Posted by Larry B. Piercy on October 10, 2003, at 20:32:46
I just found this forum today.
My history:
I used effexor for quite awhile. But I found the side effects to be too high a price. My depression was mild - as in my doctor diagnosed it and I never knew I had it. So...I stopped taking effexor last summer. I had a regional meeting a few days later and it was a dissaster. I was the director and the speaker. I was sweating and shaking so bad that my shirt went from light blue to dark blue(drenched). I am normally a "team" oriented leader, but that day I was on a rampage over our sales and it had to be the lowest point in my 12+ years with the company. Yelling and ultimatums abound.
My managers knew something serious was wrong as the meeting was not my style at all... but after a couple of weeks I leveled out from the withdrawls. I had no doubt it was from the effexor as missing a pill caused the same effect though less pronounced.
I remained un-medicated for awhile but my doctor reccomended paxil. Reluctantly I started paxil. I became sleepy and unconcerned about anything. I went from regular sex to once or twice a month and even then it took me often 1 hour to have an orgasm if at all. I became sweaty all the time, which was humiliating and made it seem i was not confident around my peers etc. Last july my company said I had "lost my passion" and layed me off after 12+ years with them.
After selling our house(took 8 months) and moving home, I decided to get off paxil, off unemployment and get a job. I started reducing my dosage very slowly, reducing it every 2-3 weeks. I eventually was cutting a 10mg pill into halves and maintained that until I found a job just in case I had bad effects.I didnt want to mess up an interview with withdrawl effects.
I did complain to my doctor that I was having a weird swissh noise in my head when I moved my eyes and it was very distracting. I also had some sensitivity to noise and odd joint pain. He thought I might have an infection and my inner ear was reacting to it.
I have been employed for a month and a half and having stopped the paxil at the time of my employment, I have had good and bad news.
The good news is my wife and I have sex 3-6 times a week and I can take as much or as little time as I want. I am also lifting weights and lost 18 lbs of the 20+ lbs I gained over the last year or two. Its coming off so quickly now. I was always skinny but I guess sleeping so much will do that to you.
The bad news is the odd noise and focus loss from moving my eyes is worse than ever. Loud noises, like my 2 sons can make, are painful in my head. I cry all the time. I have fits of anger and my face and head feel hot.
When my wife and I are not having sex, I tend to be a pain in the ... and not a very good husband.
I dont sleep well. I get frustrated by simple tasks at my new job. I have a great job with little stress and yet I can't handle it and have wanted to quit already.
I had an appointment this morning to see my doctor about going on welbutrin(saw it didnt have sexual effects on a tv add) and was going to ask him about the my "inner ear" problems. My doctor cancelled and so I decided to do some research on Welbutrin, since paxil and effexor had been such a mightmare. I found this site.
So as I read here and try to keep focused - I have begun to worry that the swooshing effect I have is an after effect of paxil(brain whatevers). I am also wondering if my massive depression is a long term effect too? I am so easly disstracted now its sad. I also anger so easly especially around loud noise.
I am really worried that paxil and effexor have caused some long term damage to me and I really have no idea as to wether I should go on welbutrin or prozac?? I never connected the odd sounds(on eye movement) and my other issues to drug side effects since I have been off the last one for over a month. The effects did start gradually as I weaned off the paxil so I didn't connect them.
I had mild depression, now I have had thoughts of suicide and I was raised in a southern baptist home, we dont even think such things... I can feel the rage and frustration growing just writing this. Any advice?
PS My appointment is rescheduled for tuesday but I dont know what to even ask for now.
poster:Larry B. Piercy
thread:268064
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20031010/msgs/268064.html