Effexor--any infro here?

[dollydo]

My doctor just prescribed Effexor for my depression and anxiety..37.5 mg a day for the first week, 75.0 the second and so on until I hit 150.0 mg.

Anyone have any success on this med?

I was previously on Celexa, 40 mg a day, didn't seem to help me much..

Thanks,
Dolly

[leviathon]

I took effexor for several years. It worked for a while but then it seemed to stop working... then again I was drinking a lot when it wasn't working.

I am now on celaxa and it is working but without the same side effects of effexor.... no shakes, no nervousness, etc.

Same idea, just different chemical.

I know I have to do more than take the med, I have to seek help and I have to be healthy, the med is only one step.

levi

[dollydo]

levi,

The celexa did help me in the beginning, I was on it for 2 years. Had no bad effects. Did make me sleepy, so I took it before I went to bed.

I am down to 10mg of celexa a day, tomorrow I start the effexor. I had no problems tapering off the celexa, didn't feel a thing.

Thanks,

Dolly

[PaperDolls]

I've been on Effexor for quite a while now. I take it in the AM because I think it was keeping me awake. It has seemed to really help me. I don't know what dose I'm on though-- I think may be the 75 right now. It was working for me so I didn't need to go up to the 150 although I'm wondering if I should think about that now. I've started getting some of my panic symptoms back.

I've not had any problems with it except for one thing. Don't forget to take it. if I forget to take it I get these "electric shock" things throughout my body. Somewhere there is a thread on it. I'll try to find it.

Good luck!
~doll

[BSPGirl]

So the Celexa didn't help anymore?

Anyway, I took Effexor for a lil while, it didn't do me any good, made me feel worse and I got all the bad side effects so I just didn't refill the prescription and I felt better right at the moment I was off of it.

[ranae1221]

I tried Zoloft, Celexa, Trazadone and Serazone before going on Effexor. For me it was the one that has helped the most. I currently take 450mg a day (yeah, a high dose but my life has pretty much been crap lately). I have been taking it for 5 years now. I don't know if it is still working as well, but I have had some major losses this year so I guess the depression is "normal" right now.


the one thing about medications though is that everyone reacts to is differently. what works for one, may not work for another. allot of times it is a "guessing" game to find what combo of meds will work for someone. the same with side effects, everyone is different. i haven't really noticed any major side effects to the Effexor, except i am a huge mess and feel almost psycho if a miss a few days of the correct dosage. but maybe it's just cause i am crazy! who knows....

[dollydo]

Thanks everyone..I start the Effexor today, plan to eat lunch and take one. Lets see what happens.

The Celexa did work for awhile, I started on 20mg then onto 40 mg...as time went on, the less they worked, I never upped the dose, nor did my doctor want me to. So, hence the switch to Effexor.

Jessica....Wow 450mg a day...I thought 150mg was going to be too much..and, it might be too much for me...hopefully 75mg will do it...I will see, for me the less the better.

Have a great day!

Dolly

[emmer]

I took it for 10 years and I can't say it did much except make my blood pressure go up and my pulse too.
It does seem to help some people, but be warned! The withdrawal is something you don't want. It is severe to say the least. I went from 300mg daily to 150 mg to 37.5mg in two weeks. I month later I feel like death warmed over. Be careful not to stay on it for too long.

P.S. IT also took all my energy and zest for life....As sick as I am as soon as I went off most of it, I regained my energy.

[junkie_reformed]

all i do from the moment i open my eyes to shut them is worry about what somebody is thinking and all sorts of weird ****. i have had this since 15 years old...i quit high school my senior year because of it. i woulda quit a lot sooner, but i am well equipt with endurance. but i am getting awfully tired of it and dont really want to live feeling like this for the rest of my life. i mean it stopped me from graduating, holding a job, turned me to drugs, and is going to keep me from recovery and a life or family unless i find the right medicine and coping skills.

ive tryed zoloft, trazadone, zyprexa, paxil, lexapro, and right now im on 225mg of effexor and 100 mg at night of seraquil. i dont think the effexor is working...i know what i really need is a benzo cause im shaky, sweaty, twitchy, sick to my stomach, and fretting LITERALLY all day. some moments are more intense than others but its always there. but i dont think i will get benzos because being chemically addicted to drugs (heroin) im not sure if they will want to try it...plus there is so many "nonaddictive" pills for anxiety now so why resort to xanax. but id use them right and wouldnt care to be addicted because i know i need them anyways. but im not sure what is going to happen, sometimes i feel like just ending it because they wont give me the right medicine.

