Hello All,

Il try to make my situation short. I was on zloft for 8 years after a surgery that had complications led me into anxiety and depression. I havent been the same since. Even 8 years on zoloft I felt numb but was functional so i got by. For the last 2 years it didnt really work so well. I decided to quit my job in the ailrine business that was high stress that id been in for 15 years and sold my house, car etc and moved to SE ASia looking for a stress free life and hoping my problems would go away. I was still on zoloft at the time after aobut 4 failed attempts to ocme off over 8 years. When i got to Thailand I was in vacation mode and within 2 weeks i quit zoloft cold turkey and was willing to hack out whatever I hadto to beat it this time. If it meant living in a monastery with monks and meditating, whatever. I set myself up that i had no commitments just to beat it. It was a hard few months. Constant diahrea,anxiety releived by lorazepam when needed. I figure the withdrawal ended at some point but i never lost the diahrea or bouts of anxiety mostly based on whats next in my life. Then stress started to come into play because i had no real plan. I was taking thai language course, trying to chill, decided that after only ever trying one med maybe i sohuld try osmething else. I took lexapro for 8 weeks moving from 5mg after a week to 10mg. Nothing. Went off it no real withdrawal effect. Then I took a job in Taiwan teaching with a buddy. Freee apartment making about 20bucks an hour no worries. But i was stressed out constantly for whatever reason. I have always since this started had morning dry heaves which is worst of my problems. I wake up and feel need to dry heave...every day...if im really stressed it lasts into the day. Now I have a phobia that i cant get anormal morning job or i know il be gagging..My pdoc and gp has always said its stress..im not so sure. Anyway in Taiwan I had severe daihrea and dry heaving all day and started having abdominal cramps. I hadto quit and went back to my gf in Thailand and went to doctor there. They did a bidirectinal endoscopy on me and i was clean...The specialist told me to see a shrink. I did. I told him my whole deal. He suggested prozac at a low dose and try meditation. I was on prozac for 3 days and had bizarre anxiety hadto quit. The stress now of being with my girl but not having a way ot make mnoey was taking a toll on me. Ive basically struggled the whole 7 months ive been off meds praying things will get better. I have just returned home to canada and am staying with my parents. I have no job and feel s***ty. I have money and am in pretty good shape that way but i cant work and dont know what job I can find even if i could wrok right now. I went to my doc yesterday who knows my whole history and broke down..Told him i basically changed my entire life to beat this thing.......quit job...sold..house......went to thialand..tried to relax...tired meditation....acupuncture 12 sessions......different meds.......everythnig.....He said that i gave it a good shot but the way i have been struggling proves i need to be on something. He said even before this all started 8 years ago i was always high strung and high stres but it had yet to trun to illness. I know that is probably true. Ive always been ashamed to be on meds. I dunno why i just have. He suggested effexor xr and i filled a prescription of 37.5 for a week then 75 for a few weeks and go back to see him. I want cognitive therapy or any therpay.....In Canada its free but i havto wait 6 months at least. I am just wondering if being off meds for 7 months and being sort of functional aside from anxiety and gagging in morning and being dpressed if I should throw vthat away and jump right back into meds again....espec effexor being hardest ot get off....im already worried aobut getting off later before i even get better. i read the horror of effexor....can induce mania and all sorts of s***.....i dont wanto be owrse than i am now but i cant go on like this. sometimes i wonder that when i was in thailand feeling like this that if i didnt have money would i have done something stupid to myself. i really dont know. i took a 37.5 pill last night and within 4 hours i felt something happening in my head. like a switch was being turned on.it didnt feel bad. im 37 years old...i have alot ahead of me but i dont see any of it. I feel like this is a major major decision...If i dont go on meds i dunno if i can get better..but if i do im back to squre one and if they dont work itll take everythng to get me back where i am now. I am seriously out of options. I have a fried on effexor on and of for 3 years he takes 75mg tells me its best ting happned to him and he never has withdrawal....but when i read some of these forums it scares me.......any insight would be appreciated.........Mike

Almost similar to me recently, I had previously been on Efexor for a year and a half and it worked great for my depression + anxiety, then I decided to go off of it cos I didn't want to always be on meds...

