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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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Posted by dierdre on August 27, 2000, at 16:29:28
In reply to Re: Dry mouth-Wet hair...Surf's up!, posted by gerri_mww on August 25, 2000, at 0:53:17
Has anybody had anxiety problems on Wellbutrin?
I 've been taking it for 6 months and was fine - all of a sudden I've got TERRIBLE anxiety - I need a xanax every 4 hrs. Do you think effexor would be better for me?
Posted by Kara on August 28, 2000, at 13:12:27
In reply to Anyone had success on Effexor XR? , posted by jp on October 24, 1999, at 14:59:14
I started out at 35mg, then after 4 pills, I moved up to 75mg. I have been taking my dose early in the morning and by 8pm, I can not stop yawning. Do I need my doc to up my dose? Some other side effects that I have been experiencing, after 10 days on Effexor are headaches, strange dreams (inludes waking up laughing my head off), first 5 days of everything I ate tasting like metal, and losing 5 lbs. in 2 weeks with no desire to eat still. Has anyone else experienced these side effects. Do they ever go away? Is it better to take my med at night or in the morning?
Posted by elizabeth777 on August 28, 2000, at 13:26:18
In reply to New to Effexor XR, my side effects, anyone else?, posted by Kara on August 28, 2000, at 13:12:27
> I started out at 35mg, then after 4 pills, I moved up to 75mg. I have been taking my dose early in the morning and by 8pm, I can not stop yawning. Do I need my doc to up my dose? Some other side effects that I have been experiencing, after 10 days on Effexor are headaches, strange dreams (inludes waking up laughing my head off), first 5 days of everything I ate tasting like metal, and losing 5 lbs. in 2 weeks with no desire to eat still. Has anyone else experienced these side effects. Do they ever go away? Is it better to take my med at night or in the morning?
> >I have been taking effexor xr for 2 months and I have some side effects. I sweat some and I have lost 20 lbs in that 2 months, but that is a blessing. I did have that metal taste but it went away. Most of the side affects have went away.
I still have some mild sweating but I can tolerate that. I love this med I feel great for the first ime in nine yrs.
Beth
Posted by Kara on August 28, 2000, at 13:45:02
In reply to Re: New to Effexor XR, my side effects, anyone else?, posted by elizabeth777 on August 28, 2000, at 13:26:18
> > I started out at 35mg, then after 4 pills, I moved up to 75mg. I have been taking my dose early in the morning and by 8pm, I can not stop yawning. Do I need my doc to up my dose? Some other side effects that I have been experiencing, after 10 days on Effexor are headaches, strange dreams (inludes waking up laughing my head off), first 5 days of everything I ate tasting like metal, and losing 5 lbs. in 2 weeks with no desire to eat still. Has anyone else experienced these side effects. Do they ever go away? Is it better to take my med at night or in the morning?
> > >I have been taking effexor xr for 2 months and I have some side effects. I sweat some and I have lost 20 lbs in that 2 months, but that is a blessing. I did have that metal taste but it went away. Most of the side affects have went away.
> I still have some mild sweating but I can tolerate that. I love this med I feel great for the first ime in nine yrs.
> Beth
**Well, I am happy to hear that you are doing good, I actually have been feeling great and smiling a lot more than ever. I can get pass the side effects, but I am afraid that the weight loss my hurt me. I am already 15 lbs underweight. But, maybe that will pass with time. Good luck.
Posted by Dee Dee on August 28, 2000, at 20:03:58
In reply to Anyone had success on Effexor XR? , posted by jp on October 24, 1999, at 14:59:14
> Hi there,
>
> Anyone care to comment on the use of Effexor? Anyone
> "happy" with it? I have tried Prozac (too much anxiety),
> Serzone (too sedating). I am currently on Buspar for anxiety.
>
> Been reading many different reports... Effexor seems
> to have a lot of success...
>
> please share your thoughts on this.