-jake

[dollydo]

Jake,

Xanax is the devil of bezo's, highly addictive and h*ll to get off of.

The effexor seems to be helping me, I am at 75mg per day and I think that's where I am going to stay for now. I don't have an addictive personality, I just figure, why take something you don't need.

I am sorry you are struggling, coping skills are a big part of the picture, have you been to a therapist?

Make today a good one,

Dolly

[the_undertow]

r u taking it for anxiety or depression or both? effexor REALLY saved me from depression. my anxiety (years earlier) was helped by prozac. i had to start on klonopin at first - to stop the constant nervousness.
it takes 6-8 weeks, but hopefully you will start feeling better. SSRIs can be like clothing. you may have to try on all sorts, before you find the one that will fit you.

after a year, i stopped cold turkey (uh, dont do that) and it was like my brain was retrained.

[reader]

I have had alot of success with Effexor~ I take 150-300mg depend on how I am feeling over the last couple of years. For me it helps with the anxiety and no sexual side effects! How long have u been on it- u may need more time or a different one. Take Care Kerry

[dollydo]

Thanks,

I have only been on effexor for 2 weeks, I do feel better. My doc seems to think this drug will help with both depression & anxiety, time will tell. Mainly, I have suffered from anxiety. Mild depression has just creeped up on me.

Lets see what the next weeks bring..

Have a special day,

Dolly

[StayinAlive]

for me i had terible withdrawal side effects. And it didn't really work for my type of depresion. If you miss one dose youll feel it. Kinda like electric buzzing,really uncomfortable fealing. Its a hard drug to come off of. My GP got me on it and now that i am seeing a Psyciatrist i am switching meds.....very slowly.

[blueglass]

This is my second week being on Effexor. I take it in the evenings, and take Wellbutrin XL in the mornings. My mood has been really good, though for the past two days I've felt shaky. I'm attributing that to a shift in my romantic life (can't get used to men being attracted to me... makes me nervous). Other than that, it seems to be working for me. I've made a promise to myself to not only remember to take my meds every day, but to let the doctor know the minute I feel something I don't think I should.

I've heard a lot of people say that the withdrawl from Effexor is bad, I'll have to ask my dr about that the next time I see her.

[the_undertow]

Originally Posted by blueglass

This is my second week being on Effexor. I take it in the evenings, and take Wellbutrin XL in the mornings. My mood has been really good, though for the past two days I've felt shaky. I'm attributing that to a shift in my romantic life (can't get used to men being attracted to me... makes me nervous). Other than that, it seems to be working for me. I've made a promise to myself to not only remember to take my meds every day, but to let the doctor know the minute I feel something I don't think I should.

I've heard a lot of people say that the withdrawl from Effexor is bad, I'll have to ask my dr about that the next time I see her.

hey bg, i get nervous when men find me attractive too. probably a different reason

my problem, like others, it that when you end up feeling normal, you forget to take meds. with effexor, you will know if you skip a dose. normal (the average experience) of withdrawal is simply a set of 'electric zaps' you may experience when shifting your eyes back and forth. it doesn't hurt - its just a strange sensation. this can last about a week - but you actually get used to it.

this is a side-effect really common to many SSRIs. try not to 'poke' around the internet too much about withdrawals - remember, usually only those with bad experiences post stories...

good luck. dont stress about getting off the meds - just concentrate on getting back to normal. like you said, talk to your dr with any mood change - thats what he is there for. these medications have a lot of benefits and you will see the full extent soon.

take care.

[pjbs55]

Dolly,
I have been on effenxor for about 6 months now, I am taking 187.5 mg a day. I also take lexapro and 1 mg xanax 4 times a day. I had a breakdown in Feb and all of these things are helping me get strong. If they are bothering you please let your doctor know.
Good luck,

[RJwantstolive]

Meds are a trial and error process and we are the experimentors. I have been on Effexor for some years, 300mg.

