![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 4068 to 4092 of 10407. Go back in thread:
Posted by Russell on May 21, 2003, at 14:03:47
In reply to Re: Brain Shivers » Russell, posted by melley on May 21, 2003, at 6:20:17
I had all the classic symptoms reported on this board. The dramamine reduced them to a "managable" level. Hang in there - you will get better.
Posted by DeanG on May 21, 2003, at 14:38:05
In reply to Brain Shivers, posted by dde on May 20, 2003, at 21:30:19
Hi DDE,
I am so glad that things are looking up for your daughter. And thank you kindly for the encouragement and advice. As far as what my next move will be, I've still not decided. The doctor said he'd phone and set up a referral with a psychiatrist but still no call and after all the horror stories I've read I'm no longer so sure I want to pursue this. It might just be easier to go on living with my problems as I have all these years rather than have some shrink place a label on me and get me hooked on his drug of choice.
Thanks again for your concern.
Dean
My daughter had better luck by going into a psychiatric facility, being treated one on one on a daily basis for 9 days than she did going to a psychiatrist outside. The doc at the hospital said that it is a fallacy that these meds will take weeks to get enough into your system to start doing some good. He said you will know in a matter of 2 days if your system is going to handle and adjust. He also said she would be on this med (lexapro) for a year, then taper off; and if she goes back into depression she will have to go back on and stay on for life, as the chances of future episode would increase from 50/50 to 95%! She is doing terrific now. The reality is this: mental illness doesn't just "go away" after a while like a virus or bacterial infection. The body stops making or doesn't make enough of certain chemicals, and nothing we do can start it back up again. All that can be done is adding to make up for the lack. Effexor is not good stuff. If you have brain zaps in the first days of taking it, get off of it. Only my best regards, dde
Posted by Misha on May 21, 2003, at 18:10:53
In reply to Brain Shivers, posted by Russell on May 21, 2003, at 14:03:47
> I had all the classic symptoms reported on this board. The dramamine reduced them to a "managable" level. Hang in there - you will get better.
My doctor prescribed me Meclizine HCL, 25mg at 3 times daily and it worked better than Dramamine. One thing that makes it help more is that you can take up to 3 per day, unlike Dramamine.Misha
Posted by Elliot on May 21, 2003, at 21:52:10
In reply to Re: Sexual Disfunction of Effexor, posted by Misha on May 20, 2003, at 7:23:57
Anyone find Effexor the answer to their depression? I'm trying to decide whether or not to try an SSRI like Effexor or Lexapro or not medicate. I have a lot of anxiety and would like a med that will help with that
Posted by SpaceMom on May 21, 2003, at 22:08:51
In reply to Re: Effexor Q's--PLEASE ANSWER, posted by melley on April 9, 2003, at 18:50:42
Hello...Thank God not alone.
My problem is the side effects, so I have been giving up...starting again...over and over without telling the Doctor. Feel the need to drink, not my style, social yes, but this different. I think I need mental hospital!!!!Crazy????
Learned alot from you guys!
Thanks...Help!!
Sorry this is so long.
~Me
Posted by belle rose on May 22, 2003, at 1:11:11
In reply to Re: Sexual Disfunction of Effexor, posted by Elliot on May 21, 2003, at 21:52:10
I suggest any drug other than Effexor. The withdrawal side effects are just too severe. Zoloft is indicated to cover a broad spectrum of depressions/anxiety. I would look to Effexor at a last resort. Belle Rose
Posted by melley on May 22, 2003, at 6:31:07
In reply to Brain Shivers, posted by Russell on May 21, 2003, at 14:03:47
> I had all the classic symptoms reported on this board. The dramamine reduced them to a "managable" level. Hang in there - you will get better.
Thank you for this suggestion. I will get some today. Yesterday I felt so bad I called my dr only to discover that he is gone til tue. The covering dr said to go back up to 150 and continue with 150 of wellbutrin. I didn't want to undo everything I had done so far so I too a 75mg and a 37.5 mg one today along with the wellbutrin. Just have to muddle through til Tues. Thanks for the tip. I can't wait to be off this stuff. And I think it is best to use this as the drug of last resort. Because of this torture. That infereres with your daily life.
