Posted by KittenCat on April 27, 2004, at 17:06:11
This is my first post to this website. I'm really afraid. I am so worn out from feeling so bad all the time, & I'm afraid that I'm just never going to get any better. I just keep getting worse and worse. Over the past five years, I have been put on five different anti-depressant medications, specifically Prozac, Wellbutrin, Zoloft, Celexa, and Effexor. Over the past fourteen years, I have also been prescribed Lithium and Paxil. Out of all of these, Prozac is the only one that I have gotten exemplary results from. Eventually, as I become tolerant of the medication (fluoxetine), the beneficial effects seem to disappear, and thus my doctor keeps trying new med after new med, going back to Prozac in between when the others appear to fail. I deal with a very heavy, suicidal depression, hopelessness, and lack of energy, and in the last few years, have added anxiety, panic & social phobia to the list. At the least, this has been unsatisfactory and frustrating in my lifelong quest to feel better and alleviate my severe depression, but this last experiment with Effexor XR has really put me over the edge. As I was perceiving no real benefit from it, I stopped taking it altogether. Granted, my doctor did NOT advise this, nor was he aware of it. I do not blame him for what happened...only that he never informed me of what could happen if I did, and neither did the pamphlet information, for that matter. I had no idea what I was in for, & if I had, I never would have stopped taking it. In fact, I never would have STARTED taking it. Having been on so many different forms of medication for the last fourteen years, & having done so much research on them, I believe myself to be fairly well informed about pharmeceuticals (I know, I am no doctor), but this experience was one in a million for me. What a scary drug. With regard to that, I hope I can help someone else currently withdrawing or attempting to withdraw from Effexor. It isn't pretty, and I hope I could provide some reliable information & support.
If I hadn't inadvertantly stumbled upon this site by doing a Google search on "Effexor" while I was withdrawing (I was desperate), I would have thought I was going completely insane. I was never informed of, nor had I ever even heard of the w/d symptoms of this drug. That was three weeks ago, & although the worst of it is over, thank God, I am still suffering a bit. The posts that I found here concurred exactly with the bizzarre seeming and incredibly debilitating withdrawal symptoms I was having, and I felt so much better to find out that I wasn't alone. Thank you to every single person that posted something about Effexor. I might not have made it through without you.
My point is, I have just now returned from my doctor's office, and he has handed me boxes of Symbyax (a combination of a low dose of fluoxetine (Prozac)) and olanzapine (a thienobenzodiazepine, also known as Zyprexa, commonly prescribed by itself for schizophrenia or bipolar disorder). When I spoke with my doctor during the acute withdrawal phase of Effexor , I tried to convey to him that what I really wanted was some help with finding some qualified & affordable places to go for therapy, as opposed to being handed another drug. I do believe I have brain chemistry issues, and that I am the type of person that will probably need to be on some kind of anti-depressant medication for life. But I also have come to believe through all this trial and error, that combining therapy with the medication, at least for me, is going to be crucial. However, my doctor doesn't seem to be hearing that. So I guess the answer is easy...find another doctor. The thing is, I am angry that he takes my life so casually, & sees no problem in handing out drug after drug after drug without ever, ever monitoring my blood levels or doing any other type of lab testing. Is it wrong that I have been under his care all these years, with all these meds, & we only ever talk about how they seem to be working or not working? Should I be getting blood tests? His thought is that I have "treatment-resistant depression". He simply offers drugs, and I come pick them up. I know he is trying to help, but it's not really working. This latest drug (the olanzapine part of it anyway) sounds really intense, & the side effects are major. I know there are side effects with every drug, but these seem quite serious, more serious than most, & also seem to have a stronger likelihood of actually occuring than in some other drugs. I have tried to convey to my doctor over and over that I am bulimic & have a lot of weight issues. Still, he continually glosses over these & just keeps prescribing drugs. And now, a drug that seems almost guaranteed to make me gain weight! I am more than willing to put on a few pounds if the benefits of the drug really outweigh my unhappiness & could signifigantly help me improve my quality of life, but I already struggle with weight & lack of energy. Why would he put me on something guaranteed to make me sleep all the time (& then eat the rest of the time)? I do have manic episodes at times, but I am not schizophrenic, and if I am bipolar, I would tend to think that it is more borderline than advanced. He said I only had to try it for one week. But then what? Yet another new drug? Another scary withdrawal? I haven't minded it all so much over the years, but now, after the Effexor incident, I am so wary & afraid of trying something else. I know it was just an unfortunate, bad experience, but those of you who have been through the Effexor withdrawal probably understand the fear, & the unwillingness to EVER have to go through something like that ever again.
Has anyone else had a problem with a doctor who only wants to give you pills? He seems to be listening to me in our visits, but they always end up the same way. I believe I have been clear, well spoken and concise with him at appointments, but he doesn't seem to hear me, and sadly, he doesn't seem to really care . I know he can only do so much, and that ultimately it's my responsibility to ensure that I am getting proper medical attention...I just feel frustrated, and overwhelmed by everything. I really don't know what to do. .
Any comments, or advice?
poster:KittenCat
thread:340700
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040423/msgs/340700.html