HI!! My mother & I are both on effexor and love it!!!She was on Paxil before (didn't work). She's on 75mg in the morning & 37 at noon, she takes elavil & remaron @ night.....I'm on 75mg in the morn...& 20mg of flexaril @ night for fibramyalgia. I started taking the effexor for hair loss. My dr. says it's stress...We've done a thyroid & lupus test (my mother has lupus)..all negative.So I decided To try the effexor...It has helped me so much...I have a hyper & anxious personallity. Mother's been on it about 1 year & myself 1 month..she sweats a little & has sometimes an elavated bloodpressure...I sweat more than usual when I play golf. I have a friend who took effexor for 3 moths when a close family member died. She got off of it cold turkey with no problems & would take again if she needed it.. I guess Different people react differently...WE LOVE IT!! Dee Dee
Posted by quilter on August 28, 2000, at 20:37:57
In reply to Re: Anyone had success on Effexor XR? , posted by Dee Dee on August 28, 2000, at 20:03:58
Kara, My daughter had significant weight loss with Effexor. Her Dr. set a point (105 lbs.) at which he said she would need to add Remeron to improve her appetite. She finally fell below that weight in spite of her best efforts to eat enough, and the two meds together have been really good for her. She has lost the haggard, pale look, is finally warm enough, and has become much more emotionally responsive as well. If your health is at risk because of low weight you might want to ask your pdoc about adding or switching to Remeron. Quilter
Posted by Cindy W on August 28, 2000, at 21:57:24
In reply to New to Effexor XR, my side effects, anyone else?, posted by Kara on August 28, 2000, at 13:12:27
> I started out at 35mg, then after 4 pills, I moved up to 75mg. I have been taking my dose early in the morning and by 8pm, I can not stop yawning. Do I need my doc to up my dose? Some other side effects that I have been experiencing, after 10 days on Effexor are headaches, strange dreams (inludes waking up laughing my head off), first 5 days of everything I ate tasting like metal, and losing 5 lbs. in 2 weeks with no desire to eat still. Has anyone else experienced these side effects. Do they ever go away? Is it better to take my med at night or in the morning?
Kara, I started at 37.5 mg/day, and am up to 375 mg/day. I've never had side effects except for occasional headaches (when I first started Effexor-XR) and occasional dizziness. Talk to your pdoc and ask if what you are experiencing are likely to be transitory side effects. Good luck to you! BTW, I take all the Effexor-XR in the morning, and actually have some trouble sleeping, rather than yawning and fatigue!
Posted by eiroc on August 29, 2000, at 3:07:29
In reply to Was This A Side Affect?, posted by Sis on August 12, 2000, at 16:57:20
> I started Effexor XR just yesterday, and about 4:00 AM this morning I awoke feeling "strange", anxious, a little nauseaous, and then my whole body felt like it was on fire, from the neck down. Lasted for about 2-3 minutes. Is this a common side affect, perhaps some sort of reaction, or do you all think it was unrelated? I haven't taken any today 'cause it really scared me.
>
> Thanks, :-)I have been on Effexor at the 150mg dose for two years now. When I first started the effexor I felt the same way, but if you skip a dose it will only get worse ( at least in my case it did ).
I was not very good about taking my medication every day. After about two weeks, every once in a while I would have a day when I almost could not function. I would feel what you are describing but with these terrible head rush feelings that I can't even describe. This continued on and off for three months. After countless trips to the ER and my doctor I had come to the conclusion that I was dying, then one day when I was terribly sick with these symptoms I remembered that I hadn't taken my effexor for two days...within an hour and a half I was fine. I then began to experiment to make sure my problems were from missing my effexor and sure enough that was it. Now days I don't miss a single dose, even if I'm only a couple of hours late taking my pill I will start to feel yucky.
I don't mean to ramble, I just don't want anyone to have to go through what I did, not knowing what was going on in my head.
Now that I have said all that, I also have to let you know that the Effexor has made a dramatic improvement in my life. I am a little worried about how I will get off of the drug when the time comes, but it will have been worth it.
