I have been on Prozac (don't remeber the mgs but it was very high) and it made me feel TOO good. Someone could have spit in my face and I would have smiled and thanked them for it. It also gave me the tendecy to drink more as i was so danged happy about everything, I didn't care who I dissapointed.

Most recently was Zoloft. I don't recall what I started out at but ended it at 150mg as it did the complete oppositite of prozac. I had no energy, no appetite (lost 20 pds), was very argumentative for no reason even with the help of 1mg of Klonipon every day.

I changed to Effexor, it will be two weeks this Thursday. I started at 37.5 mgs and tapered down to 50 mgs of Zoloft (this was for one week only). I am now on 75mgs of Effexor (two days now) and the Klonipon was changed to Xanax 1 mg three times a day. I can already tell a difference in my mood/anxiety. I have my energy and my appetite back. I am back to being motivated to cook and clean my house instead of sitting in one spot and staring into space. I am having some of the other side effects - wont go into details but I also have the flu (going into bronchitis), so I'm not sure if the bad side effects are the Effexor or the sickness. Either or, Effexor has been a God send to me this far. I just pray they don't keep upping it. It seems like everytime I go to the pdoc he is upping something. I want to feel better/normal but I also want to still be me.

Thanks for listening and best wishes to you all!!!

Lost in the Past

I've been on various types of medicine now for several years. I used it initially to treat PMDD - but then it became an aid for me as I worked through counseling for abuse I suffered when I was younger. I tried prozac, paxil, and zoloft - but nothing helped very much. This summer my psychiatrist decided to give me Effexor, and it was an amazing help for my panic attacks - I noticed a differences within only a month.

The depression, however, spiraled out of control. I really don't know how it happened. Within 6 months I have gone from a person who had mild depression to - well, I don't even know what to call it. Severe depression? It doesn't feel like depression - it's more like I'm no longer anything like the person I was before (but not in a good way!). I became an alcoholic, hurt myself, dropped out of grad school, and stopped doing everything I loved - art, music, etc. But it's like I didn't see any of it coming...

Of course, I want to continue as before - but I see now that I need to get off of the effexor first. When I quit school my grades were fine, so I can have a second chance if I can only work my way out of this. I haven't had anything to drink since December - mostly because of the amazing help of my family. I have moments of clarity (like right now) and during these times I can set up a kind of "help" network for when I'm not doing this well (and I begin hurting myself, for instance).

My psychiatrist agreed heartily that something has gone terribly wrong. So, the problem isn't that anyone thinks I should stay on the effexor - the problem is getting off of it. If I had known what a difficulty this would be I would never ever have taken it. I've heard so many horror stories. I can only pray mine will be better.

So I'm in the first week. I'm taking 225 mg of effexor and my doctor is introducing 10 mg of prozac in order to combat the withdrawal ('discontinuation syndrome') symptoms. I don't like taking so much medicine, but supposedly next week we'll begin to cut down on the effexor.

I've had so many "brain shocks" from just taking my effexor a little too past when I normally take it. I've heard these can continue years after a person has stopped taking effexor. So that really worries me quite a bit... what has it done to my brain?

After I am off the effexor (and prozac, now) I think I'll try using just counseling again and natural medicine to see if I can keep it somewhat under control. Obviously, the SSRI and SSNRIs don't help me. I realize there are other options on the market.. but I'm just a bit tired of trying them at this point.

Anyhow, hopefully this whole journey over the next 2 months will not be as bad as some say it will be - but there's only one way to find out, unfortunately.

Gwenaelle
I haven't heard of brain zaps lasting years.

it may take you about some weeks to come off Efexor. Unless of course your dr suggests that you stop faster. I came off Efexor by dropping in steps of 37.5mg ever 2 weeks, you may want to come off faster but then it sounds like you may get some discontinuation symptoms, but I hope you won't get too much.

Eileen

Hi :)

i've been on effexor xr to treat GAD for five years now.

i'm currently on 150mg/day.

my doctor now suggested to up my dosage to treat major depressive disorder.

i haven't YET; i'm waiting for my application with wyeth to be approved for prescription assiantance.
::crosses fingers::

beaautifuldisaster
I hope that it works for you and that you get help with the prescription costs.

