Posted by Libby on July 28, 2000, at 11:35:28
In reply to Re: Long-term effects, posted by Moose on July 28, 2000, at 9:50:04
>I have been reading alot of the posts and now I >am so scared to takes this stuff!!
My experience with Effexor has been more good than bad... but there are certain things I had to learn about it that made it much easier to live with. For example, it is EXTREMELY important to take every dose on time! When I was the slightest bit late taking a dose, terrible mood swings moved in FAST and I sometimes found myself raging out of control over nothing... After two or three marathon arguments with my daughter, I learned to take my Effexor ON TIME every day! Since then, rages haven't been a problem for me. Inderal is another option if you're experiencing agitation on a regular basis... Might be worth asking your doctor about... Inderal helped me with agitation, muscular tension, etc.
The hard time breathing could be a number of things... panic, anxiety, Effexor... I would caution against not taking a drug simply because of something you read here. However, if you read something here and are truly concerned... OR if what you read seems to match what you're experiencing, then that's something I'd encourage you to talk to your doctor about! There are so many different kinds of antidepressants available! No sense in taking one that doesn't work for you...
On the other hand, give the trials a fair shot... Just because I post about a particular side-effect doesn't mean you'll experience that same effect... Even though I had terrible "withdrawal" symptoms when I didn't take my regular dose of Effexor on time, I seem to have tapered off in about a week (from 150 mg/day) without a problem... That's faster than my doc expected, but he told me to keep stepping down the dose a little each day, based on how I felt that day... Today is my second day totally OFF Effexor and aside from a slight "heart pounding" sensation, which to me feels more like anxiety than a purely physical thing, I feel great. I took Benedryl, like the kind people here advised - and it's working... YAY! 'Course, I won't soncider myself TRULY "off" Effexor until the thumping heart sensations stop... but at least I'm not the screaming demon I expected to be... :)
Hope this helps a bit... Take care of yourself...
L.
poster:Libby
thread:13781
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000717/msgs/41573.html