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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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Posted by sly on August 15, 2002, at 7:51:54
In reply to Anyone had success on Effexor XR? , posted by jp on October 24, 1999, at 14:59:14
I've been on Effexor, low dose 75 mg, for about 5-6 months now. I truly believe this drug changed my life. I feel fantastic now, I can sleep, read, concentrate, enjoy sex, I'm more productive at work, and able to feel happiness and laugh again.
Next week I'm going back to my Doctor and he wants to talk about coming off the meds, but what I'm reading here scares the hell out of me. I can't go back to the way I was, I won't, it was too hard, I couldn't sleep, eat, think, and forget about sex, I didn't even like it never mind have an orgasm.
I am absolutely terrified of going through what you guys/gals have gone through, depression was bad enough, but the withdrawal sounds worse, I'd almost rather stay on a low dose forever than go through that again. I barely survived the depression the first time, another episode might kill me.
Posted by quarterlifer on August 15, 2002, at 9:46:18
In reply to You people are scaring the hell out of me!, posted by sly on August 15, 2002, at 7:51:54
In regard to that, I understand how you would be scared to get off it. The things you describe being able to do on Effexor, I could never achieve without much effort. After being off the drug for a week, I feel like my life is coming back and I'm not the ultra sensitive Zombie that I was on the drug. I'm getting shit done and relationships in my life are improving immensely every day I'm off it. Plan on a week of hardship, more like being on illegal drugs, and then it's like the Prozac ads when the sun comes out and you can see again.
Good luck and get off the drugs!
Posted by Dinah on August 15, 2002, at 9:55:51
In reply to You people are scaring the hell out of me!, posted by sly on August 15, 2002, at 7:51:54
I guess with one episode of depression, doctors do try to get you off meds after a while. But if you are doing so well on Effexor, does your pdoc really think it's important to go off of it?
A lot of people (but not all) do experience nasty withdrawal symptoms, but they do wear off (eventually). If you and your pdoc decide that now is the right time to try to go off the Effexor, my main advice would be taper, taper, taper....
Good luck.
Posted by cybercafe on August 15, 2002, at 16:12:17
In reply to You people are scaring the hell out of me!, posted by sly on August 15, 2002, at 7:51:54
> I've been on Effexor, low dose 75 mg, for about 5-6 months now. I truly believe this drug changed my life. I feel fantastic now, I can sleep, read, concentrate, enjoy sex, I'm more productive at work, and able to feel happiness and laugh again.
>
> Next week I'm going back to my Doctor and he wants to talk about coming off the meds, but what I'm reading here scares the hell out of me. I can't go back to the way I was, I won't, it was too hard, I couldn't sleep, eat, think, and forget about sex, I didn't even like it never mind have an orgasm.
>
> I am absolutely terrified of going through what you guys/gals have gone through, depression was bad enough, but the withdrawal sounds worse, I'd almost rather stay on a low dose forever than go through that again. I barely survived the depression the first time, another episode might kill me.grrrrrrr..... i went through hell on effexor withdrawal at first cuz i was too proud to call my pdoc.....
then when i did he just told me to take a little clonopin and i went from unbearable agony to happy happy joy joy
Posted by Reneb on August 15, 2002, at 17:06:57
In reply to You people are scaring the hell out of me!, posted by sly on August 15, 2002, at 7:51:54
> I've been on Effexor, low dose 75 mg, for about 5-6 months now. I truly believe this drug changed my life. I feel fantastic now, I can sleep, read, concentrate, enjoy sex, I'm more productive at work, and able to feel happiness and laugh again.
>
> Next week I'm going back to my Doctor and he wants to talk about coming off the meds, but what I'm reading here scares the hell out of me. I can't go back to the way I was, I won't, it was too hard, I couldn't sleep, eat, think, and forget about sex, I didn't even like it never mind have an orgasm.
>
> I am absolutely terrified of going through what you guys/gals have gone through, depression was bad enough, but the withdrawal sounds worse, I'd almost rather stay on a low dose forever than go through that again. I barely survived the depression the first time, another episode might kill me.
Hi, Why are you getting off it if you are feeling good? I am very happy that it has worked for you. I think it might be your low dose. It seems that when people get into higher doses there the problems start. I was on 300mg for a year and became a zombie. I hated it!!
