Effexor

Hey,
I was wondering if any of u have been on/are on Effexor for depression? I've tried a bunch of other meds and they either haven't worked or had awful side effects. I'm still on Paxil for the time being, but my phsychiatrist thinks i should switch to Effexor. I tried looking it up on the internet, but most of the info is rly confusing...If any1 has any input for me about side-effects or anything, that would be very helpful!
Thx!!!!!!!!
<3
drama_queen

http://www.crazymeds.org/effexor.html

My friends on Effexor she loves it and it works well for her

you have to be careful

you have to be aware

THERE ARE MAJOR SIDE EFFECTS WITHDRAWLS TO TAKING EFFEXOR!!!

read up!

I'm currently on Effexor XR and so far it's the best thing i've been on.

Actually for depression it's the top drug of choice, this I just learned not to long ago, other medications but this works the best so far for me.

Thank you both for your input!!!
And lonelyfading, that website was very helpful.
I think I'm gonna take Effexor; I guess I don't have much to lose!
<3
drama_queen

i was on Effexor for depression, and it really did help--kind of mellowed me out to where my lows were not so excruciatingly low, which helped me get more out of therapy too, because I was able to process through the painful stuff and see things clearer and from a different perspective.

The only side effects I had was that I lost my appetite for awhile.

It is true, though, that Effexor wears off quickly, so you will feel funny if you miss a day. Although many people say it is hard to go off Effexor, it is not hard if you have a good doctor and he/she weans you off correctly. DON"T GO OFF COLD TURKEY, but that is pretty true of all anti-depressants.

Good Luck!

Sarah,
Thank you so much for your input!!!!
I appreciate you all taking the time to respond; now I know what I'm getting myself into (and I know now that it works!!!)!
<3
drama_queen

dramaqueen hiya!

ok, the others were right- effexor is pretty good. it is one of the better ones (i was on it for YEARS and only got off it successfully in January this year), BUT (there's always a but hey?) they didnt paint the picture of just how ugly the other side to this coin is...

like sarah already mentioned- skipping a day is not on. but it's not just gonna make you feel funny- it'l make you feel like you are crawling in your skin- and like your brain is "quivering" in your skull. i dunno how to discribe this but it's not just me- every one of my drs have said this is VERY common amongst ppl who are on it. and that's just if you skip a day! we're not even talking about coming off it yet! and the longer i was on the stuff, the more i would get to the stage where this would start happening just before my daily dose was due. so for instance i would take it 9pm every night, then by 4pm I would start with these symptoms already.

coming off it was the worst experience of my life, as has been the case with 2 of my friends too. and i did it REEEEEEEEEEEEEally slowly (over 7 months!!!!! you couldnt get slower than that!) and i felt like i would prefer to just DIE than go thru it all. you got the same symptoms as i discribed above, but on a MUCH greater scale! and your emotions go loopy from the chemical changes that are taking place in your brain etc. you got cold sweats. BIG time nausea- ALL day EVERY day- ( i think i'm prepared now for morning sickness when preggie!!!lol) but you don't throw up. it jsut feels like you are really car-sick the whole time. you get massive headaches. actually- mine often became migraines. you can't concetrate too well. you fidget. jeez- i could go on and on...

the point is- whilst effexor has its uses and is pretty good, just be sure you really are prepared to go thru all this when you go off the stuff. because it WONT be a picnic in the park when you do. to date i've only heard of ONE person that didnt really have side effects- and this person was on this site. first hand- ppl i've met in the flesh- NO one i've known has not had bad side effects, and when i asked my drs they said none of their patients didnt have any either, so i guess that person was one HELLUVA lucky dude!!!
also- years ago i thought i was fine on the mds and that i didnt need them and so stopped cold turkey (well- kinda- went from 225mg down to nothing in 2-3 weeks) and every time wound up in hospital with a MAJOR crash- slit wrists, tripple lethal overdose of Xanax and Rivotril in me... you get the picture. so don't ever try that one- it will end really messilly...

just thought i'd tell you the other side of venlafaxine that you might not have known.... hope you make the right choice... if it were me, with hindsite- i wouldn't touch the stuff if you paid me 10 million pounds!!!but that's just me (and my friends...)

good luck!

Hi--

Sniffles, I am sorry you had so many side effects from Effexor. I am glad to hear that it helped you.

I did not mean to negate any possible side effects from the drug in my post..I did have some effects, like loss of appetite, and I did feel the "twinges" in my head if I missed a day (and they went away almost as soon as I took it), but that was about it. I do have to say my doctor was surprised that I did not have nausea, etc, but I tolerated it well, I guess. I did feel the "twinges" and some fatigue when I was coming off of it, but not to the point that I was completely uncomfortable--and I came down from 300 a day.

I have found that so many people have different side effects to all kinds of drugs, to varying degrees, due to body chemistry, tolerance to meds, etc..and some people also have doctors who don't know enough about the stuff to prescribe it correctly!

Drama Queen, try it for a couple months--as you said, you have little to lose--if it turns out to not work with your system, then at least you know, but--it may help immensely, and although some people may have bad experiences with it, some do not. It is all individual.

Take care, everyone.

Hey Sniffles,
First of all, THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH for taking the time to give me your side of the story- you're amazing !!!!! WOW, I'm seriously glad you told me about those side-effects... . I'll definetely have to think it over carefully and talk to my doctor before I make a decision. Thank you Sarah, also, for your input!
hope everything is going well with you! Please feel free to ask me about anything anytime!!!
<3
drama queen

Hey guys,
Just an update: today I started on Effexor...I guess I'll tell u how it turns out!
<3
drama_queen