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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 3 of 3. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by reb on November 1, 2001, at 0:28:11
yet another question abut effexor XR here...
i have this one-month's supply i got from my (med) dr.; i tried it a few a few weeks ago & had unbearable jaw tension. so i stopped, but then my curiosity got the better of me. plus the sample was free, so i figured i would try it again & stick with it at least til the end of the month, just to see what would happen. i was on zoloft last year with some success (and NO side effects), so i figured i could always go back on that once i've used up the effexor. and this time the jaw tension is much less, so i guess my bod's getting used to it. in a few days i will be going up from the 37.5 mg to the 75 mg.
here is my question: does the effexor make you feel worse, or just weird(er)... until it kicks in? (that is, if it works at all... i mean, if i'm going to be on something, i want to see some REAL results. not just "well, i can't really tell.." but i want to actually feel GREAT again!- or else, it's really not worth wasting the money on, ya know--??)
anyway i feel kind of zombie-ish, staring into space a lot, feeling afraid that my mind is disintegrating, feeling as if i might be going psychotic. nothing major, just a weird feeling that i'm losing control of my sanity, trying to hold it together, etc. i mean a lot of these weird thoughts come from the depression, but it seems as if they are getting worse with the med. i was wondering if the brain goes a bit wack-o while the chemicals are getting adjusted. i sure hope that is the case, or i'm in big trouble.anyway, i can't tell if this is my imagination or not. if anyone has any advice or feedback, it would be much appreciated (as always!)
THANKS...! :)
Posted by krista on November 1, 2001, at 12:31:02
In reply to effexor- worse before better?, posted by reb on November 1, 2001, at 0:28:11
I tried Effexor for a week and felt the same way. Unfortunately it was to much for me to tolerate so I went off it. I also had achy joints on it.
The jaw tention you descibe seems to happen to me also whenever I try a drug that quickly increases Serotonin. give it a couple weeks if you can bear it. If the side effects are too much to tolerate for that amount of time than it's probably not the drug for you. Good luckkrista
Posted by Morpheus on November 1, 2001, at 16:23:29
In reply to effexor- worse before better?, posted by reb on November 1, 2001, at 0:28:11
I had the jaw stiffness on Zoloft, actually, and it prompted me to stop that and start Effexor. Jaw stiffness (and muscle aches in general) is a rather common side effect of SSRI's and other AD's, as I understand it. I didn't have any side effects at all when I first started Effexor, but am just now starting to experience some vertigo and some minor skin bleeding w/my first couple of weeks at 225 mg, the side effects seem to be waning now. From what I understand, most side effects do lessen and disappear as your body gets used to the new brain chemistry. Good luck!
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