Posted by Reneb on June 24, 2002, at 13:19:25
In reply to Effexor XR Overall Synopsis, posted by BethB on June 23, 2002, at 15:54:40
> Wow-
>
> Nice to know I'm not alone. Here's my 2 cents.
>
> Going on the medicine initially gave me mild side effects like sleeplessness, middle of the night wakings (always 4am), loss of appetite, and dizziness. My doc put me on the meds in steps of 37.5.
>
> I have been on 150 mg for a year now. The first 4 months were successful. I was able to just exist as a normal person. Ahhhhhh....no hideous pits of despair.
>
> Then i started feeling restless and surprisingly SLEEPY. I feel...strangely heavy.
>
> I now crave sweets because I am always so tired and frustrated. Despite my best efforts of exercise and healthy eating I have gained 15 pounds!
>
> I still have ups and downs but BARELY. I CAN'T FEEL. Even when I get excited about something my body doesn't respond. No reactions. No excitement. No misery. Just irritability.
>
> My eyes are so dry that my contacts stick. I always feel thirsty. My lips and face are dry. I sweat much more now. I bruise easily (is this the meds?).
>
> If I miss two or more doses the withdrawal truly is horrendous! Flu-like symptoms including night(day)-sweats, hot flashes, aching muscles, intense nausea, dizziness, migraines beyond reason, severe power outages/surges in the brain, drunken visual effects, slowness in body as well as in thoughts and speech, and lots of irritability.
>
> Does anyone else find it difficult to pee? I know this sounds odd, but I have to really concentrate in order to find the correct peeing muscles!
>
> My psycho-doctor suggests a higher dosage, but that will just make the withdrawal symptoms that much worse!! Plus, when I tried to take higher doses I experienced more side-effects as well, which is not good for being a teacher!
>
> This is the only med I've tried and frankly I hate the idea of a lifetime of pills.
>
> HELP!?
>
> Sarah BSarah, you are not alone! I felt exactly how you feel. I was on it for ove a year. Started to feel nothing...just existing. I exercise everyday. I actually train in the spring and summer for races!!! I also started to gain weight. I told myself that is it. I weaned myself off. It took about 2 months to do it without those horrible withdrawals. It worked well, by the time I was taking my last 1/4 dose of effexor. I was feeling no side effects at all.
Yes, Peeing took forever...lol My husband used to knock on the door to see if I was alright. If I didnt sit there and concentrate it wouldn't happen.
take care,
Renee
poster:Reneb
thread:13781
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020617/msgs/110628.html