Posted by Snoozy on May 2, 2003, at 3:33:08
In reply to Why Effexor?, posted by Ricardo on May 1, 2003, at 21:22:53
Hi Ricardo -
It's great that the Effexor is helping you. I was on Effexor when it first came out (great name, don't you think :) and I'm one of those that lived through a horrendous withdrawl, *BUT* the reason mine was so horrible, and I think for others here as well, was that I *was not warned* about coming off the drug. If you do need to stop taking it, you at least will know to be careful and have a plan for tapering off. It would be interesting to see if anyone here did ok coming off Effexor, with adequate preparation and a dr who was aware of the impact.
Someone suggested here earlier this week that people taking Effexor should keep a few doses in an "emergency" stash, in case you ever have trouble getting a refill or getting to the pharmacy, etc. I think this is a great idea.
I would think most of us are here because we're having problems with medication, thus there are more negative than positive posts.
I hope it keeps working for you!
> Hi!
>
> I've been on Effexor for 10 days now, and I feel great. No side-effects and I already feel better from my dysthimia + depression bouts + OCD. Previously, I had tried Paxil, Wellbutrin and Tofranil, but so far Effexor has been the best one for me. However, I'm scared! I've been reading so many negative posts on how terrible the withdrawal is that I'm a little afraid of thinking that I'll sure have to go through it sooner or later. I'm definitely NOT asking my doctor to put me off it. It's been working for me, so I want to keep trying. One questions crossed my mind: if withdrawing from it is so terrible, why do doctors keep prescribing it, and why are there so many people (even here, in this forum) on it? Wouldn't it be more logical just to try and prescribe other ADs? Or maybe the success stories still outnumber the negative ones and, regarless of how difficult the withdrawal is, Effexor is still more effective than most other ADs... Just some points that crossed my mind.
>
> Best wishes,
> Ricardo
poster:Snoozy
thread:223740
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030429/msgs/223795.html