Mel
Posted by Misha on May 22, 2003, at 10:56:10
In reply to Re: Sexual Disfunction of Effexor, posted by Elliot on May 21, 2003, at 21:52:10
> Anyone find Effexor the answer to their depression? I'm trying to decide whether or not to try an SSRI like Effexor or Lexapro or not medicate. I have a lot of anxiety and would like a med that will help with that
Paxil is one of the best for anxiety. I was on it for nearly a year and I definately did not have the anxiety that I had prior to going on it. Paxil CR is supposed to be good. It hadn't come out yet when I was on it.Misha
Posted by Misha on May 22, 2003, at 10:59:51
In reply to Re: Sexual Disfunction of Effexor, posted by belle rose on May 22, 2003, at 1:11:11
> I suggest any drug other than Effexor. The withdrawal side effects are just too severe. Zoloft is indicated to cover a broad spectrum of depressions/anxiety. I would look to Effexor at a last resort. Belle Rose
My mom was on Zoloft and really liked it. But then, my mom was changed to Effexor XR and went off of it after a few months with almost no withdrawal. Too bad our chemistry is not same, ha? I was the one with the six months of hellish withdrawals. Oh, well. Lol!Misha
Posted by peabo on May 22, 2003, at 14:18:34
In reply to Re: Sexual Disfunction of Effexor, posted by DeanG on May 20, 2003, at 11:46:35
Hello:
I'm new here, and new to Effexor, but not new to depression. I'm bipolar, with the depressive side definitely dominant, anxiety not far behind. I've been on Lithium and little else since '91.
I started Effexor about a month ago, ramping up from 37.5 mg the first two weeks, then 'graduating' to 75 mg. I've had noticeable, but minimal side effects, moreso at 75 than 37.5. I think I would actually be more comfortable maintaining at 37.5 for the time being, but...
The problem is I have a lot of 75 mg samples... and no 37.5's. I have read in some places, it's not a great idea to cut the capsules... other places, that if you do cut them, you should put the halves in empty gel caps.
Can anybody tell me definitively whether it's OK (i.e. safe, _not_ foolhardy) to go ahead and take the open half caps?
I've been lurking here awhile, and appreciate the resource this site offers. I 'got here' before I even started Effexor, so my eyes were open when I took the plunge. I'm encouraged by those who say they've found more energy (which I'm sorely lacking)... somewhat daunted by the horror stories, but determined to see what an eight week course (at least) might bring.
Advice for a novice, please...
Thanks Much.
peabo
-----
Posted by Jack Smith on May 22, 2003, at 15:22:19
In reply to Newcomer..., posted by peabo on May 22, 2003, at 14:18:34
> I'm new here, and new to Effexor, but not new to depression. I'm bipolar, with the depressive side definitely dominant, anxiety not far behind. I've been on Lithium and little else since '91.Did Lithium alone control your depression?
> The problem is I have a lot of 75 mg samples... and no 37.5's. I have read in some places, it's not a great idea to cut the capsules... other places, that if you do cut them, you should put the halves in empty gel caps.There is no problem opening up the caps and splitting the contents in half. You can either put them back in the gel cap or you can take them directly, maybe take a spoon of peanut butter and sprinkle them on it. then put it in your mouth and down it with water.
JACK
Posted by peabo on May 23, 2003, at 8:54:54
In reply to Newcomer..., posted by peabo on May 22, 2003, at 14:18:34
Jack:
Thanks for the advisory re: open cap Effexor.
>Did Lithium alone control your depression?
The short answer is no...
The long answer is that I first got manic in '91, and prior to that, despite acknowledged intervals of depression and indecision, never imagined I had a problem greater than the next fool's. Meanwhile, I was self medicating with alcohol and pot... a practice which continues to this day. I've (briefly) tried Welbutrin, Zoloft, Paxil, Celexa, and Neurontin... but never allowed any of them enough time to work... don't quite know why.
Though my depression has been pervasive, it has also been subtle... carrying me down gradually, rather than suddenly. And I guess I've always been reluctant to own up to it or take an additional med to deal with it.
