Shown: posts 1 to 4 of 4. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by MJC on October 3, 2002, at 11:16:34
Hey, I'm on my 20th day of Effexor XR Treatment (75mgs per day)and even though my anxiety is gone completely I'm starting to notice other symptoms. My Doctor says that the believes I may be Bi-Polar Manic or something to that effect. I know I'm not depressed, I haven't felt sad or upset in a while and with everything I'm going through, if I was depressed I would DEFINITELY know it. However, my moods are bouncing like a trampoline. I'll be tired and lethargic one moment, then I'll be absolutely wired and restless, can't sit still, talking at like 1,000 words a minute, then I'll become very irritable and I'll be PO'd at absolutely nothing so my Doctor has suggested that I look into a few medications such as Epival, Tegretol, and Lamol (something or other, can't read her handwriting lol...)Anyways, I just want to hear some comments from people that are either taking one of these medications, have taken one of these medications, or can recommend a medication similar to those listed above that you feel would be better for me. I always do some research on any drug that I'm about to start putting into my body so I'd like to know both the horror stories and the success stories.
Effexor XR is a lifesaver for anybody that's suffering through an anxiety disorder. I've lived the majority of my life with a rather severe one and after 20 days I can honestly say that this is the first time in as long as I can remember that I'm not absolutely worried about something. Sure, the first 2 weeks are hell, after those 2 weeks you'll have both your good days and your bad days, but in the end, your good days will win over and your bad days will be a thing of the past.
For anybody thinking about taking Klonopin (Clonazepam) it's also a miracle for people suffering from panic attacks. I've been using this for the past 2 months whenever I would feel the beginning of a panic attack setting on, and Poof!, it's gone. It also does wonders for people that may be suffering from "racing thoughts" while they're trying to fall asleep and are suffering from insomnia because of it. I've taken Clonazepam in the past for 2 years and while the withdrawal is hard, I managed to quit cold turkey and only felt really horrible for about 2 weeks. No seizures, no severe panic attacks, just pain from your body wanting the drug. Therefore, if you wean yourself off of it slowly (not 7 years like I saw posted on this board recently) you should be alright as long as your disorder has gone into remission.
So people, let me know what you think about these drugs that I listed at the beginning of this post so that I know which one will probably help me the best.
Thanks,
Mike
Posted by Ritch on October 3, 2002, at 13:22:07
In reply to Epival VS Tegretol -- Which is better?, posted by MJC on October 3, 2002, at 11:16:34
>
> Hey, I'm on my 20th day of Effexor XR Treatment (75mgs per day)and even though my anxiety is gone completely I'm starting to notice other symptoms. My Doctor says that the believes I may be Bi-Polar Manic or something to that effect. I know I'm not depressed, I haven't felt sad or upset in a while and with everything I'm going through, if I was depressed I would DEFINITELY know it. However, my moods are bouncing like a trampoline. I'll be tired and lethargic one moment, then I'll be absolutely wired and restless, can't sit still, talking at like 1,000 words a minute, then I'll become very irritable and I'll be PO'd at absolutely nothing so my Doctor has suggested that I look into a few medications such as Epival, Tegretol, and Lamol (something or other, can't read her handwriting lol...)
>
> Anyways, I just want to hear some comments from people that are either taking one of these medications, have taken one of these medications, or can recommend a medication similar to those listed above that you feel would be better for me. I always do some research on any drug that I'm about to start putting into my body so I'd like to know both the horror stories and the success stories.
>
> Effexor XR is a lifesaver for anybody that's suffering through an anxiety disorder. I've lived the majority of my life with a rather severe one and after 20 days I can honestly say that this is the first time in as long as I can remember that I'm not absolutely worried about something. Sure, the first 2 weeks are hell, after those 2 weeks you'll have both your good days and your bad days, but in the end, your good days will win over and your bad days will be a thing of the past.
>
> For anybody thinking about taking Klonopin (Clonazepam) it's also a miracle for people suffering from panic attacks. I've been using this for the past 2 months whenever I would feel the beginning of a panic attack setting on, and Poof!, it's gone. It also does wonders for people that may be suffering from "racing thoughts" while they're trying to fall asleep and are suffering from insomnia because of it. I've taken Clonazepam in the past for 2 years and while the withdrawal is hard, I managed to quit cold turkey and only felt really horrible for about 2 weeks. No seizures, no severe panic attacks, just pain from your body wanting the drug. Therefore, if you wean yourself off of it slowly (not 7 years like I saw posted on this board recently) you should be alright as long as your disorder has gone into remission.
