![[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 TheOutsider on December 14, 2004, at 16:24:10
High
I'm currently talking 150mgs of Effexor XL for Social Anxiety and mild depression.
I've been on this dosage for just over two weeks, so its early days yet.Effexor seems to be making me anxious, and I'm also not sleeping well, will this subside over time?
Secondly Effexor doesn't seem to be helping my social anxiety at all at the moment, how long is a decent trial of Effexor for SA?
Thirdly I've heard that Effexor can cause liver damage! This has really scared me, especialy as I sometimes combine it with Trazadone for sleep.
Am I destroying my liver?Any advice apreciated, am feeling pretty low at the moment.
Posted by MKB on December 14, 2004, at 16:57:03
In reply to Effexor not going well, Advice please!, posted by TheOutsider on December 14, 2004, at 16:24:10
Many of us have had the following problems with Effexor:
1. Doctors push the samples, but don't warn about the side-effects or withdrawal
2. Side effects, including liver damage and high blood pressure, can be serious
3. Drug reps downplay the side effects, so doctors don't always believe your problems are from the Effexor.
4. Withdrawal can be so emotionally debilitating that some people become suicidal.I'm sure there are people who like Effexor, but I haven't heard from too many on this site. Read what almost 7000 signers of the petition at www.petitiononline.com/effexor/ have said. Read the other posts on Psycho Babble. Good luck on your treatment. I hope your doctor is able to work with you on finding a comfortable alternative if Effexor doesn't work out.
Posted by pretty_paints on December 14, 2004, at 17:15:53
In reply to Re: Effexor not going well, Advice please! » TheOutsider, posted by MKB on December 14, 2004, at 16:57:03
This isnt at all to devalue what MKB has just said, but I thought I'd just mention...
Don't always take to heart everything that everyone says on babble. I'm not disagreeing with MKB or saying that he/she is wrong. Not at all.
But what I'm saying is, sometimes when you start on a new drug, you feel particularly vunerable. Before I started on Efexor I'd read all these horrific posts about it and had decided there was NO WAY I was gonna take it. Anyway, I did, and it has been fine. At the end of the day, you must remember that everyone has different experiences with drugs. There is a lot of bad stuff on babble about Efexor yes, but I don't think that accurately represents the drug. People tend to post more when they're unhappy with a drug or it has caused them problems. The thing MKB wrote about the petition, while I don't mean to offend, I don't think it was that helpful. If you go and read about all these bad posts and take a look at this petition, there's no way Efexor is going to help you! You'll be sitting there waiting for all the side effects from day 1. Sometimes its best just to give it a break and not read everything on here. I'm only saying this from experience because I worried myself sick before I tried Efexor, reading all these gruelling posts!
In terms of how the drug has been, for me it is difficult to comment because it was only after adding an antipsychotic that I really began to have any sort of relief. Efexor was good in that it got me stable. It stopped me surging down into sucicidal thoughts, it stopped me crying all day, it made things a little less *raw*. Your anxiety should subside, at the beginning of taking the drug it probably will worsen, but it should eventually subside. Efexor is prescribed for Generalised Anxiety Disorder, separately to depression, so fingers crossed it should help you!
I currently take 225mg and haven't had any problems with side effects (not to discredit all those people who have suffered though). I'm trying to remember, it was a while since I started it. In terms of the liver thing, I didn't know anything about that, so it hasnt been something I've thought about.
I know the main thing with Efexor is the famous Nightmare Withdrawal when you stop taking it. I'm *sure* this is the case for many people and I don't doubt that this can occur given that so many people have problems with it. But sometimes I think maybe you need to just deal with the problem in hand, rather than thinking of all the future problems. You will go onto this new drug and you will get well. If you ever need to come off it, and it does happen to be bad, then deal with that THEN. You will be well by then and much stronger and able to cope with it. So for now, FORGET it.
Anyhow, I mainly just posted just to try and encourage you. Changing drugs sucks, and you will always feel a bit weird and edgy. You can always increase up to a max of 375mg, so don't give up yet. I'd say 6 weeks at the top dose would be a good trial period.
Good luck!!
Posted by King Vultan on December 14, 2004, at 17:46:38
In reply to Effexor not going well, Advice please!, posted by TheOutsider on December 14, 2004, at 16:24:10
> High
> I'm currently talking 150mgs of Effexor XL for Social Anxiety and mild depression.
> I've been on this dosage for just over two weeks, so its early days yet.
