Effexor

[tom219]

I went to my doctors last week and told him that I still dont feel good (Brain Fog, confusion, always tired, fatigue) Just to list a few. He said prior to this visit that I most likely had GAD, Like everyother person you somewhat refuse to listen to your doctor and you think it is something more. I just cant understand why your mid can play tricks on you that much that you can feel so terrible. Well to make a long story short, He reccomended to have me on effexor for a month, he gave me a packet that starts me out on 37.5 mg then after a week it goes up to 75mg. I am just curious if this medication will help and if this is dangerous. I asked him about the side effects and he said they were nothing really to worry about. Thank you for all your help. Thomas

[tom219]

Prior to the other visits He said that I have a panic disorder as well, he gave me xanax .5 mg to take when needed. I mean my main symptoms are always tired, confusion, fatigue, shaky, always worried about my health, stuck thoughts that I wont get better, just a fear that i am dying. These are the main ones that bug me. I dont drink nor do drugs. I just want this to be over with I have now been dealing with this for over a year and a half and I just need to see the light of the end of the tunnel.

[whodunnit]

Hi Tom,

First can I point out that there is no such thing as "Brain Fog". It's a term used by those who think it means something as others use it. All it really does is hide the actual symptoms you are trying to clarify. Such as lack of concentration, lack of motivation, inability to think clearly, inability to recall as you did, inability to make decisions and so on.

Try to separate out these issues and you may find it more useful than clumping them together. You might as well just call it all depression as it's all part and parcel mate.

What I'm trying to get at is if you are vague about your symptoms it's highly likely your doc will mis diagnose you and give you the wrong treatment.

I must agree strongly with Hensley's comments on FX. 75 mgs is not much of a dose and couldn't really be expected to resolve any long term problem, it's great for depression and anxiety but higher doses are the norm. Perhaps it's just a start to see how you react, which is a good medical approach if you are not desperate.

You say your doc said PRIOR to this visit you most likely had GAD. So what did he say THIS visit? I'm not convinced your symptoms are totally depression. Mainly because you do not mention anxiety, panic, fear and repetetive negative thoughts. Those are telling symptoms that are seemingly missing but maybe you just forgot them.

I would suggest you push your doc on Hensley's point and suggestion. And get a diagnosis, not an "I think".

[Hensley258]

Effexor is an effective medication for many people. You will hear some that post bad experiences with Effexor, but for them I really question if they needed the drug in the first place.

I'm not so sure you will get any benifit from such a low dosage as 75Mgs, but if thats what your doctor says that I guess you have to follow it. When I used to take Effexor I was at 300Mgs a day.

Given that your doctor thinks you have GAD, I am supprised that he didn't put you on Klonopin which works wonders for GAD.

I have GAD and Klonopin has literally transformed my life to one that is functional

[tom219]

I understand to trust the doctor and that what I am doing I really just dont want to be realiant on the medecation for the rest of my life. I am only 20 and I really dont want to always take medication. I wish this would end soon.

[Adorcom]

My apologies if this is a bit off topic regarding your exact question however when I saw a comment that "...you should just do what your doctor says..." and trust him it really set alarm bells off so I had to comment!  Thank  you for for listening! I have been seeing doctors since I was seven years old I am now 43, for multiple diseases. I moved 13 times as a child, and have seen at least in the hundreds if not more people who claim to be "specialists" and "good" doctors. Well I can tell you that over the years My family and I have learned that doctors are just people not God!  So if you don't like what your doctor is saying to you or you feel that your body is telling you something different, it's OK to change doctors and find somebody that's going to work with you. I cannot tell you how many times I've been misdiagnosed given the wrong medication and treated poorly by people that were supposed to have my best interest at heart. Please get a second opinion if anything and NO not all  doctors are to be trusted and treated as if their word is God ! Listen to your body and trust  yourself!  However by all means DO NOT cut doctors out completely!  Just look for the right one because there are some really excellent doctors out there and when you find one hold onto them!!! I have had the same doctors for 20 years now because I found the the ones that work for me. They listen to me, respect me and what I have to say about my body, and don't dismiss me and sent me home with a bunch of pills I dont need! They understand  that I know my body best and when I tell them something hurts or something doesn't feel right they take it seriously that's the way it should be!

[Paxiled]

While I agree with what you're saying, which I have to warn you leaves us in a very small number on here, this post is seven years old.  If you want to have a current conversation, start a new thread, as hopefully the person who posted this isn't still suffering the same stuff 8 years later.  I hope we see you on the main forum on current posts.  Peace.

[Paxiled]

While I agree with what you're saying, which I have to warn you leaves us in a very small number on here, this post is seven years old.  If you want to have a current conversation, start a new thread, as hopefully the person who posted this isn't still suffering the same stuff 8 years later.  I hope we see you on the main forum on current posts.  Peace.

[mammo]

You have classic symptoms of depression, and the mind is a powerful thing.  There are so many stories out here from those of us who have gone thru this.  Sometimes depression is caused by traumatic events in our lives that we probably haven't addressed properly, or not at all.  It can be a variety of stressful things going on all at once, or a chemical imbalance.  Take panic attacks for example, one of these can make you feel like you are dying, or want to, but it's all related to the brain.  This is the control center of our bodies and it doesn't take much to get it out of whack.  Trust your doctor, you will feel much better on the meds.