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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by lucky on September 18, 2002, at 18:49:51
I appreciate both the negative and positive feedback regarding the side effects of using Effexor, however, I see alot more negative posts then positive, which concerns me because I just started Effexor XR yesterday (37.5mgs). This is the first AD I've ever taken (35 yrs old) and i have been fighting common symtoms of depression for years (overwhelmed, making decisions, worthlessness, unhappy/unsatisfied, insecurity?) and i recently went to my doctor and told him of the increased anxiety i had been feeling for the past 6 months which spurred the conversation about my other feelings. He explained the chemical inbalance in the brain ect, and suggested effexor xr. Anyway, i thought everyone had good/bad days and were dealing with the same problems that i was, so i never even considered AD's. Now i know that my feeling could be from a bilogical imbalance, I was curious to see if Effexor could actually enhance my life by suppressing some of the symptoms i mentioned above, so i decided to give it a try. While I'm on a roll, i guess i should add that i'm not depressed to a point that i can't function, i mean i've been fairly successful up to this point and don't have any social issues. I'm trying to figure out if anyone else on this board can relate to where i am at and have gone ahead and tried effexor xr or any AD and if so, did it have a positive impact on your life? How long did it take to notice a difference? My appologies in advance for being somewhat naive to this subject.
Thank you!!
Posted by BrittPark on September 18, 2002, at 20:28:32
In reply to Effexor-Any Positive results, posted by lucky on September 18, 2002, at 18:49:51
> I appreciate both the negative and positive feedback regarding the side effects of using Effexor, however, I see alot more negative posts then positive, which concerns me because I just started Effexor XR yesterday (37.5mgs). This is the first AD I've ever taken (35 yrs old) and i have been fighting common symtoms of depression for years (overwhelmed, making decisions, worthlessness, unhappy/unsatisfied, insecurity?) and i recently went to my doctor and told him of the increased anxiety i had been feeling for the past 6 months which spurred the conversation about my other feelings. He explained the chemical inbalance in the brain ect, and suggested effexor xr. Anyway, i thought everyone had good/bad days and were dealing with the same problems that i was, so i never even considered AD's. Now i know that my feeling could be from a bilogical imbalance, I was curious to see if Effexor could actually enhance my life by suppressing some of the symptoms i mentioned above, so i decided to give it a try. While I'm on a roll, i guess i should add that i'm not depressed to a point that i can't function, i mean i've been fairly successful up to this point and don't have any social issues. I'm trying to figure out if anyone else on this board can relate to where i am at and have gone ahead and tried effexor xr or any AD and if so, did it have a positive impact on your life? How long did it take to notice a difference? My appologies in advance for being somewhat naive to this subject.
> Thank you!!I haven't taken Effexor. I took and still take its pharmaceutical predecessor imipramine. Effexor is supposed to have fewer side effects than older drugs like imipramine.
It sounds from your post that you are dysthymic (mildly depressed). There is some reason to believe that AD's in general are less effective for mild depression than for Major Depression. That doesn't mean effexor won't improve your life. Don't be upset if it doesn't do anything for you. There are lots of other options, pharmacologic (many different ADs) and psychological (cognitive behavioral therapy seems to have the best track record).
So the choice is up to you. ADs all have side effects (which usually fade with continued use) but they can be worse than the condition your trying to treat, not usually but sometimes.
Post again with more details of what you're going through to get more detailed advice. Always remember that some treatment will work. It just may take some time.
Britt
P.S. Don't get too frightened by horror stories of effexor withdrawal. All antidepressants need to be discontinued gradually and usually don't cause many problems if properly managed.
Posted by BrittPark on September 18, 2002, at 20:49:04
In reply to Re: Effexor-Any Positive results, posted by BrittPark on September 18, 2002, at 20:28:32
BTW, if at all possible see a psychiatrist. GPs are not, in general, qualified to treat mental illness.
Feel Better
Britt
Posted by Roman on September 18, 2002, at 21:04:34
In reply to Effexor-Any Positive results, posted by lucky on September 18, 2002, at 18:49:51
Have a look at this post/thread from a few weeks ago:
Posted by LynnPerley on September 18, 2002, at 22:34:57
In reply to Effexor-Any Positive results, posted by lucky on September 18, 2002, at 18:49:51
I can say I'm fairly similar to you, but farther along on this med. I was prescribed effexor xr by my gp, whom I consulted at the recommendation of a counselor who felt meds might help. I also feel my mild depression had progressed to a major depressive and anxiety situation because it was interfering with my productivity at work and my family relationships.
I've been taking it sinc March. It took until I had been on the 150 mg dose for about three weeks to fully appreciate its positive effects (I started on the sample pack). It helped my anxiety right away but the effects on the depression were much more subtle. I stayed on the 150 mg level for 60 days and I felt that it was worth staying on, but I began experiencing some very low days where it was hard to concentrate on anything and especially where my self esteem was crashing as it used to do. I increased to 225 mg and it really helped me a lot. I even contemplated starting to taper off because I felt as if I had been cured. I'm going to stay at 225 mg for six more months and go back to the counselor to talk things over and make sure I have some copng strategies at hand.
Side effects - jaw clenching was the most annoying initially and almost scared me off, but it decreased eventually. Now the occasional constipation is annoying. I almost have IBS except I never get diarrhea, just constip and gas. I've switched the brand of bulk laxative I was taking and noticed a great improvement. Thirst - I can deal with. There was some initial drowsiness that went away when I switched to taking it in the evening.
