and to help with getting over my eating disorder.
> >
> > My question for you is - a. did you gain weight on the stuff and b. did you have any sexual side effects from it? I don't quite remember if you mentioned having a girlfriend or not, but I was wondering if it affected your relationship.
> >
> > Ok, while I'm at it, how many mg's are you taking a day? The doc is starting me out on 37.5mg's and I'm wondering what time of the day I should take it? I asked the doctor and he said it was up to me (thanks, that REALLY helps).
> >
> > If the questions are too personal, you can personally write me at < discopuppy@yahoo.youknowwhat > (you'll have to change the "youknowwhat" to "com" - I don't want these spammers using software to automatically extract email addresses.
> >
> > Thanks so much, PM, in advance for your help and time.
> >
> > Jimmy
> >
> >
> >
> > > > I am going to begin taking Effexor XR tomorrow morning and after reading these postings, I am scared out of my mind!! Does anyone have any good experiences to share or is it a bad drug??
> > > >
> > >
> > > Yeah, the positive Effexor postings tend to get buried under the negative ones on this board. :) I and many others who post here are having success with Effexor, and experiencing only mild side-effects. I really think you should give it a chance. You'll know in a few weeks if your body finds it intolerable. It would be a shame if you quit before you started; this whole meds game is trial and error anyway.
> > >
> > > Good luck, and keep us posted (by posting. ha! sorry...). We can help you through the start-up side-effects, which can be disconcerting but are nothing to be afraid of.
> > >
> > > -pm
>
>
> Thank you so much for your responses. I feel better already! I will keep you guys posted as to my progress. Please feel free to e-mail me personally. (I posted my e-mail address) Thanks again!!
I thought it posted my e-mail address..... here it is jkmlight@earthlink.you know what (type in .net Same reason as Jimmy)
Posted by kazoo on August 14, 2001, at 23:17:11
In reply to scared to death!, posted by Kel on August 14, 2001, at 19:33:13
> I am going to begin taking Effexor XR tomorrow morning and after reading these postings, I am scared out of my mind!! Does anyone have any good experiences to share or is it a bad drug??
^^^^^^^^^^
Warning: if you take this drug, you will turn into a homicidal turnip.
kazoo
Posted by Maisy on August 15, 2001, at 6:22:09
In reply to Re: scared to death! » Kel, posted by kazoo on August 14, 2001, at 23:17:11
Kel, Effexor XR has been great for me. I weaned off last year with no problems. I started again about six months ago after a relapse in my depression. I had very few side effects both times which disappeared over a month or so. Hang in there, think positive, and post again if you need more support.
Posted by Simcha on August 15, 2001, at 7:42:36
In reply to Re: we're not scaremongering » pellmell, posted by DP on August 14, 2001, at 21:01:11
> PM-
>
> I have been on this board for about a week and I've found your responses to be very intelligent and informative.
>
> I have specific questions for you from one "guy" to another (I feel kind of silly asking you in an open forum like this).> First of all, I'm very much like Kel (the original poster of this thread). I am still sitting here with my unopened bottle of Effexor scared s*less from everyone having negative experiences with the drug. My doc prescribed it for anxiety, panic attacks and to help with getting over my eating disorder.
I have to tell you that Effexor did help with my anxiety when I was on it. I did gain weight while on Effexor. Then again it was a welcome change from not being hungry at all when I was depressed. So that was positive for me. Some people lose weight on Effexor. It can be like a stimulant.
> My question for you is - a. did you gain weight on the stuff and b. did you have any sexual side effects from it? I don't quite remember if you mentioned having a girlfriend or not, but I was wondering if it affected your relationship.Everyone is different in this category. For me, yes, I had sexual side effects that were intolerable. I do want to stress that Effexor worked beautifully at relieving my depression and anxiety. I'm glad I took it when I did. Some people do not have sexual side effects while on Effexor. This may not be an issue for you. You won't know until you take it. Also if your girlfriend is worth her salt when you explain that you are taking something that might affect your sexual performance she will take it in stride. Explain to her that the effects may be temporary until you adjust to the meds. Also you may not even have any adverse sexual side-effects.
> Ok, while I'm at it, how many mg's are you taking a day? The doc is starting me out on 37.5mg's and I'm wondering what time of the day I should take it? I asked the doctor and he said it was up to me (thanks, that REALLY helps).
This is a typical starting dose for Effexor XR. I started at 37.5 for the first week. Then I was at 75mg the second week through the sixth week. Then I went up to 150mg. At 150mg is where I found that the drug had kicked in. I was feeling much better on this dose.
Stay current on this board. Share your experiences. We can hold your hand through the start-up side-effects. Remember that most of the side-effects are temporary until your system had adjusted to the drug.
Typical side-effects at the beginning are increased sweating, change in sleep patterns, and more rapid heart rate while exercising. Also you might experience head rushes if you stand up too quickly. These side-effects were temporary for me. They went away after a few weeks.
