Looking for feedback from anyone taking Effexor?
<< Scared of flying and I've been prescribed Xanax? Does Cognitive Behavorial Therapy work? >>
I was recently put on Effexor to treat dysthymia (chronic mild depression) and general anxiety disorder. I would like to hear from others who have taken it…is it successful, problems with side effects, etc?
Articulos relacionados
- No related posts
I was just given Effexor after my stay in the hospital. It is supposed to help my MS related fatigue. Instead it made me jittery, nauseous and sleepy. I will never take it again. I hope it works better for you
November 18th, 2009 at 12:00 pmWell, how is it working for YOU? You know it takes 3-6 weeks to really see how it will be, right? Although if you are having a bad reaction even early on it could indicate that Effexor is not right for you.
I am taking 75 mg. a day of Effexor XR, but I am going to ask my dr. to switch me to Wellbutrin on Mon. I take it for milld depression that is an anxiety-type (not the sad type). I have gained 10 lbs.; it makes me hungry. I was 140, now I am 149-150. My "good" weight would be 130ish, so I don’t need another 10 lbs. Plus I think it makes me a bit tired. Wellbutrin is associated at times with weight loss or being weight-neutral, but it still might make me tired.
If you still don’t feel good enough talk to the dr. You might need a higher dose. Or a different med. Or maybe a low dose of something like Clonazapam to help you feel better until the Effexor kicks in. I had to do that when I had Post Partum Depression…took an SSRI (Prozac) and Clonazapam. After the Prozac was working I didn’t need the Clonazapam any more.
I hope you feel better soon! Effexor is a good drug for a lot of people, because it affects both serotonin and dopamine.
November 18th, 2009 at 12:00 pmI’ve been taking Effexor XR for about 6 months. I’ve been happy with the results. My depression and anixiety levels have gone back to normal. When I first started taking it I felt wired all the time and had to take it in the morning. It is also important that I take it at about the same time everyday. If I don’t I have some digestive issues. So I take it around 9am with my breakfast. I’m not much of a morning person so I get up around 7am but don’t eat until close to 9am. All the side effects went away within the first month or so of being on it. Although if I get off my schedule of taking it I start to have some side effects again. So for me at least it is extremely important that I take it at the same time everyday.
I should note that I one 75mg pill and one 37.5 which is a fairly low dose. I believe most people are between 150 – 300. However I was having good success on the lower dose so my doctor decided to keep me there. Even though it does cost more of the Rx since I have to pay two co-pays.
I hope this helps.
November 18th, 2009 at 12:00 pmMany people have had great luck with effexor. Sometimes you may have to adjust the dosage, consider other oral medications and do some work to get the best effects.
Some people feel more anxious on it and can’t sleep.If this is you and it continues for more than a week, consider a different medication.
I effexor can be a wonderful start to feeling better and have seen hundreds of patients have good results, but that to feel better the rest of your life, cognitive-behavioral therapy, life skills, stress management training, communication and conflict resolution skills, and learning progressive relaxation can make the need for oral medication a non-issue. The results of therapy last a lifetime. With drugs, when you stop, the depression and anxiety return. Consider a good therapist too. It works and doesn’t take long to turn things around.
Sounds corny, but yoga has been proven to be effective in treating anxiety and depression, preventing health complications, and elevating one’s mood. Consider it.
Some side effects associated with effexor that you need to report would be change/decrease in appetite, loss of sex drive or ability to maintain erection, increased anxiety, tremor, insomnia, GI symptoms such as diahrea, constipation, vomiting, and sweating. Usually these will go away shortly into to treatment, but if they continue or are extreme, call the prescriber.
Make sure you do things like eat 3 meals and 2-3 snacks a day, sleep on a schedule and get 8 hours a night, get 30 minutes or more of exercise to dump the stress so you don’t internalize it and cause health problems, do something fun for yourself and to bring joy into your life, avoid alcohol and other depressants, consider learning self-hypnosis and progressive relaxation to deal with the stress/anxiety that causes the depression directly, and be kind to yourself. Treat yourself well. Best of luck to you. Give yourself a couple weeks to really feel better.
November 18th, 2009 at 12:00 pmI was on Effexor XR for 5 years. For most of that time I took 150mg/day. It did help my mood improve. I wasn’t depressed anymore but was still anxious.
The problem with Effexor is withdrawl when you decide to come off the drug. I was weaned off slowly by my doctor. He told me there would be no withdrawl symptoms. TOTALLY FALSE!!
PLEASE READ INFO ON EFFEXOR WITHDRAWL. It can be found all over the Internet. The doctor probably won’t tell you but the physical withdrawl from this drug is HELL.
I was put on a low dose of Wellbutrin and Ativan to try to avoid the side effects. It hasn’t helped. I haven’t taken Effexor in 4 days. I’ve been getting constant "brain-zaps".. Hard to explain unless you’ve had them. It’s like an intense dizzy feeling that lasts only a second or two but happens about 10 times per minute. It’s classic Effexor withdral. I’m nauseous. I just want to sleep. I can’t function.
This feeling, according to what I’ve read lasts for at least 1 month and possibly longer being the worst during the first week off the drug. I wouldn’t have started taking Effexor had I known what the withdrawl was like. Effexor is supposedly the worst anti-depressant to come off of. Paxil is pretty bad as well. Sadly, doctors don’t seem to want to believe this.
Please read about Effexor withdrawl and consider your options.
Here’s another Yahoo Answers poster who is suffering with the symptoms I mentioned:
http://ca.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070605193120AAFhlOQ
November 18th, 2009 at 12:00 pm