![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 10 of 10. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by NikkiT on May 2, 2000, at 15:10:51
Hi all.
well, I've just taken a week's vacation form work to try and see if I felt better, and had the most wonderful week. Me and my husband didn't go anywhere really, just "hung out"! But, today, I was due back at work, and simply couldn't face it. I think I feel much better in a general day to day way, but when faced with anything other than sitting around, or going out with my husband, I can't do it. Plus, I'm sleeping *really* badly - I'm a 10 hour a night person, and for the last week all I've been getting is 2 hours max, and everything always seem so bad at 4am when you can't sleep.
It 2 weeks till I see the psychiatrist again, and he's on vacation till then. My boss at work is getting toward the end of his tether with me, as he thinks, I'll take thre pills, and everything will be OK. How can I get him to know that it's not that simple, and also, actually manage to cope with day to day life, now that I've managed to get home life (relationship with husband etc) much better.
sorry to be whinging again
Nikki xx
Posted by Noa on May 2, 2000, at 19:23:46
In reply to Effexor - Up and downs??, posted by NikkiT on May 2, 2000, at 15:10:51
Being back at work after 2 weeks off has been hard for me, too. My mood improved so much over the vacation, but it is being sorely tested with the stress of work.. Luckily, this has been a light work week so far, because of some special activities. But I really want to go back to taking it easy, cuz I don't feel secure about maintaining the mood improvement. Keep me posted, Nikki.
Posted by Cindy W on May 2, 2000, at 21:01:39
In reply to Re: Effexor - Up and downs??, posted by Noa on May 2, 2000, at 19:23:46
> Being back at work after 2 weeks off has been hard for me, too. My mood improved so much over the vacation, but it is being sorely tested with the stress of work.. Luckily, this has been a light work week so far, because of some special activities. But I really want to go back to taking it easy, cuz I don't feel secure about maintaining the mood improvement. Keep me posted, Nikki.
NikkiT and Noa, I don't think there's any pill which will make stressful situations completely OK (such as work stress). I've been having trouble sleeping with Effexor-XR (and restarted taking 40-50 mg of Serzone at bedtime, to see if that will help, since I used to sleep great on Serzone). If there were a magic pill which would make everybody feel great all the time, I'm sure it would be popular...but I think we'll still feel slight ups and downs say at work or during stressful times. Every day when I go to work, even after a short time like one night or a weekend, it's hard to go back!
Posted by Janice on May 2, 2000, at 22:57:24
In reply to Effexor - Up and downs??, posted by NikkiT on May 2, 2000, at 15:10:51
Hi Nikki,
I sure emphasize with you. Unfortunately I don't have any great answers for you. If I remember correctly you live in Britain. What about going to see any doctor, telling them that your psychiatrist is out of town, and that you need more time off work.
What about checking into your rights considering your boss doesn't seem to be taking your illness seriously (just in case you need to know).
Good luck Nikki, glad to hear things are better with your husband, Janice
Posted by JohnB on May 3, 2000, at 3:29:55
In reply to Effexor - Up and downs??, posted by NikkiT on May 2, 2000, at 15:10:51
Nikki - I know you have the National Health Service over there (someone mentioned your from U.K.), so I don't know how much latitude you have, but I think you should get some sort of remedy for your sleep problem. 2 hours is not enough for anyone on a regular basis. There are some sleep remedies mentioned earlier on this board, (my own current favorite is low(7.5mg) dose Remeron). But, as your title suggests, the underlying problem may be the Effexor dose either not doing the job, or too energizing?
Posted by Greg on May 3, 2000, at 8:42:44
In reply to Effexor - Up and downs??, posted by NikkiT on May 2, 2000, at 15:10:51
Nikki,
Sorry to hear that work was so tough, but glad to hear that the vacation was great. Sometimes just hanging out is the perfect thing to do. About 2 months ago I went on medical leave for 3 weeks, and returning to work was a real drag. I'm just now starting to get back into the groove.My doc put me on Effexor a while back, but I started having real bad memory loss (forgetting where I parked my car, not picking the kids up from school, etc.) and had to stop it. Has that ever been an issue for you? Have you ever tried Ambien for sleep? I've been taking it for about a year now, and while I still am lucky to get 5-6 hrs a night, it's better that the 1-2 I was getting. If your sleep problems continue, it might be worth talking to your pdoc about. Your right, life at 4am without sleep really sucks. So do the movies on cable.....
