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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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Posted by Maeve on September 5, 2003, at 12:35:29
In reply to Re: How long does it take to feel better? » Angelina, posted by Lela on September 3, 2003, at 16:09:05
I believe that any of the activating drugs like effexor and welbutrin do make you hot n sweaty like me (with pink cheeks, and I thought it was my Scotch Irish decent!)
The welbutrin was really bad with the sweats but was great on weight loss and the depression.
Effexor not so hot on the depression but not nearly so bad on sweat or the mars body temp.
And we call this modern medicine... cheesh
Posted by psychobunny on September 6, 2003, at 10:42:13
In reply to Re: electric shocks proper stopping of Effexor » BSHO, posted by CherC68 on August 12, 2003, at 14:33:01
I have been on effexor for about a year. They started me on 37.5mg then the 75mg up to 150mg.I am now on 225mg(three 75mg pills/day).
It has definitely made my depression go away and lessened my anxiety. I have not had this much success with any of the other meds I took. (Wellbutrin, Prozac, Paxil, Remeron)
The problem is if I even forget one dose or take it too late I start getting the "head shocks" feel completely disoriented and have heart palpitations. I asked my Psych Doc how in hell anyone ever gets off this drug and he said he gives his patients Prozac to deal with the withdrawal. He said he takes people off it all the time. He also seemed to know that if you miss your dose or quit cold turkey that in his words "It makes you feel really sick" Understatement of the year. So right now I feel like stopping would be worse than continuing but fear the day I want to stop.
Posted by Tacky1 on September 6, 2003, at 13:24:56
In reply to How long does it take to feel better?, posted by Music on September 3, 2003, at 13:54:03
The main reason I went off of Effexor XR is because My hubby & I may have a baby (not using birth control!). My gyne stated that if I do become pregnant we would need to switch me to Wellbutrin. Well, I work in the medical field and have seen what that particular drug has done to some people, and chose not to take any chances. I want to off all medications if I am going to have a baby. Anyway, back to the point!! I was on 75mg for about a yr, I think, then increased dosage to 150mg because of circumstances, that was a mistake. I did great on the 75mg. I have been off of the Effexor XR completely for about a week now. The nausea is still pretty persistent(daily), but it seems to come and go throughout the day instead of being constant. I'm no longer getting the weird noises in my head. Flu-like symptoms are pretty much gone. I was able to work through most of this week, except for 1 day I called in sick. My doc said that the symptoms should go away in about 2 wks. So one more week to go hopefully. I'll keep you all posted.
> I have been on Effexor XR since the end of June 03' I started out on 37.5, then to 75, then to 150 and now to 225 mg and I feel I guess a little better, but I don't want to be on this stuff forever. My husband and I want to have children sometime in the future not right away though and I don't want to become addicted to this stuff where it interfers with having children. Any help out there.
Posted by mspiggy on September 7, 2003, at 10:16:33
In reply to Re: electric shocks proper stopping of Effexor, posted by psychobunny on September 6, 2003, at 10:42:13
I also had similar "electric shock" sensation on back of my head when I forgot to take my dose of Effexor XR. It seems like my doctors never beleived me when I explained to them about this annoying sensation. Now that I am getting off Effexor to switch to Wellbutrin, I am having a heck of time with dealing with this electric shock sensation.
I believe that the low dose of prozac does help since it completely took off that annoying symptom when I tried to go off Paxil years ago and experienced same sensations.
Unfortunately, I can't afford to buy Prozac this time in addition to the expensive cost of Wellbutrin... so I am just hoping the sensations will go away soon. I tapered off Effexor XR from 150mg to 75mg for one week when I started Wellbutrin 100mg a day, and then I was "supposed to" stop taking Effexor all together after that with Wellburin increased to 200mg a day. But, the electric sensation is continuing and is so annoying (like I experience it every 2seconds), I am now taking Effexor as needed (I literaly opened the capsule and take like half of the contents when my shock sensation is really bad)! How awful!!
Posted by cobamis on September 7, 2003, at 10:36:21
In reply to Re: electric shocks proper stopping of Effexor, posted by loolot on September 3, 2003, at 2:21:47
anyone have a suggestion on how to sleep better while going thru these lovely withdrawals from Effexor. Went from 75mg to 37.5 plus 150mg Wellbutrin for a week and then off effexor all together Wed 9/3 and 300 mg of Wellbutrin. I haven't slept since then and yes, I have all the rest of those withdrawl symptoms (nausea,dizzyness, brain fog). I think I can deal with all of them except the lack of sleep. That's what go me on these things in the first place ( due to degenerative disk disease and lack of sleep for 5 years). I went off 1mg of Kolonopin in May and my PCP thinks my body is having a hard time adjusting to all these changes. Of course her answer was to see a shrink that specializes in "female depression". I think she is totally unaware of the withdrawal symptoms from effexor. I am a pharmaceutical rep and believe me, she will hear about them from me so she can warn others of these withdrawals.