Lithium appears to have successfully controlled the mania... and I believe it helps some with anxiety (though I still take about 25 mg of chlorpromazine a day to stifle what the lithium doesn't address), but I can't say I recommend it (lithium) as a highly effective anti-depressant.
(This is all "for what it's worth".)
Regards,
peabo
-----
Posted by melley on May 23, 2003, at 18:21:13
In reply to Brain Shivers, posted by Russell on May 21, 2003, at 14:03:47
thank you for the suggestion of dramamine. I took 25 mg mid-day and it did help. When you took it twice a day did you take 25 mg in the morning and 25 mg at night? Or 50mg each time?
mel
Posted by zinya on May 26, 2003, at 21:29:22
In reply to Re: new to effexor and pumped up about it, posted by Paco on March 26, 2003, at 20:48:46
First, I'm grateful to have all your posts to read. I did so back when my md. first gave me Effexor back in Dec. and, because of my history of ultra sensitivities and side effects to previous drugs, I decided to delay taking it and try to 'weather' my depression (also thinking perhaps the mourning for my mom's passing was so much a factor that maybe time would heal some of the depression.
But it's gotten worse and months have gone by with no more than an isolated day here and there of any physical energy for anything beyond reading and writing.
I started Effexor last night, taking only HALF (approx.) of the grains in a 37.5 mg capsule, after dinner and dessert and presumably the fullest and most protected time of day for my stomach (also having a history of gastritis).
I woke this morning after about 5-1/2 hrs sleep with an immediately noticeable, albeit fairly mild, nausea which has been off and on all day, and just now eating crackers to try to appease it, it seemed instead to get worse. And in the past few hours, i've been having a different sort of weird sensation in my head, like a somewhat knifey-tingly-electricky feeling, not severe but noticeable and distracting. This is on only approx. 18 mg!
My question: I know from reading many of your posts that initial side effects ilke this are not unusual -- but on so little a dose, given my history of sensitivity... I'm thinking i should at least finish the other half of the first capsule, but can it be that this is already my body telling me "This drug isn't meant for you?"
I know it's a judgment call only I can make for myself, but if anyone has any thoughts/input, I'd appreciate it. My md. who prescribed told me, after I'd read comments here last Dec. about symptoms he'd given me no indication about despite knowing my ultra-sensitivity, told me he has about 200 patients taking Effexor (!?!) and had never heard of any problems with side effects. Well, that just made me not really trust his level of awareness, so I turn to you all here. Thanks.
Posted by chasesmomma on May 27, 2003, at 0:01:35
In reply to new to effexor, and I have questions, posted by zinya on May 26, 2003, at 21:29:22
I wanted to offer some encouragement...I have been on Effexor for about three months now. I started at the low doseage and will admit I had a great deal of nausea for awhile. I did find some alcohol consumption in the beginning was a bit too much to handle with the medication. I am very careful now how much I drink! I am up to 150mg a day and so far so good. Before I started effexor I was very reluctant to take another anti depressant after having been able to live without them for at least 3 years. But stress continued to bring me down and when I cried at the drop of a hat, I knew it was time to try a little help once again. I have been reading the other posts about all the side effects once you discontinue effexor, but I plan to continue with it and hope when the time comes to get off of it, I can taper without too many problems.
I am relieved to be able to handle my daily life occurences right now with a higher head and worry less about every single thing. I even drove to Chicago recently in the Ohare traffic-which I never could have done before! I felt "enpowered" and confident. I also laugh more with my 4 year old son and seem to have more patience for his occasional tantrums. This is a real plus!
So, there are positives. I am sorry to hear your low doseage is already causing such problems. I would discuss this with your dr. and see if this could be a reaction that he thinks could subside.
I wish you luck and hope you find the help you need soon. All the best, Leslie
Posted by belle rose on May 27, 2003, at 0:10:47
In reply to new to effexor, and I have questions, posted by zinya on May 26, 2003, at 21:29:22
> First, I'm grateful to have all your posts to read. I did so back when my md. first gave me Effexor back in Dec. and, because of my history of ultra sensitivities and side effects to previous drugs, I decided to delay taking it and try to 'weather' my depression (also thinking perhaps the mourning for my mom's passing was so much a factor that maybe time would heal some of the depression.