I guess I'm really fortunate that my employer is very understanding about what I'm going thru. She lets me work from home whenever I'm not feeling up to coming in. Most employers don't understand what we go thru every day, they think it's "all in our heads". If they only knew. Education is the key, suggest that your boss visit some Internet sites that discuss depression and anxiety and then maybe he/she can talk to you more "intelligently" about it.
Hang tough Nikki, I'll be praying that things get better for you soon.
Greg
> Hi all.
>
> well, I've just taken a week's vacation form work to try and see if I felt better, and had the most wonderful week. Me and my husband didn't go anywhere really, just "hung out"! But, today, I was due back at work, and simply couldn't face it. I think I feel much better in a general day to day way, but when faced with anything other than sitting around, or going out with my husband, I can't do it. Plus, I'm sleeping *really* badly - I'm a 10 hour a night person, and for the last week all I've been getting is 2 hours max, and everything always seem so bad at 4am when you can't sleep.
>
> It 2 weeks till I see the psychiatrist again, and he's on vacation till then. My boss at work is getting toward the end of his tether with me, as he thinks, I'll take thre pills, and everything will be OK. How can I get him to know that it's not that simple, and also, actually manage to cope with day to day life, now that I've managed to get home life (relationship with husband etc) much better.
>
> sorry to be whinging again
>
> Nikki xx
Posted by NikkiT on May 3, 2000, at 9:50:41
In reply to Effexor - Up and downs??, posted by NikkiT on May 2, 2000, at 15:10:51
I managed a decent 5 hours sleep last night, but what John said really rings true... I'mway too "mentally" energised... I like I'm onthe berge of panic alot, and my brain is constantly whirring, but never follows the same string for long! This is the same in my conversation.
I may be able to talk to the doctomorrow, so hopefully he may suggest something. Iahve some remeron left over, so I'll ask about that.
Thanks again
Nikki xx
Posted by harry b. on May 3, 2000, at 11:02:51
In reply to Effexor - Up and downs??, posted by NikkiT on May 2, 2000, at 15:10:51
NikkiT,
We all react differently to meds, but I would not
take Effexor again for love nor money. That is
just my personal experience, not a outright condem-
nation of the med.Sleep has always been a problem, right now I crave
too much of it. Klonopin has been my med of choice
to help me fall asleep and sleep thru the night. 2
hours is not enough to enable you to get thru your
day. You will be more vulnerable to your depression
and less able to handle stress. It is also unsafe
when you engage in activities such as driving a
car.I'm glad you had a relaxing reprieve from work and
that you and your husband are closer.
I've been on leave since mid Feb and am dreading
going back. Most employers do not understand our
illness unless they've been there themselves.Good luck with the doc.
Posted by Cindy W on May 3, 2000, at 20:31:40
In reply to Thanks guys, posted by NikkiT on May 3, 2000, at 9:50:41
> I managed a decent 5 hours sleep last night, but what John said really rings true... I'mway too "mentally" energised... I like I'm onthe berge of panic alot, and my brain is constantly whirring, but never follows the same string for long! This is the same in my conversation.
>
> I may be able to talk to the doctomorrow, so hopefully he may suggest something. Iahve some remeron left over, so I'll ask about that.
>
> Thanks again
>
> Nikki xx
Nikki, let me know what you find out. I love Effexor-XR except for the difficulty sleeping. Am taking a small dose of Serzone at night, and that helps sometimes, but other nights, I hardly sleep (just toss and turn and get up over and over). Am thinking about trying Melatonin. Don't want to take anything habit-forming (no benzos). Please share what works! Thanks!
Posted by JohnB on May 3, 2000, at 20:49:49
In reply to Thanks guys, posted by NikkiT on May 3, 2000, at 9:50:41
Nikki- You're welcome; -and keep us posted on how it's going.
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.