Effexor - SoberRecovery : Alcoholism Drug Addiction Help and Information

liesagain · 02-11-2008, 12:33 PM

Has anyone here ever taken effexor for anxiety?

I was taking this medication and I think it was working well, but after about 6 weeks it seems that if I am late taking it or worse if I forget a dose I get really sick

nausea vomiting and dizziness and just plain feel really sick................so

I decided that I'm just not gonna take it anymore the benefit does not outweigh the nasty effects.....................

Astro · 02-11-2008, 12:52 PM

Hello liesagain,

I took EffexorXR for a little over a year. It took a couple months to get used to it, during that time I always felt a little foggy in the head, and I had problems sleeping but that was resolved by changing the time of day that I took it. It worked very well from then on and I tapered off with no side effects.

Everyone will react differently to these meds. What I did learn was that communication with the prescriber was an absolute must in order to determine correct dosages and whether or not the med was working correctly. I can understand you not wanting to take it because of the side effects, but urge you to talk to your doctor before you do so. By what I understand it's not advisable to just stop taking it cold turkey.

liesagain · 02-11-2008, 01:09 PM

Thanks Astro, I do know I should talk to my dr and I will but I didnt take it for a couple of days ...........didnt get it refilled in time, so now i am going thru the illness part so I'm thinking I'd just rather not restart it.............

Astro · 02-11-2008, 02:10 PM

Well, I know it's important to be consistent. If I missed a dose it shouldn't be made up by taking extra, but I resumed the dosage at my next normal time.

TiredMama · 02-12-2008, 08:24 AM

I took Effexor for a couple of years but for depression. I had really bad side effects as well as withdrawal symptoms if I missed a dose. It made my blood pressure really high on top of that.

justanothrdrunk · 02-12-2008, 09:34 AM

I'm on EffexorXR for anxiety and depression.

Works for me. Sucks when I miss a dose, but it's working.

tracee1010 · 02-12-2008, 10:28 AM

i have a client who takes Effexor. she says it Really works when she takes it properly and on time daily but she often looses it or forgets to take it.
she would often make comments about feeling like she was in "withdrawl" from not taking it... I always thought she was exerating.. as she is 19, dramatic and has borderline personality disorder.. but what Im hearing from you all is the same thing.. thank you for verifying that these feelings she has reported are real and really do feel "withdrawl" like..

TiredMama · 02-12-2008, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tracee1010

i have a client who takes Effexor. she says it Really works when she takes it properly and on time daily but she often looses it or forgets to take it.
she would often make comments about feeling like she was in "withdrawl" from not taking it... I always thought she was exerating.. as she is 19, dramatic and has borderline personality disorder.. but what Im hearing from you all is the same thing.. thank you for verifying that these feelings she has reported are real and really do feel "withdrawl" like..

It is true. I would miss a dose sometimes and it would be terrible, awful, feelings

justanothrdrunk · 02-13-2008, 08:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TiredMama

It is true. I would miss a dose sometimes and it would be terrible, awful, feelings

Word. The electric "jolts," nausea... Missing a dose (and once I missed two!) is right up there with the worst of hangovers. It. Is. Not. Fun.

Edit: Also, just more of my experience...

I was on 150 a day for a while, but it wasn't working. I was drinking at the time though, funny...

My psych bumped me up to 225 just before I ended up in treatment again. The tx center kept me on my 225 dose for a while but I was getting really, really tired.

The psych at the treatment center said that Effexor can have a sedative effect on some people (1 in 10 I think he said). And he brought me back down to 150. And I wasn't so tired any more.

ksos · 02-15-2008, 05:03 AM

Hi to All:

I take Effexor XR 150 MG AM and 75 MG HS and I realize a benefit from the medication, although the "electric jolts", dizziness, headaches that I receive when I run out of the medication or miss more than a day's dosage, are very serious symptoms. I have known of people who have had to go to a hospital's emergency room to get a dose of this medication, so having a physician's guidance and advice is crucial....

I honestly have taken nearly every anti-depressent in the book and, for me, Effexor is the only one that works for me in both allievating depression and anxiety--to a degree. It took more than 6 weeks for the effects to be noticed, but I have had no complaints thus far, only that I do experience those same side effects from missing a dose that other's have reported.

