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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 8 of 8. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by doug12 on April 13, 2002, at 13:37:14
I was on Effexor XR for anxiety for about a month, and it seemed to be working quite well. I had some mild night sweating and mild sexual side effects, but these did not bother me because they seemed to be less than I had experienced on Paxil.
I was concerned, however, that there might be some memory and cognitive issues with the Effexor. I felt that there was less going on in my head than before, and memories didn't seem as available to me. I had taken to writing a list daily appointments and keeping it in my pocket. Since I am currently a graduate student, I was very concerned about not being at my peak mental performance.
After trying Remeron for a week and not liking it, I have decided to give Effexor another chance. Has anyone else experienced these kind of things with Effexor? Is it possible that memory loss could be a temporary effect? Thanks.
Posted by Willow on April 13, 2002, at 16:08:23
In reply to Effexor and memory ... any advice?, posted by doug12 on April 13, 2002, at 13:37:14
I'm taking effexor for cognitive problems, caused by whatever. It has helped with memory and thinking more than the side effects bother me. The first four months were different. Lot's of contentment just vegging, yet I kept seeing improvements up to about eight months.
For myself it has improved memory, but everyone is different. I don't know if a month is enough time to honestly judge how a medication will benefit you? But keep trying different meds till you find the right one for you.
Memory problems are also part of anxiety.
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Willow
Posted by sid on April 13, 2002, at 21:30:48
In reply to Effexor and memory ... any advice?, posted by doug12 on April 13, 2002, at 13:37:14
I had memory problems for the first few weeks but it's better now, after 4 months. The first month or so I was a bit out of it - I'm teaching grad classes and doing research, so I worried about it too. Now it's better, although some day I'm not in top shape intellectually; but then with depression or dysthymia, I was not either!
I especially had trouble finding the correct words to express what I meant. I started taking Effexor XR on Nov. 27 2001, and I had a dinner with friends between X-mas and New Year's Eve, where I could not say an entire sentence in one shot for the whole evening. They all helped me finish my sentences, find words, etc. It was a bit embarrassing. But now I'm better. I never had a great memory to start with (I do well on logic, not on memorisation), but now I forget things like appointments, library renewal dates, etc. Whereas before my mind would be cluttered with stuff like that - and I'd be stressed out all the time too. So overall, I'd say my memory problems now are mild and of little consequences, so I've learned to live with them, for now anyway. But they are much milder than during my first month on Effexor XR.- sid
Posted by doug12 on April 14, 2002, at 1:03:28
In reply to Re: Effexor and memory ... any advice? » doug12, posted by sid on April 13, 2002, at 21:30:48
Thanks for the response sid. I'm glad to hear that it might be possible to function well on Effexor. I have started the Effexor again and I have begun to notice the cognitive effects. I feel that my mind is a solid block, where there used to be a transparent fluid of many thoughts - conscious and semiconscious; it's frightening. It's as though a part of myself has died. When I read a book and come to the end of a long sentence, I have somehow lost the beginning of the sentence. It's as though my RAM has shrunk.
Of course, I'm worried that my research might suffer because of this. However, this side-effect must be very closely related to the positive 'effect' of the drug. My original complaint and the source of my anxiety was an overabundance of thoughts that was beyond my control. Maybe it's impossible to have it both ways: sharp cognitive function can hurt as well as help.
Right now I am able to function at a normal level (just not at an exceptional level). If, as you say, the cognitive effects decrease with time, then I will definitely stick with Effexor for a while and see what happens. After all, I am enjoying the break from obsessional thoughts and anxiety.
Does anyone know if it is common for academic performance to suffer on antidepressants? Long term, I'm not sure if I'm ready to make that trade.
Posted by sid on April 14, 2002, at 17:57:30
In reply to Re: Effexor and memory ... any advice? » sid, posted by doug12 on April 14, 2002, at 1:03:28
> Does anyone know if it is common for academic performance to suffer on antidepressants? Long term, I'm not sure if I'm ready to make that trade.