Renee
Posted by shar on August 15, 2002, at 19:52:03
In reply to Re: You people are scaring the hell out of me! » sly, posted by Reneb on August 15, 2002, at 17:06:57
I will chime in on the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" side of things. If you are feeling good on Effexor, why get off? On more than one occasion there have been people who have stopped meds 'too soon' and relapsed into depression, and there is no guarantee that once off Effexor it would work for you again (people have also had that experience--trying to go back to a drug that worked once only to find it works not again).
HOWEVER the big caveat is that everybody seems to have their own reactions to these things, and for some people they get off the meds and do fine. Or, if they get depressed again, they try the same med and it works fine. Also, you might find getting off effexor is not a horror story, especially if you get off slowly, add a little prozac before you're off completely, and have access to Klonopin (which helped me a lot).
I have sort of a hard time relating to episodes of depression because my dx is dysthymia (chronic low-level depression with clinical (really bad) episodes). So, I am never depression free except for moments, maybe hours at times.
But, enough about me! Sounds like you are not ready to stop effexor, you are feeling good and enjoying it, and you and your pdoc should probably talk about how long you want to stay as you are. A lot of people use meds for a year when dealing with episodic depression. Then, after a year they stop (but have a supply in the medicine cabinet just in case....).
Shar
Posted by cybercafe on August 16, 2002, at 0:01:43
In reply to Re: You people are scaring the hell out of me!, posted by shar on August 15, 2002, at 19:52:03
hey shar do dysthymics have atypical or melancholic depression?
Posted by spencer on August 16, 2002, at 4:04:20
In reply to You people are scaring the hell out of me!, posted by sly on August 15, 2002, at 7:51:54
I know how you feel about going off when it's working for you so well. But you are on a low dose which means that you can almost certainly manage without it. I was on 150mg for about 10 months and was also worried that I would slip back. I tapered very slowly over about 2 months eventually taking a half 37.5mg of normal release Effexor every morning. I had no symptoms except the first two days after I stopped completely I was quite dizzy, but that went away. Now I feel absolutely normal. I have not had any feelings of depression or anxiety, I sleep well and I don't get those funny feelings because I forget to take my capsule on time...and by the way the difficulty in reaching orgasm has gone. I'm doing lots of gym and I'm convinced that is helping the feeling of well-being.
Don't worry about something that may not happen. If the doctor wants you to go off the medication, do it nice and slowly and see what happens. If there are withdrawal symptoms then the doctor will help you deal with them. GOOD LUCK!!!!
Posted by jay60 on August 16, 2002, at 8:57:31
In reply to Re: You people are scaring the hell out of me! » sly, posted by spencer on August 16, 2002, at 4:04:20
I do not see any reason to get off of Effexor if it is working so well for you, I think the decision to stop should be yours and only yours (only you know when you are ready). A good doctor should understand this.
Posted by shar on August 16, 2002, at 15:34:35
In reply to Re: You people are scaring the hell out of me! » shar, posted by cybercafe on August 16, 2002, at 0:01:43
> hey shar do dysthymics have atypical or melancholic depression?
Yes.
kiddin around there.
these are technical terms for describing certain kinds of depression found in dysthymia? I'm not that familiar with the nuances of each term. Can you give me more of a description?
Thanks,
Shar
Posted by Starwatcher on August 16, 2002, at 16:20:53
In reply to Re: You people are scaring the hell out of me! » cybercafe, posted by shar on August 16, 2002, at 15:34:35
Hi, Shar. I always thought I might be dysthmic, too, but I never saw a doctor to be diagnosed. I would get episodes of depression, sometimes deep, and then I'd be "normal" - somewhere in between -not happy, but not totally sad - just kinda okay. No mania. I've been able to deal with myself and my moods before without outside help, but now I'm on a low level of Effexor ( 37.5 mg.) at night to help me sleep and to relieve fibromyalgia pain. And boy, does it!! I've been on that dose for about two months now, and I still wake up groggy and loaded in the mornings for awhile. It goes away as the day goes on. I don't think I'm ever going to get more used to it and have that go away, if it hasn't happened in two months of being continuously on the medication with no missed doses! At least my pain is mostly gone!
