Posted by jane d on July 11, 2002, at 11:31:53
In reply to 16 yr old put on effexor by quack, posted by DerrangedAngel on July 10, 2002, at 18:53:08
Hi Mandy,
If you have read the posts in the archives here, you probably know by now that taking a few doses of Prozac can help with Effexor withdrawal symptoms. This is because each dose of Prozac that you take leaves your body very gradually over many days (has a long half life) compared to Effexor and Paxil which leave very quickly. The withdrawal symptoms are caused by how quickly the amount of medication in your body decreases. So, since Prozac is very similar to Effexor, taking a few doses when you stop taking the Effexor gives your body more time to adjust to the change. This is a good reason to get a doctor's help in stopping the Effexor. If you want a clearer explanation of how this works try searching the archives here on withdrawal or look up "SSRI discontinuation syndrome" someplace like Medline.
Oracle is right that it is not illegal to give Effexor to minors. Many people feel that the decision to use medication is more complicated for minors than for adults. Almost all teens have problems at that age and sometimes they resolve with time or moving away from home. Sometimes they don't. You don't tell us how you decided that you never needed the medication. You may be right, of course, but I wish like anything that I could go back to when I was 16 and take anti depressants. I think my life now would be very different and much better if I had. I'd hate to be a psychiatrist who had to predict which teens fell in which group.
I know that there are a lot of horror stories about various drugs to be found here but there are also accounts from people who have been made much better by the same drugs. They just are a little harder to find because happy people post less often.
I suspect this is not the kind of response that you were looking for. Even if you disagree with everything else I've said please consider getting help with the Effexor withdrawal. It is available and it does work. Don't suffer when you don't have to. Good luck and keep us posted.
Jane
poster:jane d
thread:111964
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020709/msgs/112050.html