>
> But it's gotten worse and months have gone by with no more than an isolated day here and there of any physical energy for anything beyond reading and writing.
>
> I started Effexor last night, taking only HALF (approx.) of the grains in a 37.5 mg capsule, after dinner and dessert and presumably the fullest and most protected time of day for my stomach (also having a history of gastritis).
>
> I woke this morning after about 5-1/2 hrs sleep with an immediately noticeable, albeit fairly mild, nausea which has been off and on all day, and just now eating crackers to try to appease it, it seemed instead to get worse. And in the past few hours, i've been having a different sort of weird sensation in my head, like a somewhat knifey-tingly-electricky feeling, not severe but noticeable and distracting. This is on only approx. 18 mg!
>
> My question: I know from reading many of your posts that initial side effects ilke this are not unusual -- but on so little a dose, given my history of sensitivity... I'm thinking i should at least finish the other half of the first capsule, but can it be that this is already my body telling me "This drug isn't meant for you?"
>
> I know it's a judgment call only I can make for myself, but if anyone has any thoughts/input, I'd appreciate it. My md. who prescribed told me, after I'd read comments here last Dec. about symptoms he'd given me no indication about despite knowing my ultra-sensitivity, told me he has about 200 patients taking Effexor (!?!) and had never heard of any problems with side effects. Well, that just made me not really trust his level of awareness, so I turn to you all here. Thanks.Dear Friend
I would discuss the symptoms you are having immediately with your physician especially if you are sensitive to prescriptions. I told my physicians for years about the side effects I would have when I missed a dose or was even a few hours late and was dismissed. While on the drug, I had chronic constipation and weight gain only. It wasn't until I would try to go off of it because it didn't help with my "Cyclothalmia", rapid cycling, less severe than manic depression, that I experienced the hideous side effects. I am now 40 days off Effexor and still have extreme joint pain and my vision is awful. I feel much better though. If you haven't tried any other mood stabililizers, I recommend trying some others first and using Effexor as a last resort.
Best of luck to you. belle rose
Posted by BillySilva on May 27, 2003, at 8:26:44
In reply to Re: I'm going off- please help!, posted by Angel Girl on May 11, 2003, at 18:53:31
I'm getting off Effexor. Have been taking 75 mg for one year. For the last ten day I reduced the dosage to 36.5 and am doing ok. I'm planing to start taking 36.5 every other day for another 10 days and stop... Has anyone done it like this? Does anyone know for long it going to be completely out of system once I stop?
Thank you!
Posted by BWII on May 27, 2003, at 9:50:27
In reply to Re: Effexor XR? Successful but very ugly !-zinya, posted by jammin on December 4, 2002, at 12:21:04
This was very successful while taking it, but the withdrawl is by far worse than the benefits.
I have tried to stop multiple times from the lowest dosage (75 mg) but each time the withdrawl is absolutely horrible.
After only 48 hours, I find my brain having some kind of tremers or something that feels like electric shock. Especially whenever I turn my head, move my eyes or hear any unexpected or startling sound.
My dreams have suddenly become highly violent and my temper has tripled to the point that I am afraid to be around others for fear that I may hurt them.
Do yourself a favor and AVOID THIS AT ALL COSTS.
My family and work has been affected worse than when my depression and initial bursts of rage were what caused me to take Effexor XR.
No one around me has any idea why I cannot function. I cannot even think clearly and my balance is off. Nervous ticks are off the charts as well.
If anyone has any suggestions, I would be in your debt.
Good luck to any others who share in this...
Posted by jtc on May 27, 2003, at 10:12:14
In reply to Re: I'm going off- please help!, posted by BillySilva on May 27, 2003, at 8:26:44
> I'm getting off Effexor. Have been taking 75 mg for one year. For the last ten day I reduced the dosage to 36.5 and am doing ok. I'm planing to start taking 36.5 every other day for another 10 days and stop... Has anyone done it like this? Does anyone know for long it going to be completely out of system once I stop?
