Posted by sb417 on September 16, 2004, at 23:28:06
In reply to Depression and Mentally Challenging Work, posted by SadWren on September 16, 2004, at 11:33:31
Hi SadWren,
Are you able to objectively assess whether you were better able to concentrate before you began Effexor? Are you better or worse on Effexor than you were a few months ago? Have you ever had any depressive episodes before? How did you manage them? Have you ever taken an antidepressant or any other psychotropic medication before? If so, how did you do on it?
Are you also in talk therapy? If so, it might be helpful to talk with your therapist about what you've told us. And one other question. . .Are you nearing the completion of your studies? Sometimes when students have difficulty completing a course or a degree, the most difficulty with studying and "writer's block" occurs towards the end, and this can happen for various reasons (fear of success, fear of failure, fear of "growing up" and actually getting a "real" job, and breaking away from the relative safety or illusion of safety that the academic world provides, etc. etc.). Finishing school and endings in general mean different things to different people, and it might be worth considering whether some of those fears and resistances apply to you.
Now, getting back to the medicines. . . Some people do well on Effexor. If you are one of those, it may take a while longer for you to see the benefits. Unfortunately, there are others who do very poorly on that medication. If you find that you are in that group, there are other medicines that your doctor should be willing to prescribe. If your doctor is either unimaginative or unwilling to come up with either a single drug or a suitable medication combo for you, then do some research about the best pdocs in your area, and switch doctors. If, in time, you find that the Effexor helps a bit but doesn't quite give you the motivation you need, then I hope your doctor will consider adding on a more motivating medicine, such as Wellbutrin or a stimulant. Some people find Provigil motivating; others don't.Please let us know how you're doing.
poster:sb417
thread:391494
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040915/msgs/391807.html