Eileen

Hi,

I'm Piffle and I've been on Effexor XR for about 1 year now. Much better than Zoloft. But I want to get more energy, lose weight, increase my libido and I'm going to talk to my pdoc about adding Wellbutrin. God I hope that works.

Hello Piffle!



Happy to hear that Effexor is working better for you than Zoloft did. However, if you're not seeing satisfactory results, talk to your doc. WB may be right for you. Please let us know what your doc says.



-Bean

my name is chantel and i suffer from severe anxiety and depression. It runs in my family, my father suffered from horrible depresssion for over 20 years and sadly ended in commiting suicide a few years ago. I don't want to lead down the same path as him but i fear that i might. I been taking effexor for 3 weeks now but haven't seen a difference yet, still waiting. I struggle alot with body image and appearance issues. I have horrible acne and can't seem to find anything to help which only makes me more depressed. I'm glad i found a place to talk to people who are going through some of the things i am, thank you!

chiqnina
it usually takes about 6 to 8 weeks to get benefit from efexor, so you have some way to go. it also depends on what dose you are at. usually people start off at a low dose and get upped a few times before they are the most therapeutic dose, which is about 225mg or 300mg.

Hope it works for you.

Eileen

Hello everyone!
I've been a regular in the Zoloft forum for the past 7 months...but as of tomorrow I will be an Effexor XR kid. zoloft has helped some, but not well enough and with the numbness and lack of sex drive my doc is switching me to Effexor XR. I have been tapering the Zoloft and will start at 37.5mg of the Effexor XR tomorrow...I am supposed to stay on that until I have a follow up. Thing is... I haven't seen many people who are taking only 37.5mg. Is there anyone out there who is taking just 37.5 and its working?

Hi to all. I am a 26 year old doctor working in the UK (I know doctors aren't supposed to get sick!). I have suffered from depression and anxiety all my life, but especially from the age of 16. I started citalopram which I got up to 40mg at the age of 19, but it did nothing for me. I switched to venlafaxine , which gave me some good improvements in mood, but when I got up to 225mg I had mild manic episode at work (a first - very frightening), which very nearly ruined my career. I understand that this is not an uncommon side-effect of venlafaxine. After 9 months on sick leave, I have recently returned to hospital practise, but unfortunately regarded as 'the doctor who went crazy' by a lot of other staff, which is hard.

I have previously tried to come off venlafaxine; every attempt failed spectacularly. I get all the nasty neurological side effects - brain shivers everytime I moved my eye muscles. I tailed down very slowly - at one point I was opening the pills and counting out the exact number of beads everyday, reducing one bead a week. But my body somehow noticed this and wasn't having any of it! I think I'll probably be on the med for the rest of my life, which is not a pleasant thought (there is no spontaneity in your life when you MUST take a pill you keep in your bedroom drawer every 24 hours EXACTLY). I wish I had been told this before I started.

The nature of my depression was utter hopeess despair and self-hatred which manifested itself as a completely flattened affect; i was a 'zombie' rather than a 'cryer'. This has happily lifted with the meds (I'm currently maintaining on 150mg). I've always found talking therapies extremely unhelpful - I've had CBT, psychotherapy and plain basic counselling - and i always found myself feeling worse after the session than before. Dredging up all that misery and laying it out in the open, I suppose. I also found myself getting angry at my therapists for reasons I couldn't identify - did anyone else have this? Somethin along the lines of "Who do you think you are? You can't help me, no-one can help me. Your clever little techniques and tricks are transparent and pathetic! Block out negative thoughts and you'll stop feeling depressed.... no s*** Einstein!" Something like that. And that really isn't me; I'm normally a 'pleaser'!

Anyway, nice to unload, thanks for listening

Hi Juliobenjimino

anybody can get sick. I'm sorry you are finding it hard to get off Efexor. Most people have no problems with this. Have you tried reducing as much as you can and then Cross Tapering onto some other AD like Prozac and then reducing the Prozac.

Most of the side effects you mention do stop after a week or so.

I found that Psychotherapy to be helpful and also Group Analytical work where you are in a group of other people who also suffer from Mental Health issues.

you aren't the only dr I've heard of suffering in this way.