One word of caution - do not miss a dose, ever. You will be able to figure it out within a few hours. I forgot my dose last night and I woke up at 4 am after a totally strange dream, feeling weird, and I suspected I had forgotten. Sure enough, when I got up I counted the pills and I had not taken it. I took it this morning and I was fine all day.
Hope this helps. Remember people come here frequently to compare notes so you will see more negative than positive posts.
Posted by sid on September 18, 2002, at 23:36:04
In reply to Effexor-Any Positive results, posted by lucky on September 18, 2002, at 18:49:51
Yes!
Aside from some side effects, which I've either learned to live with or which have gone away, I am feeling well, for the first time of my adult life (I'm 34). I had about 7 years of recurrent major depression, and I had had dysthymia most of my life - at least since I was 13. Last year (Nov.2001) I decided to try meds (I had not yet, but had done therapy and acupuncture, which all helped). I felt I had done all I could and I saw nothing more I could do, except perhaps pop a pil every now and then, hoping it would help. At that point, I had few symptoms left, but I definitely still had dysthymia, and I had anxiety problems. I could not cope well with stress.
10 months later, I'm still on only 75 mg/day, and I feel like myself. I can't say again, except, I kind of recongnized myself from when I was about 12 or even before. Weird. Great. Wow.One problem remained: my physical energy. I felt drained all the time, and it was not helping me be productive, do sports, meet people, etc. Last summer, I forced myself to either walk or bike to work each day, even though it was grueling at the beginning. I also did yoga, a somewhat difficult class, and at some point during the summer, I started having a lot more energy. I decided to continue my activities and registered to all sorts of classes for this fall (yoga, aerobics, swimming, badminton). So far so good. I found myself again and now I am finding my body again. I am moving and loving it.
I will continue taking Effexor XR for at least several more months, namely because I have very stressful things to deal with in the next few months. Perhaps next summer I'll go back down to 37.5mg/day, and perhaps I'll manage to stop taking it altogether. In the meantime, I just enjoy life and hope for the best.
I have some pelvic pain, which I'm not sure is related to Effexor XR. I'm investigating it with my docs. Other than that, my health is the best it's been in years, both mentally and physically. I love my job again (I can deal with the stress), I love myself (that's new!), I do my best to get along with people around me, I love nature and try to take it in as much as I can by hiking, kayaking, biking, etc. Overall, I feel good. I finally understand why life is worth living - it was not clear to me at all before.
So yes, my Effexor XR story is a successful one so far.
- sid
Posted by calaway on September 19, 2002, at 0:15:25
In reply to Effexor-Any Positive results, posted by lucky on September 18, 2002, at 18:49:51
I just switched over to effexor from paxil last week, and that first week was awful I thought that I could just quit the paxil cold turkey. Whe I experiance horrible side effect (pariniod dreams, spaced out head, headaches, sick to my stomach ect.)I thought it was the just the effexor. After speaking to the pharmacist she advised me to taper off the Paxil slowly while continue with the start of the effexor. So I continued to use the paxil every other day for the past week, with my last pill being the 14th and so far my withdrawl symptoms seem to be disapearing quite easily. And going from the 37.5 to 75 went really well, I was scared to increase, because of the "spaced out feel" that is a common beginning side effect, but it I had none.
I suspect that if your having side effect that by your 6th day you will feel somewhat better As for the mental relief, 37.5 is a beginning dose and you might not feel any real relief until you up it to 75 and maybe even the 150 dose (which apparently is the usual min and 225 being the top theraputic amount). Every person is different in amount and effects. Not every medicine works for us all. My first stab at an anti depressant had me so parinod that I thought someone was in my house with a knife trying to kill me. I never took that one again, the second one was great. I took me about 3 weeks to feel better and just over a month to feel more "normal". So give it some time and know that if you don't feel really sure with the result talk to your doctor and consider another med. I quit the paxil because I gained 50lbs on it.
Last but no least. I think that the hardest thing that anyone who starts a anti-depressant need to realize that yes you may only be on it for the minimium 9mo time, you might be on it 2 year or 5, or your body may never be able to fuction properly again without some sort of help. It is a chemical imbalance and not always does our brain regain the strenth to produce as much as out body requires. I always like to compare it to diabetes in that both are disease of improper chemical balances and both require medication. Some people are just lucky enough that they can sometime come off the meds and do well for the rest of their lives. I have been on anit-depressant for 8 years now and after 3 times of trying to come off, one time for even over a year I just know that I for one can not properly function without them, and thats okay with me. Good luck with your therapy ahead.
Posted by rod on September 19, 2002, at 9:22:32
In reply to Effexor-Any Positive results, posted by lucky on September 18, 2002, at 18:49:51
Hi!
Effexor is the first that _really_ works for me. Tried several others before.
wish you the best.
rod
Posted by lucky on September 20, 2002, at 10:35:38
In reply to Effexor-Any Positive results, posted by lucky on September 18, 2002, at 18:49:51
THANKS VERY MUCH to all that shared their experiences and provided me with the insight that i was looking for. I now realize that I haven't been truly myself and have been pretty unhappy for the past (6-8 years). Of course I've had alot of good days with friends, family, golfing, but at the same time I've been in a constant battle with the symtoms i mentioned in my original post and really had a hard time really enjoying the moment. This is my forth day of taking effexor xr (37.5mgs) but I believe I'm noticing a little change; coping better and have had less anxiety the past couple of days (perhaps this is a placebo effect after reading all of your posts?) I have had a bit of a lull in the afternoon or kinda feeling of laziness, but other than that, so far so good!
Thanks again to all (BrittPark, Roman, LynnPerley, Sid, Calaway and Rod), I am excited about the possibility that effexor could make a difference in my life and help me experience life in a different light :)
This is the end of the thread.
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