Anyway, back to the original question...HELP, need sleep. I sell Tylenol PM, guess I can try that..but any other sugestions??
Posted by loolot on September 7, 2003, at 10:47:21
In reply to Re: electric shocks proper stopping of Effexor, posted by psychobunny on September 6, 2003, at 10:42:13
Posted by Jacke on September 8, 2003, at 17:27:52
In reply to Re: 4 Wks off Effexor-/joint pain , posted by Janie on March 18, 2001, at 10:40:41
Having taken Effexor XR for almost a year I find myself having nearly disabling joint pain, hands, wrist, elbow, shoulder, and one knee, with swelling and terrible stiffness. Consulted my internist and had tests ran, all negative. Could Effexor XR be the culprit? Do any of you know of any studies relating to Effexor XR and the link to joint and muscle pain? I'd be interested in medical journal articles that support this to take to my doctor.
Posted by cobamis on September 8, 2003, at 18:05:50
In reply to Re: 4 Wks off Effexor-/joint pain , posted by Janie on March 18, 2001, at 10:40:41
I'm not sure if you meant to email me, but as far as joint pain, that is the reason I was put ON Effexor in the first place. I have degnerative disk disease in my ower back and due to lack of sleep over 5 years, went thru a pain clinic and was put on Prozac first, then switched to Effexor about 4 years ago to help rejuvinate my brain chemicals and control pain. It worked great, but now I am pain free and trying to get off all my meds and have horrible withdrawal and was down to 37.5mg. I haven't heard any joint problems, but then I was never made aware of the withdrawal problems either, so it could come from effexor, but can't say for sure. Is it joint or muscle pain? Do you excercise? I know for me, muscle tone was off for a long time and strength training helped a TON!! I used to promote Cox-2's like Celebrex and the swelling in your joints could very well be edema, which can come from Celebrex, or any of the Cox-2's. If you had the swelling before Celebrex, I haven't got any good answers for you..sorry
Posted by cobamis on September 8, 2003, at 18:17:09
In reply to Re: 4 Wks off Effexor-/joint pain , posted by Jacke on September 8, 2003, at 17:27:52
Jackie:
I just read the side effects of Effexor and listed under allergic side effects is swelling. It doesn't say swelling of what, but swelling,itching and rash are listed. Just thought I'd let you know
Posted by cobamis on September 8, 2003, at 18:24:58
In reply to Re: electric shocks proper stopping of Effexor, posted by psychobunny on September 6, 2003, at 10:42:13
I'm not sure about the shocks, but I tried switching from EffexorXR to Wellbutrin and did it the same way you did. I had 5 days of pure hell and finally found someone who knew about the withdrawals. I quit the Wellbutrin 2 days ago and am going to try to live with 37.5mg of Effexor for a week, then 1 every other day for a week, and so on to see if I can avoid these horrible effects. I may just be stuck with the 37.5 mg for life..but I'm gunna try
Posted by cobamis on September 8, 2003, at 18:40:09
In reply to Re: 4 Wks off Effexor-/joint pain , posted by Jacke on September 8, 2003, at 17:27:52
from Effexor's PI:
Musculoskeletal System: Frequent: arthralgia, myalgia; Infrequent: arthritis, arthrosis, bone pain, bone spurs, bursitis, leg cramps, myasthenia, tenosynovitis; Rare: myopathy, osteoporosis, osteosclerosis, pathological fracture, rheumatoid arthritis, tendon rupture.Metabolic and Nutritional: Frequent: edema, weight gain; Infrequent: alkaline phosphatase increased, creatinine increased, diabetes mellitus, glycosuria, hypercholesteremia, hyperglycemia, hyperlipemia, hyperuricemia, hypoglycemia, hypokalemia, SGOT increased, thirst; Rare: alcohol intolerance, bilirubinemia, BUN increased, dehydration, gout, hemochromatosis, hypercalcinuria, hyperkalemia, hyperphosphatemia, hyponatremia, hypophosphatemia, hypoproteinemia, SGPT increased, uremia.