The attitutude of your colleagues is terrible and they are supposed to treat folk with mental health issues. Sounds like they need a bit of training.


Eileen

Hi,
I was only diagnosed with depression in January after suffering from it for at least 8 years (from what I can determine).
My original doctor put me on Lovan and that worked for two weeks then dropped off. My next doc (I moved, and this one was crap) put me on citalopram, which is in the same class, so of course that didn't work. Now my current doc has decided to put me on Efexor as he feels it is the one that has worked for most of his patients with the least amount of side effects.
My concern is that he has only put me on 75mg, is this too low? And also, he has told me that if this works, I should never come off them - as in take them for the rest of my life! Not sure about this...it's quite contrary to other information I have recieved.
Anyway, I thought I should come off the citalopram for a few days before starting Efexor, so I start it tomorrow...fingers crossed.

Hi flyngcoln

75mg is the usual starting dose for Efexor, although some people start at 37.5mg.

Did your doc tell you that you wouldn't be going up at all? Supposedly the most therapeutic dose is 225mg, but everyone is different, and you might find that 75mg is all you need.

I'm on 150mg at the moment, and still waiting to see if it's going to kick in. Otherwise, I'm going up to 225mg. Most people start at 75mg, then go up to 150mg after a couple of weeks.

I suppose it also depends on how severe your depression is.

As for being on it for the rest of your life, that's up to you. Your doc can't "sentence" you like that, and if he does, then find a new doc.

Hope Efexor works for you, and aids you in your recovery

Cheers

dtm

Hi. I'm Richard. I just started Effexor on Tuesday. I've been having some trouble with my Zoloft (stopped working, I guess), so my doctor said to try this out. I have depression, mild OCD and panic disorder.

Right now, I am titrating off the Zoloft, while increasing the Effexor. It's been a pretty interesting week so far. Some mild side effects, but the obsessions are really not going away.

I've suffered from depression and anxiety since 13. The OCD has started within the last two years or so. I was hospitalized in October 2006 for my depression, was misdiagnosed and tons of medications were thrown at me which made everything worse. Oh well.

I am VERY happy to be here.

Richard

Hello,

I lost my mother 3 years ago & spiraled into an incredible depression filled with guilt. She was given a terminal diagnosis two years prior and lived with me and my family for half of that time. She ultimately died in my arms. At first I climbed into a whiskey bottle & then went to my doctor (who was originally her doctor). She put me on Effexor. Unfortunately I never stopped drinking, therefore I never noticed any side effects from going on it. I have been on 150 mg for about the last 2 years.

I have come to a point in my life where "I" want to take it back. I'm working on getting the drinking under control and have decided to give up effexor as well. I tried weening myself off, but the side effects are incredible. It has been 3 days without any effexor, and last night was almost unbareable. The nightmares were so intense & constant I didn't get much sleep. The more I read now, being on effexor & drinking has taken it's toll on me in so many ways. My husband said I went crazy, but I thought I was trying to control my crazy.

Anyway, I'm looking for help from someone who has sucsessfully quit and how long it takes.

the trick with EFexor is not to go off it cold turkey, that this is the worst thing you can do. You need to reduce very slowly, I did so by dropping 37.5mg every 2 weeks until i came off from 225 mg.

hello,
I'm new, and I've been on effexor for about a week after being on lexapro for something like 4 years give or take. I found this forum helpful because I didn't know about the possible side effects from starting up. so anyway, hi. and thanks.

Hi doulos

to DF

I'm glad you're finding the forum helpful. There is a lot of information available here at DF, on a whole range of topics.

Look forward to seeing you on the boards.

Please keep us posted on your progress with Efexor.

Cheers

dtm

Hi All,

I'm new to this forum but have a huge history of depression, anxiety, substance abuse (and related paranoia), eating disorders etc etc. I was on Lexapro for about 6 months however got changed to Efexor-XR (currently 225mg) about 2 years ago. I get a lot of the typical "withdrawal" symptoms even while taking the meds so am considering another change... maybe my past activities have left my serotonin receptors fried and no SSRI/SRNI will work? Who knows... I'm certainly still depressed and drinking a worrying amount daily :(

Is this the right place for a thorough history? I noticed something in the welcoming PM about a blog so maybe I'll write on up there?