> Thank you!
Hi, good luck to you. I went off of effexor xr the same way as you are trying. I took 37.5 mg for about 2 weeks and then every other day for about 2 weeks then stopped. I did okay but I had the dizziness when I stopped cold turkey for about 3 days. I have been off for about 2 months and am now starting to have a lot of crying spells and irritability to my family. I am thinking I need to try something else. What makes me angry is that the doctors say you can stop without tapering. They do not know what they are talking about. Anyway good luck to you and I have read on this posting board that you can take Benadryl for the dizziness. Hope this helps. Take care and keep us posted. jtc
Posted by jtc on May 27, 2003, at 10:26:35
In reply to Re: new to effexor, and I have questions, posted by belle rose on May 27, 2003, at 0:10:47
> > First, I'm grateful to have all your posts to read. I did so back when my md. first gave me Effexor back in Dec. and, because of my history of ultra sensitivities and side effects to previous drugs, I decided to delay taking it and try to 'weather' my depression (also thinking perhaps the mourning for my mom's passing was so much a factor that maybe time would heal some of the depression.
> >
> > But it's gotten worse and months have gone by with no more than an isolated day here and there of any physical energy for anything beyond reading and writing.
> >
> > I started Effexor last night, taking only HALF (approx.) of the grains in a 37.5 mg capsule, after dinner and dessert and presumably the fullest and most protected time of day for my stomach (also having a history of gastritis).
> >
> > I woke this morning after about 5-1/2 hrs sleep with an immediately noticeable, albeit fairly mild, nausea which has been off and on all day, and just now eating crackers to try to appease it, it seemed instead to get worse. And in the past few hours, i've been having a different sort of weird sensation in my head, like a somewhat knifey-tingly-electricky feeling, not severe but noticeable and distracting. This is on only approx. 18 mg!
> >
> > My question: I know from reading many of your posts that initial side effects ilke this are not unusual -- but on so little a dose, given my history of sensitivity... I'm thinking i should at least finish the other half of the first capsule, but can it be that this is already my body telling me "This drug isn't meant for you?"
> >
> > I know it's a judgment call only I can make for myself, but if anyone has any thoughts/input, I'd appreciate it. My md. who prescribed told me, after I'd read comments here last Dec. about symptoms he'd given me no indication about despite knowing my ultra-sensitivity, told me he has about 200 patients taking Effexor (!?!) and had never heard of any problems with side effects. Well, that just made me not really trust his level of awareness, so I turn to you all here. Thanks.
>
> Dear Friend
>
> I would discuss the symptoms you are having immediately with your physician especially if you are sensitive to prescriptions. I told my physicians for years about the side effects I would have when I missed a dose or was even a few hours late and was dismissed. While on the drug, I had chronic constipation and weight gain only. It wasn't until I would try to go off of it because it didn't help with my "Cyclothalmia", rapid cycling, less severe than manic depression, that I experienced the hideous side effects. I am now 40 days off Effexor and still have extreme joint pain and my vision is awful. I feel much better though. If you haven't tried any other mood stabililizers, I recommend trying some others first and using Effexor as a last resort.
> Best of luck to you. belle roseHi, I agree with belle rose's suggestion. I would try some other antidepressants first before the effexor. I have been off Effexor for about 2 months after taking it for about 11 months. It is hard to discontinue but it did help me, however I wish I had known more about it before trying it. My 9 year old daughter took it for about 4 months. She is now off of it too. Her pediatrician does not feel comfortable with prescribing it for children. She recommnends trying Zoloft for my daughter. My daughter's psychiatrist prescribed the Effexor and told me I did not have to taper it with my daughter and that she could just stop taking it. That is the furthest from the truth I have ever heard. My daughter has extreme anxiety (just like me). Anyway we are both off of it now. I am sure it works for some people but I think we should be aware of side effects of this medication before taking and some doctors do not seem to be aware of these. Take care and good luck to you in whatever your decision, jtc
>
Posted by fanni on May 27, 2003, at 17:21:59
In reply to new to effexor, and I have questions, posted by zinya on May 26, 2003, at 21:29:22
i got the exact same thing,im very sensitive to ads,got a manic reaction with prozac and a rash on lexapro,so im reticent to take this new crap theyre throwing at me,efexor,so ive been taking it one day and skipping the next which is probably really bad.i got the nausea thing to the point of puking almost instantly like half an hour later,and felt wired and getting head rushes.i find its not so bad after doing as you did,having dinner or something,also i took half a xanax to get rid of the nausea and it worked.i hear side effects should go in about two weeks.
