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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by nilla on November 26, 2002, at 8:14:44
hey.. first, thank you to everyone who repsonded to my earlier post... today will be day 5 of the starter kit. still at 37.5, taking it around noon. I'd like to take it later in the day but I'm afraid it'll affect my sleeping even more.
side effects include horrible dry mouth (so i'm always paranoid that I have bad breath), complete loss of appetite, complete loss of sex drive (my boyfriend is ready to break up with me), difficulty urinating, light and sound sensitivity, slightly blurry vision, irritability, mood swings, bad insomnia that even 15mg of Ambien is struggling against and, last but not least, racing heart, sweating and constant body temperature changes and my hands and feet are always freezing cold. Fortunatley I have not experience any brain tremors that I'm hearing so much about.. frankly, they scare me and make me wonder if I should get off Effexor XR now while I still can.
Oh wait, there's more. I'm having trouble putting together sentences and my short term memory is SHOT.
I've not had problems getting up in the morning nor with energy, so that's good, as one of the leading factors in the decision to get back on meds was my lethargy, fatigue and lack of motivation.
my questions are as following:
1 - when do the side effects start subsiding?
2 - how long can I stay at 37.5 mg at? My doc hopes to get me up to 150 but I'm going to see if we can max it out at 75... the posts I've been reading are way tooooo intimidating for someone who isn't in dire need of Effexor XR's help at high dosages.2 - how common are these side effects? All in All, I've felt pretty "cracked out"..
3 - is there another drug in this same category that you guys suggest I try? I was on a high dosage Serzone for several years.. i loved it and it helped in so many ways but the risk of liver failure scared me right off of it. I also tried Wellbutrin with it for the exhaustion/tiredness but that showed no effect. We gave Provigil a whirl too but I decided to not toy with it since it was such a new drug and long term side effects were less known than other drugs.
I eagerly look forward to some responses.. and hopefully there'll be some positive ones in here too.. :)
Posted by Mr Cushing on November 26, 2002, at 9:16:05
In reply to EFFEXOR XR - update w/ side effects and questions, posted by nilla on November 26, 2002, at 8:14:44
#1) I found that the side effects started to subside with me after about 2 weeks, like day 15#2) I bumped up to 75mg within 3 days of starting to take Effexor
#3) None of the side effects that you listed are too surprising since I went through it as well. However, I found that they all disappeared within 2 weeks of starting the medication.
#4) Depends on what you're taking Effexor for. Like what's the worst end of the spectrum for you at the moment? Depression or Anxiety? If it's Anxiety, Effexor will work miracles. If you don't like that, then I suggest Paxil. I've heard that Paxil works much better in women than in men and with Effexor, vice versa. If it's Depression, I would suggest Celexa or Lexapro. It's all a trial and error process to find out what works best for you.
Posted by nilla on November 26, 2002, at 9:30:30
In reply to Re: EFFEXOR XR - update w/ side effects and questions, posted by Mr Cushing on November 26, 2002, at 9:16:05
Hey again.. thanks for the response.. Primarily, we're trying to treat the depression but I have suffered (and treated with Serzone) from anxiety in the past.. Define Anxiety, just so I can be sure that we're on the same page..
Do the sexual side effects subside? what about mood swings and irritability? my doc said I can jump up to 75 now if i'd like but I'm a little scared to based on how the first few days of side effects have gone. I havent eaten in several days and, while I tried to last nite, i managed half a bowl of cereal before throwing it away..
I'm going through all these thoughts in my head... productive ones and then negative ones.. i'd like to get back in bed and sleep the day away despite the fact that i'm not tired.
All in all, I'd like this "cracked out" feeling to go away.. I feel like I haven't slept in days.. then again, having trouble sleeping from before starting the Effexor, i'm probably lacking in that department anyways.. but even so, I REALLY feel cracked out..
and when would you suggest the best times of day are to take the med?
looking forward to your response.. you're one of the few who say positive things about this drug so it helps keep me calm when people are sharing experiences of brain tremors/shocks... have you experienced that?
