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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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Posted by kickink on June 3, 2002, at 13:02:06
In reply to Re: Side effect or something else????, posted by kickink on June 3, 2002, at 0:24:33
What other feelings and difficulties are you having, what other meds are you on? You must be feeling pretty bad to be considering the ER. I wish I could help you.
Kelly
Posted by renelso1 on June 3, 2002, at 13:19:39
In reply to Re: Angel Girl difficulties, posted by kickink on June 3, 2002, at 13:02:06
hey hun, talk to your GP. i know what you are talking about witht the lightheadedness and stuff. I had the same problems with sleeping pills. I would say that if they aren't helping anyways, stop taking them. focus on all the other things for sleep such as exercise, bath before bed, breathing exercises. i also find that forcing my kitty to lie on my chest and purr is the best knock out tool i know. good luck angel girl.
rock star
Posted by sly on June 3, 2002, at 13:34:03
In reply to Female w/ Sexual Side Effects, posted by mara talamaur on May 31, 2002, at 15:29:33
I have the exact same problem. In the past, I had a hard time holding back sexually and used to delay orgasm. Now on Effexor, I can still get aroused and feel all the excitement and tension of an orgasm building, but I can't get any final release, it's incredibly frustrating and ultimately killing my sex drive!
But on the bright side, my depression is lifting and the sexual side effects have curtailed my promiscuity - oddly enough, the one symptom of depression I never had was lack of sex drive, if anything I was hypersexual and experimented with new partners, male and female, Effexor has wiped out that sexual need, which in my case is probably a good thing.
Posted by Reneb on June 3, 2002, at 13:34:17
In reply to going off, posted by Grace Coyote on June 2, 2002, at 5:39:20
> I have decided to go off this stuff, the side effects outweigh the benefit that I haven't been getting anyway. Not dreaming, no interest in sex, or ability once it gets started, being very removed from my experience. The other day I developed this rash on some very weird places on my body. At first I thought it was poison ivy, but then the welts stopped, and the palms of my hands began to itch like crazy. Today will be day 3 on 37.5. My GP just told me to stop and from everything I have been reading and hearing about this stuff, that would be a poor choice. So, I take apart the caps and separate all the little beads. It is a crap shoot because science does not entirely understand how these neurotranmitters are functioning, nor do they know what other neurotransmitters are truly being effected. These are just the ones they know about.
Hi Grace, I have successfully weaned off of effexor, but it took a long time. I first tried going from 150 to 100 to 50 then everyother day and that didnt work at all. My pdoc told me to go from 50 to 25mg to cutting the 25mg in 1/2 taking the 1/2 cutting it to 1/4. I followed this taking one in the moring and the other in the evening. 2 weeks on each dose. When I got to the 1/4...after 2 weeks I only took it in the morning. I can't tell who wonderful it was to wean off this way and feel terrific when I finished. No dizziness, lightheadedness. brain zaps, etc., I know the process is long but worth every second.Renee
Posted by sly on June 3, 2002, at 13:35:41
In reply to Female w/ Sexual Side Effects, posted by mara talamaur on May 31, 2002, at 15:29:33
I have the exact same problem. In the past, I had a hard time holding back sexually and used to delay orgasm. Now on Effexor, I can still get aroused and feel all the excitement and tension of an orgasm building, but I can't get any final release, it's incredibly frustrating and ultimately killing my sex drive!
But on the bright side, my depression is lifting and the sexual side effects have curtailed my promiscuity - oddly enough, the one symptom of depression I never had was lack of sex drive, if anything I was hypersexual and experimented with new partners, male and female, Effexor has wiped out that sexual need, which in my case is probably a good thing.
Posted by supergirl on June 3, 2002, at 17:15:49
In reply to Re: Side effect or what? - supergirl/kickink, posted by Angel Girl on June 3, 2002, at 2:49:24
> supergirl and kickink
>
> I checked my capsules and they are XR so I am taking the right meds and I take them at relatively the same time each day. I've never taken them right at the exact same time since the beginning and have not had a problem with that before. I've been on Effexor XR since last October. I'm also dealing with insomnia, hence the time of this post :( in the last couple of weeks. My doctor changed my sleeping meds but as you can see, that hasn't made any difference. My meds are prescribed by my GP. I don't have a pdoc. I'm seriously thinking of going to the ER at the psych hospital here to see what's going on. Do you think I should do that???
>
> Angel GirlI wouldn't go to the ER unless you really think you need to, or have tons of money or a good health plan. (This has always been my practice thanks to my ER hating nurse of a mom) They can only temporary help until you can see a specialist. Did your symptoms start before or after you started taking the sleeping pills? You never know what introducing a new drug into your system will do to you. I agree with Kickink that if they are not working anyways, stop taking them.
