![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 12 of 12. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by CathyW on February 15, 2006, at 16:02:09
I'm 45 and amd suffering from menopause symptons (hot flashes, night sweats, irritability). My doctor told me that effexor is sometimes used to treat menopause symptons and thus gave me a prescription for it. I "googled" effexor and read the info on several websites and did not see any mention of menopause treatment.I have not filled the prescription yet and am not sure I will after reading some of the "threads" on this website! It sounds pretty scary to me!! Has anyone else had the same experience as me?
Posted by Glydin on February 15, 2006, at 18:21:25
In reply to Effexor Prescribed for Menopause?!, posted by CathyW on February 15, 2006, at 16:02:09
I am your age and Lexapro has helped me greatly from perimenopausal symptoms. The fact is, it's helped EVERYTHING in increasing my quality of life. When I search the web, I would seem to be a rare, rare exception. It is my belief that most personal stories found posted are going to be of the "seeking and haven't had success" as opposed to "found a treatment, and have noted good relief". Horror stories are certainly true and I am respectful of that, but they are NOT the case for everyone.
The decision is up to you and is quite personal but you may be surprised to find it MIGHT be a good treatment for you. All I can say is, my ovarian challenges (my cute terminology) made for mood and functioning challenges. I did find good help with using an AD.
Keep in mind, should you go the AD route, there are startup problems and side effects for most folks. Mine passed, but they did happen. It took me several trials to get through the getting through as I would drop everything before it had a chance to work prior to going on Lex.
Good Luck to you amd sign me: "More contented at this time of life than I ever imagined I could be......"
Posted by Laurie Beth on February 15, 2006, at 19:36:53
In reply to Re: Effexor Prescribed for Menopause?! » CathyW, posted by Glydin on February 15, 2006, at 18:21:25
Glydin, can you describe the symptoms it helped you with? Thanks.
Posted by Glydin on February 15, 2006, at 19:55:30
In reply to Re: Effexor Prescribed for Menopause?! » Glydin, posted by Laurie Beth on February 15, 2006, at 19:36:53
> Glydin, can you describe the symptoms it helped you with? Thanks.
Sure
I had a big problem with drenching night sweats - not so much hot flashes but night sweats were bad and interfered with any good quality of sleep. My cycles were becoming shorter and unpredictable. Also, I would get PMS headaches as a routine. In terms of mood: anxiety and irritablity were the hallmarks - I was so evil, I could barely stand my own self and so anxious, I had panic and agoraphobia. AND... depression and lack of drive and motivation. Now, whether all these symptoms could be attributed to hormonal factors could be up speculation, but Lexapro has been a really good treatment for all of symptoms. I feel very lucky in this regard.
Posted by refpik on February 15, 2006, at 21:12:09
In reply to Re: Effexor Prescribed for Menopause?! » Laurie Beth, posted by Glydin on February 15, 2006, at 19:55:30
I also am having the same problems. I feel irritable and stressed although do not really feel like depression. Did you have many sexual side effects or weight gain with Lexapro?
Posted by Phillipa on February 15, 2006, at 22:08:42
In reply to Re: Effexor Prescribed for Menopause?!, posted by refpik on February 15, 2006, at 21:12:09
Listen to Glydin she knows what she's talking about! Fondly, Phillipa
Posted by Glydin on February 16, 2006, at 6:04:18
In reply to Re: Effexor Prescribed for Menopause?!, posted by refpik on February 15, 2006, at 21:12:09
> I also am having the same problems. I feel irritable and stressed although do not really feel like depression. Did you have many sexual side effects or weight gain with Lexapro?
~~~ Sexually, things are actually better. Libido improved as my general state improved and the "O" thing still happens just fine - fortunately. I must say, it was a concern for me as I began Lex as I think it is for alot of folks given there is a fairly high percentage of folks who do experience sexual dysfunction as a side effect. I was very glad this wasn't the case for me.
Weight gain has not been a issue either. I gained a bit over the Christmas holidays and have since taken that off. Feeling better had me wanting to cook, bake and be generally more social - that showed up on the scales but I knew, at the time, that was a given. (smile)
For reference, I'll have my Lex one year anniversry on March 22. So, I've been on it almost a year. I had one dose increase a few months after startup. I do feel like a psych med unicorn but I KNOW there are others who have achieved good results too. Words are inadequate to describe how good it feels to feel good.