Posted by quarterlifer on August 16, 2002, at 22:14:10
In reply to Re: You people are scaring the hell out of me!, posted by Starwatcher on August 16, 2002, at 16:20:53
Does it really help with fibromyalgia? My mother has had that for years, and after my experience on Effexor, I was gonna almost tell her to get off it and go with something else, however if that is the case, mums the word!
Posted by quarterlifer on August 16, 2002, at 22:16:01
In reply to Re: Am I crazy? » quarterlifer, posted by judy1 on August 14, 2002, at 23:54:39
Thank you, Judy! I appreciate the info and advice!
Posted by LynnPerley on August 16, 2002, at 23:09:55
In reply to You people are scaring the hell out of me!, posted by sly on August 15, 2002, at 7:51:54
Sly, I agree that it is your decision and nobody else's, but if you do, go slowly. Get a prescrip for 37.5 and maybe try an every third day thing at first? (75 for 2, 37.5 for 1, etc.?) I ended up at 225 mg and I've been contemplating seeing if I can cut back. The thought of how long it will take, and the side effects of withdrawal, are daunting for me. Had I stopped at 75 mg, it seems like it would be easier. Let us know what the doc says.
Posted by cybercafe on August 17, 2002, at 18:23:25
In reply to Re: You people are scaring the hell out of me! » cybercafe, posted by shar on August 16, 2002, at 15:34:35
> > hey shar do dysthymics have atypical or melancholic depression?
>
> these are technical terms for describing certain kinds of depression found in dysthymia? I'm not that familiar with the nuances of each term. Can you give me more of a description?Yes.. I can give you more of a description... but I will not! Never! You shall forever be tortured by your curiousity!
Instead I shall simply ask you if you experience sleep less and eat less when you are more depressed or sleep more and eat more ...
and if you get mood reactivity (your symptoms pretty might go away occasionally when you do a fun activity when you are in the depths of depression) and if you get rejection sensitivity...Muhahahahaha I shall seek to confound and thwart the innocent with technical jargon forever more.... and no one can stop me!
Posted by MomO3 on August 17, 2002, at 23:38:09
In reply to You people are scaring the hell out of me!, posted by sly on August 15, 2002, at 7:51:54
I have been taking SSRIs since 1989 and I have become an expert at dealing with different Drs, due to geographical and insurance changes over the years. Simply tell the Dr. :
"No. I don't want to go off of it right now. Write me a prescription for the next six months and we'll talk again then." If he wont do it, then find a new Dr. You can walk into any general practitioner in the world and say "I am here because I need a prescription for Effexor", and chances are they will ask you why you take it, for how long, and what dosage should they write it for...
Ultimately it is up to you to be your own advocate in the Dr.'s office. And don't worry about withdrawal symptoms until you are READY to go off of the medication. You may reach a point in the future where you don't WANT to be on Effexor anymore and the side effects of stopping wont matter.
If you would like humorous analogy... Withdrawal after medication is like childbirth after pregnancy. At 4 months pregnant, the idea of labor & delivery is a really frightening prospect. But, ask ANY woman who is past her due date if she STILL wants to be pregnant and you will get a resounding "NO!!!" Childbirth is no longer frightening because it is the lesser of two evils.
Regards,
Mom O'3
Posted by Alf on August 18, 2002, at 9:22:19
In reply to You people are scaring the hell out of me!, posted by sly on August 15, 2002, at 7:51:54
The nature of the depression holds the key to my way of thinking. Is it biochemical or behavioral? If it is behavioral is therapy part of the treatment? No I don't want an answer. It's none of my business! My point is that there should be some kind of support in place to help you if you decide to become Effexor free. You might consider keeping a month's supply on hand just in case the depression returns.
Yes I'm on Effexor at present but I have no intention of going off it regardless. My impression of pdocs is that they treat DEPRESSION like it's some kind of headache. Just take some Effexor and after a while you'll be normal. (?!) Funk and Wagnall defines NORMAL as "Well adjusted to the outside world; without undue mental tensions." I don't know what that feels like. I've never experienced it.
In any case, good luck to you with whatever decision you make.
Posted by angeltalena on August 18, 2002, at 12:59:28
In reply to Re: Don't be scared.... » sly, posted by MomO3 on August 17, 2002, at 23:38:09
Good answer and reassuring to me as I have no desire to get off of the pills that are helping me so much. Life is good again and it's scary to even think of stopping something that helps so much. When and if the time comes I will gradually go off and I'm sure it will be fine. If not, I will stay on them.