What I know for sure is that academic performance suffers from depression and anxiety. And health/welfare too. I now opt for welfare and health first, then we'll see. I may have to change career altogether. I've come to realize that I have an illness which may limit what I can and can't do in life. Depression is not something you heal from and never think about later on; it's a long-term management thing. I hope it won't come to my having to change career plans, but it might, and if so, I won't hide away from it. I'll have to deal with it and make appropriate changes in my life. I've put my academic success and career first for way too long. Now my health and happiness come first. If that's incompatible with the career I tried to build, so be it. I give myself a few more years to figure it all out.
I wish I'd taken time out from grad school to deal with my depression better. If I may give you some advice: don't under-estimate this disease. Make it your first priority, the rest will come together later. I wish I'd had the guts to tell my advisor: look, I'm sick, I need a year off to make sure I heal. If you let me, I'll be back next year to continue what I started here. But I didn't, and the disease made me feel like I was supposed to do it all, as if I was not sick. I'm still paying the price though, since I was left with residual symptoms for long, and I still had dysthymia. Well.... All I want to say here is that it's a serious disease and that your school work is secondary to your long term health. You may not see it that way (I didn't), and you may pay for that later (I do).
I hope you find a way to heal and continue your work - if not at the same time, one after the other.
- sid
Posted by IsoM on April 14, 2002, at 19:28:22
In reply to Effexor and memory ... any advice?, posted by doug12 on April 13, 2002, at 13:37:14
Doug, I can't speak about Effexor (it makes me VERY anorexic) but do know that I have the fluidity of thoughts that you've mentioned. My problem is the thoughts are so fluid that they can slip through before I can hold them long enough to explore. As they slip past, they're gone - no amount of concentration will bring them back. In fact, the harder I try, the more thoroughly they're gone. I liken it to trying to hold on to wet, slippery soap - the tighter the grasp, the farther the soap will shoot from your hand.
For me, depression, untreated, makes my thought processes feel like they're occuring in molasses, slow & labored & everything sort of sticks together into one useless mess. I have ADHD & have always said my working RAM is too small. My mental HD is huge & can hold much (when depression's properly treated) but what good does it do me, at times, when I'm trying to reason out something & my mind keeps dumping some of the thoughts as I wrestle with new ones? It's not like older memories are dumped. It's a string of ideas while working out a concept - the first part of the string's dumped as it grows longer. Sometimes, I feel like I can only keep 3-4 ideas going. Makes it very difficult working out concepts, math especially, until I become thoroughly familiar with it.
ADs do not make it worse (for me) but you may have found the reason for your change to "where there used to be a transparent fluid of many thoughts - conscious and semiconscious" is from an AD - I'm not sure. But an AD helps me control the impulsiveness of ADHD (my actions aren't impulsive, but my thoughts definitely are). The control of quick, flashing thoughts may be partly an effect of how ADs work on you.
I've found adrafinil (Olmifon) is helpful for me to keep the fluidity going without losing as much as I did without it. My working RAM isn't increased so much as dropped thoughts are much easier to grab on to before they're gone. Provigil (modafinil) is one metabolite of adrafinil, so is just as effective, if not better, from what I've read.
Posted by ben on April 15, 2002, at 2:10:14
In reply to Re: Effexor and memory ... any advice? » doug12, posted by sid on April 13, 2002, at 21:30:48
I had allways memory probs on Efexor 150 mg/d ! Stiches in the head and forgetfullness.
Posted by LynnPerley on April 15, 2002, at 23:01:36
In reply to Effexor and memory ... any advice?, posted by doug12 on April 13, 2002, at 13:37:14
Doug, are you talking about memory, or the ability to stay organized (time management stuff)? The worst symptom of my anxiety/depression was the inability to concentrate as I had before, and I would come to the end of a work day and be unable to recall exactly what I did all day (A terrible problem for a professional who bills by the hour). Prozac relieved these symptoms almost immediately, but I had side effects, so my doc switched me to effexor. I did not notice as rapid an improvement, but after several weeks on effexor, some of the fuzziness is wearing off. I do have to make an extra effort to prioritize my work or else I will just work on whatever comes my way, but it's getting better.
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