After coming off it 9 months ago I basically went downhill again, yes the withdrawal is hell, but I think if you taper down properly it's not as bad. I basically just swapped to another med that has no withdrawal and it really didn't do much for me either.

I'd been getting bad anxiety and been very depressed again in the last couple of months and finally decided to go back on Efexor, even after experiencing that horrible withdrawal. Because I guess in the end I know its worked for me, and i'm willing to give it a shot again, because feeling better is so worth it. And the first couple of weeks are hard too, i'm on day 9 now and it's not easy, but I know it will improve soon.

You will know when you're at a point where you need to try meds, and it does sound like it by what i've read. Hope this somewhat helps :)

Nicole,

Thanks for your reply. I took first 37.5mg dose on Monday and after 30 minutes felt like something was happening in my forhead. Like a switch being turned on. I wasnt imagining it. But later on that day I only felt really really spaced out. That night I had some bizarre dreams. I didnt take it the second day. I find myself so consumed by looking up all the withdrawal horror stories that Im really scared to take it. Wed I took it reluctantly and all day was spaced out but really wired up with anxiety. For me anxiety is the worst. Im afraid of it and had it at bay after being off meds for 8 months. I have been sweating alot. The same thing happened when I started Zoloft. I cant remeber how long it lasted on Zoloft. Sweating is nothing to me. Ive seen how effexor can induce mania and bipolar and all kinds of s*** and mostly im just worried that trying effexor will make me worse than before. Yes I was depressed but I was semi functional and not happy but not suicidal or anything. I just worry about absolutely everything. So I took my 3rd dose in 4 days about an hour ago. I can actually feel the dose quite quickly after I take it. The lightheadedness gets stronger within like 15 minutes. I dunno if that is a good thing and means it will work or what. Im scared s***less. My parents dont get it. They try to be supportive but dont understand I just dont feel like doing anything. I was owndering if anybody out there felt weird anxiety on start up and how long until it passed. I know its different for everybody. And did the wiered anxiety ever make you stop taking it. I just think Im kind of weak mentally right now and if the anxiety gets real bad i wil panic and stop taking it and be back to square one. Any input appreciated....Mike

i have been on effexor for about 1 month and ahalf. started at 35mg and then stopped after hearing about withdrawl, went back on becuz i couldnt stop si-ing. had all different weird feelings, they have tapered off except for the intense dreams. still on it it gets me out of bed, my mood isnt amazingly happy but my si-ing has really slowed down and i dont get stuck in that 'dark place' i did have about a week that i was getting really intense thoughts about death. but that too has gone away...

I have had similar anxiety, depression, etc. I'm sending you a private message, as I've already posted my life story all over here in various places.

Im on my 5th day now of 37.5. I have lightheadedness and some anxiety but i sleep well. Im still terrified of everythnig ive read aobut side effects and getting of this drug or if it crpas out. My 3 time fialed withdrawal and finally 7 month withdrawal from zoloft that led me back in depressino seems like nothing compared to what im in for in the long run from effexor..i just dont know if its worth it or sohuld i look at trying something esle before its too late to stop this....please help....

I'm sure you are afraid based on your terrible withdrawal experiences, but I think I would continue to give Effexor a chance since you're side effects don't seem too bad. If it doesn't work out, you can try another SNRI (like Cymbalta) and hope you don't have withdrawal effects since you are basically working with the same type of drug.

Good luck!

Maddie

Hey there Mr, I thought id drop you a message as you seem to be having a tough time at the moment, Just wanted to let you know that I have been taking Effexor for about 6mths and I dont get that many side effects from it at all, and I take a dose of 375mg, I think people are quite scared of this drug it can be a little bit tough at the start, but in my experince its been a positive move taking Effexor, my advice is just take it 1 day at a time and see how you are feeling! James

I also have the really bad anxiety, its worse than my depression. But after coming off Efexor, and trying different medications since, I still find Efexor is the best. It doesn't help much with my OCD but for anxiety and depression it definitely does.

I'm on my second time around, at the 14 day mark and already feel more like myself. Not as agrophobic and I can actually leave the house without freaking out majorly.

Yes the withdrawal is a very scary thing to go through, but my doctor assured me that next time I do decide to come off it, it can be done very very slowly, as the first time I just switched straight to another med and made the withdrawal horrible!