Effexor is a powerful medicine and taking it on schedule is important. I get the "brain zaps" if I miss at the most two days and I get irritable. I've had this happen a few times. One time the medicine shop didn't fill the prescription and I was told to go through the clinic to get some free pills but because I wasn't able to get out of the apartment because of how I was feeling, I had to get my Mom to go to the shop to get the pills for me.

For me, when taking Effexor on time, it works great. Medicines aren't 100% but they make you deal with things to where you can make yourself better to provide a higher percentage of success.

[PaperDolls]

I was, and still am shaky from the Effexor XR. It also makes me sweat. I'm starting to get really annoyed by that side effect, it's sort of embarrassing sometimes. "I'm my name is doll, I sweat a lot and I'm an Alcoholic, nice to meet you." I also have some sexual side effects, but it's not too bad.

It really helps with my depression, I still have bad days sometimes. When I have anxiety problems I take clonazopam, not everyday. May be once a week at the most.

Good luck to all of you.

~doll

[FriendInNeed]

Hiya, sorry to intrude i just wanted to ask something about effexor. I was on effexor XR 225mg a day ( increased over 2 years as lower doses stopped working for me). Along with other side effects i found the main one for me was loss of memory and feeling like a zombie, not being able to concentrate fully. Has anyone else suffered this or is it maybe that these symptoms were not caused by the effexor but by my illness. Sorry was just wondering as ive been so desperate to get better in the last few months i was even asking about going back on effexor even though it had been my decision to come off it after 2 years.....they let me come off all meds,around this time last year, BIG MISTAKE, but now i am strugling and they wont let me go back on it!?! Not sure to fight to go back on it and go back to suffering the side effects..or just leave things as they are and hope that things get better for me and my family who have to put up with me.
Thanks for listening

[ranae1221]

was there any other antidepressant that you had tried? if the Effexor wasn't working or you had bad side effects, then it may not be the one for you. Are they willing to try you on anything else?

[BSPGirl]

I think some ppl on here are on stange cocktails of meds (Wellbutrin and Effexor for example) makes me think dr's dunno much more than I do...

[dollydo]

I am still on the effexor, I have upped the dose to 150mg. The last weeks have been h*ll for me, you can read my saga on family & friends if you are interested.

Since I upped the dose, I have had sweaty hands and pits...must be the effexor. Now that my "problem" is gone, I am going to drop back to 75mg, as I had no problems with that dose.

Hopefully, in a short time I can get on without any prescriptions, there is always some side effect.

Take care,
Dolly

[Lady_Blue]

I; too; am "on" Effexor. I had my first major depressive episode at the age of 35. My G.P. referred me (per my request) to a GREAT psychiatrist.
Initially, he started me on Prozac, which worked for awhile, then I was changed to Zoloft, then I was switched to Effexor...37.5, then 75mg. I stayed there for a couple of years. I then had to go "up" to 112.5 mg for 2 weeks, then 150 mg. I stayed there @ 150 mg for a few MORE years. Just a few months ago, I had another episode of the depression, so he upped me again to 225 mg. I'm O.K....he did however REASSURE me that IF that dosage didn't help, there were MANY other DRUGS that "WE" could "try".

Seems so scarey "switching" after being "on" something for so long. I do trust my Dr. with my life. I feel like he really saved me from my own personal hell! That depression really sucks the wind out of your sails...especially when you don't know WHY or where the heck it came from to begin with! I was always the chipper, happy, most upbeat person you could ever find, then...BAM! Wow! Rude Awakening, yeah! Well, Take GOOD care!

[FriendInNeed]

Originally Posted by ranae1221

was there any other antidepressant that you had tried? if the Effexor wasn't working or you had bad side effects, then it may not be the one for you. Are they willing to try you on anything else?

I've tried a few throughout the last few years. Most of them stopping their effectiveness after between 1-2 years being on them which was extremely frustrating. Ive asked about going on another anti-depresant but now they tell me my problem is NOT depression, yet thats part of the diagnosis i was given....everytime i speak to them they tell me something different and NEVER take any notes...so its obvious they cant remember what theyre telling me from one month to the next...thats WHEN they allow me to see them which isnt alot. If my psychiatric nurse would talk to me i might try again to see if i can try another anti-depressant...but judging on her last response i'm very much doubting them even considering it