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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 12 of 12. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by worriedinohio on March 11, 2006, at 10:07:04
I am 23/male and have been on Celexa, Paxil, Zoloft, and now I am on Effexor. I have been on Effexor XR 150mg daily for about 6 months now and have been going to a counselor once a week for about two or three months. My depression I feel is gone except for feeling "outside" or "alone" when it comes to social situations and interactions with other people. My anxiety and feelings of loneliness have gotten so great that I am having physical symptoms now that I never had before the Effexor and couseling.
Professionaly at work everything is fine, academicaly at school things are fine; but socially I feel alone and hopeless. Whenever I am rejected by someone wether as friends or when going on a date I feel so horrible afterwords I am physically sick. Full of self doubt, low self esteem, and feelings of need to find people to be around just to feel ok about myself.
Any suggestions? Is it the Effexor? Should I switch? Should I increase my dose? Anyone else feel this way? Someone please give me some hope and some advice...
Posted by JB908 on March 11, 2006, at 10:42:17
In reply to effexor xr and couseling but anxiety is worse, posted by worriedinohio on March 11, 2006, at 10:07:04
I'm A 23 year old male also. I have been on Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, Welbutrin, Buspar, and now Effexor XR. I have been on Effexor XR for about a year now. I was on 150 mg's for a while up until last week when my doctor bumped it up to 225 because of the reasons your are having. I too go to counseling. Maybe you need a higher dose, or maybe it's just not right for you. I know that even as we speak right now I am having high anxiety & slight depression. I hope that in the next couple weeks I find this goes away. If I were you I would talk to the person who put you on the medication and see what they think. Let me know how your doing.
Posted by worriedinohio on March 11, 2006, at 11:10:10
In reply to Re: effexor xr and couseling but anxiety is worse, posted by JB908 on March 11, 2006, at 10:42:17
Do you worry/think about the side effects of Effexor? Is your problem also mainly anxiety and not so much depression? Did your anxiety get worse since starting Effexor or counseling?
Posted by JB908 on March 11, 2006, at 11:43:20
In reply to Re: effexor xr and couseling but anxiety is worse, posted by worriedinohio on March 11, 2006, at 11:10:10
Yea i worry about the side effects, but all meds have side effects. I think/hope they will sub-side over time. We will see. Now yes, my main problem is anxiety, but i have had my bouts of depression. thats why i am on this medicine cause i had an extreme depression bout last year. It helped alot for depression.
Posted by sleepygirl on March 11, 2006, at 12:22:51
In reply to effexor xr and couseling but anxiety is worse, posted by worriedinohio on March 11, 2006, at 10:07:04
you might benefit from something added on, like a benzodiazepine, perhaps klonopin
I took that with effexor for a while, and klonopin was helpful for anxiety
Posted by Racer on March 11, 2006, at 13:02:03
In reply to effexor xr and couseling but anxiety is worse, posted by worriedinohio on March 11, 2006, at 10:07:04
I'm so sorry -- it's just coming out. Call it me getting old: it sounds to me as though you're experiencing the absolute misery of being insecure, and that's something that you may grow out of as you get more experience of other people.
I know, that doesn't help, since you're experiencing misery now. And believe me -- I went through it, too. Being in a group of people was enough to make me feel nauseous, and I would want to cry.
I do think that therapy would do more for you, long term, in dealing with this than meds, but you might talk to your psychiatrist about a drug to help with social anxiety. Not something to take all the time, but something to take now and again, when you had a social event happening that made you nervous. There are things like beta blockers that can help a lot with it, without sedating you. And the very best news about it is that once you have a couple of good experiences, it gets easier and easier every time. If you can relax, and put more focus on others than you do yourself, that helps too. (One of the great secrets of life that most people learn by about 30 is that nearly everyone is insecure at times, and in most of those college events, nearly everyone is more concerned with how they're coming across than they are about anyone else.)
I really am sorry that you're experiencing this. If the Effexor is adequately addressing your depression, I don't see any reason to change or increase your dose over this. I'd be much more inclined to talk to your doctor about an anxiolytic, and talk to your therapist about relaxation techniques that might help you with the social anxiety.
Good luck.
Posted by linkadge on March 11, 2006, at 13:53:50
In reply to Oh, how I hate to say this... » worriedinohio, posted by Racer on March 11, 2006, at 13:02:03
I am 22 male. I would like to share that Effexor made my pysical symptoms of anxiety worse, independantly of circumstances, namely heart palps, sweating etc.
Linkadge
Posted by Phillipa on March 11, 2006, at 20:45:11
In reply to Re: Oh, how I hate to say this..., posted by linkadge on March 11, 2006, at 13:53:50
Lasted on week at 37.5mg but felt like a space cadet so the doc dc'd it. Boy did I ever feel better. Fondly, Phillipa ps some meds are too stimulating for some people me included
Posted by linkadge on March 11, 2006, at 21:14:24
In reply to Re: Oh, how I hate to say this..., posted by Phillipa on March 11, 2006, at 20:45:11
What happened to the good old days when doctors treated neurosis the way it should be treated.
Treatments these days....(shaking my head)
Linkadge
Posted by Racer on March 11, 2006, at 21:37:14
In reply to Re: Oh, how I hate to say this..., posted by linkadge on March 11, 2006, at 21:14:24
> What happened to the good old days when doctors treated neurosis the way it should be treated.
>
> Treatments these days....(shaking my head)
>
> Linkadge
LoL! And how exactly was that? And Link? You're, uh, 22? When were these good old days?(By the way, that's meant as affectionate teasing, not as criticism. It's so hard when there are no non-verbal cues, so I want to make sure to try to make that clear. It's not typed with sarcasm, but with smiles and affection for you.)
Posted by linkadge on March 12, 2006, at 11:00:51
In reply to {looks confused} So, uh ... » linkadge, posted by Racer on March 11, 2006, at 21:37:14
I understand. I'm only joking too. I guess I am referring to the days of the barbiturates. At least they didn't leave you questioning.
I think that it is a muttled time for psychiatry.
Linkadge
Posted by Racer on March 12, 2006, at 13:18:19
In reply to Re: {looks confused} So, uh ..., posted by linkadge on March 12, 2006, at 11:00:51
> I understand. I'm only joking too. I guess I am referring to the days of the barbiturates. At least they didn't leave you questioning.
>
> I think that it is a muttled time for psychiatry.
>
>
> Linkadge
>
>Yeah -- I say it's like Schliemann searching for Troy, while he tramples Illium to rubble beneath his boots. I just read something that made me laugh -- an article about amazing new information from researchers: Wow! There really is a reason for glial cells! They're not just there for decoration! Whodathunkit? Um, well, now that you mention it, I probably would have, just because I'm totally ignorant of the research to date that ignores them, but I do tend to think that evolution tends to be pretty frugal. If they didn't do anything, they probably wouldn't be there...
Sometimes ignorance is our friend, in some ways.
But anyway, I agree. Things were also easier when there were really only two diagnoses: neurosis, and psychosis. And the prevailing theory was that you developed neurosis because you lived in close contact with a psychotic...
As a total aside, because it jumped into my brain as I was typing this: did you know that most of the tranquilizers used in horses are anti-psychotics, or closely related? So, I guess that's another reason psychiatry was so much simpler before: the drugs involved could tranquilize a horse. Think how much easier it would make dealing with psychotic patients?
This is the end of the thread.
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