Karen
> I have been taking SSRIs since 1989 and I have become an expert at dealing with different Drs, due to geographical and insurance changes over the years. Simply tell the Dr. :
>
> "No. I don't want to go off of it right now. Write me a prescription for the next six months and we'll talk again then." If he wont do it, then find a new Dr. You can walk into any general practitioner in the world and say "I am here because I need a prescription for Effexor", and chances are they will ask you why you take it, for how long, and what dosage should they write it for...
>
> Ultimately it is up to you to be your own advocate in the Dr.'s office. And don't worry about withdrawal symptoms until you are READY to go off of the medication. You may reach a point in the future where you don't WANT to be on Effexor anymore and the side effects of stopping wont matter.
>
> If you would like humorous analogy... Withdrawal after medication is like childbirth after pregnancy. At 4 months pregnant, the idea of labor & delivery is a really frightening prospect. But, ask ANY woman who is past her due date if she STILL wants to be pregnant and you will get a resounding "NO!!!" Childbirth is no longer frightening because it is the lesser of two evils.
>
> Regards,
> Mom O'3
Posted by menolly57 on August 18, 2002, at 17:23:48
In reply to You people are scaring the hell out of me!, posted by sly on August 15, 2002, at 7:51:54
Sly, I was on Effexor for years and it worked very, very well. If I were you I would be very careful about going off medication if it is working so well for you. If you do it, you should taper off gradually and be prepared to go back on it if the depression returns.
Every medication works differently on different people, so you should NOT assume that what happened to others will happen to you. For example, Paxil seems to be a wonder drug for some people, but it didn't help me much and I gained 20 pounds on it. Effexor gave me almost no problems. Side effects are far from universal, so don't let the horror stories scare you too much.
If the Effexor works for you, I'd say let it work for you. Don't just go off it because you feel you "should." It is better to be on drugs and happy than to be drug-free and suicidal.
Take care and good luck with everything.
Posted by redape on August 19, 2002, at 0:06:55
In reply to Re: You people are scaring the hell out of me!, posted by menolly57 on August 18, 2002, at 17:23:48
Ugh...scream...I am new to this board but am feeling like...ugh! I hope you know what I mean. I have been on effexor for just about 4 months and it has worked wonders. I was upped to 150mg/day two mos ago and it seems I have once again hit my plateau(sp?)...My doctor told me what to watch out for-feeling like you're going backwards in progress instead of forward. For the last week I have been increasingly on edge, moody, sad, needing to sit in a corner and wrap a blanket on my head and hide. I was hoping it was just a bad couple of days, but...Now I am going to call her tomorrow and see if my dosage needs to be upped. It is worse than the first time of hitting the plateau. Have any of you gone through this? How much do you guys take? Help!
I would love to hear from you!
Posted by selena on August 19, 2002, at 19:36:01
In reply to Re: You people are scaring the hell out of me!, posted by quarterlifer on August 16, 2002, at 22:14:10
I have been on four different antidepressants in the past eight years with six months off in 98' I have been on effexor xr for the past three. This one drug by far has been the worse on my body of all of them(Prozac,no sex drive. Paxil, made me anxious and edgy. Zoloft, aaahh 25 pounds in 1 1/2 months) The Effexor I thought was the best so far aside from the prozac, which I loved if I could of lived with the one side effect I had, which I could not. I never put together the stuff that my body was going through with the effexor. My blood pressure was high and never had been before, my face started getting dry spots, exema. more weight gain! Sleeplesness. So with the high blood pressure and the no sleep came 2 more pills. And I had always had problems just remembering my birth control pills:). so 3 pills later I started researching when I had forgot my pill(effexor) yet again, and laid in bed with the electric zaps and strange dreams because I had forgotten. I started doing research and while I
'm pretty sure it is not all related to the effexor I do think it is weird that all my particular side effects started shortly after I had started the Effexor. I don't really know why I had never put it together, Probably because it was helping the depression and I thought OH WELL. The brain zaps are really what scared the shit out of me. Something about that just is not right!!!. Anyway I stopped them, I knew that my doctor would taper me and I had seen the side effects were'nt that much better with the tapering. So from 300mg I am down to nothing except I have taken the ambian for sleeping because that was unbearable (sleep paralysis, night terrors ETC..) but this is day 5 and alot of the eye wooshing and brain zaps has died down.I have the headache today but overall I think it is getting better. I've read some real horror stories about getting off this. but in my expierence I have a great support system. So I guess what I'm saying is do RESEARCH and pay attention to your body changes they are so subtle but I feel like I fell apart on this drug and didn't even realize it. While my way I know is not the best way to get off this drug it definately in my experience was not as hard as others symptoms. so don't be afraid and just research the medication. In the end you may find it's worth it for you to stay on it everyone reacts differently. sorry my story is so long but as you can see I had a lot to say
'
\
Posted by Starwatcher on August 19, 2002, at 19:36:42
In reply to Re: You people are scaring the hell out of me!, posted by quarterlifer on August 16, 2002, at 22:14:10
> Does it really help with fibromyalgia? My mother has had that for years, and after my experience on Effexor, I was gonna almost tell her to get off it and go with something else, however if that is the case, mums the word!
