Effexor

[BonnieH]

   Allmost Three weeks ago, I had elective cosmetic surgery. About 4-5 weeks prior I had  to gradually go off my 75mg.of Effexor because the surgeon said it could cause bleeding. I started back on the Effexor Jan. 19, and I was on 37.5 for a couple of days, and then just went back to 75mg. until February 3rd. because my doctor said I was raising up too fast, because I am very anxious,adjitated, and depressed. I feel horrible. He also has me take .o5 xanax am and pm ( I also take ambien ) Is there anything that would help me better. A friend told me to check to see if Klonapin would help me  instead of the xanax. How long does it take before the effexor starts to help again ? The xanax is only tempoary until the effexor kicks in, but can't xanax cause more depression ? I feel very alone even around people, and I don't even want to go anywhere, but i also don't want to be alone because I feel so scared. Is the normally the way this medication works, I been on it for about 7 years, after breast cancer. Please let me know, I need words of encouragement. When will I feel good again ?   Thank you for your quick response. Bonnie

[Shiri32]

Hi everyone,
I am new to this forum. I want to start off by saying how great it is to find people going through the same trauma (effexor withdrawal) though of course I wish NONE of us were in this boat!

It's been 4 days since I've been off the effexor and the brain zaps are driving me insane. Also nausea, diarrhea, dreams that I'm dying, weepiness. I am a graduate student and had to cut my class tonight because I felt too horrible.

Two questions: 1) How long can I expect these horrible feelings to last and 2) What can I do/take to feel better? Does Benadryl really work?

Bless you all - stay strong - and thanks for the support.

Shiri

[DeBacker]

36 years old/Male

I have been taking some meds for what I call situational depression---bankrupted business, new baby & no insurance, no job, marital problems...and to top it off my only brother was hit by a car and killed. I had to ID the body as my sis could not go in and my dad was killed in a plane crash while I was still young (so I guess I was the man).  Most of these things happened one after the other over a period of one year.  Sorry to rant.  About 6 months after the funeral I decide to go see a doctor about how I was feeling--depressed, weight loss, no motivation to do the things I loved etc.  So he gives me Welbutrin and it doesn't do much.  Then he says to quit taking it and prescribed Effexor XR and wanted me to work up to 300mg per day, which I did.  I felt better but ran into a problem--my company insurance changed in Jan. 06 and the cost of this medication with my new "insurance" was in orbit.  So, I say it was prescribed to help me through this difficult time and things are getting much better so I quit cold turkey.  BIG MISTAKE!!  I was O.K for a day or two and then the hammer came down--I started having these wah wah sensations in my ears, I was depressed and just wanted to sleep, nauseated, emotional--basically felt like I was dying or something.  I had no idea that this was going to happen so I just thought it was a really bad sinus infection.  I went back to the doctor and they said it was a chronic sinus infection and an ear infection.  That was like 6 or seven months ago.  Since that time I have been able to get some doses to taper down,then I run out of meds and the wah wah in my ears come back.  During this period of months of the on and off stuff--I have basically had one "Sinus/Ear Infection" after the other...basically a walking cold.  After seeing the things posted on this forum and the things I have experienced--It is definitely this darned medicine.  I finally tapered down to like 75mg./day and then ran out.  I am currently having these "brainzaps", the sensation that my brain is moving around in my skull, cold symptoms, irritability and I'm eating like a PIG.  Very bizarre.
Again, I apologize for ranting but I had to vent.  My advice to anyone thinking of this medication or any similar is--PLEASE analyze the PROS and CONS, and ask yourself "DO I REALLY NEED TO TAKE THIS ROUTE?"  I have found that the Effexor-Way is a damned tough road.  Thank You and good luck.

[sky74]

hey ,the david how are are you ????
    just cheaking!!!

[sky74]

THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!!THANK YOU!!!

[BelCanada]

Depression medications are a blessing and a curse.  They are a blessing (4 years ago I had post-partum depression) and a curse as right now as I am trying to wean myself off of them (with the help of a great psychologist).  The problem is that they are given out like candy without a lot of knowledge.  They do work and are extremely important, but then the real hard part begins when you are actually on them and that's, in my opinion, when the system breaks down.  Each person is so different and how they react to the drugs is so different that there really is no set path that is the same for everyone.  Unfortunately, it is trial and error.  I have gone through hell this past year thinking that I have had all sorts of weird diseases and in the end, I was simply overprescribed on Effexor.  The real kicker in this is that all of the doctors and specialists did not think it was the drugs and they sent me for a million tests to find the "real" culprit.  Finally, a neurologist told me--you aren't depressed--the drugs are giving you the fatigue.  Finally, someone who understood the drugs.  The only answer is education--these forums should be printed, laminated and hung in every medical practionners office.

[Massimo Genoa]

I tried Effexor for a month ... it really had no effect, at least I didn;t see any. I just stopped taking it. Insomnia is a huge problem with or without the Effexor for me. I take Ambien every night and honestly rearely actually get a GOOD night sleep even with the Ambien. I think I've built a substantial toleration for it. Any of you have that problkem??? I've fought a number of anxiety attacks over the last year or so and find myself somewhant generally uneasy pretty often. I have some Xanax but rarely take it. I'm afraid to take the Xanax and then take Ambien at night. Do any of you have any experience with this or like this?