Anyway, this site seems to have a very welcoming community so hopefully I'll be able to get/offer some advise :)

/hugs

Vinli

Hi I am another Newbie to this site and started on Effexor 3 weeks ago after coming of zoloft and i am so glad to have found this site it has alot of helpful information. I am on 225mg of effexor and hopefully will be going up to 300mg tomorrow after talking to my pdoc.


Thanks for letting me join
Quilting from Australia

Hi Quilting,

You are in both meanings of the word. Glad you found us, you will find our membership both caring and supportive. And welcome to Effexor, I hope it does the trick for you. Many of our members are very thankful for this pMed. Be sure to read the pinned (push pin icon) topic at the top of this page, although you probably have as this thread is located there. LOL....

Again, I hope you find DF, and again, as informative and supportive as I have since I joined.

Peace and Love.... wayne

Hi Vinli,

I don't know how much of a problem you have with alcohol. But all SSRI's are usually accompanied with a warning to not drink on them. Alcohol causes the brain to dump serotonin, evidenced by high amount of serotonin found in the urine after one drinks. Have you ever considered that this may be the reason your meds are not working well for you any more? You should take a stroll (computerwise) down to the Substance Abuse room and read some of the warnings about mixing alcohol with meds and the effects that alcohol has in lessening their effectiveness.

Otherwise, to the Effexor room, I hope that you give it a real chance to work for you. But a reuptake inhibitor will not work well with no serotonin to work with. Diminished amounts of serotonin available at the synapse is just as bad as a overactive reuptake mechanism.

Peace and Love ... wayne

Hi my name is Quilting and i live in Australia. I have just joined this site and have found it great. I have had depression on and off for over 13 years, it came back to bite me again this year and so have been taken off zoloft and put on effexor which i have been on for just under a month.

Anyway looking forward to getting to know you.

Cheers
Quilting

Hi Quilting

to DF. I'm glad you found us!

How are you finding the Efexor so far? I hope you're one of the lucky ones that's feeling a good effect already.

I've now been on Efexor for 10 weeks, with 7 of those weeks at my current dose of 225mg. I'm only just now feeling that it might be going to work. I've actually had four good days in a row, so I'm pretty happy about that

Please let us know how you're going as you progress.

See you in the forums

dtm

Hi everyone,

I'm Laura, I'm 20 and I have just taken my first Effexor XL antidepressant. I have been on Citalopram and Sertraline but neither of them worked so my GP is treating me for treatment-resistant depression. I'm very nervous about the effect this drug will have on me but I am also hopeful that it might be the right one.

I suffer from severe depression and anxiety.

I don't have many friends who understand what I'm going through and I have become quite isolated because of that. I'm just looking for a place where I can be myself without being judged for how poorly I am. I can understand why it's hard for people to understand as I have always been okay on the surface. I guess I am just tired of pretending.

I'm currently on a gap year and I should be starting university in October.

I look forward to getting to know you all better.

Take care,

Laura

Is anyone there?

I'm here. Hi Honeybuni!

I wouldn't be too worried/nervous about the effects of this medication; they are pretty minor in the larger scheme of things. My least favourite side effect is the lack of a good night's sleep. I have far too vivid dreams and night sweats.

While a lot of people seem to mention a complete lack of empathy or emotions I haven't experienced too much of this. It does definitely help with anxiety and if anything I'm far more lax and blasé and seem to care about... well everything... a lot less (a blessing in that it has greatly reduced the severity of eating disorders). In the long run this might have made me a little more of a jerk, but that's a subjective view and who's to say I haven't just gotten older and more cynical?

I can relate to your feelings of isolation. Over years of depression I have slowly fallen out of contact with my friends to the point where I only have a couple I talk to now. My last relationship died in flames a few months ago and I’m living alone now; a veritable hermit.

Anyhow feel free to PM me if you ever want to chat. I’m in Australia though and will probably only check the forums once a day.

I hope you find the forums helpful and talking to like-minded people suffering the same issues beneficial.

