Is effexor considered one of those drugs that if nothing else works, nothing will? Is it considered the "strongest" and most likely to work (but with the drawback of dependence)?

in my quest to find a med that will work to bump me out of my flattened/blunted/cold/dead state, I've tried mirt, wellbutrin, adderal, concerta, dexedrine, various nootropics, various sleeping pills to increase sleep quality, vitamins and suppliments, you name it. Also recently am trying selegiline citrate, though on only the third day it has done nothing for me.

all of these meds have had little impact on me, especially when used over long periods of time. the most i ever noticed out of any drug in terms of side effects and improvements was right at the beginning, but the good and the bad decreased in about three days and i might as well be taking sugar pills.

SSRI's... maybe worth looking at... effexor, certainly being considered... i think i need a drug that is STRONG, and does considerable work, something that REALLY makes some major changes. <!-- google_ad_section_end --><!--IBF.ATTACHMENT_348306--><!-- THE POST -->

What is your official diagnosis? :confused: The medications you mention are generally described for very different reasons, which makes it difficult to reply to your post.

as a general comment, in Australia Effexor is commonly used as a 1st line AD med for depression, OCD & anxiety disorders.

Also to be correct, Effexor is a SNRI (Serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors) not a SSRI (Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors)

What is your official diagnosis? :confused: The medications you mention are generally described for very different reasons, which makes it difficult to reply to your post.

officially, bipolar/depression. this diagnosis was made however during a lowpoint of my life a few months back...

the more usual symptoms are just being tired and out of it mentally, emotionally and physically. everything is just "flat"... little excites me, yet little puts me down. according to my former psych, these are still typical of some forms of bipolar depression.

I'd look at environmental and interpersonal factors. Drugs can't do it all.

Is effexor considered one of those drugs that if nothing else works, nothing will? Is it considered the "strongest" and most likely to work (but with the drawback of dependence)?

It depends on what one is trying to treat. The efficacy rate is similar to Wellbutrin (though those on Wellbutrin tend to relapse less). It's not so much that it's the strongest, but that it has an impact on serotonin, norepinephrine (depending on dose), and dopamine (depending on dose). Strength is often dose related, and Effexor is dosed higher mg-per-mg than other anti-depressants.

Also to be correct, Effexor is a SNRI (Serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors) not a SSRI (Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors)

Most consider it a multiple reuptake inhibitor, as it also inhibits dopamine reuptake (though to a lesser extent than norepinephrine and serotonin, but still significant). Also, unlike many other anti-depressants that work on norepinephrine, it is clearly biased towards serotonin (unlike TCA's which are more potent with norepinephrine, and others which are often about 50/50).

From what I know about bipolar and anti-depressants, they can raise the risk of mania in some people. I know for me, that is the case as I take the anti-manic drug abilify.

I've been taking Effexor XR...trust me if it was a "if it doesn't work nothing else will" i'd probably have jumped off a bridge a llooonnggg time ago..it works pretty quick too