Note the myalgia..and edema and arthritis
Posted by sufferfromeffexor on September 8, 2003, at 18:47:34
In reply to Re: electric shocks proper stopping of Effexor » psychobunny, posted by cobamis on September 8, 2003, at 18:24:58
Hello all! I am finally down to 37.5mg and starting tomorrow I take that every other day. I have been quite surprised how "tolerable" my withdrawls have been. I have been on Effexor for 8 years! I do have one thing to comment on...I see where lots of people said to take some form of Benedryl while coming off this medication...well wouldn't you believe that right when I started coming off this I caught a horrific cold and have been prescribed cough syrup and a nasal decongestant...I have taken them religiously and am wondering if that's why my shocks are so severe?!?!?! Maybe this awful cold was really a blessing in disguise. I did buy some dramamine for a day, don't know if that worked cuz I slept for a few hours after taking it. Wonder what is the relation between the antihystamines and the lessening of withdrawls? Anybody read or find any information on that recently, I would love to have feedback. Thanks!
aaronandbecky@sbcglobal.net
Posted by bookgurl99 on September 8, 2003, at 22:43:19
In reply to Re: BAM/familial hemiplegic migraine » bookgurl99, posted by mercedes on July 16, 2003, at 3:16:19
Hey Mercedes,
I just wanted to post real quick and find out if you're getting any relief from the migraines/panic attacks/whatever. I improved on 10 mgs day/lexapro but not quite enough, so I'm gonna be seeing my dr. to try to get him to let me give Neurontin a shot. Hopefully he will. *crossing fingers*
books
Posted by ezra on September 8, 2003, at 23:10:29
In reply to Re: starting effexor... keep posting.. success/dosage?, posted by lg on November 7, 1999, at 20:09:59
about four months ago i was on 10mg/day on lexapro and 900mg/day on neurontin for supposed bipolar I. i had been having problems with taking the AD alone because i was going into what i thought was hypomania, but my shrink thought otherwise and, as i said above, listed me as bipolar I. after two weeks on the first combo i described, i was insane.. i quit the neurontin altogether and upped my lexapro to 20mg. that seemed to help for a while, but lately (the past month) i've become more prone to mood swings (not sure if it's hypomania or not). i was considering trying to switch to another AD, but honestly i don't know if my symptoms would merit the trouble of the switch to another AD. what do you guys think?
Has anyone switched from lexapro? and useful comparasons between the two ADs? i'd appreciate it! -michael
Posted by mspiggy on September 9, 2003, at 0:44:21
In reply to lack of sleep, posted by cobamis on September 7, 2003, at 10:36:21
Could the lack of sleep due to Wellbutrin? I am also withdrawing from Effexor and started on Wellbutrin. It has been about 3 weeks since I started to taper off Effexor and started on Wellbutrin, and finally I am getting back my good night sleep!I also had a difficult time falling asleep and staying in sleep, I only slept about 4 hours a night for first 2 weeks. I did tried Benadryl to help me sleep, but it did not work for me well, it just made me feel tired and drawsy not a good night sleep. Vicodin did a better job for me to feel relaxed and fall asleep.
Somehow, I started geeting my sleep back since a couple days ago, and my moodiness and irritability etc also started to disappear rather quickly around the same time.
Posted by Salty_dog on September 9, 2003, at 1:54:10
In reply to lack of sleep, posted by cobamis on September 7, 2003, at 10:36:21
The suggestion to see a shrink is not because (s)he thinks yor are nuts but rather to get meds that will work for you. Your PCP is proubably is feeling quit unconfortable right now and may even be losing sleep over the whole thing. I was told to see a shrink during my 'Chemo Theorpy' ( Hep C - Peg Interferion and Ribavirin - You want to talk about side effects, oh my God - 8 months of solid hell). I thought he was making a reffernce to my sanity, but as it turns out, most Dr's have a limited knowlege of aniety and depresion treaments. My Dr. manged to string me out on Xanax and knew he was out of his legue when it came to mental health.
My advice - See a shrink ( they take along time to schedule ). Good luck
Posted by KimberlyDi on September 9, 2003, at 8:28:26
In reply to anyone switch to effexor from lexapro?, posted by ezra on September 8, 2003, at 23:10:29
i would say that Effexor is best for anxiety so try everything else first before trying Effexor for any other reason. They shouldn't prescribe it so widely because of the withdrawal problems.
KDi in Texas
> about four months ago i was on 10mg/day on lexapro and 900mg/day on neurontin for supposed bipolar I. i had been having problems with taking the AD alone because i was going into what i thought was hypomania, but my shrink thought otherwise and, as i said above, listed me as bipolar I. after two weeks on the first combo i described, i was insane.. i quit the neurontin altogether and upped my lexapro to 20mg. that seemed to help for a while, but lately (the past month) i've become more prone to mood swings (not sure if it's hypomania or not). i was considering trying to switch to another AD, but honestly i don't know if my symptoms would merit the trouble of the switch to another AD. what do you guys think?
>
> Has anyone switched from lexapro? and useful comparasons between the two ADs? i'd appreciate it! -michael
Posted by KimberlyDi on September 9, 2003, at 8:37:46
In reply to Re: lack of sleep, posted by mspiggy on September 9, 2003, at 0:44:21
Blame the lack of sleep on Effexor. Welbutrin never caused insomnia for me. It actually seemed to speed my sleep to REM status. Sometimes experiencing dreams while I was semi-conscious of them.