If you are at risk for developing high blood pressure, you might want to monitor your pulse in the beginning. I found that for me my heart rate did increase at first and after a few weeks it went back to normal.
Also, if it is any help, my doc had me take my dose in the morning. It seemed to be an activating drug for me. At night I slept like a baby and in the morning I had plenty of energy. And I've never been known as a morning person.
;-)Take Care,
Simcha
Posted by pellmell on August 15, 2001, at 11:26:11
In reply to Re: we're not scaremongering » pellmell, posted by DP on August 14, 2001, at 21:01:11
DP,
Nah, your questions aren't too personal. This is a pretty open place. Besides, if you were to find a "pellmell" in a phonebook somewhere, I wouldn't be the person you'd find at the other end of the line. :)
Anyway, on to your questions. First, yes, I have gained a small amount of weight (about five pounds) since I've been taking Effexor, but I'm not sure there's a causal link there. I eat compuslively when I'm anxious, and Effexor has calmed my anxiety. I used to eat to try to calm my irrational worries. I rarely do that now.
Second, yes, Effexor does mess with my sex life a bit (and yes, I do have a girlfriend. Mmmmm... anyway). It was really bad at first; in fact, the first time I tried Effexor I quit after two weeks because I thought it had killed my libido. Looking back, I think it was just that I was feeling shy in a new relationship. Effexor has since *increased* my libido, and let me enjoy sex (and everything else!) with my girlfriend more fully. Except. Except that my erections became a bit rubbery and (this part isn't exactly bad) it takes me longer to get to orgasm. In the last week, though, my potency has returned. My body, after about two months, is adjusting to the drug. I'd say I'm at 85%.
The other side effects I'm still experiencing are slightly blurred vision (means I just have to actually wear my glasses for a change), dry mouth, and some involuntary jaw clenching. All of these are minor, and so worth the relief I'm feeling from chronic depression and anxeity. I feel more balanced than I felt on anything else I've taken, save maybe Zoloft+Lithium (which I quit because it made me something close to impotent). Besides Zoloft I've been on Serzone, Prozac, Remeron, and Wellbutrin. SRIs are the only antidepressants that seem to bring me relief, but Prozac made me feel...strange...as well; perhaps it pushed me to hypomania. Anyway.
As for when you should take your pill, try it in the morning first. If you find it makes you feel a bit weak and drowsy during the day, start taking it at night. It made me drowsy at first. After a few weeks, though, it started interrupting my sleep, so I switched back to swallowing it with breakfast. Now I find it gives me a subtle energy boost during the day.
So...I've got to skeddaddle now.
Hope I've helped!-pm
Posted by kid_A on August 15, 2001, at 12:11:05
In reply to scared to death!, posted by Kel on August 14, 2001, at 19:33:13
I dont think that there are any easy rides in the pharma game... I am very excited to be on effexor right now as it is as I have read, really a frontline choice for therapy... It works for some people for which no other drug has worked at all...Remember that some people during clinical trials got side effects from the sugar pill (placebo), so your mindset has a lot to do w/ how you feel as well...
Just be sure to tell your pdoc what you are experiencing, and they should (if they are good) be able to give you something to cope w/ the side effects... I take xanax to level myself out and it works great... Your pdoc may be one of those paranoid types that thinks benzodiazepines are a bad bad thing, but hopefully you shouldnt have to suffer (if you even do) for nothing...
From what I think effexor is the right drug for me... I still may wind up needing to switch if the FXR doesnt work, but thats for the future to decide... I see my pdoc this friday...
good luck
Posted by Aquage on August 16, 2001, at 19:05:04
In reply to Re: scared to death! » Kel, posted by kid_A on August 15, 2001, at 12:11:05
Probably most of the people who are having good results on Effexor are out there enjoying their life. I have been on 225mgs for a few weeks, having been on 150 mgs prior. It relieved my depression in about 9 days where no other drug has done that. For me it has an activing effect which has been great. Very few side effects are constipation and sometimes a slightly bad taste in my mouth (I pop a lot of tic-tacs). Have lost about 6 lbs. It cuts my appetite. Good Luck!
Posted by Kel on August 16, 2001, at 19:13:03
In reply to Re: scared to death!, posted by Maisy on August 15, 2001, at 6:22:09
Thank you so much for all of the great responses I have received. It's been 2 days now since I began taking it and obviously too early to tell if it's doing it's thing or not. I feel so much better knowing that people are having success with it. I'm keeping a positive attitude and I will let you know how it's going. Thanks again!
Posted by Elizabeth on August 17, 2001, at 3:41:51
In reply to scared to death!, posted by Kel on August 14, 2001, at 19:33:13
What you're seeing here is a biased sample: you're getting the complaints, but not the praise.
Effexor XR is a very effective drug for different types of depression and anxiety, and many people tolerate it quite well.
-elizabeth
This is the end of the thread.
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