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Effexor not effective anymore!!
Hi,
My GP prescribed me Effexor 5 months ago. It worked well for about 4 months as far as concentration , mood, etc.
Now the drug is not effective anymore and I'm thinking of tapering it off ( with the help of my GP ) . Do any of you think this is a good idea, or shall I take a higher dose? Switch drug for example? And if I decide to take a higher dose,I would build a tolerance for it eventually and reach the same point I' m in right now? Do drugs help after all? It's getting really confusing for me aside from the confusion I'm feeling from the drug's side effects while I'm still on it!!
Thank you very much.
My GP prescribed me Effexor 5 months ago. It worked well for about 4 months as far as concentration , mood, etc.
Now the drug is not effective anymore and I'm thinking of tapering it off ( with the help of my GP ) . Do any of you think this is a good idea, or shall I take a higher dose? Switch drug for example? And if I decide to take a higher dose,I would build a tolerance for it eventually and reach the same point I' m in right now? Do drugs help after all? It's getting really confusing for me aside from the confusion I'm feeling from the drug's side effects while I'm still on it!!
Thank you very much.
On a further notice, he asked about my weight, and based on that he recommended tapering up the dosage,something that my doctor did not discuss with me. I find it a bit strange and started searching for such claims but could not find anything.
Hi again!
You know what,I'm actually on vacation. I ran out of ( EFFEXOR ), and a pharmacist here in France gave me the generic one. ( telling me it's exactly the same ) . After visiting a therapist here, he made it all clear, that the generic might be a bit different and prescribed me the French version of it ( the one i used to take but they make it here in France ). i guess that explains the horrible brain zaps and side effects i got. Anyways, I told him it is not as effective as it used to be and he recommended tapering up the dosage to 3- 75 mg / daily " après dejeuner ":)
Am a bit reluctant and I guess I'm gonna wait till I get back to my GP to discuss it with him, so I only take my usual dosage ( 150 mg ).
I just miss the feelings I got the first 3 months the drug was prescribed to me.
Thank you again.
You know what,I'm actually on vacation. I ran out of ( EFFEXOR ), and a pharmacist here in France gave me the generic one. ( telling me it's exactly the same ) . After visiting a therapist here, he made it all clear, that the generic might be a bit different and prescribed me the French version of it ( the one i used to take but they make it here in France ). i guess that explains the horrible brain zaps and side effects i got. Anyways, I told him it is not as effective as it used to be and he recommended tapering up the dosage to 3- 75 mg / daily " après dejeuner ":)
Am a bit reluctant and I guess I'm gonna wait till I get back to my GP to discuss it with him, so I only take my usual dosage ( 150 mg ).
I just miss the feelings I got the first 3 months the drug was prescribed to me.
Thank you again.
HI there! Thanks for checking back in!
With antidepressants, it's not so much a "tolerance" issue, tolerance would apply to different kinds of medications. With ADs, sometimes. over time, they just sort of peter out a bit, and in most cases, a dosage increase takes care of that. Tolerance is a bit different and more troublesome.
Because you've only been on it for a few months, you may have needed a higher dose to begin with. It's impossible to predict how a person will do on a med, and you may indeed find yourself in another 4-5 months feeling the same way again.
In THAT case, it may be worth talking to your doc about perhaps either trying something new, or adding an adjunct med to your regimen. Sometimes docs will Rx a secondary med to help potentiate the effects of the first one. I'm just a firm believer that one should exhaust all possibilities with one med before throwing in the towel and starting over, UNLESS they are really having a hard time tolerating that med with bothersome side effects, then I would recommend trying something else.
The other suggestion is to try a different BRAND. Sometimes, a person will be on a generic preparation and find that the brand name equivalent is MUCH more effective. You could try that first too, before changing your dose. Ask your doc if you're on a generic if it would be possible to switch brands and try that for a while. Effexor especially has come generic versions that have been the topic of much controversy.
That's the thing with these meds, it's all trial and error, so when you find something that has yielded positive results, then it's best to keep working with that med, IMO. There are always options.
Take care, let us know what you and your doc decided and how you're going to proceed.
With antidepressants, it's not so much a "tolerance" issue, tolerance would apply to different kinds of medications. With ADs, sometimes. over time, they just sort of peter out a bit, and in most cases, a dosage increase takes care of that. Tolerance is a bit different and more troublesome.
Because you've only been on it for a few months, you may have needed a higher dose to begin with. It's impossible to predict how a person will do on a med, and you may indeed find yourself in another 4-5 months feeling the same way again.
In THAT case, it may be worth talking to your doc about perhaps either trying something new, or adding an adjunct med to your regimen. Sometimes docs will Rx a secondary med to help potentiate the effects of the first one. I'm just a firm believer that one should exhaust all possibilities with one med before throwing in the towel and starting over, UNLESS they are really having a hard time tolerating that med with bothersome side effects, then I would recommend trying something else.
The other suggestion is to try a different BRAND. Sometimes, a person will be on a generic preparation and find that the brand name equivalent is MUCH more effective. You could try that first too, before changing your dose. Ask your doc if you're on a generic if it would be possible to switch brands and try that for a while. Effexor especially has come generic versions that have been the topic of much controversy.
