Posted by Elizabeth on December 16, 2001, at 12:27:32
In reply to Re: Effexor and Remeron, posted by rjk on December 16, 2001, at 8:56:20
> I was taking 75mg Effexor and 30mg Remeron.
> I had taken both before,on their own, without a problem.
> When I stopped taking the combination, I stopped Effexor first, but that still gave me headache side effects.
> Obviously it suits some people, but for me it was the worst thing I could have done.Well, sometimes weird things just happen. I tried codeine once (for menstrual cramps -- ibuprofen wasn't strong enough and naproxen made me sick; I later found that there are prescription NSAIDs that don't cause as much stomach upset and are stronger analgesics). I had to take a pretty high dose for it to do anything (turns out I probably don't metabolize it well -- codeine's main effect comes from its active metabolite, morphine). I took it for like two days. Then the third day I woke up and I didn't have any typical opioid withdrawal symptoms, but my back was hurting. I've had chronic back pain ever since (and it's a lot harder to treat than cramps)! I don't know for sure if it had anything to do with the codeine or not -- supposedly there's something weird about the way a couple of my vertabrae are shaped that causes inflammation in the joints between them (this was verified by a test), and I might have been sleeping in a funny position that triggered it. Chronic pain is very poorly understood -- we're just beginning to understand how much we don't understand about it! And a *lot* of people suffer from it, especially headaches and back pain like you and me.
Have you tried getting help for the headaches? The way I found out about the mechanical problem in my back was by going to a pain clinic. Also, what happens when you try taking other antidepressants? What about other types of psych meds? It might be that something that works differently (for example: lithium, anticonvulsants, benzos) could help with your depression even if you can't take regular ADs.
-elizabeth
poster:Elizabeth
thread:86890
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20011213/msgs/87099.html