Posted by Dee Dee on August 29, 2000, at 17:32:24
In reply to Anyone had success on Effexor XR? , posted by jp on October 24, 1999, at 14:59:14
> Hi there,
>
> Anyone care to comment on the use of Effexor? Anyone
> "happy" with it? I have tried Prozac (too much anxiety),
> Serzone (too sedating). I am currently on Buspar for anxiety.
>
> Been reading many different reports... Effexor seems
> to have a lot of success...
>
> please share your thoughts on this.
I hope I never have to stop taking effexor. It has made the quality of my life so much better. I realize now that I had some social anxity [misspelled]problems. That's pretty much corrected. My handwriting has improved. I realize I was getting mad at my husband for silly things..none of this has happened since I'm on the effexor. I was riding in the car one day and had the radio on an oldie station...and suddenly realized I was hearing the story of the song for the first time.This means I'm focusing much better. I've allways been hyper and probably would have been on ritalin if we would have had it back then. My older son was on ritalin....anyway even my golf game has improved!! My relation with my mother has improved alot,too!! I've lost about 5 pounds in the month I've been on it ,too!! I think I was eating out of anziaty[miss spelled again].I don't think of food unless I'm hungry...Dee Dee
Posted by Kara on August 30, 2000, at 13:16:02
In reply to Re: effexor xr and side effects - Ann and Judy, posted by Cam W. on April 23, 2000, at 23:08:36
Never in my life have i experienced the dreams that I have been having on this med. I've been on it for 11 days and I have vivid dreams every night. My sister and I share a room and she tells me that I laugh all night long and talk in my sleep, which I have never done before. Does anyone know why this med causes this side effect. Also, has anyone had a tingling sensation in the back of the top of their head?
Posted by michael on August 30, 2000, at 23:11:16
In reply to Whats up with these dreams, posted by Kara on August 30, 2000, at 13:16:02
I can't tell you why... but I can tell you that since I've stopped taking effexor, the thing that I miss the most is the dreams - very vivid, and always pleasant/fun/interesting... I didn't have the tingling. Enjoy the dreams...
> Never in my life have i experienced the dreams that I have been having on this med. I've been on it for 11 days and I have vivid dreams every night. My sister and I share a room and she tells me that I laugh all night long and talk in my sleep, which I have never done before. Does anyone know why this med causes this side effect. Also, has anyone had a tingling sensation in the back of the top of their head?
Posted by michael on August 30, 2000, at 23:14:53
In reply to Whats up with these dreams, posted by Kara on August 30, 2000, at 13:16:02
I can't tell you why... but I can tell you that since I've stopped taking effexor, the thing that I miss the most is the dreams - very vivid, and always pleasant/fun/interesting... I didn't have the tingling. Enjoy the dreams...
> Never in my life have i experienced the dreams that I have been having on this med. I've been on it for 11 days and I have vivid dreams every night. My sister and I share a room and she tells me that I laugh all night long and talk in my sleep, which I have never done before. Does anyone know why this med causes this side effect. Also, has anyone had a tingling sensation in the back of the top of their head?
Posted by Cindy W on August 31, 2000, at 9:27:38
In reply to Re: Whats up with these dreams, posted by michael on August 30, 2000, at 23:11:16
> I can't tell you why... but I can tell you that since I've stopped taking effexor, the thing that I miss the most is the dreams - very vivid, and always pleasant/fun/interesting... I didn't have the tingling. Enjoy the dreams...
>
>
>
> > Never in my life have i experienced the dreams that I have been having on this med. I've been on it for 11 days and I have vivid dreams every night. My sister and I share a room and she tells me that I laugh all night long and talk in my sleep, which I have never done before. Does anyone know why this med causes this side effect. Also, has anyone had a tingling sensation in the back of the top of their head?Michael, Consider yourself lucky! I never remember any dreams on Effexor-XR, and miss the really vivid, in-color, sometimes with music, movie-like dreams I had before I took Effexor-XR.--Cindy W.