Hi Vinli,

Thanks for your reply.

I have heard withdrawal symptoms are pretty bad but I'm not going to worry about that, yet. Citalopram helped with my anxiety but not with my depression and Zoloft didn't help with my anxiety at all. Hopefully this one will target both.

To be honest, I don't want to become bitter and cynical but I would like to toughen up a bit.

I'm sorry to hear that you have lost some really close friends. It's so sad when relationships don't work out, for whatever reason. I feel quite frustrated with some people because they don't seem to care. I guess you can relate to that feeling of abandonment.

My name is Nanda I'm 22 years old, I have 2 young children and a partner of 7 years.
Jake is 3
And Baby Bailey is 8 months old.

I was abused by a Dr when I was 6 and have had issues with Dr's and sex ever since.
At 13 I was diagnosed with Major depression, Social Anxiety, panic atacks and Post tramatic stres.. although I don't know if that still affects me.
I've been many Dr's and the rollercoaster of meds has been up and down since year 2000.

From Dec 2004 til 6 days ago I was on Cipramil, between 20mg and 40 mgs and the ocasional Valium.

My partner and I are very close, but as time has gone on we haven't been "Close" at all... I never feel like hugging or kissing let alone having sex.

I'm unsure what triggered it but 6 days ago I just refused to take my cipramil... It's been absolute HELL.
Day 6 today and I didn't make it to work...
My poor baby boy spent 3 hours in his baby swing while mummy slept. I'm lucky he slept 2.5 of those hours and just kinda talked to himself for the last halfer...
But I still felt aweful.
I feel ok since I woke up though... it's been 3 hours and no major dramas as yet.

I finaly got someone to take me to the dr....
Only a GP though... she was compeltly useless and told me that Effexor and Wellbutrin were the EXACT same thing...
she wouldnt even consider Wellburtin as apperently it's only used as a stop smoking aid in this stupid country.....

Anyways she gave me 150mg of Effexor XR and Valium....
I told her I usually keep 10mg at home but she kindly iformed me that dosage is way to much.....and refused to prescribe it.
She was a compleet idiot.

Anyways.. freaking out about Effexor... i've taken it once before and had insane nightmares... I jsut oculdn't handle what I was seing in my dreams...

I hope I get my labido back...

I

Hi, my name is Kim and my doctor put me on Efexor XR about 3 weeks ago for depression and anxiety stemming from childhood abuse. I had previously taken Celexa for about 6 years and it had worked pretty well except for about the last year. I started noticing that my depression was starting to sneak back in on me and I was starting to have anxiety again. Anyways, after being on Efexor for the last 3 weeks the depression has worsened considerably. I have an appointment to re-evaluate my meds again next week. I also think I need to meet with a psychologist now. I'm not really sure if I'm coming or going anymore and I don't have anyone to talk to. I haven't been working since January due to circumstances beyond my control and I know that this has really had a negative effect on my condition. Working and being proud of what I do has always helped me maintain my sanity but now I've lost all faith in myself again. Anyone out there feel the same way?

USAstray

hello im justin. im a 23 yr old male who has been on effexor xr and seroquel for about 3 1/2 wks now. my nightmares have gone away thank god!!! and the meds seem to be doing their job for my GAD and SAD. so far so good. ::crosses fingers::

Hi, I'm pretty brand new around here and only started on ad meds earlier this year.

My dr started me on Zoloft and while it kept me from the negative thought spirals and kept me from sinking into despair, it also numbed me out, left me feeling very indifferent about life, and pretty much turned me into a hermit. After a month of that, doc switched me to Wellbutrin and my emotions came back so fast & furious that I almost had a breakdown. The next month he switched me to Effexor XR and I've been on it for 3 months, and have now been at 150mg/day dose for nearly a month.

My doc said that this med and dosage would help with the lack of motivation that I'd been experiencing and would also help some with the social anxiety that I experience. I don't know if it's just a case of it taking time to fully kick in or if it's just not the right med for me, but I've yet to really experience any positive effects on it in the 3 months that I've been on it. I'm still as unmotivated as ever; I'm isolating and more socially anxious than ever before; the hopelessness and despair still return frequently.

