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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 7 of 7. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by beatrix34 on April 29, 2004, at 17:29:04
I have just started to take Effexor and am finding that I too am thrashing around at night and waking up with my thoughts racing. It is day 4 of me starting the meds, I feel calmer already but a bit wired at the same time. Has anyone experienced this and if so, did you find that the side effects subsided? Does anyone know if I can take Tylenol PM with Effexor?
Posted by King Vultan on April 29, 2004, at 19:31:32
In reply to Effexor XR, side effects/insomnia, posted by beatrix34 on April 29, 2004, at 17:29:04
> I have just started to take Effexor and am finding that I too am thrashing around at night and waking up with my thoughts racing. It is day 4 of me starting the meds, I feel calmer already but a bit wired at the same time. Has anyone experienced this and if so, did you find that the side effects subsided? Does anyone know if I can take Tylenol PM with Effexor?
Waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to get back to sleep was one of the major problems I had with Effexor. It would diminish after I got used to a particular dosage but would never go away entirely. Yes, the Tylenol PM should be fine with Effexor, as there are no interactions I am aware of. The sleep inducing component of Tylenol PM is diphenhydramine, which is Benadryl (the plain version, anti-allergy only). I am currently using Benadryl as a sleep aid for the terrible insomnia I am suffering on an MAOI (often waking up after less than two hours of sleep), and it is working reasonably well; Tylenol PM should work just as well or perhaps even better.A prescription med commonly prescribed for sleep is Ambien, but depending on your insurance, this can be drastically more expensive than Tylenol PM. I'm not certain it would necessarily be that much better in your case because while it works fairly well for people who have trouble falling asleep, the half life is so short that some people don't get a full night's sleep on it, perhaps waking up after five hours or so. For others, it works better, but I would certainly try Tylenol PM first.
Todd
Posted by beatrix34 on April 29, 2004, at 21:18:34
In reply to Re: Effexor XR, side effects/insomnia, posted by King Vultan on April 29, 2004, at 19:31:32
Thanks a lot Todd, I will try the Tylenol PM tonight and see how it goes. I seem to have no problem falling asleep I just wake up after about five hours and then almost every hour after that...also, it doesn't feel like I am in a very deep sleep after I wake up. I'm semi-conscious for the rest of the night it seems. Fingers crossed for a good night's sleep tonight! Thanks again.
Posted by rainyday on April 30, 2004, at 6:54:37
In reply to Re: Effexor XR, side effects/insomnia, posted by beatrix34 on April 29, 2004, at 21:18:34
Another possibility for sleeping help is vistaril, by prescription (also an antihistamine). It left me less groggy than Tylenol PM.
Currently I used .5.g ambien as I'm also on wellbutrin which makes me very restless at night.
Posted by Sad Panda on May 4, 2004, at 12:52:53
In reply to Re: Effexor XR, side effects/insomnia, posted by beatrix34 on April 29, 2004, at 21:18:34
> Thanks a lot Todd, I will try the Tylenol PM tonight and see how it goes. I seem to have no problem falling asleep I just wake up after about five hours and then almost every hour after that...also, it doesn't feel like I am in a very deep sleep after I wake up. I'm semi-conscious for the rest of the night it seems. Fingers crossed for a good night's sleep tonight! Thanks again.
>
>Hi,
Besides insomnia, do you have any other side effects from Effexor? I take Remeron to counter my Effexor Insomnia, another good one to consider is generic Doxepin.
Cheers,
Panda.
Posted by beatrix34 on May 4, 2004, at 14:50:55
In reply to Re: Effexor XR, side effects/insomnia » beatrix34, posted by Sad Panda on May 4, 2004, at 12:52:53
I did have for the first week, which is weird I hear but I had dry mouth, chills, cloudy thinking, dilated pupils, and felt lethargic. I feel much better now, other than the insomnia I seem to be ok. I have to increase my dose at the end of this week though, so I'm a bit worried about where that is going to leave me. I was told that the anti-anxiety aspect of the med. kicks in almost immediately while the anti-depressant takes a while longer to stabilize the depression. I also notice that I have been a less motivated to exercise, maybe just because I don't feel as high strung? Who knows. What has your experience been?
Posted by Sad Panda on May 4, 2004, at 15:48:31
In reply to Re: Effexor XR, side effects/insomnia, posted by beatrix34 on May 4, 2004, at 14:50:55
> I did have for the first week, which is weird I hear but I had dry mouth, chills, cloudy thinking, dilated pupils, and felt lethargic. I feel much better now, other than the insomnia I seem to be ok. I have to increase my dose at the end of this week though, so I'm a bit worried about where that is going to leave me. I was told that the anti-anxiety aspect of the med. kicks in almost immediately while the anti-depressant takes a while longer to stabilize the depression. I also notice that I have been a less motivated to exercise, maybe just because I don't feel as high strung? Who knows. What has your experience been?
>
>
>Effexor has made me as happy as I have ever been, however, I had zero motivation before taking it & I still have zero motivation. Effexor becomes energizing as you increase the doseage, however, you must monitor your blood pressure as it will creep up with higher doses. I went to 300mg which gave me a good boost, it actually made it easier to do things, but it affected my memory greatly which I could not tolerate, so I went back to 225mg. Side effects for me have been nausea, insomnia & anorgasmia, so I got Remeron added to fix these problems. I think Effexor is pretty good once you get over or around the side effects. :)
Cheers,
Panda.
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