Aa
major depression
HELLO,
MY QUESTION IS I HAVE SUFFERED FROM MAJOR DEPRESSION FOR 10 YEARS. I KNOW I ALWAYS WILL. MY QUESTION IS; I HAVE BEEN TAKING EFFEXOR XR THE WHOLE TIME. (SAVED MY LIFE). MY DR WANT'S TO SWITCH TO CYMBOLTA, CAUSE SHE THINKS IT'S MAYBY NOT WORKING. IF IT'S WORKED FOR 10 YEARS COULD IT STOP HELPING ME AS MUCH AS SHE THINKS? SHOULD I SWITCH? THE SIDE EFFECTS, I DON'T HAVE TO TELL YOU, ARE REALLY BAD TO COME OFF EFFEXOR. I AM SOOOO SCARED. I WOULD LOVE YOUR ADVICE.
THANK YOU, ALICE
MY QUESTION IS I HAVE SUFFERED FROM MAJOR DEPRESSION FOR 10 YEARS. I KNOW I ALWAYS WILL. MY QUESTION IS; I HAVE BEEN TAKING EFFEXOR XR THE WHOLE TIME. (SAVED MY LIFE). MY DR WANT'S TO SWITCH TO CYMBOLTA, CAUSE SHE THINKS IT'S MAYBY NOT WORKING. IF IT'S WORKED FOR 10 YEARS COULD IT STOP HELPING ME AS MUCH AS SHE THINKS? SHOULD I SWITCH? THE SIDE EFFECTS, I DON'T HAVE TO TELL YOU, ARE REALLY BAD TO COME OFF EFFEXOR. I AM SOOOO SCARED. I WOULD LOVE YOUR ADVICE.
THANK YOU, ALICE
Hi.
I too went off Effexor because I felt my depression coming back just after 4 years of taking this med. It was so scary I was wiling to try anything but never ever did I want to sink into a major depression again in my life, I felt like I died went to to hell, touched ground and back…. I had a lot of neck pain that is why my doctor wanted me to try Cymbalta. He suggested to just leave Effexor which I was taking 300mg and take Cymbalta…. one night I was so tranquil watching tv with my son when I started to feel I huuuge panic attack coming on….I could not understand what was happening since my panic attacks were totally under control for years now. I literally thought I was about to die…I statred breathing techniques..mind control..nothing helped!!! My husband was out of town because of work so I thought it was just him not being here… I went to sleep and suddenly woke up with PANIC!!! I called my sister in law to come for me and take my to the hospital, called a cardiologist just to make sure this was not a heart attack. When I explained to the doctor what meds I was on and how I changed to Cymbalta… he was furious to know that I was not weaned of the meds correctly. So please please make sure to start with a low dose of Cymbatla AND your normal Effexor dose … then start lowering Effexor and adding dose for Cymbalta and so on until you get rid of the Effexor left in your body and Cymbalta takes over! This may take two weeks or more but it is a really simple thing to do if you are couched well by a good doctor!
By the way after all this explanation….I hated Cymbalta and it’s numerous side effects and went back to Effexor XR… Major depression s a hard disease to manage but we are not alone and we can beat this with a good attitude toward life and MEDS!!!! Right now I am in the process of staring to increase my dose of Effexor because I feel it coming!!!! I went down to 75mg for a long time but now I think it is time to start increasing…GOOD LUCK!!!! There is nothing to lose… try it and maybe Cymbalta IS the medication suited exactly for you and if not so….come back to Effexor! You can not know if you will win the battle if you do not fight!
I too went off Effexor because I felt my depression coming back just after 4 years of taking this med. It was so scary I was wiling to try anything but never ever did I want to sink into a major depression again in my life, I felt like I died went to to hell, touched ground and back…. I had a lot of neck pain that is why my doctor wanted me to try Cymbalta. He suggested to just leave Effexor which I was taking 300mg and take Cymbalta…. one night I was so tranquil watching tv with my son when I started to feel I huuuge panic attack coming on….I could not understand what was happening since my panic attacks were totally under control for years now. I literally thought I was about to die…I statred breathing techniques..mind control..nothing helped!!! My husband was out of town because of work so I thought it was just him not being here… I went to sleep and suddenly woke up with PANIC!!! I called my sister in law to come for me and take my to the hospital, called a cardiologist just to make sure this was not a heart attack. When I explained to the doctor what meds I was on and how I changed to Cymbalta… he was furious to know that I was not weaned of the meds correctly. So please please make sure to start with a low dose of Cymbatla AND your normal Effexor dose … then start lowering Effexor and adding dose for Cymbalta and so on until you get rid of the Effexor left in your body and Cymbalta takes over! This may take two weeks or more but it is a really simple thing to do if you are couched well by a good doctor!
