![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
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 cjfswife on August 8, 2006, at 16:29:40
Effexor xr has ruined my life. I am off of it now, but had severe withdrawal and still experience side effects. It has caused me a heart arrythmia, angina , rapid heart beat 19 lb weight gain, anxiety, high blood pressure, migraines. I did not hve this problem before effexor. I did not have depression either, I recently found out that I have an underactive thyroid...those symptoms can mimic depression. IT IS NOT WORTH IT!
Posted by bkdog on August 8, 2006, at 18:19:33
In reply to bad news, posted by cjfswife on August 8, 2006, at 16:29:40
i had a nasty effexor withdrawal a while back... so i can totally empathize with you. Luckily it didnt last long /ymmv/ (felt like forever tho)...
and the most frustrating part was that it didnt work for me.
all that trouble for nothing.....the side effects WILL go away. just hang in there.
Posted by SLS on August 9, 2006, at 6:36:10
In reply to bad news, posted by cjfswife on August 8, 2006, at 16:29:40
> Effexor xr has ruined my life. I am off of it now, but had severe withdrawal and still experience side effects. It has caused me a heart arrythmia, angina , rapid heart beat 19 lb weight gain, anxiety, high blood pressure, migraines. I did not hve this problem before effexor. I did not have depression either, I recently found out that I have an underactive thyroid...those symptoms can mimic depression. IT IS NOT WORTH IT!
Hi.
I'm sorry to hear that you had such a horrific time with Effexor. You are not alone.
How did you go about discontinuing it? Did you taper it or did you stop it abruptly - cold turkey?
How long ago did you stop it?
What side effects are you still having?
What did you take Effexor for if you were not depressed?
For some people, depression is a withdrawal symptom. It is called depressive rebound. However, my guess is that this particular symptom shouldn't last for more than a week or two unless it has triggered another underlying condition.
I hope correcting your thyroid condition relieves you of depression.
- Scott
Posted by Phillipa on August 9, 2006, at 11:22:36
In reply to Re: bad news » cjfswife, posted by SLS on August 9, 2006, at 6:36:10
I'm assuming your thyroid is underactive. Have you started a med like sythroid or levothyroxine? If so it should help in around l0 days. At least that was my experience. Good luck. Love phillipa
Posted by theo on August 12, 2006, at 16:39:34
In reply to bad news, posted by cjfswife on August 8, 2006, at 16:29:40
I don't see it discussed hear much, but taking Prozac the day after your last dose of Effexor XR is very helpful. Cross tapering with Prozac is a life saver because of it's long half life.
Posted by Glydin on August 13, 2006, at 9:30:58
In reply to bad news, posted by cjfswife on August 8, 2006, at 16:29:40
> Effexor xr has ruined my life. I am off of it now, but had severe withdrawal and still experience side effects. It has caused me a heart arrythmia, angina , rapid heart beat 19 lb weight gain, anxiety, high blood pressure, migraines. I did not hve this problem before effexor. I did not have depression either, I recently found out that I have an underactive thyroid...those symptoms can mimic depression. IT IS NOT WORTH IT!
~~~ Your experience highlights that ALL mental health evaluations should begin with a complete "physical" assessment to rule out other causes and folks should demand it if it is not offered.I used quotes around physical as I consider my brain as part of my physical makeup too. Some of us do well on these medications that treat our brain, just as one can do well on meds that treat another body part or functional process. So, head meds are worth it for some of us.
I'm sorry for the difficulties you experienced.
Posted by cjfswife on August 15, 2006, at 14:47:19
In reply to Re: bad news, posted by Phillipa on August 9, 2006, at 11:22:36
> I'm assuming your thyroid is underactive. Have you started a med like sythroid or levothyroxine? If so it should help in around l0 days. At least that was my experience. Good luck. Love phillipa
Yes!! I am on 88mcg of levoxyl now...feeling much better
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.