Is it normal for it to take this long for a med to fully kick in? What's the point of taking a med that doesn't seem to help any? Any input would be very helpful because I see my doc on Thurs and I'm getting so frustrated about this.

This post has been edited by JoySeeker: Jul 23 2008, 05:13 AM

Hi Joy Seeker, I'm new around here too! In fact this is my second post. I'm not on any meds yet so I don't have an answer for you, but I wanted to say hello and I am so glad there's a place to get advice about meds.

I read your intro post and you mentioned friends and family weren't there for you this time. I am having problems with family and lack of friends myself. I'm 45. If you want to talk some time just pm me.

Thanks mad, and welcome aboard! I hope that you'll find a good community here and the support you need. Please feel free to pm me too. Take care.

JS

Hi, I'm Skylar. I'm a teenager and it seems everyone is older here. But I really need a place where maybe I can write or read and know that maybe there is hope and maybe treatment works and somewhere where people understand. So I thought about this. I'm glad I did now too. :)

I've been on Effexor XR for almost 2 months.. 275mg. I've also tried Zoloft (for 3 or 4 months), Celexa (2 weeks/had an allergic reaction) and Prozac (3-4 months).. I'm pretty sure that's it.

I've been diagnosed/am suffering with EDNOS, severe clinical/major depression and social anxiety, this was a little over a year ago.
It may sound rather simple to some people, but believe me I have faced a lot of challenges.. and giving my age, I know more than I probably should.

ahhh, that's pretty much what I'm going to leave it at I think.
But hello everyone.

This post has been edited by shiver: Jul 26 2008, 07:51 PM

Hi Skylar. I'm 22, but I guess that's pretty young too. I'm also dealing with depression and to a lesser degree anxiety. I think its important to have emotional support in addition to taking meds. If you ever want to talk to me about stuff, let me know. I posted in the INTRO area, but quick review: I'm a 22 year old female, have been depressed since I was a teen. I remember as a teen no one would take me seriously, and Im finally only getting treatment now that I'm an adult and doing it for myself. ...Life is pretty rough, now what I mean? Its good to have friends who care though....PM me if you ever feel like it.

Nat

Thanks a lot. Same to you, if I can help any bit. :)
I'm so glad you've got treatment though.. I really hope it works out for you.

Hi all,

this is camilia and I found this site through research my meds. I am 23 years old, married and I have a two year old daughter. My dad died when i was 12 and that is last time i remember being truly happy, before he died you know. I saw him die. My mom deals with bipolar disorder, major depression, social anxiety, and many other mental health illnesses. She is also a drug addict, to her meds and illegal drugs, as well as an alcoholic. I have suffered with anxiety and depression for quite a while but am just now learning that I will not become my mom if I use meds to control my depression and anxiety. My doctor first had me on Zoloft... I was on 100 mg a day but it was not doing anything. I may as well been taking a sugar pill. Then he switched me to Effexor XR on a starting dose of 150mg, Trazodone at 50 mg to help me sleep, and a low dose of xanax to calm me when i needed it. I have anxiety attacks, I can never shut my brain down, I dont sleep at night, but I am tired during the day, I am very irritable and emotional, etc... the effexor seems to be helping but i think my system is still adjusting to it as I have only been on it since monday. I am also researching which form of yoga is best for my issues as I already do pilates so it won't be a huge jump to do yoga. I am here because i want to understand my meds better and my diseases.

Cami

[font="Century Gothic"]Hello! I'm new to this forum. I've been depressed on and off since my early teenage years but thought this how everyone felt and it was normal. until i had my 3rd child last year and diagnosed with PPD when my child was 8 months old, I knew something wasn't right after 3 months but thought it would work itself out.
I started out on Celexa and found it helped a little but it was short lived. after having the dosage changed a few times my MD decided to put me on Effexor, I am now at 300mg a day and my Therapist has just added wellbutrin to my treatment. Has anyone else been on both at the same time and could give me some insight on how well it work or didn't work?

This has been a very long process for me already i've been in treatment for 7 months and really want to feel happy and love life, I'm hopeful that it will happen one day. positive thinking in progress as per my Therapist![/size]