Also, you should probably find you a good psydoc, they seem to know a lot more about drug reactions/problems than GP's do. Get an appointment with your doctor and have him refer you, that way you can have the best of both practices.
Concerning sleeping troubles, I have had some really nasty insomnia in the past and the best thing I tried that helped was meditation. Light you a candle and block out the world. It might take a while at first, but if you can teach yourself to relax, it gets easier to do it at anytime. The worst part about getting to sleep with insomnia is relaxing your body AND mind. While meditating, I found myself falling asleep in the middle of the floor and waking up feeling I had the best sleep I could ever have.Good luck
supergirl
Posted by slantie on June 3, 2002, at 17:38:14
In reply to Side effect or something else????, posted by Angel Girl on June 2, 2002, at 17:35:23
totaly side affect i've been trying to explain my side affects to the doc and brain vibration is spot on
Posted by JANNBEAU on June 3, 2002, at 17:39:01
In reply to going off, posted by Grace Coyote on June 2, 2002, at 5:39:20
> This is SO weird! I've noticed itching on the palms of my hands, too, and an increase in the "wheal" (whelp; welt) of the "wheal and flare" response to irritants since starting Effexor! My feet also itch sometimes!
Thanks for sharing this side effect. I had allergy testing done while taking Effexor and only was allergic to house-dust mites and they almost missed that one, yet I have all kinds of symptoms of seasonal allergies. Other antidepressants, specifically tricyclics, interfere with allergy skin tests. Wonder if Effexor does this also.
Has anyone had this come up with allergy tests?
Cheers,
JannbeauI have decided to go off this stuff, the side effects outweigh the benefit that I haven't been getting anyway. Not dreaming, no interest in sex, or ability once it gets started, being very removed from my experience. The other day I developed this rash on some very weird places on my body. At first I thought it was poison ivy, but then the welts stopped, and the palms of my hands began to itch like crazy. Today will be day 3 on 37.5. My GP just told me to stop and from everything I have been reading and hearing about this stuff, that would be a poor choice. So, I take apart the caps and separate all the little beads. It is a crap shoot because science does not entirely understand how these neurotranmitters are functioning, nor do they know what other neurotransmitters are truly being effected. These are just the ones they know about.
Posted by slantie on June 3, 2002, at 18:10:26
In reply to Re: Effexor.... how slow 2 go off » Nat A., posted by Spencer on May 31, 2002, at 8:49:39
has anybody had irregular periods while on efexor? I seem to have 2 per month my doc does not want to refer me to any one but its starting to worry me . i've come off efexor in the past week so maye l will see an improvement
Posted by Donald on June 3, 2002, at 19:40:31
In reply to Alternative Ways of dealing with Depression, posted by BJ on April 26, 2000, at 23:02:33
I was on Paxil, Effexor...
Constipation, Sleepless nights, Loss of libido...
In despair I decided to stop.I switched to Viagra + Senade.
MIRACLE RESULT !
No side effects!
No depression!They said Women Viagra will be available soon.
:)
Posted by Debra on June 3, 2002, at 21:42:59
In reply to Side effect or something else????, posted by Angel Girl on June 2, 2002, at 17:35:23
This is my 1st posting. In March I had a major panic attack. I guess you could say I got 'lost'. This doctor added Effexor (to my 30mg. Paxil) starting in small dosages and gradually raising it to 300mg. She also prescribed Xanax to be taken as needed. I was already taking Ambien or Restoril for sleep and Ibuprofin or Propoxy for pain. I became a Zombie. I haven't been to work since 3/12/02. I couldn't stand the side effects so I gradually reversed the dosages myself. It was tough but I feel better without the Effexor. Celebrex works better for the pain. I'm still taking the Paxil because the withdrawl is so bad. I get what I call 'brain lapses', short and long term memory 'blanks', abnormal thoughts and night mares, deep depression and anxiety, etc. I thought these feelings were just me! Now I see that it is withdrawl. I have doubled my weight, too. The constipation from taking Paxil is so bad I had to have a Colonoscopy to make sure there wasn't an obstruction. I lie to my husband. I do not orgasm or even get turned on at all anymore. I feel sexually 'detached'. Sex used to be wonderful. I don't love nor do I feel love. I trusted my doctors. Hah!
Posted by renelso1 on June 4, 2002, at 9:18:12
In reply to Re: Alternative Ways of dealing with Depression, posted by Donald on June 3, 2002, at 19:40:31
> I switched to Viagra + Senade.
> MIRACLE RESULT !
> No side effects!
> No depression!
what is Senade? i've never heard of it...
Posted by hank on June 4, 2002, at 9:29:36
In reply to Re: Alternative Ways of dealing with Depression, posted by renelso1 on June 4, 2002, at 9:18:12
>
> > I switched to Viagra + Senade.
> > MIRACLE RESULT !