Posted by Naanra on August 31, 2000, at 12:45:04
In reply to Re: Long-term effects, posted by Moose on July 28, 2000, at 9:50:04
> HI
>
> My dr gave effexor xr to me about 4 weeks ago. I struggled with taking it because I just thought that taking something is a cop out,lol. I am having sever mood swings and I am angry and depressed a lot. I will pick fights with my oldest child..now 18 and my dh is confused because I swing in moods so quilckly. anyways, I took the first pill yesterday.....at 1 pm after another senseless blow out with my son. I felt fine all day maybe a bit nauses and could not fall asleep last night and right now I am feeling a bit edgy.....I have been reading alot of the posts and now I am so scared to takes this stuff!! I don't want the side effects or the withdraws.....I feel like I am having a hard tome breathing something i never had before......could it be this stuff already!!
>
> HELP,LOL
I have been on this stuff since it came out in 1994. The longer I take it, the worse the side effects become. I have developed what they call fibromyalgia, have developed hypertension, have terrible insomnia, nausea, no libido, no orgasm, dry skin and itching, incontinence, trouble starting to urinate, electric shocks through my legs and feet that cause them to move, brittle nails, thinning hair, my hearing is decreasing, mental fog and memory loss (what was I saying?), fatigue, no stamina, no enthusiasm, night sweats, profuse sweating, and weird dreams. I am terribly sensitive to medications, and have only been on the 37.5 dose! And yes, these might be symptoms of other problems, but I am careful about seeing my doctor, and there doesn't appear to be any other source. I am trying to wean myself from this stuff after attempting cold turkey once before. I just hope I haven't incurred some kind of permanent brain damage from this stuff. And since I've been on it so long, it will probably take forever to vacate the premises. Never take a new drug they know little or nothing about!
Posted by elizabeth777 on August 31, 2000, at 20:33:27
In reply to Re: Long-term effects, posted by Naanra on August 31, 2000, at 12:45:04
> > HI
> >
> > My dr gave effexor xr to me about 4 weeks ago. I struggled with taking it because I just thought that taking something is a cop out,lol. I am having sever mood swings and I am angry and depressed a lot. I will pick fights with my oldest child..now 18 and my dh is confused because I swing in moods so quilckly. anyways, I took the first pill yesterday.....at 1 pm after another senseless blow out with my son. I felt fine all day maybe a bit nauses and could not fall asleep last night and right now I am feeling a bit edgy.....I have been reading alot of the posts and now I am so scared to takes this stuff!! I don't want the side effects or the withdraws.....I feel like I am having a hard tome breathing something i never had before......could it be this stuff already!!
> >
> > HELP,LOL
>
>
> I have been on this stuff since it came out in 1994. The longer I take it, the worse the side effects become. I have developed what they call fibromyalgia, have developed hypertension, have terrible insomnia, nausea, no libido, no orgasm, dry skin and itching, incontinence, trouble starting to urinate, electric shocks through my legs and feet that cause them to move, brittle nails, thinning hair, my hearing is decreasing, mental fog and memory loss (what was I saying?), fatigue, no stamina, no enthusiasm, night sweats, profuse sweating, and weird dreams. I am terribly sensitive to medications, and have only been on the 37.5 dose! And yes, these might be symptoms of other problems, but I am careful about seeing my doctor, and there doesn't appear to be any other source. I am trying to wean myself from this stuff after attempting cold turkey once before. I just hope I haven't incurred some kind of permanent brain damage from this stuff. And since I've been on it so long, it will probably take forever to vacate the premises. Never take a new drug they know little or nothing about!> >I have been on effexor xr for three months 150 mils. I have very FEW side effects. I have mild
sweating and nausea only if I don't eat before I take it. I also have lost 23lbs and that is a God send.I love this med and please anyone reading the post before this one don't be scared off trying this med , I have heard mostly good reports with only some side effects. And to the person who is yawning all day try taking your med at night before you go to bed ask your doctor to see if it is ok. Thats what I do and I stopped yawning all day.