I do wish Good Luck to all.....
Posted by refpik on February 16, 2006, at 20:43:19
In reply to Re: Effexor Prescribed for Menopause?! » refpik, posted by Glydin on February 16, 2006, at 6:04:18
Did you have any side effects when you first started Lex and if so how long until they subsided. Are you taking for menopause or because of depression?
Thank you for your advice.
Posted by Glydin on February 16, 2006, at 23:27:11
In reply to Re: Effexor Prescribed for Menopause?!, posted by refpik on February 16, 2006, at 20:43:19
> Did you have any side effects when you first started Lex and if so how long until they subsided.
~~~ Yes, for about the first 2-3 weeks things were not pleasant. The Lex upramped my anxiety. I experienced some panic attacks and generally, very anxious feeling. It also interfered with my sleep and initially made me a bit nauseous. At about 3 weeks, a gradual subsiding happened and by week 4-5, the startup effects were gone. Max effects for the Lex happened around week 8. It was all quite gradual...
> Are you taking for menopause or because of depression?
~~~ Initially, I was diagnosed with GAD with Panic Disorder in 2003 at age 43. My initial trials of AD's did not go well and I ended up on single therapy Klonopin for 3 years. At about the 2 1/2 year mark into the K, I knew my status was changing. It was speculated that hormonal changes and situational factors were the reasons, althought I did not have hormone labs to prove or disprove them as contributing. In my heart, I do believe hormones fluctuating played a big role in my swirl down the drain. But an honest answer would be I went on it to treat depressive symptoms of potentially multiple causes.
> Thank you for your advice.~~~ You are welcome. I'm not sure how helpful I've been but I hope you find relief for your struggles...
Posted by Glydin on February 16, 2006, at 23:34:33
In reply to Re: Effexor Prescribed for Menopause?! » refpik, posted by Glydin on February 16, 2006, at 23:27:11
> ~~~ Initially, I was diagnosed with GAD with Panic Disorder in 2003 at age 43.Should have written = in 2002 at age 42. Time flies when you're having "fun"....
Posted by CathyW on February 21, 2006, at 15:26:52
In reply to Re: Effexor Prescribed for Menopause?! » CathyW, posted by Glydin on February 15, 2006, at 18:21:25
> I am your age and Lexapro has helped me greatly from perimenopausal symptoms. The fact is, it's helped EVERYTHING in increasing my quality of life. When I search the web, I would seem to be a rare, rare exception. It is my belief that most personal stories found posted are going to be of the "seeking and haven't had success" as opposed to "found a treatment, and have noted good relief". Horror stories are certainly true and I am respectful of that, but they are NOT the case for everyone.
>
> The decision is up to you and is quite personal but you may be surprised to find it MIGHT be a good treatment for you. All I can say is, my ovarian challenges (my cute terminology) made for mood and functioning challenges. I did find good help with using an AD.
>
> Keep in mind, should you go the AD route, there are startup problems and side effects for most folks. Mine passed, but they did happen. It took me several trials to get through the getting through as I would drop everything before it had a chance to work prior to going on Lex.
>
> Good Luck to you amd sign me: "More contented at this time of life than I ever imagined I could be......"SOOOO.... I noticed that most of the responses to my initial message refer to Lexapro, NOT Effexor. These ARE different drugs, aren't they? Am I to understand that Effexor is not the norm for menopause? Has anyone taken Effexor for the symptons I described? I also have several other conditions that may interfer with the treatment; such as a thyroid condition that I take meds for and am also disabled from a back condition which I take pain pills & muscle relaxers for. This "old body" is just wearing out!! Does ANYONE take Effexor for menopause out there??
Posted by Glydin on February 21, 2006, at 18:55:16
In reply to Re: Effexor Prescribed for Menopause?!, posted by CathyW on February 21, 2006, at 15:26:52
I'm sorry I ended up hyjacking your thread. It wasn't my intention.
This is the end of the 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.