lexapro vs.effexor

[charlie712]

my mother (77yrs.of age) has been taking 10mg lexapro for general depression and body aches. Today, the physician said he wanted to give her something that would make her feel more "perky" and changed her script to 150mg Effexor. The instructions are to take 1 pill/day and to stop the lexapro. From my reading it seems that these meds should be weaned. Before she gets started, I was wondering if the physician's instructions seem reasonable or if there should be some type of weaning on/off schedule. It also seems to be a huge difference in dosage- or is that simply because of the nature of the drug itself? Mom is also saying that this is more expensive and I am worried she will just stop taking the Effexor when the time comes to renew. This is a scary thought having read several remarks regarding "coming off'" this med.  And no- I am not exactly sure why the doc wants to change meds. I am seriously interested and most appreciative of any comments/suggestions. thank-you.

[Hensley258]

There is noting unusual about your Mothers doctors instructions. Lexapro and Effexor can be crossed over without the need for the Lexapro to be phased out first.

In fact I used to take both as prescribed for my depresssion in tandem. The Effexor will pick up where the lexapro leaves off and thus her occurance of any withdrawl from the lexapro discontinuation should be mild.

150Mgs a day of Effexor is not an unusually high dosage. Effective Dosages for Effexor range between 75 to as much as 375Mgs a day depending on the person. In fact some people even find effectiveness as high as 450Mgs a day. Some (very few) people claim to get effectiveness at 37.5Mgs a day, but most doctors think that dosage is way too low to effect any real change.

Stick with the name brand Effexor XR (Xtended Release) as I think it is much better than the generic venlafaxine.

XR has a slow release action that most people find more tolerable and effective.

[LeftCoastChick]

You might want to go into your mom's doctor (if she's okay with that) and discuss the drug switch. Effexor is pretty similar, though she may still feel withdrawals.