Yes, in my case it has - and with a continued dosage of only 37.5 mg. per night for about three months! I don't feel nearly as much pain as I used to. I also take an Etodolac (Lodine) which is an anti-inflammatory in conjunction with it, and two Tagamets for my stomach. I DO still feel groggy and loaded for about a half hour to an hour when I get up in the mornings, but that's okay - it passes. Also, I've had a little bit of nausea at times. But, being as much out of pain as I am is definitely worth it!
Starwatcher
Posted by Mr.Scott on August 19, 2002, at 20:30:07
In reply to Re: You people are scaring the hell out of me!, posted by Starwatcher on August 19, 2002, at 19:36:42
Is switch to a low dose of Celexa and taper off.
Posted by sly on August 20, 2002, at 8:11:48
In reply to Anyone had success on Effexor XR? , posted by jp on October 24, 1999, at 14:59:14
Thanks to everyone who responded, I really appreciated the help!
I spoke with my Dr. yesterday and he's happy with my progress, since things are going well there's no reason to mess with success, at least for a little while longer.
I'm going to continue as is for another two months and then we'll revisit the issue of tapering me off, slowly.
In the meantime, I will head all of your advice and do a little more research on how to make the withdrawal as painless as possible.
Take care and good luck to everyone out there.
Posted by IsoM on August 20, 2002, at 12:10:09
In reply to Thanks everyone for your help!, posted by sly on August 20, 2002, at 8:11:48
Sly, I've written about withdrawal help a number of times before but no one's made an answering comment, or said they ever thought it worth the try, so I've become cynical about telling anyone. But I'll try again.
When I stopped Luvox, I tapered off *very* slowly but still had a horrible time. It took months after stopping completely before the symptoms left. So when I later stopped Paxil, I anticipated another bad period. I had no idea how bad it would be. I was literally bed-ridden most of two months as movement of any sort made things unbearable. I had nausea, vertigo & dizziness (there's a bit of difference between the two), brain zaps (up to 5 or 6 a minute, I timed them), & general severe malaise.
Even four months after stopping completely, the symptoms hadn't completely left but remained at a low, constant level. I ended up adding 5 mg Paxil back to my Celexa to lessen the problems.
About a year later, I started adrafinil to see if it would help me with other problems. It did nicely. A few weeks after starting adrafinil, I ran out of my Paxil & didn't want to go downtown to pick up the refill that day. I thought I could bear one day of feeling horrible. But to my surprise, I felt fine the next day, so I let my refill go another day. My withdrawal symptoms never returned - not the slightest twinge!
Talking with a pharmacist in town, he thought my response interesting. Seeing the difficulty that most have coming off Effexor, Paxil, & Luvox, he suggested that it would be a good thing to let people know about. He was going to mention it to others.
When I ran out of adrafinil (from overseas), I expected the withdrawal symptoms to return but they never did. It seemed that adrafinil "fixed" whatever was wrong with my brain chemistry. I now take modafinil (Provigil in USA & Alertec in Canada) instead as I believe it superior to adrafinil.
Why not ask your doctor if you can have a (at least short-term) prescription for modafinil to help tide you over your tapering off? You may find that it has surprising benefits. It's done wonders for anhedonia & motivation too.
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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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