1 week on 75mg Effexor...life is sweet!

[tlhengel]

So far this med has completely transformed my life! I'm a little worried this might be the "honeymoon" phase, but I have to believe I've finally found the right combo.

My anxiety is practically non-existent, my mood is stable, I'm energized and motivated, and I really feel happy for the first time in a LOOONG time. It actually feels natural to smile and laugh!

This medication has made every aspect of my life better, from my relationship with my son and husband, to my performance at work.

I recently started working for Blockbuster, and i know a lot of people would scoff and say "it's only Blockbuster" but this job requires a lot of concentration and memorizing...both of which I've struggled endlessly with since starting, not to mention the obstacle of having severe social anxiety that makes me turn into a red, sweaty tomato at any given moment. But, since starting the Effexor, my social anxiety has also nearly disappeared!

I'm now a believer in antidepressants. I never imagined that life could be this good...now let's just see if it lasts! Wish me luck!

Hopefully this might give some encouragement to anyone fearful of starting this medication. Thanks for reading everyone!

[hollywood]

awesome...Had you tried other antidepressants? Man , I tried lexapro for a week and didn't know my right from my left-

[smc3rd]

Good for you. I've been on it for a year, and I've had great results. I only wish I had known about it years ago....Cheers!

[hollywood]

is effexor have the sedating feel like lexapro?

[serotonin junky]

Are you on any other meds?
I was on effexor for seven years and got extremely ill ended up with a parkonsinism not to burst your bubble but this drug has wrecked me. I too would not give up my effexor as it made me feel great in the beginning too. After a few years of being sick really sick I told the neurologist I would have to think long and hard before I would even think of following his orders and giving up effexor. At the same time my shrink said not to go off it so I didn't. It took antoher 7 months during which time I tried to taper which failed. I finally quit cold turkey as I had no life was sick in bed for months. If I were to tell you all I lost because of this drug you would not believe me and it would bum me out to go over it all yet again. Take a look at paxilprogress.org at the people there trying to get off it who are sufferring horrid withdrawal. And don't think you can just take it forever because you can't it will stop working your body will become tolerant and even increased levels will become unsafe and make you sick.
I am sorry to be the bummer here but I am trying to spare you a world of hurt down the road. Likey you will not hear me anyway but maybe another will.
There are a ton of sites online speaking to the horrid withdrawals of antidepressants which are misunerstood by doctors generally.
Cognative fuction memory disorders insulin thyroid digestive issues this is just the short list of withdrawal the list in endless. A lot of people who were high functioning before this type of drug are disabled by the withrawal and tolerance.

[serotonin junky]

There is anther link to general info about antidepressants you may want to read.
http://www.antidepressantsfacts.com/Prozac-Backlash.htm

[hollywood]

its all good.. serotonin is no good for me . I can't do it . Only trialed these type of meds for like a week or so at most and it makes me feel strange and obtuse. Anyways , why is it that stimulants work long term and have better success rates rather than these meds? I guess is because they get in and out of your system daily . No worries , I kind of agree that these meds are trash. Well , not for me atleast.

[tlhengel]

sorry to hear that serotonin junky! My heart goes out to you...although I'm sure that's not exactly what you were shooting for.

You say you lost because of this drug, but I am on the verge of losing everything without it - my husband, my job, most likely my child, and my house along with him. I understand how terrible it can be to get off these meds, but like I've said before...desperate times call for desperate measures.

Hollywood - Effexor doesn't have the sedating effects that lexapro does...not for me at least. It's more stimulating than anything and it couples very well with my adderall. I tried lexapro too. One pill made my RLS unbearable and I refused to take any more. My husband took it for one day also (put on by his own doc) and it made him so horribly moody and angry he stopped taking it after that one day.

Good luck to you all.

So far so good with my dosage increase and I'll keep you posted~

[penguin]

Hi,
If 75 is so sweet, why increase it???
I am on 75 a DAY and refuse to increase because it works.
At low levels, effexor is MUCH easier to come off of.
Enjoy, Ken

[meridian]

Originally Posted by tlhengel

You say you lost because of this drug, but I am on the verge of losing everything without it - my husband, my job, most likely my child, and my house along with him. I understand how terrible it can be to get off these meds, but like I've said before...desperate times call for desperate measures.

There are lots of trade-offs in life and if the drug is working for you I say "thank goodness!"

Many people here take Wellbutrin but after 3 days and the most frightening nightmares of my life I tossed the pills. While many people posting here have had disappointing results on Strattera, so far I have quite good results.

Different meds affect different people in different ways. It is good to be aware that there can be toxicity so as to be on guard for it. What happened to serotonin junky is terrible but not everyone has this reaction and obviously most people don't.

Congrats on the new job and on your new lease on life.

[tlhengel]

Originally Posted by penguin

Hi,
If 75 is so sweet, why increase it???
I am on 75 a DAY and refuse to increase because it works.
At low levels, effexor is MUCH easier to come off of.
Enjoy, Ken

The whole point to me taking this med is to help manage my FMS and CFS and so far it's helped with the fatigue but my pain has only seemed to escalate. I'm guessing an increase to possibly get more pain control.

It's helped me in many other ways that I didn't expect which thrills me, but it would be truly great to find something that will help me get through a single day of work without feeling like I was hit by a truck the next day. My fingers are crossed

[penguin]

Hi,
I wish you luck. Effexor does kick neoepenepherine harder as you increase the dose. Maybe that will help you out. Good luck!
...Ken

[tlhengel]

thanks penguin...I certainly need it!

[ADDMagnet]

Everyone responds to medication differently. I have been on Effexor for at least 3 years and it helped me a lot with my anxiety. My daughter was on it but if she forgot to take it one day then she would get horrible headaches. She was then on Cymbalta for a while and now she takes Buspar for her GAD and Prozac for depression. She noticed more benefit from the Buspar.

I recently switched to Buspar and after tapering down the Effexor from 150 to 75 while gradually increasing the Buspar, I have just finished off the Effexor. I had no problems with the Effexor. My reasons for switching were based on cost since I lost my insurance coverage (Buspar is only $4 a month with no insurance) and the fact that Buspar is specifically beneficial for GAD.

My sister had also been on Effexor for a while but switched to Buspar. She did not have any withdrawal symptoms and neither did my daughter but I learned that this was due to the addition of Prozac. Prozac can be taken for a short time to overcome the withdrawal effects when stopping Effexor. My sister was not having any problems with the Effexor but medication changes were needed due to additional diagnoses that had been made.

My sister is a pharmacist as so I've learned a few things from her as well as from my doctor.

[Asylum]

Hi -can i ask some questions?

After thinking i'd never try anti-depressants again i've been on Effexor for a few weeks now. I told the doc i didn't want to try anything that dealt with seretonion because it doesn't work but was wanting to try something that worked with dopamine. (Insert patronising smile by doctor here and crap remark about 'researching on the internet'.) So he put me on Effex. I read its leaflet and got the impression it mostly works with seretonion with some dopamine effects, is this correct? Am i being gipped?

Also what dosage are you on? I'm taking 75mg. I did have one day where i felt normal for the first time in years, but other than that i'm still pretty flat and barely bother to leave my home besides foraging for food and takeaway coffee. Should i bother with a refill? Is there an anitdepressant out there that just deals in dopamine?

I'm really glad you've found a medication that works for you, and hope that your life continues to improve.