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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
[email protected]Shown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by LucyAnn on October 1, 2003, at 0:15:26
Hi everyone
I have had some bad experiences with two different meds.. Paxil and Lexapro. Lexapro gave me a very nervous feeling (worse than my anxiety) and it made my arms and legs feel numb and tingly. I quickly stopped that and tried Lexapro. On the first (and only) day that I took it, my pupils dialated and it was very scary because they took 3 days to go to normal size. I am currently on Buspar 15mg and it isn't doing a thing for me. My doctor just gave me a prescription for Effexor XR today and I am so afraid of the side-effects that may happen. He said that this might help my OCD and anxiety. Has anyone had similar reactions like I did?
Posted by Bill LL on October 1, 2003, at 11:49:27
In reply to Afraid to start Effexor, posted by LucyAnn on October 1, 2003, at 0:15:26
I have been taking Lexapro (20 mg) for about a year. It did cause jitteriness at first. I took the herb Valerian which would very much eliminate the jittery feeling in about 30 minutes. Only buy Valerian that says "standardized".
I don't think that I have ever heard about the pupil problem.
I have never tried Effexor but I have read many posts about it over the years. It is a very safe and effective drug. Do not be afraid to try it.
Posted by chewy on October 1, 2003, at 17:10:40
In reply to Re: Afraid to start Effexor, posted by Bill LL on October 1, 2003, at 11:49:27
Every person has a slightly or greatly different response to each ad. I agree that if an ad is needed, one has to take a leap of faith that eventually you will find the ad for you. I have a friend who tried 4 o 5 different ad and various doses of each before landing something that really improved her quality of life.
I am just beginning Zoloft. Effexor didn't work for me. Comming off of Effexor is tricky from what I read and experienced. I'm searching to!
Posted by omegon on October 2, 2003, at 21:35:25
In reply to Afraid to start Effexor, posted by LucyAnn on October 1, 2003, at 0:15:26
Paxil (I assume you meant that) can cause pupil dilation due to its anticholinergic effects. It did that to me. It goes away after a week or so at the same dose.
Glaucoma is listed as a possible very rare side effect; I believe this can result from anything which dilates your pupils for a long period, if you are susceptible - check your family history and see an optician if you're worried.
Posted by Kacy on October 3, 2003, at 8:34:47
In reply to Re: Afraid to start Effexor, posted by chewy on October 1, 2003, at 17:10:40
I was afraid, too, LucyAnn, and put off starting it for three weeks. It turned out fine. I took forever to realize benefits. It was the third and fourth month before I could identify anything at all that was a benefit and six months before I could say it was a real benefit. It took a long time to get over the side effects, too. I've been off it and back on, again. I went down each level for a few days and I only had some light, flu-type symptoms in the afternoons for five or six days and some dragginess after I got completely off. Everyone is different, but it's not too difficult a drug for lots of us. Missing a dose, however, was not pleasant. I would get flu-type symptoms and need to lie on my stomach until the dose I finally took kicked in. That took from an hour to three or four hours, depending on how many hours I missed by. I began to feel it at about eight hours. If it was 10 or 11 hours before I took the pill, then it took three hours to get over it. I suggest carrying a dose and putting one in your car or wherever.
Missing a dose when I was at 225 mg was another matter. I had a strange side effect that I can only describe as an interruption in the visual feed. It was strange but not difficult. After that, I went down to 150, then settled in at 112.5. I now take 75 mg because in combination with Strattera, Effexor works better.
This is the end of the thread.
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