Posted by Noa on February 5, 2001, at 6:30:18
In reply to Re: February is Effexor month at PBabble, posted by shar on February 5, 2001, at 1:59:47
Have taken Effexor XR for about 4 years, had taken regular Effexor for about 1 year before that.
For "Double Depression"---dysthymia with chronic, recurrent major depression .
Dose: 300 mg in the morning.
Have augmented it with several meds all along: stimulant (first ritalin, now Adderall), thyroid hormones (first just t4, then both t4 and t3), and serzone (for past 18 months).
Positive: Effexor works for my depression.
Negative: The regular effexor had caused sweating and orthostatic hypotension.
Both versions have caused some word retrieval problems at higher doses. This is not a problem at my current dose.
Effexor also causes overactivation--too much serotonin: insomnia, twitchiness, fidgitness, restless legs, myoclonic twitches and jerks etc.
Solution for me for negative effects: lower dose and add serzone, which seems to block the negative effects of the serotonin.
Weight: It is hard for me to assess the role of Effexor in my weight gain. I have gained a lot of weight in recent years, but there are other factors and it is hard to tease out what is what. Other factors=knee injury leading to sedentary lifestyle, sleep apnea leading to constant sleepiness, inactivity, thyroid disorder leading to extreme fatigue and inactivity, tendency to use food to deal with feelings--moreso when depressed, insulin resistance leading to extreme carbo cravings (esp. sugars).
So, as you see, it is hard to pin the blame on the effexor. However, since I recently started exercising regularly and my carbo cravings have subsided dramatically (exercise lessens insulin resistance), I would say that if I don't lose weight, I might be inclined to blame the effexor. I'll keep you posted.
poster:Noa
thread:53280
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010131/msgs/53340.html