>
> #1) I found that the side effects started to subside with me after about 2 weeks, like day 15
>
> #2) I bumped up to 75mg within 3 days of starting to take Effexor
>
> #3) None of the side effects that you listed are too surprising since I went through it as well. However, I found that they all disappeared within 2 weeks of starting the medication.
>
> #4) Depends on what you're taking Effexor for. Like what's the worst end of the spectrum for you at the moment? Depression or Anxiety? If it's Anxiety, Effexor will work miracles. If you don't like that, then I suggest Paxil. I've heard that Paxil works much better in women than in men and with Effexor, vice versa. If it's Depression, I would suggest Celexa or Lexapro. It's all a trial and error process to find out what works best for you.
>
>
Posted by nilla on November 26, 2002, at 9:31:54
In reply to Re: EFFEXOR XR - update w/ side effects and questions, posted by Mr Cushing on November 26, 2002, at 9:16:05
this is horrible. I wake up with total lock jaw as well... is this normal??
Posted by Mr Cushing on November 26, 2002, at 11:18:23
In reply to Re: EFFEXOR XR - update w/ side effects and questions, posted by nilla on November 26, 2002, at 9:30:30
I'll define anxiety as the manic phase of Bi-Polar since it's relatively the same anyways...Increased physical and mental activity and energy
Heightened mood
exaggerated optimism and self-confidence
Excessive irritability
aggressive behavior
Decreased need for sleep without experiencing fatigue
Grandiose delusions, inflated sense of self-importance
Racing speech, racing thoughts, flight of ideas
Impulsiveness, poor judgment, distractibility
Reckless behavior
In the most severe cases, delusions and hallucinationsI never had sexual side effects or lockjaw from Effexor, but I have heard of it, so it's common. One note though that you should probably keep in mind when using these ADs... you're taking them because without them life is almost unbearble, right? You know that old saying that you always must sacrifice something to get what you want? If you're not puking your brains out on a constant basis from taking these medications, then don't worry about it too much. If the side effects keep up for a few weeks, then bring them to the attention of your Doctor. But you're not going to take any one of these medications and not suffer from side effects. Plus, wait till it's time to stop taking these medications... if you think start-up is bad, wait untill you feel withdrawal. That's why I always tell people to only take these meds if you can't function properly without them, but if you do decide to take them, then don't complain. You'll eventually go through worse during your treatment.
I never really noticed a difference in the time of day that I took the medication. Since I'm Bi-Polar and I really shouldn't have been taking Effexor without having a Mood Stabilizer in place already, it was kind of a tricky business. I found that the best relief I got was when I took the medication at 75mg every 36 hours. So that would be like taking it one morning, then the next night, then skipping a day and taking it the following morning. I never really noticed a difference.
The whole cracked out feeling though does go away within 2 weeks. Start-up was bad for this, but withdrawal, like what I'm going through right now, is MUCH worse. However, when I was on the medication, I found that it really did help to keep me stable which is surprising since that's a real tricky business when treating a bi-polar patient. Give it at least 4-6 weeks to see what side effects go away with continued treatment or you're just wasting your time with it. Also, if Effexor's side effects are too severe for you after this period of time, you can switch to any other AD (Paxil, Celexa, Lexapro, etc.) after a 48 hour dry out period with very minor side effects.
Posted by amber_spirit on November 26, 2002, at 13:41:45
In reply to Re: EFFEXOR XR - update w/ side effects and questions, posted by Mr Cushing on November 26, 2002, at 11:18:23
I actually had a fairly good experience on Effexor XR 150 mg for about 2 years. I didn't have much for start up side effects. It helped with depression. I did have some side effects that lasted throughout - weight gain, exhaustion (which may have been thyroid related), jaw clenching (which was just annoying not unbearable), and hot flashes. I also went off cold turkey without side effects (although I was in such bad shape by then that I don't know if I would have even noticed side effects)
I ended up going off because I crashed into a mixed episode. Was dignosed w/depression but now have BP dx.
Not everyone has bad experiences with it - hope that helps.
AS
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