Please consult with your doctor regarding dosage times and dose amount. You need to be weaned off of this drug and not stop it abruptly--again, your MD knows best.

hope4better · 03-07-2008, 10:55 PM

I loved effexor but it didn't take me that long and I didn't have bad effects.talk to your doctor there are many other meds that you can take that may help you. I had bad effects from zoloft and prozac, and I have to switch to celexa now because I have no insurance. Best wishes to you.

ksos · 03-18-2008, 10:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hope4better

I loved effexor but it didn't take me that long and I didn't have bad effects.talk to your doctor there are many other meds that you can take that may help you. I had bad effects from zoloft and prozac, and I have to switch to celexa now because I have no insurance. Best wishes to you.

hope4better,

Are you still on Effexor or have you stiopped taking it? I am a bit confused since you wrote you "loved" taking the Effexor.

Did you stop Effexor due to cost factors?

I was just curious...

faith12 · 03-25-2008, 08:36 PM

I do not take this but my wife just started it for depression like a week ago. She is having the same symptoms you are. She has trouble sleeping, nausea and the fogginess you speak of. I'm going to direct her to this thread as she wasn't sure what to make of it.

faith12 · 03-29-2008, 04:02 PM

Okay to follow up on this. My wife ended her spell with this one and had to swich to zoloft. Effexor kept her up all night, put her head in a fog and overall made her irritable beyond belief. She just couldn't take it any more after a week.

tiburon88 · 04-05-2008, 07:55 PM

Ah yes the Effexor withdrawal. I was on the max dose of 300mg (I think). I felt like I was going to pass out if I got up from a standing position. I was on it for 3 years though. It was a horrible withdrawal. I don't mean to scare you but that was my experience.

Tiburon

littlebird77 · 04-06-2008, 06:06 PM

Effexor was one of the worse things that has ever happened to me.
Honestly I am sorry to speak so badly of it, but I really think it should be off the market.

TiredMama · 04-06-2008, 08:42 PM

A lot of people have had bad experiences with Effexor (myself included) especially with the withdrawals if you decide to take yourself off of it.

You just have to be careful with any of these meds IMO.

lynbow · 04-20-2008, 08:57 PM

Hi, I have taken Effexor for several years and also noticed the "brain shivers" you're talking about. I recently changed to Cimbalta because I felt very lazy on the Effexor. I feel more energetic but have a short fuse. Someday I will find the perfect balance, Ihope.

02-11-2008, 12:33 PM	#1 (permalink)
liesagain Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: limbo Posts: 1,970	Effexor Has anyone here ever taken effexor for anxiety? I was taking this medication and I think it was working well, but after about 6 weeks it seems that if I am late taking it or worse if I forget a dose I get really sick nausea vomiting and dizziness and just plain feel really sick................so I decided that I'm just not gonna take it anymore the benefit does not outweigh the nasty effects.....................

02-11-2008, 12:52 PM	#2 (permalink)
Astro Codaholic Alcodependant Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Phoenix, AZ, in a home filled with love Posts: 5,490	Hello liesagain, I took EffexorXR for a little over a year. It took a couple months to get used to it, during that time I always felt a little foggy in the head, and I had problems sleeping but that was resolved by changing the time of day that I took it. It worked very well from then on and I tapered off with no side effects. Everyone will react differently to these meds. What I did learn was that communication with the prescriber was an absolute must in order to determine correct dosages and whether or not the med was working correctly. I can understand you not wanting to take it because of the side effects, but urge you to talk to your doctor before you do so. By what I understand it's not advisable to just stop taking it cold turkey.
	__________________ "Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty, and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming---WOW-What a ride"

02-11-2008, 02:10 PM	#4 (permalink)
Astro Codaholic Alcodependant Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Phoenix, AZ, in a home filled with love Posts: 5,490	Well, I know it's important to be consistent. If I missed a dose it shouldn't be made up by taking extra, but I resumed the dosage at my next normal time.
	__________________ "Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty, and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming---WOW-What a ride"

02-12-2008, 10:28 AM	#7 (permalink)
tracee1010 Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Midwest USA Posts: 391	i have a client who takes Effexor. she says it Really works when she takes it properly and on time daily but she often looses it or forgets to take it. she would often make comments about feeling like she was in "withdrawl" from not taking it... I always thought she was exerating.. as she is 19, dramatic and has borderline personality disorder.. but what Im hearing from you all is the same thing.. thank you for verifying that these feelings she has reported are real and really do feel "withdrawl" like..
	__________________ We should never permit ourselves to do anything that we are not willing to see our children do. - Brigham Young