Beth
Posted by Cindy W on August 31, 2000, at 21:48:33
In reply to Re: Long-term effects, posted by Naanra on August 31, 2000, at 12:45:04
> > HI
> >
> > My dr gave effexor xr to me about 4 weeks ago. I struggled with taking it because I just thought that taking something is a cop out,lol. I am having sever mood swings and I am angry and depressed a lot. I will pick fights with my oldest child..now 18 and my dh is confused because I swing in moods so quilckly. anyways, I took the first pill yesterday.....at 1 pm after another senseless blow out with my son. I felt fine all day maybe a bit nauses and could not fall asleep last night and right now I am feeling a bit edgy.....I have been reading alot of the posts and now I am so scared to takes this stuff!! I don't want the side effects or the withdraws.....I feel like I am having a hard tome breathing something i never had before......could it be this stuff already!!
> >
> > HELP,LOL
>
>
> I have been on this stuff since it came out in 1994. The longer I take it, the worse the side effects become. I have developed what they call fibromyalgia, have developed hypertension, have terrible insomnia, nausea, no libido, no orgasm, dry skin and itching, incontinence, trouble starting to urinate, electric shocks through my legs and feet that cause them to move, brittle nails, thinning hair, my hearing is decreasing, mental fog and memory loss (what was I saying?), fatigue, no stamina, no enthusiasm, night sweats, profuse sweating, and weird dreams. I am terribly sensitive to medications, and have only been on the 37.5 dose! And yes, these might be symptoms of other problems, but I am careful about seeing my doctor, and there doesn't appear to be any other source. I am trying to wean myself from this stuff after attempting cold turkey once before. I just hope I haven't incurred some kind of permanent brain damage from this stuff. And since I've been on it so long, it will probably take forever to vacate the premises. Never take a new drug they know little or nothing about!Naanra, I take Effexor-XR 375 mg/day. A couple of months ago, I started itching terribly. Could you describe your itching? I'm trying to find out if my hives (which occur at night and fade by morning) are due to the Effexor-XR (which I've taken now for 9 months) or some kind of allergy. Thanks!!--Cindy W
Posted by Lisa C. on September 2, 2000, at 12:45:05
In reply to Anyone had success on Effexor XR? , posted by jp on October 24, 1999, at 14:59:14
> Hi there,
>
> Anyone care to comment on the use of Effexor? I am suppose to start this on Monday.
I have to take 37.5 each morning for 3 days then 75 for 3 days then go to 112.5 each morning
after that. I have read several of the comments in
here and don't even know if I should start this stuff. It seems like I have tried everything.Thanks
Lisa
Posted by wiley on September 2, 2000, at 19:22:01
In reply to Re:Intractable Effexor Withdrawl , posted by JulieK on August 23, 2000, at 21:23:13
I am so glad to have found this site. I had my husband online yesterday, trying to find some answers to what I was experiencing. I was too dizzy to read. I ended up going to the ER, thinking I was going to pass out. I went off 150mg, not knowing I needed to taper. My doctor didn't know that either. WOW. I am back on 37.5mg today, and for the next 4 days. Then I am to go back off. I am also taking 50mg Zoloft. I understand that Prozac helps with the Effexor weaning, does Zoloft produce similar results? I'm pretty worried about going back off this entirely. I won't use this drug again after this is all over. Brenda
Posted by A on September 3, 2000, at 21:27:00
In reply to Anyone had success on Effexor XR? , posted by jp on October 24, 1999, at 14:59:14
After reading several of these posts, it's obvious the drug effects everyone differently. In my case, I've had very little side effects. And some very good ones as well.
I was always fearful of talking to strangers. Now, it's so easy! I feel I'm more creative on the job. When I think of certain things that upset me, I literally shed half of a tear instead of an hours worth. I'm not a fair skinned blue eyed blond and have experienced some hateful, racists remarks in the past. They were very hurtful. But now, I don't take them so personally.
