Hi
Welcome old and new members to our new DF home.  

You are probably reading this because its the first time you've been here at DF and possibly the first time you've been prescribed Effexor or any anti-depressant (AD).

First of all DON'T PANIC.   Your dr has good reasons for prescribing Effexor to you. You are either suffering from depression or anxiety or something else.  Taking an anti-depressant can help people recover enough from their symptoms to be able to continue with their daily lives.  

Its ok to be nervous about taking an anti-depressant and have lots of questions.  What are the side effects going to be?  Will it change me? Will it turn me into a zombie?  I've heard horror stories about Effexor will that happen to me?  

You are unique, how the drug will affect you will be different to how it affects other people.  Some people have a bad experience with Effexor for others its all good.  For some its inbetween.

On these pages you will find a lot of information, some good and some bad.  These are peoples' personal experiences with Effexor.  Keep in mind that you may and probably will have a different experience.

"Whats with all the horror stories?"  A simple explanation is that only those folk who have bad experiences or who have questions come onto the internet and post.  The folk who manage just fine with Effexor never need to come on and say "I'm happy with what Effexor has done for me".  This means that you will hear bad reports about Effexor amongst the good.  Try not to dwell on these negative reports.  It might not beome your experience.  People do manage to take Effexor with only minor side effects and find that it helps their illness.  

The information here is useful because you will/may see similarities with your own experiences.  If you have questions about side effects, it is possible that someone else has had that same experience and already has been given an answer that relates to you also.  

If you are unsure of what to say to a Dr, read some of the posts here or post your own thoughts.  It can be a good way of practising what to say to your Dr (I've used this place in this way).

If you think you are having problems with Effexor call your Dr and arrange to see him/her.   What you will read here is from personal experience and can never fully replace what a Dr can tell you.   My advice would always be to go to your Dr if you are worried or unsure about something even if I can answer your question.  Remember this is the internet and I'm not sitting face-to-face with you, I also don't know your medical history, your Dr does.   Your local pharmacist is also a good source of advice and knowledge about Effexor (or should be).

Remember too that members here do not have any medical training.  We are suffering or have suffered from depression and related illness.  We may also be relatives of people who are ill.

Any advice given here can not and should not be used before or in place of proper medical advice.

Finally read the drug information leaflet that should come with your Effexor.  If you don't get one in the pack, ask your pharmacist for information.  

If you can't find a related topic to your query, post in the
SPECIAL NEWBIE POSTING AREA and I or someone else will try and answer your question.  

I'm in Scotland so if you are in the USA and post in the evening, you may not get an answer till the next day.   Remember too that I may be off-line for any number of reasons.  One of which is that I too suffer from depression and I do still get bad periods from time to time.  

If you don't get a response within 24 hrs send a Private Message to any other moderator (names are next to room descriptions) who is online.

I hope you find the Effexor room helpful for you.  I hope we can help each other.

Thanks.

To our 'old' members if you have any posts on the old DF site please free to copy them to our new site.  This can be done easily by clicking the 'Print Topic' button at the bottom of the page and then copying and pasting the entire topic into a new topic.   If you need any help, just ask.  

Cheers.

Eileen