>
> So people, let me know what you think about these drugs that I listed at the beginning of this post so that I know which one will probably help me the best.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Mike
The Epival will likely have more of an anxiolytic effect than the Tegretol (because it is GABA-ergic), but everybody's different. One poster here (Jackster) had success with Tegretol + Paxil for non-comorbid panic disorder. The Effexor could be setting off the hypomania. I can't take more than 12.5mg/day. If I hit 25mg I am hypomanic in hours. Do you think you could take just 37.5mg of Effexor instead of 75mg? Maybe you wouldn't need a mood stabilizer.
Posted by MJC on October 3, 2002, at 14:39:32
In reply to Re: Epival VS Tegretol -- Which is better? » MJC, posted by Ritch on October 3, 2002, at 13:22:07
I think if I was to lower my Effexor dose that much my panic/anxiety disorder would be MUCH worse. The Effexor has already helped me a great deal. I'm starting to be able to do some small things and keep some responsibilities as well as finally being able to relax, as opposed to 4 months ago where going through any day of the week was almost impossible. On my good days I felt like I was an elastic band that was ready to snap and on my bad days I would have terrible panic attacks. Not to mention that I was so sleep deprived that my health (both mental and physical) was starting to fail pretty badly. That's why I'm on Effexor in the first place.I've tried Celexa which didn't do anything for me, I tried Paxil which made me into a zombie that couldn't do anything but lay on the couch and "pretend" to watch TV all day, and Effexor has finally got my anxiety under control. The only thing is that I get HUGE bursts of energy and am either very happy, hyper, or angry. Either way, it's a HUGE improvement as to how I was a few months back. Plus, I tend to have a high tolerance for drugs so 75mgs was simply just a starting dosage. I took 37.5mgs for 5 days and it didn't do anything for me. I didn't even have any side effects, it was like taking an aspirin.
But if Epival and Tegretol are just mood stabilizers, would Clonazepam (Klonopin) not work just the same? And if my Doctor already asked me to start taking a daily dose of Clonazepam do you have any idea why she would have suggested those other drugs? What would the difference be?
Posted by Ritch on October 3, 2002, at 22:35:52
In reply to Re: Epival VS Tegretol -- Which is better?, posted by MJC on October 3, 2002, at 14:39:32
>
> I think if I was to lower my Effexor dose that much my panic/anxiety disorder would be MUCH worse. The Effexor has already helped me a great deal. I'm starting to be able to do some small things and keep some responsibilities as well as finally being able to relax, as opposed to 4 months ago where going through any day of the week was almost impossible. On my good days I felt like I was an elastic band that was ready to snap and on my bad days I would have terrible panic attacks. Not to mention that I was so sleep deprived that my health (both mental and physical) was starting to fail pretty badly. That's why I'm on Effexor in the first place.
>
> I've tried Celexa which didn't do anything for me, I tried Paxil which made me into a zombie that couldn't do anything but lay on the couch and "pretend" to watch TV all day, and Effexor has finally got my anxiety under control. The only thing is that I get HUGE bursts of energy and am either very happy, hyper, or angry. Either way, it's a HUGE improvement as to how I was a few months back. Plus, I tend to have a high tolerance for drugs so 75mgs was simply just a starting dosage. I took 37.5mgs for 5 days and it didn't do anything for me. I didn't even have any side effects, it was like taking an aspirin.
>
> But if Epival and Tegretol are just mood stabilizers, would Clonazepam (Klonopin) not work just the same? And if my Doctor already asked me to start taking a daily dose of Clonazepam do you have any idea why she would have suggested those other drugs? What would the difference be?Clonazepam is a very effective antimanic agent. The trouble is that with some folks it can aggravate depression, or make it tough to concentrate during the day (being used chronically outside of an acute manic spell). If your pdoc suggested it, I would go with the suggestion. It is entirely possible that you could be on just Effexor+clonazepam and do just fine. Monitor your mood cyling with a chart of some kind to tell for sure...
This is the end of the thread.
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