02-15-2008, 05:03 AM	#10 (permalink)
ksos Waiting For Engines Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: brooklyn, new york Posts: 545	Hi to All: I take Effexor XR 150 MG AM and 75 MG HS and I realize a benefit from the medication, although the "electric jolts", dizziness, headaches that I receive when I run out of the medication or miss more than a day's dosage, are very serious symptoms. I have known of people who have had to go to a hospital's emergency room to get a dose of this medication, so having a physician's guidance and advice is crucial.... I honestly have taken nearly every anti-depressent in the book and, for me, Effexor is the only one that works for me in both allievating depression and anxiety--to a degree. It took more than 6 weeks for the effects to be noticed, but I have had no complaints thus far, only that I do experience those same side effects from missing a dose that other's have reported. Please consult with your doctor regarding dosage times and dose amount. You need to be weaned off of this drug and not stop it abruptly--again, your MD knows best.
	__________________ Ksos "If Enough people Call You A Duck, You Better Start Quacking."

02-11-2008, 01:09 PM	#3 (permalink)
liesagain Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: limbo Posts: 1,970	Thanks Astro, I do know I should talk to my dr and I will but I didnt take it for a couple of days ...........didnt get it refilled in time, so now i am going thru the illness part so I'm thinking I'd just rather not restart it.............

02-12-2008, 08:24 AM	#5 (permalink)
TiredMama Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Birmingham, AL Posts: 537	I took Effexor for a couple of years but for depression. I had really bad side effects as well as withdrawal symptoms if I missed a dose. It made my blood pressure really high on top of that.

02-12-2008, 09:34 AM	#6 (permalink)
justanothrdrunk Retired Pro Drunk Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Saint Paul, MN Posts: 351	I'm on EffexorXR for anxiety and depression. Works for me. Sucks when I miss a dose, but it's working.

03-07-2008, 10:55 PM	#11 (permalink)
hope4better Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Pa Posts: 10	effexor I loved effexor but it didn't take me that long and I didn't have bad effects.talk to your doctor there are many other meds that you can take that may help you. I had bad effects from zoloft and prozac, and I have to switch to celexa now because I have no insurance. Best wishes to you.

03-25-2008, 08:36 PM	#13 (permalink)
faith12 Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 35	I do not take this but my wife just started it for depression like a week ago. She is having the same symptoms you are. She has trouble sleeping, nausea and the fogginess you speak of. I'm going to direct her to this thread as she wasn't sure what to make of it.
faith12 Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 35

03-29-2008, 04:02 PM	#14 (permalink)
faith12 Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 35	Okay to follow up on this. My wife ended her spell with this one and had to swich to zoloft. Effexor kept her up all night, put her head in a fog and overall made her irritable beyond belief. She just couldn't take it any more after a week.
faith12 Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Posts: 35

04-05-2008, 07:55 PM	#15 (permalink)
tiburon88 Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 441	Ah yes the Effexor withdrawal. I was on the max dose of 300mg (I think). I felt like I was going to pass out if I got up from a standing position. I was on it for 3 years though. It was a horrible withdrawal. I don't mean to scare you but that was my experience. Tiburon

04-06-2008, 06:06 PM	#16 (permalink)
littlebird77 Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 113	Effexor was one of the worse things that has ever happened to me. Honestly I am sorry to speak so badly of it, but I really think it should be off the market.
littlebird77 Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 113

04-06-2008, 08:42 PM	#17 (permalink)
TiredMama Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Birmingham, AL Posts: 537	A lot of people have had bad experiences with Effexor (myself included) especially with the withdrawals if you decide to take yourself off of it. You just have to be careful with any of these meds IMO.
	__________________

04-20-2008, 08:57 PM	#18 (permalink)
lynbow lynbow Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Peoria, Il Posts: 2	Hi, I have taken Effexor for several years and also noticed the "brain shivers" you're talking about. I recently changed to Cimbalta because I felt very lazy on the Effexor. I feel more energetic but have a short fuse. Someday I will find the perfect balance, Ihope.

04-21-2008, 07:16 AM	#19 (permalink)
liveweyerd Member &nbs