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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 11 of 11. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by jenn007 on August 2, 2004, at 8:29:17
i stopped my effexor xr on my own because of sedative effect on me at 75mg. no crazy wd effects yet so that is good. but i just called my doctor and told him i need to change meds - i have never been on anything before and effexor was his first choice for my anxiety/stress/post partum depression.
do you think wellbutrin would be a better choice if the effexor made me too tired? or what about paxil? do they have the same crazy side effects as the effexor??
thanks, jenn
Posted by linkadge on August 2, 2004, at 8:39:51
In reply to need new med please, posted by jenn007 on August 2, 2004, at 8:29:17
Generally wellbutrin should cause less sedation than an SNRI like Effexor. I would caution you however, that wellbutrin may not be a good choice if anger/anxiety is one of your problems. Wellbutrin tends to not be good for anger or anxiety. Other than this it can be a good antidepressant.
Linkadge
Posted by jenn007 on August 2, 2004, at 8:57:19
In reply to Re: need new med please, posted by linkadge on August 2, 2004, at 8:39:51
well i am not really angry... i am just really stressed out and feel like i dont have control over anything. this makes me anxious and i feel like something bad is going to happen. i feel ridiculous, i never had any of these problems until after i just had a baby. so i hate to bother my doctor, but the effexor was just not right.
Posted by toodlebug on August 2, 2004, at 9:36:41
In reply to need new med please, posted by jenn007 on August 2, 2004, at 8:57:19
Effexor was very activating for me, so maybe my experiences will not be very informative. Paxil made me VERY sleepy. I had to take 2-3 hour naps every day on top of my normal amount of sleep or I just couldn't function. I also gained a lot of weight on Paxil. (I did on Effexor, too, though!) I definitely wouldn't recommend Paxil. Another AD which was very activating for me was Celexa (even more so than Effexor), but I've heard some people complain of it causing drowsiness. Wellbutrin doesn't have a very strong anti-depressant effect and is best used in conjunction with another AD. It supposedly works very well with Effexor. Talk to your doctor about it.
Posted by King Vultan on August 2, 2004, at 11:41:48
In reply to need new med please, posted by jenn007 on August 2, 2004, at 8:29:17
I agree that Wellbutrin is probably not the best choice here. You may just want to go with an ordinary SSRI such as Zoloft, Prozac, or Celexa/Lexapro. I would avoid Paxil, as it is generally more sedating than the other SSRIs.
Todd
Posted by jenn007 on August 2, 2004, at 14:59:47
In reply to Re: need new med please » jenn007, posted by King Vultan on August 2, 2004, at 11:41:48
i just called in a refill for my effexor. i am going crazy - i am so irritable. the doc cant see me until next week. i am going to try to take one at night to see if it helps the fatigue during the day.
maybe he can just give me something for energy....anyone have any comments about concerta? i read that it is also a stimulant....maybe i need both - one for my PPD and one for the side effects of my AD? Lol
Posted by LynneDa on August 2, 2004, at 15:36:19
In reply to effexor and a stimulant??, posted by jenn007 on August 2, 2004, at 14:59:47
Hi Jenn -
I was on Lexapro at 20mg for several months. I kept getting sleepier and sleepier! It worked well for my PMDD (Pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder), but I couldn't stay alert anymore (I work out of the home full time). I weaned off of it in conjunction with going on Wellbutrin SR 300 mg. I am no longer sleepy, I am more focused and motivated . . . but my PMDD symptoms are back. So, I am going to start back on 5 mg of Lexapro and see what happens. I don't see anything wrong with using 2 meds, even if one is just to counteract an s/e of another!Good luck to you - you need all the energy and alertness you can get with a new baby :-)
~ Lynne
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>i just called in a refill for my effexor. i am going crazy - i am so irritable. the doc cant see me until next week. i am going to try to take one at night to see if it helps the fatigue during the day.
> maybe he can just give me something for energy....
>
> anyone have any comments about concerta? i read that it is also a stimulant....maybe i need both - one for my PPD and one for the side effects of my AD? Lol
Posted by Colleen D. on August 2, 2004, at 16:03:01
In reply to need new med please, posted by jenn007 on August 2, 2004, at 8:29:17
and have been taking 150mg of Effexor XR since the end of May. I found that once I went up to 150mg from 75mg, the Effexor really kicked in and became very energizing for me. In fact, I now have insomnia and can function very well on very little sleep. Since you're already taking it, you could ask your doc about a dosage increase and see if it helps at all before switching ADs. I have 3 young children who are age 5, 2 and 10.5 months, so I need all the energy I can muster right now. :-) Good luck!!!
Colleen (age 42)
PPD, GAD and OCD
Posted by jenn007 on August 3, 2004, at 11:29:33
In reply to I also have PPD... » jenn007, posted by Colleen D. on August 2, 2004, at 16:03:01
oh really?? gosh, you are the first one i heard tell me something positive. i took one last night and feel a little better/wierd also, but i havent been taking them in almost 4 days. i am gonna try that... did you feel tired on the 75?
Posted by Colleen D. on August 3, 2004, at 12:11:35
In reply to effexor increased to 150.. » Colleen D., posted by jenn007 on August 3, 2004, at 11:29:33
37.5 and 75mg! I took Zoloft a few years ago for PPD and felt VERY SLEEPY most of the time. That's why my doc gave me the Effexor this time. Good luck!
Colleen
PPD, GAD and OCD
Posted by Ktemene on August 3, 2004, at 16:09:25
In reply to need new med please, posted by jenn007 on August 2, 2004, at 8:29:17
I have read that low dose (e.g. 75mg) Effexor is mostly inhibiting serotonin reuptake. This is usually good for depression but may also make you feel very sleepy. Lots of people on this board have struggled with SSRI induced sleepiness and fatigue. In the moderate and high dose range Effexor is also inhibiting norepinephrine reuptake, and that is good for increasing energy. But some people find that Effexor's serotonin reuptake inhibition continues to make them sleepy even at high doses- for them the energizing effects of the norepinephrine reuptake inhibition is not enough to outweigh the SSRI sleepiness. If that happens to you then you might try a med that has minimal serotonin reuptake inhibition, like Wellbutrin, Strattera or (low dose) Selegiline and add an antianxiety med if you need one.
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