That's the thing with these meds, it's all trial and error, so when you find something that has yielded positive results, then it's best to keep working with that med, IMO. There are always options.
Take care, let us know what you and your doc decided and how you're going to proceed.
Well,you all seem to agree on one thing. Noted. Thank you very much. This has been very helpful .
I hear lots of positive reviews about " CBT ". I guess medications just calm the symptoms; this my last chance with medication, if not i will definitely go for it. I don't know if I can do both! Guess am gonna ask about it.
Thank u very much.
Thank u very much.
I know that therapy is vital.Am gonna discuss this tolerance issue with a therapist today; May be I will increase my dosage to 225 mg or just change medication. Ur right EFFEXOR is magic, and it actually worked wonders for me, but the side effects got me a little off, aside from the fact that it's not as effective as it used to be. Thank you for clearing this tolerance issue bc it freaked me out a bit. Hope ur right!
Thank u all.
Thank u all.
Hi there. Since the drug did work for 4 months, I'd not throw in the towel as of yet either as nursegirl says. The thing about antidepressants that many don't realize is that they don't alleviate all anxiety/depression. People still have good and bad days. It just puts us in a position to cope much better than we would if we felt the full anxiety we typically have.
I would absolutely try a higher dose. That is your best option. You've been through the start up side effects and got good effect. The package inserts of these talk about average dose. It is often higher than where doctors try us.
Effexor has a really good clinical track record in treating anxiety. I'd stick with it. All medications work differently on different people. For some Effexor isn't the drug and others would say Zoloft doesn't work for them. So, keep that in mind. We can all say what we feel was the best drug for us but it is different for everyone. Since Effexor worked, try a higher dose and see if you can continue the benefit. good luck
I would absolutely try a higher dose. That is your best option. You've been through the start up side effects and got good effect. The package inserts of these talk about average dose. It is often higher than where doctors try us.
Effexor has a really good clinical track record in treating anxiety. I'd stick with it. All medications work differently on different people. For some Effexor isn't the drug and others would say Zoloft doesn't work for them. So, keep that in mind. We can all say what we feel was the best drug for us but it is different for everyone. Since Effexor worked, try a higher dose and see if you can continue the benefit. good luck
I did go the entire taper-up with the effexor, and continued to take it for another month after that, nothing. Just so we are clear. :-) Blu
You've only been on the med a short time. I think it would be premature to throw in the towel. Effexor has a decent success rate, it all depends on the person, and you DID state it worked for you. It's just very possible that you just need a higher dose. What may work for me may not work for you and vice versa, so its impossible to make medication decisions based on anecdotal evidence from others.
As for your concern about needing to increase your dosage frequently, it isn't usually like that. ADs are not like opiates where there is a very frequent need to increase the dose higher and higher to achieve the same effectiveness. With ADs, an occasional dosage increase may be needed, but there is not a concern about "tolerance" which is what you're describing basically that would be seen with regular opiate or benzodiazepine use.
I've been on ADs at different times for years at a time, and only maybe increased my dosage once or twice a year, or less. Therapy is vital too. Just taking a medication isn't enough to address anxiety. Meds help to manage symptoms, but they don't make anxiety go away.
MY advice would be to talk to your doctor and maybe try to go up on the dose before starting all over with something else. Definitely make sure you're working with your doc if you DO decide you want to come off. Effexor is one of the more difficult ADs to come off of.
Good luck, keep us posted!
As for your concern about needing to increase your dosage frequently, it isn't usually like that. ADs are not like opiates where there is a very frequent need to increase the dose higher and higher to achieve the same effectiveness. With ADs, an occasional dosage increase may be needed, but there is not a concern about "tolerance" which is what you're describing basically that would be seen with regular opiate or benzodiazepine use.
I've been on ADs at different times for years at a time, and only maybe increased my dosage once or twice a year, or less. Therapy is vital too. Just taking a medication isn't enough to address anxiety. Meds help to manage symptoms, but they don't make anxiety go away.
MY advice would be to talk to your doctor and maybe try to go up on the dose before starting all over with something else. Definitely make sure you're working with your doc if you DO decide you want to come off. Effexor is one of the more difficult ADs to come off of.
Good luck, keep us posted!
Effexor has been,& is effective for me. CBT's very helpful,if not immediately, it's a very useful tool + it has no side effect. Go for it!
Thank you for your reply Blu. I just did not want to proceed like that, taking medication with no clear effect at the end of the road. ( if it ever ends! ). I guess I will try and change medication for once this time and if it does not do it for me, guess I'm gonna have to venture into the " CBT " world!
Hi, Teks. I have been through just about the entire gamut of 'let's try this' with my doctor. Effexor did not work one iota for me. It was like taking very expensive baby aspirin. I think Effexor just doesn't work for some people. If this were me, I would ask to be tapered off this and look into a different antidepressant, like Zoloft. I have been on Zoloft for YEARS at the same dosage, and it still works. One of those 'tried and true' things. Blessings - Blu
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