So give Effexor XR a try. If you don't like it, remember, you can always stop.
Posted by Enoch on September 8, 2000, at 14:10:50
In reply to Re: withdrawal, posted by maggie on April 13, 2000, at 14:32:34
Hi,
I guess I'm the worst case scenario that everyone is afraid to mention.
I quit effexor completely after three weeks of weaning down from 150 mg. Four days into it I had what the docs are referring to as a manic episode and had to be put on ativan just to stop me from endangering myself or others. I haven't worked in three days and the symptoms don't seem to show any signs of letting up. If it wasn't for the ativan, my keyboard would be stained with tears right now. Agony, woe, pain, blah blah blah.
I know that I'm pretty rare, but it seems like the makers of effexor and all these other meds should have spent some time researching the effects of withdrawl from their medications, rather than making us do it for them. They've made quite a bit of money off of us for some time now. Maybe they should use a little of it now to research the effect of the meds they put on the market. I know, soapboxing, but I'm a little manic right now, so forgive.
Posted by stjames on September 8, 2000, at 22:06:06
In reply to Re: withdrawal, posted by Enoch on September 8, 2000, at 14:10:50
Hi,
I guess I'm the worst case scenario that everyone is afraid to mention.
I quit effexor completely after three weeks of weaning down from 150 mg. Four days into it I had what the docs are referring to as a manic episode and had to be put on ativan just to stop me from endangering myself or others. I haven't worked in three days and the symptoms don't seem to show any signs of letting up. If it wasn't for the ativan, my keyboard would be stained with tears right now. Agony, woe, pain, blah blah blah.
I know that I'm pretty rare, but it seems like the makers of effexor and all these other meds should have spent some time researching the effects of withdrawl from their medications, rather than making us do it for them. They've made quite a bit of money off of us for some time now. Maybe they should use a little of it now to research the effect of the meds they put on the market. I know, soapboxing, but I'm a little manic right now, so forgive.
James here....have you tried a few doses of Prozac ? Seems to work
for many.james
Posted by Enoch on September 9, 2000, at 5:22:21
In reply to Re: withdrawal, posted by stjames on September 8, 2000, at 22:06:06
Posted by Lisa C. on September 9, 2000, at 18:23:37
In reply to Re: Lisa C who's about to start, posted by A on September 3, 2000, at 21:27:00
> It's my third day on effexor and other than headaches, I really can't see any other side effects. Guess I'll give it a try and
see if it helps, nothing else has.
Posted by Lindsey on September 9, 2000, at 19:23:38
In reply to Anyone had success on Effexor XR? , posted by jp on October 24, 1999, at 14:59:14
Both my parents died in 1998 and I went on Prozac, only to gain weight. After a year, I switched to Effexor, which seemed to be effective for a while. Now, after one year on Effexor, I feel the electric sensations in my head and I am sweating like crazy! I didn't know how to describe the head sensations before until I read postings here. I always described it as a feeling of falling a few inches. I want to get off and am worried about the dreaded tapering off, etc. Do the electric sensations go away after you stop?
Posted by SmilyAngl on September 9, 2000, at 22:58:55
In reply to Re: Anyone had success on Effexor XR? NOT ME!!!, posted by Zannah on April 26, 2000, at 12:33:26
I was put on Effexor XR after taking Paxil for 6 months... Now I was taken off of Effexor and put on Celexa. The reason for going off of Effexor was because my face broke out with Acne real bad. Also, my appetite increased. Did anybody have this problem?? I loved Effexor b/c of the fact that I had more energy and I felt more clear-headed... I've been on Celexa for 5 days now and my head is in a fog. I feel lousy... I feel like my brain does not catch up to what my eyes see.. does that make sense?? If I turn to look at something, I get this weird sensation in my head then my brain catches up to register what I'm looking at. What do ya'll think I should do??
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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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