KDi in Texas
Posted by Music on September 9, 2003, at 9:37:48
In reply to Re: anyone switch to effexor from lexapro? » ezra, posted by KimberlyDi on September 9, 2003, at 8:28:26
Hey are you still out there? Just wondering. I went to my therapist last night and she wants to see me again this Friday for a session. I go to see me PsyDoc this Thursday and my therapist wants me to tell her about my dark thoughts that I have been having. How are you doing? How was your weekend? Please keep in touch.
Music
Posted by tony on September 9, 2003, at 12:22:10
In reply to Effexor Remeron, seeking feedback, posted by PhilChemicalEngineer on July 13, 2003, at 13:20:50
MY DOCTOR JUST GAVE ME A STARTER PACKET OF EFFEXOR .DOES ANY ONE KNOW THE SEXUAL SIDE EFFECTS IT GIVES YOU ? I AM NOT SURE I AM GOING TO TAKE IT AFTER READING SOME OF THE MESSAGE BOARDS POSTED.
Posted by oeps7 on September 9, 2003, at 13:56:10
In reply to Re: 4 Wks off Effexor-/joint pain , posted by Jacke on September 8, 2003, at 17:27:52
> Having taken Effexor XR for almost a year I find myself having nearly disabling joint pain, hands, wrist, elbow, shoulder, and one knee, with swelling and terrible stiffness. Consulted my internist and had tests ran, all negative. Could Effexor XR be the culprit? Do any of you know of any studies relating to Effexor XR and the link to joint and muscle pain? I'd be interested in medical journal articles that support this to take to my doctor.
I am off effexor xr as well and started having slight joint pain. I believe it's related
Posted by Music on September 9, 2003, at 14:37:12
In reply to Re: Effexor Remeron, seeking feedback, posted by tony on September 9, 2003, at 12:22:10
> MY DOCTOR JUST GAVE ME A STARTER PACKET OF EFFEXOR .DOES ANY ONE KNOW THE SEXUAL SIDE EFFECTS IT GIVES YOU ? I AM NOT SURE I AM GOING TO TAKE IT AFTER READING SOME OF THE MESSAGE BOARDS POSTED.
I have been on Effexor XR since June 03' and it is hard to "O" on this stuff. My husband and I struggle with this. I hope maybe my PsyDoc on Thursday might put me on something else. I have never been on any AD's before this is my first one. So I might try something else. I am currently on 225mg per day in the morning I take it. Just some feed back for you. Most other side effects go away. Except the sexual ones.
Let me know if any of us can help. Have a great day!Music
Posted by cobamis on September 9, 2003, at 15:55:47
In reply to Re: Effexor Remeron, seeking feedback, posted by Music on September 9, 2003, at 14:37:12
Effexor DOES has sexual side effects. I was on 75mgs and the big "O" was hard to reach (thank god for a persistant partner). Supposedly 75 and less there are none. I'm on 37.5mg now and will find out next week if this will help. Supposedly Wellbutrin has minimal , if any, sexual side effects. In fact the rep here calls it the "happy,skinny,horny pill"..it didn't sit well with me, messed up sleep, so went back to effexor. Good luck
Posted by Music on September 9, 2003, at 16:46:57
In reply to Re: Effexor Remeron, seeking feedback, posted by cobamis on September 9, 2003, at 15:55:47
I think that is the drug (Wellbutrin) that my PsyDoc mention to me last time I saw her 3 weeks ago, maybe that is the one that will work for me. Because I don't think Effexor XR is working for me. I'm still very depressed and have very dark thoughts at times. My husband hopes that I can have the "O" with maybe another drug. What didn't you like about Wellbutrin again? What SE's does that drug have?
Music
Posted by Angelina on September 9, 2003, at 17:09:12
In reply to Message for Angelina, posted by Music on September 9, 2003, at 9:37:48
> Hey are you still out there? Just wondering. I went to my therapist last night and she wants to see me again this Friday for a session. I go to see me PsyDoc this Thursday and my therapist wants me to tell her about my dark thoughts that I have been having. How are you doing? How was your weekend? Please keep in touch.
>
> Music
>Music,
Sorry I've been out of touch. I'm in a little bit of a rough time right now. I mentioned my divorce the other day, and the other loss I'm experiencing is due to the death of my father August 7. His 65th birthday is Sept. 11, and I feel like I'm not coping too well. See, writing that is making me cry, and I cry all the time. I feel like I'm probably not too supportive right now, so I laid low for a few days.
I'm so glad to hear you saw your therapist, and it's definitely a good idea to talk to your prescribing doctor about your dark thoughts. Did you think about having your husband go to an appointment with you?
Take care,
A.
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