Posted by zinya on May 27, 2003, at 17:42:39
In reply to Re: Effexor XR? Successful but very ugly !-zinya, posted by BWII on May 27, 2003, at 9:50:27
Gosh, first, i'm appreciative of the responses here thus far and will post a more combined post responding to the suggestions directed to me.
But i'm alarmed here on your behalf and wondering if you have tried tapering down in 18 mg increments? Either by dividing the grains in a 75mg capsule in 4ths or getting 37.5 capsules (75 isn't really the lowest dose) and dividing them in half?
Do you mean the violent dreams and rage are happening even while you're taking the 75 mg? or only when you start to go off of it?
And if the latter is the case, then I'm also curious as to what symptoms made you decide to go off? Is it the (understandable) reason of just not wanting to be dependent on something forever? I'm going through weighing of all such factors myself ... enough that i put off starting this for 6 months, but it seemed finally and seems like i can't know if i don't try and some say it's been good ... Yet i'm guessing for most all of us there is the wish that their wouldn't be permanent dependence, especially since some suggest that after a time a certain level no longer 'works' for them and they up the dose.
I'm also curious: Were you ever higher than the 75 mg? My understanding is that people don't feel the benefit of the second effect - the adrenalin system one -- until at least 150 mg? Did you ever get that effect as far as you can tell? or mostly the anti-depressive SSRI effect?
> This was very successful while taking it, but the withdrawl is by far worse than the benefits.
>
> I have tried to stop multiple times from the lowest dosage (75 mg) but each time the withdrawl is absolutely horrible.
>
> After only 48 hours, I find my brain having some kind of tremers or something that feels like electric shock. Especially whenever I turn my head, move my eyes or hear any unexpected or startling sound.
>
> My dreams have suddenly become highly violent and my temper has tripled to the point that I am afraid to be around others for fear that I may hurt them.
>
> Do yourself a favor and AVOID THIS AT ALL COSTS.
>
> My family and work has been affected worse than when my depression and initial bursts of rage were what caused me to take Effexor XR.
>
> No one around me has any idea why I cannot function. I cannot even think clearly and my balance is off. Nervous ticks are off the charts as well.
>
> If anyone has any suggestions, I would be in your debt.
>
> Good luck to any others who share in this...
Posted by zinya on May 27, 2003, at 18:13:32
In reply to Re: new to effexor, and I have questions, posted by jtc on May 27, 2003, at 10:26:35
Thanks to the responses from each of you here already...
I guess i didn't make clear that this isn't my first a-d attempt... Going back 15 years, i've been put on prozac, lithium, depakote, zoloft, celexa, and paxil -- in that order, i believe - and in each case the side effects caused me to quit before i got to a one-month point, except for depakote which i allowed a pdoc to insist i keep trying for 5 very groggy months of feeling dead to the world til at least noon every day no matter how early i took it before bed... until i finally took myself off of it ... In all those cases, i don't recall having withdrawal present its own set of symptoms however and once i stopped, i returned to where i'd been before. It was reading here about all these w/d symptoms that gave me added pause about this despite my md (an internist)'s encouragement that Effexor would be good cuz of dealing with adreanlin as well as SSRI system ... Though i read somewhere here say the adrenalin effects only kick in at or above 150mg levels and, at the rate i'm on feeling weird effects at just 18 mg, that would require a helluva lot of 'mind over matter' .. Which is what happened i guess to cause me to finally decide to try it cuz i'd finally realized nothing was getting me out of this hole ... of virtual immobility and sense of overwhelmedness and defeat, after a life of much activism, now since my mom's passing 9 months ago took away a key prop which i think was keeping me going - as her caretaker - even though i can see that depression has been just under the surface or rather something i (barely) papered over for years of mushing on and being productive. Now productivity seems like a fantasy, a mirage, a completely elusive thing of the past.