I wish you all well as when Efexor works, it works well :)

... if you don't mind my saying so, it sounds like these "horror" stories are making you even more anxious. Just to balance those stories: Efexor was a miracle drug for me, I took it for years and went into complete remission on it... and when it finally pooped out and I tapered off it, I didn't have any withdrawal problems. If it would work again after a poop-out, I would go back onto it in a heartbeat. That's not to say it will work for you, but perhaps just to reassure you a little...?

Okay did 5 days of 37.5. I sleep ok but am so spaced out its not funny. And wired. i have psyched myself out over this med as i have heard to many horroor stories and after being off zoloft for 7 months I still dont feel right. I dont know whats going to happen. I just came back from Thailand after a year. i tried lexapro at 10mg for 8 weeks and got nothing and quit prozac after 3 days because of wierd anxiety. I would actually like to try porzac again or maybe even zoloft after being off that long but dont know if it will work again. because my anxiety and worry lead to depressino maybe i jsut need a benzo or klonopin i dunno. I havto wait 6 months to see a pdoc unless i go to emrg in the hospital whixh i might do tonight. Im so tired of suffering but i dont wanto be a victim of effexor for life if i can find somethnig esle that can help me. At this point i dont even mind being addicted to xanax or something if it will help...im so confused and desperate s***tttt.............

At 5 days it is common to still be experiencing side effects - spaced out and wired. Sleeping ok is good...that is a positive. Wait until these side effects subside before you increase to 75 mg - expect to feel them again then but by then you'll have the confidence to know they are only temporary. I have never actually met anyone who has had an Efffexor horror story but have known lots of people on it or that have tried it. I do believe they are the minority of Effexor users. The stories I have read also indicate that they weren't the most informed patients either - were given bad advice by pdocs, not told to taper, etc. You have the advantage of being able to communicate with lots of us with Effexor experience (and experience with lots of other meds too).

A benzo like Klonopin will just address anxiety not depression. Effexor and Klonopin is the best combination for me and I have depression and anxiety. It might be a good option for you as well if you find that Effexor does not adequately control your anxiety. I don't know how well zoloft, prozac or lexapro treats anxiety. It might even be a good option now if you could get a script for .5 or 1 mg Klonopin, it may help ease your anxiety. It has a very long half life so you don't feel a quick impact...you may not feel it kick in at all...but it will ease the anxiety and help the desperation. Small steps are the key. Small dose of effexor to see if it works and you can adjust to it. Small dose of Klonopin could take the edge of your anxiety.

I would really give the Effexor a chance if you feel you possibly can. Honestly, I am the queen of side effects...I react to almost every drug class I have ever been exposed to...not allergies...but side effects. It really sucks. If I can take Effexor successfully, then most people have a good chance with it. My only negative experience with it was when I went from 75 to 150 mg dose and had tremors for 3 weeks. I couldn't make that jump. I had to go 75 to 112.5 to 150.

Good luck with it and we are all rooting for you

Efexor is actually indicated for depression and GAD as well, so it may be that once you're on the right dose for you, the anxiety will be controlled too.
I had the most awful start-up side-effects of any AD I've taken, on Efexor, BUT once these were over and it began to take effect, I went into REMISSION. So, I agree, give it a chance...

I hear you there!! I also get all the side effects, or pretty bad ones when on meds. Efexor at the start does have some, I had them for at least the first 2 weeks but if you can wait it out they generally subside. Not in all cases, but its worth trying it for that time.

I found I had heaps more side effects on SSRI's and would rather Efexor over them.

I actually stopped it. Ive been off it for 2 days. I actually feel a little better already. Aside form headaches and a sometimes what feels like a heart flutter from time to time. Unfort being out of canada for a year I have long wait for pdoc or therapy although I may go to emerg in hospital to try to get some help. Im taking .5mg of lorazepam when needed but my head is clear. After being off meds for 7 months and sort of functioning but being stressed aobut things I wanto try therapy and maybe another ssri aside from effexor and save effexor as a last resort due to what ive heard. I just psyched myself out aobut the med. It took me 7 months to get off zoloft and i still have diahrhea abdomnial cramps.....dry heaves etc....although may not be related i dunno.......what i really need i think is therapy.........il keep you posted..thanks for all your support