>
> Effexor seems to be making me anxious, and I'm also not sleeping well, will this subside over time?
> Secondly Effexor doesn't seem to be helping my social anxiety at all at the moment, how long is a decent trial of Effexor for SA?
> Thirdly I've heard that Effexor can cause liver damage! This has really scared me, especialy as I sometimes combine it with Trazadone for sleep.
> Am I destroying my liver?
>
> Any advice apreciated, am feeling pretty low at the moment.
Effexor really isn't notorious for causing liver damage, certainly not any more than the typical antidepressant. Serzone/nefazodone is the one that is notorious for this, but even there, it is a very rare side effect. Hydrazine derivatives such as Nardil have also been noted to cause liver failure; again, there are case reports, but the incidence is quite rare. I believe the chances of liver damage on Effexor are so ridiculously low that is simply not worth worrying about. Tylenol, for instance, especially in large amounts or with alcohol, carries a much, much higher risk of causing liver damage than would Effexor.Todd
Posted by TheOutsider on December 14, 2004, at 17:49:51
In reply to Re: Effexor not going well, Advice please!, posted by pretty_paints on December 14, 2004, at 17:15:53
I've been meaning to say its good to see you posting again, but i've just been to busy.
Hope your doing better.Although MKBs post was slightly alarmist I think he made some very good points, particularly about how Effexor is pushed by doctors.
The doctor who proscribed it to me really gave me the hard sell!
He told me it was "The Dogs Bollocks!"
On the other hand perhaps I have had a slightly negative attitude towards Effexor, I kinda assumed it wouldn't work for social anxiety, but who knows?
So hard to find good doctors in the UK!
Posted by Dan Perkins on December 14, 2004, at 18:05:42
In reply to Hey Paints good to hear from you! + more Effexor, posted by TheOutsider on December 14, 2004, at 17:49:51
I think MKB's post was spot-on. I just had a doctor try to push Effexor on me. When I asked about side effects, he said there weren't anything to worry about. Easy for him to say.
Have a look at this article from Forbes about Effexor:
http://www.forbes.com/technology/ebusiness/feeds/ap/2004/12/06/ap1694586.html
Given the information in this article, the dozens and dozens of aweful (and life threatening) experiences that have been related on this website, I just don't see why anyone would take Effexor as anything but a last resort when there are so many other medications out there.
Posted by TheOutsider on December 15, 2004, at 10:23:08
In reply to Re: Hey Paints good to hear from you! + more Effex, posted by Dan Perkins on December 14, 2004, at 18:05:42
Thanks to everyone who posted, particularly to King Vultan for reasuring me about liver toxicity.
I'm still looking for answers about effexor and anxiety. Will it suppside with time?
Any opinions on how effective Effexor is for Social anxiety?
Posted by ed_uk on December 15, 2004, at 10:49:21
In reply to Thanks for advice! Will Effexor anxiety disapear?, posted by TheOutsider on December 15, 2004, at 10:23:08
Hi,
As is the case with SSRIs, anxiety occuring at the start of treatment with Effexor usually goes away.
Ed.
Posted by PoohBear on December 17, 2004, at 20:16:13
In reply to Effexor not going well, Advice please!, posted by TheOutsider on December 14, 2004, at 16:24:10
Outsider:
I had many of the same symptoms when starting effexor. They DO tend to moderate with time. The sleep thing though, for me, started me on a three month journey to find a med for sleep. Currently, 50-100mg of Seroquel at night works well.
Ask your doctor about it...
Tony
> High
> I'm currently talking 150mgs of Effexor XL for Social Anxiety and mild depression.
> I've been on this dosage for just over two weeks, so its early days yet.
>
> Effexor seems to be making me anxious, and I'm also not sleeping well, will this subside over time?
> Secondly Effexor doesn't seem to be helping my social anxiety at all at the moment, how long is a decent trial of Effexor for SA?
> Thirdly I've heard that Effexor can cause liver damage! This has really scared me, especialy as I sometimes combine it with Trazadone for sleep.
> Am I destroying my liver?
>
> Any advice apreciated, am feeling pretty low at the moment.
Posted by dancingstar on December 20, 2004, at 0:05:54
In reply to Effexor not going well, Advice please!, posted by TheOutsider on December 14, 2004, at 16:24:10
Why don't you check out some of these posts.
http://www.socialaudit.org.uk/_disc//messages/23/67.html?SundayDecember1920040800am
Bebe
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.