Hence, resorting to Effexor and, despite all the reading here as background knowledge, starting with hopefulness. yet already the side effects make me pause. Again. I took the other half of the first 37.5 last night and it must have also had a sedative effect as i fell asleep unusually early (before midnight) and then woke before 6 am, also unusually early, this time not with nausea but with inner heat sensations and just feeling weird. There's been some nausea just in last hour, milder than yesterday, and there's already dry mouth, semi-big time. I do feel less back pain than i chronically experience, which is surprising, and havent' taken any painkiller today, but to feel such weird sensations forces me to wonder once again what road i'm putting myself on. I'm so appreciative that, thanks to you, at least i know what the risks are. I'm waiting for a callback from my bereavement counselor, a social worker who sees lots of folks on a-ds and who's been great as a sounding board. My actual md still doesn't strike me as the best source of knowledge and i'm still a long way from feeling the kind of energy that would make me feel up to driving a fair distance to see him even if i could get an appt.
Well, this feels like babbling. I do appreciate and thank each of you for any and all input. I'm feeling like -- because of the awareness of withdrawal symptoms you've all made me aware of -- I'm walking a fineline here of constant monitoring where i have to make a judgment call that could come at any moment of thinking "Nope, quit now before i risk any greater w/d problems" ... or... ?? ? or yikes, the alternative seems like casting my fate to Effexor forever ... or going back to being grateful for "only" being depressed and energyless.. It's a bit daunting to hear that, unlike the other a-ds i've tried, this time might be sheer hell if i give this a full shot -- e.g., for a month -- to see whether the side effects might ease away and the good effects change my life substantially.
thanks to all
zbtw, does "Cyclothalmia" mean that your mood or body chemistry, etc. then can change within an hour? That sounds very familiar though i hadn't heard this label before. Twice someone thought i was bipolar but the depression side sooo far outweighs (and is so much more problematic) than any high side that after lithium and one other (?) both failing to do any good, i scrapped that route and yet part of my depression now is compounded by circumstances of decisions i made in the effort to take care of my mom which in retrospect look like they were more than a tad unrealistic, even if my behavior wasn't "manic" at the time... And yet in a way it was, and I'm paying an enormous albatross-like price for it now that is adding to a sense of overwhlemingness with this depression that hasn't wanted to let up with the end of a long winter of desolation...
Posted by zinya on May 27, 2003, at 18:18:36
In reply to Re: new to effexor, and I have questions, posted by jtc on May 27, 2003, at 10:26:35
I've read several of you discussing drinking and the odd taste of wine, etc. you experience. I'm not drinking alcohol at all and in fact made sure i'd cleared my last beer out of my system before starting this (although the prospect of never drinking again is daunting -- but something had already changed in me due presumably to the depression which had made alcohol have a very different effect on me than it used to, no longer able to drink even a glass without a certain day-after malaise or worse...
But i'm wondering if any of you also notice that even coffee tastes different? and even water? I tend to drink bubbly water and i don't see how i could get by without my morning espresso (which i realize could have a weird interaction with Effexor too - does anyone know?)... but it also tastes different already just on day #2.
If you've had this experience, does it go away?
Posted by BWII on May 27, 2003, at 18:33:05
In reply to Re: Successful but very ugly ! » BWII, posted by zinya on May 27, 2003, at 17:42:39
I never went above 75mg. I did feel a very intense rush within the first few weeks and it continued for quite a few months. I then felt that I was gaining some sort of tolerance to this drug (and was starting to get the shocking feeling even when I took Effexor XR a few hours later than the day before) which is why I initially attempted to stop taking it. But the withdrawl is a little hard to manage when you have to work or drive or just about anything else. I have never stopped over a week so we'll see. I am supposedly switching to Lexapro (10mg) tomorrow morning so I'll see what happens.
Go forward in thread:
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.