By the way after all this explanation….I hated Cymbalta and it’s numerous side effects and went back to Effexor XR… Major depression s a hard disease to manage but we are not alone and we can beat this with a good attitude toward life and MEDS!!!! Right now I am in the process of staring to increase my dose of Effexor because I feel it coming!!!! I went down to 75mg for a long time but now I think it is time to start increasing…GOOD LUCK!!!! There is nothing to lose… try it and maybe Cymbalta IS the medication suited exactly for you and if not so….come back to Effexor! You can not know if you will win the battle if you do not fight!
You would be wise to listen to Whodunnits reply.
It's a matter of how you feel. Do you feel like Effexor is no longer controling your depression? You know the symptoms, are they back even on Effexor?
I was on high dosage Effexor for 4 years before it simply and slowly stopped working to control my depression. I reached tolerance on the drug. I didn't need my Psychiatrist to tell me this because I could feel it happening.
Do you feel it happining? If so then before you make a snap change to Cymbalta (tried it after Effexor and found it to be useless) then you may be better to augment Effexor with a drug such as Lithium or Zyprexa then maybe increase the Effexor dosage. One can go as high as 450Mgs a day according to my Psychiatrist.
An increased dosage combined with augmentation can often kick start that Effexor into working again like it once did. That's what I did when my Effexor stopped working and it got me two more years out of the drug.
There is more than one way to skin a cat as my Psychiatrist always says.
It's a matter of how you feel. Do you feel like Effexor is no longer controling your depression? You know the symptoms, are they back even on Effexor?
I was on high dosage Effexor for 4 years before it simply and slowly stopped working to control my depression. I reached tolerance on the drug. I didn't need my Psychiatrist to tell me this because I could feel it happening.
Do you feel it happining? If so then before you make a snap change to Cymbalta (tried it after Effexor and found it to be useless) then you may be better to augment Effexor with a drug such as Lithium or Zyprexa then maybe increase the Effexor dosage. One can go as high as 450Mgs a day according to my Psychiatrist.
An increased dosage combined with augmentation can often kick start that Effexor into working again like it once did. That's what I did when my Effexor stopped working and it got me two more years out of the drug.
There is more than one way to skin a cat as my Psychiatrist always says.
Hi,
It doesn't really matter what the doctor thinks you know. If you think you are still doing well on it then stick with it. It truly is that simple. The doc makes recommendations based on what you tell them and what they observe but you are the only one who actually knows how you are.
Effexor, like most drugs really, can reach tolerance levels and lose any therapeutic value. Many seem to keep taking a med long after it's stopped helping simply becvause "it's what I take".
You need to decide if the depression has deteriorated or improved and then you decide on that basis.
Do not be scare of coming off Effexor, it's not as bad as so many say. It is no worse than a lot of drugs as many have withdrawal effects. Think about it. Meds that affect our brains having been taken for 10 years are bound to be missed when stopped, regardless of the drug.
The focus is on your mental health, not a couple of bad weeks coming off one med. It's temporary. Do it slowly and with doc monitoring your progress. If you decide it isn't helping any longer but do not let fear rule your use of meds. That's a certain way to let depression dominate you.
It doesn't really matter what the doctor thinks you know. If you think you are still doing well on it then stick with it. It truly is that simple. The doc makes recommendations based on what you tell them and what they observe but you are the only one who actually knows how you are.
Effexor, like most drugs really, can reach tolerance levels and lose any therapeutic value. Many seem to keep taking a med long after it's stopped helping simply becvause "it's what I take".
You need to decide if the depression has deteriorated or improved and then you decide on that basis.
Do not be scare of coming off Effexor, it's not as bad as so many say. It is no worse than a lot of drugs as many have withdrawal effects. Think about it. Meds that affect our brains having been taken for 10 years are bound to be missed when stopped, regardless of the drug.
The focus is on your mental health, not a couple of bad weeks coming off one med. It's temporary. Do it slowly and with doc monitoring your progress. If you decide it isn't helping any longer but do not let fear rule your use of meds. That's a certain way to let depression dominate you.
Hello, How are you doing? I am on Effexor, but have been switched to the generic version. I was on it before for a couple of years, and before that Sertraline. Both suited me, but doctor thought Effexor was right for me. I am 15 days into re-starting it. Why does you doctor think it is not working for you now? I took myself off Effexor without consulting doctor. If you have help tailing off, you will be OK. You must have a good talk with doctor about this. Do you feel yourself that Effexor is not helping anymore? I am scared all the time, about everything. Depression is a very scary illness. I too have had major depressio9n for over 20 years. I will send you a private message.
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