effexor helps adhd

[hollywood]

I hear effexor is rough, no doubt it has discontinuation but I hear it helps anxiety and may help focus and attention. I'm considering it , I'll do anything to get my brain right. Is it less sedating than cymbalta , I hate side effects.

[sambo88]

It made me a vegetable pretty much. I think it did help the depression somewhat - but it didnt help motivation. But back then I wasnt using methylphenidate - which when added could have actually been quite a good combo. Without the MPH though, it made me demotivated, bored, no interest in anything, insomnia etc etc.

I've read in places that an increase in serotonin can dumb down the effects of dopamine. In my case having undiagnosed adhd, my dopamine was low by default and the SNRI just made that worse due to its potent effect on serotonin. Tbh i'd consider going on it again while taking MPH - i think i need "something" else. I'm prone to anxiety and overthinking - for some reason I think Zoloft might help

So cymbalta no good for you or what? I think cymbalta has a stronger NE reuptake than Venlafaxine. The withdrawal from venlafaxine was OK with some help from diazepam, but not too fun as u might expect.

Funnily enough when I stopped taking it I began feeling a bit better - like more motivated and stuff - despite all the mood swings and other **** that came with the withdrawal

Good luck anyhow!

PS. Oh yeah I got really high the first time I took it - the first few days were great - the doctor said it was placebo but it wasn't. Similar thing actually happened when I tried prozac - the first few days were cheery as hell

[hollywood]

ha ha your funny,,,

I'm going to try cymbalta, hopefully it won't make me a retard.

[trishcan]

I had great results with Effexor.. I took it in conjunction with Concerta. It was difficult to adjust to at first.. lots of nausea and sleep issues, but I began taking it around 5am, going back to sleep to ride out the nausea, and waking up feeling fine. Eventually I could take it when I woke up, as normal.

It really helped a great deal with my mood, interest, concentration. More than other medications such as Zoloft, Paxil, or Wellbutrin. Eventually, I felt that I no longer needed it, and stopped taking it after 4-5 years. Haven't had any reoccuring symptoms in the year that I've been off, but it worked wonders when I need it to.

[hollywood]

trish,

I will go with cymbalta as they are similar but cymbalta has a more even ne and serotonin blockade at all dose ranges. This should even me out and help me with my issues. Wellbutrin helps me focus as it helps with the dopamine blockade but it is a weak ne reuptake inhibitor , so with cymbalta in the mix is should provide me that missing adhd link component for the drive and vigilence that is not there plus the serotonin will assist my mood.

[blujoc]

I am on 225 mg Effexor and I am like my normal self when on it. I was off for three months and depression from abandonment issues, friends not understanding me, took me into depression.

I am almost already out. I just need to get back out again. But a lot of people complain about Effexor. Not me. Love it.. Trazadone at night to sleep.

I joined some local groups and not attended yet. I am in Long Beach. Give a hollar sometime. I am going to the Santa Monica Meeting on Monday.

Randy

[Asylum]

I'm newe to effexor. I'm not sure if its helping me or not with the depression but it doesn't help with the add.

[blujoc]

What are you symptoms?
I am ADD Inattentive. It helps me stop being overly emotional because of my Empathy oozing all over creation.

I went back on after making it 3 months plus on no meds. Effexor get's rid of a constant worry and I feel normal like I am ready to go. So I don't feel so bad about myself. Self esteem up.

My ADD. Well, a little earlier but it looks like even if it is indirect, my Dyslexia / DysGraphia Writing and Editing Issues are easier. Less errors. Saves time. But those are aggravated by stress and fatigue. So it may be less stress directly affecting the writing.

Effexor does not seem to effect my Hyper Focus at all
But I will look for more changes.

Randy

[penguin]

Hi,
Aside from nausea the first 3 days, I have had relatively few problems with Effexor IR. I take only 37.5mg a day. Pill split in half for morning and night. It doesn't help me with ADD that much. It eliminates the let down from vyvanse. I wake up fog free. If depression is not an issue, low dose anti-depressants and other catagories of meds can help with a variety of issues. Low dose Effexor also killed most of my migraines. I haven't taken an Imitrex in 3 months.
AS to discontinuation effects, a low dose doesn't seem to be as prone to that. I have been on 75mg a day, the 37.5 a day and none a day, thanks to a 1 week trip where I forgot to take them with me. Medium headach for three days then nothing.
We are all different, sometimes amazingly so. My take away from all this is I am going to use warnings from others as a guide to things to watch for. Not as a list of things to expect.
Enjoy...

[ideaman]

How about male sexual side effects? Do they go away eventually? I have only been on 75mg for three weeks and it had numbed me down considerably.

[hollywood]

Does adding effexor pristiq improve focus. Basically I feel pressure and stress all the time so I am always distracted. Will pristiq help me calm down. Or is intuniv good for this. So many things keep filling my mind making me not calm.

[Asylum]

I found out some stuff on the net while going through bad withdrawals from Effexor, after only a couple of months of using it. I'm now on the side of those who think this drug should be banned. Some people have long lasting effects from this drug; months or years. People who have to go of it quickly (because they are pregnant etc) are apparently never warned about its severe side effects because its either played down or doctors really don't know the proportion of patients it affects, telling people 'a small percent of people have adverse reactions.' I was never warned etc, but i get on the net and find thousands of people all with the same stories. If a drug isn't understood by the medical community, why should i feel safe taking it.

[hollywood]

I can come off. U must ween then switch to prazac and slowly lower ur dose

[Missi]

Originally Posted by Asylum

I found out some stuff on the net while going through bad withdrawals from Effexor, after only a couple of months of using it. I'm now on the side of those who think this drug should be banned. Some people have long lasting effects from this drug; months or years. People who have to go of it quickly (because they are pregnant etc) are apparently never warned about its severe side effects because its either played down or doctors really don't know the proportion of patients it affects, telling people 'a small percent of people have adverse reactions.' I was never warned etc, but i get on the net and find thousands of people all with the same stories. If a drug isn't understood by the medical community, why should i feel safe taking it.

I agree completely. I would only recommend it as a last resort, never the first. I had to inform doctors and pharmacists about the true nature of Effexor. However, it worked for me overnight (in the late 90's) I became future oriented and active in life again. But ended up taking it for years after it was working strictly because I got so violently ill coming off and I wasn't working with a doctor or therapist as I should have been. Doctors, particularly psychiatrists are better informed about side effects and withdrawal now. But, I literally could not miss a dose by more than several hours before I would begin getting ill. If you're on it, don't ever get in a position where you run out.

I finally got off of Effexor by tapering down- taking out 10 or 15 more granules of XR every several days, then switching to Cymbalta. Cymbalta has yet to give that same initial 'fog lifting' effect, but I should probably increase the dosage.

With respect to the sexual side effects, I'm a woman, but I was less sexually sensitive for all of the years I was on Effexor.

But, regardless, Effexor is better than nothing if you're seriously depressed, right? I just would try others first.

Oh, I was diagnosed with ADD,Inattentive @2001 and started Adderall at that time in addition and have had periods of high performance, but alas, the troubles never seem to go away completely.

[hollywood]

I can never get past a week of micro dosing on this stuff to find out what its like. I can tell you this when I'm not so out of it and I do have periods where I feel calm on cymbalta with my stims.. Not sure if the whacky sleepy part would subside if I stuck it out on this medication