> > No side effects!
> > No depression!
>
>
> what is Senade? i've never heard of it...A Russian laxative, CEHADE (imagine that's in Cyrillic though). Not exactly widely available, nor does it have any sort of antidepressive effect so I have no idea why this chap is mentioning it unless it's in response to others talking about constipation.
Posted by filex on June 4, 2002, at 20:18:59
In reply to Re: Angel Girl difficulties, posted by renelso1 on June 3, 2002, at 13:19:39
I take a miniscule dose 25 to 37.5 mg, I also use viagra when I remember or just enjoy sex in the morning. i take the med as early as I waken, so a leisurely saturday sleep make for very enjoyable sex since the half life is near zero.
I have sleep meds, sonata, but don't use it. i find more exercise is the key. Eat well. stay away from carbs, drink decaf.
I have tried lots of stuff and the effexor is pretty ok. I finally realized toughing it out is stupid. The side effects, in light of the big picture are not worth dwelling on....I have stopped analyizing every emotion it gets in the way of enjoying my life. I don't expect the meds to make me happy but I find myself able to laugh plenty. my doc suggested the viagra i can tell you i works and not for just an hour about but many..filex fiona
Posted by Grace Coyote on June 5, 2002, at 5:21:24
In reply to Re: Angel Girl difficulties, posted by kickink on June 3, 2002, at 13:02:06
Today will be day 5 of going off the Effexor. I am now halving the half and will do so until Friday. I am still itchy and very forgetful. I can tell the drug is leaving, I am starting to dream again, but I can still fall asleep anytime and remain in deep sleep for hours. I will be starting Wellbutrin on friday. Has anyone been on this one?
Posted by Butterfly on June 5, 2002, at 10:38:05
In reply to Re: going off still, posted by Grace Coyote on June 5, 2002, at 5:21:24
> Today will be day 5 of going off the Effexor. I am now halving the half and will do so until Friday. I am still itchy and very forgetful. I can tell the drug is leaving, I am starting to dream again, but I can still fall asleep anytime and remain in deep sleep for hours. I will be starting Wellbutrin on friday. Has anyone been on this one?
Hi
Wellbutrin has very bad press up where I live, in fact it's almost not prescribed at all anymore.
A number of "stories" have been read in various newspapers lately, about possible deadly side-effects of this drug.Well, to make things even worse a young fellow (31) died lately in my hometown, and the coroner has established that the arythmia causing his death was a direct consequence of is taking Wellbutrin.
My doc has said that he would not prescribe this drug anymore, and that from what he knows not many of his colleagues would either.
FWIW
Butterfly
Posted by sly on June 5, 2002, at 10:52:08
In reply to Anyone had success on Effexor XR? , posted by jp on October 24, 1999, at 14:59:14
Since starting Effexor I've developed an extreme food aversion. I'm terrified of gaining weight and fear overeating. I'm starving myself and avoiding meals, I've lost 15 lbs. so far and I want to lose more, I wasn't heavy to begin with and I know it's crazy to want to lose more but I can't stop, I'm terrified of eating.
From reading the postings I know most of you out there gained weight, did any of you have the opposite problem?
Posted by Butterfly on June 5, 2002, at 11:03:05
In reply to Losing weight on Effexor XR, posted by sly on June 5, 2002, at 10:52:08
You should talk to your doctor about that, without delay. Looks like in your case Effexor (or something else) could be inducing anorexia, which can be serious.
Good luck,
Butterfly
Posted by renelso1 on June 5, 2002, at 11:07:30
In reply to Losing weight on Effexor XR, posted by sly on June 5, 2002, at 10:52:08
> Since starting Effexor I've developed an extreme food aversion. I'm terrified of gaining weight and fear overeating. I'm starving myself and avoiding meals, I've lost 15 lbs. so far and I want to lose more, I wasn't heavy to begin with and I know it's crazy to want to lose more but I can't stop, I'm terrified of eating.
>
> From reading the postings I know most of you out there gained weight, did any of you have the opposite problem?STOP STARVING YOURSELF!!! STOP AVOIDING MEALS!!!
This is sooooo unhealthy for your body physically AND mentally. Starving yourself is the worst thing you can do for your depression. Aside from that, when you restrict your calorie intake by such a substantial amount your metabolism slows down. While you are losing weight initially, this will have reverse long term effects. More than 75% of the time, those who lose weight through starvation gain the weight back and MORE. I have been on effexor for about 2 months and have not experienced any weight gain. i eat sensibly and try to exercise. if you are concerned about gaining weight, try to exercise for 45 minutes 3x per week. This is also a GREAT thing to do for depression, since exercise is a natural anti-depressant.
PLEASE STOP HURTING YOU BODY!
i have friends who have suffered from eating disorders, this is not something you want.
your mental health is FAR more important than a number on a scale!
