hi
the doctor put me on effexor recently, after telling me that i probably was not bipolar.What is this effexor and how does it work for depression? any side-effects?
i heard it might increase cholesterol levels.

Ya might wanna google that one. It would take an hour to type that all out and I know I'm certainly not willing to spend that much time on a single question.

Personally I thought it was pretty good, just don't go off it quickily when you do and make sure you NEVER run out.

Thanks so much guys. I really appreciate it. So far it has helped keep my head calm and collected. I am following instructions,,

Hey
I'm on effexor and I am bipolar as well as ADHD and I've personally found it to be a fairly good drug and I haven't found any side effects other than the usual, tiredness etc etc.

Selena:) hi
the doctor put me on effexor recently, after telling me that i probably was not bipolar.What is this effexor and how does it work for depression? any side-effects?
i heard it might increase cholesterol levels.

hi,
I have been on Effexor for five long years now and i have not had any suicidal thought or anything. I think that it works wonder and it has work its wonder on me just give it a try and always take it when the doctor recommend too.

One thing that should be brought up is that it's also used as a treatment for premature ejaculation. If you find that you need a bit more concentration than before, don't be surprised.

This effect, if it happens to you, does lessen after a while.

thanks for the suggestions. I really do not know where to go from here. Life appears under siege anyway. Some not-so-good good days and some non-so-bad days and some extreme days.

I am tired of this rollercoaster ride/

inhibits serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake. It's an stimulant antidepressant that also works on two things, can be good if you have depression, attentional issues and obsessive compulsive behaivours too.

i dunno guys, being on Effexor made my ADD worse AND gave me extreme anxiety attacks. I was sleeping 14 hours a day and having 3 anxiety attacks a day, MINIMUM. of course, my doctor said my problem was anxiety disorder, but i never really had much in the way of panic attacks until i went on Effexor. I stopped taking it cold turkey, and the withdrawal is horrible. At first it was like electrical charges running through my body intermittently, and then it was constant, and then it felt like bugs were crawling all over my body. This lasted for months. The only thing that put me back to "normal" was Wellbutrin, but basically I'm just back at square one, and my original problems have not been helped much.

At one point i was misdiagnosed as depressed, and put on effexor even though i am not. i took the first pill, got dizzy, uncoordinated. Left work, drove home, got through the door, and LITERALLY passed out on the livingroom floor for for hours. Scared the hell out of my husband and me.

Needless to say, i flushed them and got a new doc.

It is well known that if you decide to go off Effexor, you will MOST DEFINITELY have TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE withdrawal sypmtoms. I speak from firsthand experience. I am on Effexor, not because I need it, but because when I was misdiagnosed with OCD I got put on it and now I can't get off of it without feeling like I'm going to die. If you can get on another medication I would! Or at least ask your doc to be upfront with you about the withdrawal symptoms.

Let me first say.... I am NOT a doctor, I have learned alot from trying different medications before getting the correct medication and dosage.....

I personally could not handle the side effects from Effexor. I take other medication of epilespy and anxiety. It made me sick. Everyone is different though. ( Cymbalta is like effexor, so if you cant handle one you more than like wont beable to deal with the side effects of the other.)

My suggestion is to keep a medication journal of how the medication makes you feel. When you see the doctor again, you can show him/ her the journal and you wont forget and get nerouvs about remembering how you felt at the time.

Also, I would tell you doctor to give you the smallest dose possibile for your body weight, that works for you. Many doctor like to increase the medication, at the slightest probelm... Medication helps but it is not the only solution, Medication and Therapy work best together.

I am not a doctor, I just have been around the forum for awhile and have learned alot here, and in my own therapy. I hope this helps you.

Another site you can check out is WebMD.com

Effexor (http://panicdisorder.about.com/od/effexorsideeffects/Effexor_Side_Effects_Venlafaxine.htm)

Article (http://www.webmd.com/drugs/drug-4896-Effexor+XR.aspx?drugid=4896&drugname=Effexor%20XR)

Effexor is the devil's drug. (Will I be banned for saying that?) When it worked - in accidental, serendipitous combination with fluoxetine - it was the clearest I'd ever been. I'd been on fluoxetine but threw the wrong orange bottle in my suitcase, and when I opened it and saw the strange tablets, thought it was a simple SSRI like fluoxetine and figured the only risk in switching was one tapering off and the other ramping up. Much later, I learned that fluoxetine intensifies the effects of venlafaxine.

Going off Effexor during an already h&llish time was other-worldly.

But wouldn't you know, I longed for that clarity I'd had with the unintended cocktail, so a few years later, I tried it again. No miracles, but ok. When the half-life started shortening (I'd was getting withdrawal headaches after 6 hours, then less), going off it was H-A-D-E-S. I tapered off over months, and it still felt like zombie time.

Can't believe doctors prescribe the stuff so lightheartedly, before all other options have been exhausted.

hi
the doctor put me on effexor recently, after telling me that i probably was not bipolar.What is this effexor and how does it work for depression? any side-effects?
i heard it might increase cholesterol levels.

I took Effexor for a while. I never had any side effects. However, I missed one day and the withdrawal symptoms kicked in. They were the worst I ever had. Needless to say I never went back on it, and the withdrawals lasted almost a month.

The worst of those withdrawal symptoms felt like electrical shocks throughout my body... *shivers*

Effexor is the single worst drug to suddenly stop.. God it's horrible. I'll never take a anti-depression drug again.

Hey, not sure why this was moved - last year, a doc tried to prescribe it to me AS AN ADHD MEDICATION. Might be worth keeping warnings in the general section.

Yes, Effexor is used OFF LABEL as an ADHD med.

re: #7

My thought:

'What ELSE is happening in your life that may be exacerbating your "rollercoaster ride"?'

Pills don't solve everything.

Sometimes unhealthy interpersonal relationships or other life circumstances (a job we hate; LDs; $$ problems; communication issues) or unresolved past life history or unhelpful 'patterns' can act as "maintainers" and undermine depression recovery.

Docs don't often ask about environmental stuff like this, i find. (And we don't live in vacuums.)