Posted by Reneb on June 5, 2002, at 21:11:26
In reply to Re: going off still, posted by Grace Coyote on June 5, 2002, at 5:21:24
> Today will be day 5 of going off the Effexor. I am now halving the half and will do so until Friday. I am still itchy and very forgetful. I can tell the drug is leaving, I am starting to dream again, but I can still fall asleep anytime and remain in deep sleep for hours. I will be starting Wellbutrin on friday. Has anyone been on this one?
Hi Gracie, I have been on wellbutrin for about a year. I was on effexor and weaned off that stuff. I have had no problems with wellbutrin.
Renee
Posted by lyuba on June 5, 2002, at 22:20:52
In reply to Losing weight on Effexor XR, posted by sly on June 5, 2002, at 10:52:08
I'm going into my 4th week on Effexor, and I've noticed a significant change in my eating habits. During my first week, I found my appetite decreased significantly. My appetite has returned, but find I can't eat certain foods. So far I've lost about 10lbs, which I really can afford to loose. I'm not starving myself, but my intake has decreased significantly.
Posted by Schuyler on June 6, 2002, at 11:03:17
In reply to Re: going off still » Grace Coyote, posted by Reneb on June 5, 2002, at 21:11:26
> > Today will be day 5 of going off the Effexor. I am now halving the half and will do so until Friday. I am still itchy and very forgetful. I can tell the drug is leaving, I am starting to dream again, but I can still fall asleep anytime and remain in deep sleep for hours. I will be starting Wellbutrin on friday. Has anyone been on this one?
>I've been on Wellbutrin for 13 years. It is the only AD that ever did me any good. I am now trying to add Methylphenidate (Ritalin) to see if that helps. So far, it helps a little.
Schuyler
Posted by Reneb on June 6, 2002, at 19:11:20
In reply to Re: going off still » Reneb, posted by Schuyler on June 6, 2002, at 11:03:17
> > > Today will be day 5 of going off the Effexor. I am now halving the half and will do so until Friday. I am still itchy and very forgetful. I can tell the drug is leaving, I am starting to dream again, but I can still fall asleep anytime and remain in deep sleep for hours. I will be starting Wellbutrin on friday. Has anyone been on this one?
> >
>
> I've been on Wellbutrin for 13 years. It is the only AD that ever did me any good. I am now trying to add Methylphenidate (Ritalin) to see if that helps. So far, it helps a little.
>
> SchuylerHi Schuyler, could you tell me what the bad press is? Can i get this information ?
thanks
Renee
Posted by mara talamaur on June 6, 2002, at 20:32:03
In reply to Re: going off still » Schuyler, posted by Reneb on June 6, 2002, at 19:11:20
Greetings,
and I've noticed that a lot of people in this list lose faith in their medical practitioners after a few weeks of being on a new medication. It seems that they aren't willing to deal with the side effects, or were not correctly informed of them. This also seems to lead to self-medication and non-informed altering of dosages and medication.
What I'm curious about is this, why aren't more questions asked of your general MD before/during the taking of the medication? Why aren't these people also asking for psychiatrist referrals who can offer more information on potential side effect and drug interactions?
It seems especially dangerous (both physically and mentally...not that those are really different) to tinker around with the dose and or combinations on your own.
I do realize that many of these side effects aren't listed in the accompanying literature with the medication or known by general MDs (bruising, etc) and can be rather scary. I also realize that mental/behavioral health and psychopharmacology are burgeoning fields with so much still to be learned and understood.
My point in all of this is to suggest maybe more people should give their medications time to actually create the down-regulation of post-synaptic receptors before they go about stopping or changing their meds! I'd be curious if as many negative rants would exist for each AD.Cheers,
Mara
Posted by Grace Coyote on June 7, 2002, at 5:28:48
In reply to Curious about Dissenters.., posted by mara talamaur on June 6, 2002, at 20:32:03
Today will be day 7 on my tapering off adventure. I began halving the 37.5 three days ago. I am not having any of the usual side effects I have been reading about i.e. lightness in head, tingling, etc. Instead this "weird" feeling comes over me and I feel like I am losing touch with my thought process. Similar to the sensations like LSD...(ok, I am a product of the 60's) Needless to say I do not like those experiences and feel scared when it happens, like I am not here. I can deal with the physical withdrawal, but when it begins to effect my mental state I do not fare well. I tried to remind myself that this is the withdrawal, that I am not going to lose my mind, that I have control over my thoughts etc.etc. Today I am supposed to start the Wellbutrin and I am concerned about this "depersonalization" experience. I am very sensitive to drugs and was only on 75mg of effexor x6weeks, certainly not that long. Has any one else had those weird thoughts (almost like internal panic)? I also feel like I am getting more depressed.
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