Posted by PoohBear on March 5, 2004, at 10:02:06
In reply to Should I begin the weaning process?, posted by Emma Smith on March 4, 2004, at 21:59:57
Emma:
You should follow your doctor's advice and stick with it.
Though there are many people who feel that life should be lived "drug free", medications are nothing more than chemicals, in this case a chemical that your brain needs to function normally.
If you had a heart condition that required that you take a med for the rest of your life, you wouldn't hesitate to take it, would you? Why should a disease of the brain be any different?
Just as it is unfair to tell depressed people to "just snap out of it, it's all in your attitude" or what ever other mean, unthoughtful things people say, depressiona nd other diseases of the brain cannot always be controlled by counseling alone.
I told my pDoc the other day that if I have to take meds for the rest of my life I will, if they improve the QUALITY of that life. If I were to live a few years less because of some unforeseen complications of the meds down the road, I'd still take the QUALITY of life over the QUANTITY of life.
She said I was very smart to look at it that way, as untreated depression shortens the lifespan by 9 years on average...
Good luck and God bless,
Tony
> I'm very new to taking antidepressants, as Effexor XR is the only one I have taken. I take it for anxiety and mild depression. I believe the depression stemmed from a lot of stressors and life changes. I had thoughts of suicide and overall irratibility as well as "anxiety attacks". My doctor started me on Effexor XR (I'm now taking 75mg) back in July 2003.
>
> In the beginning, I felt wonderful. It was as if I finally had my life back. With such a supportive husband and two wonderful young children, I really wanted to be myself again. Of course I want to be "drug-free", so I wonder when I should try life without Effexor. My life has changed a lot in the last 6 months. Great changes. A feel a lot more stable than I ever have been. The doctor said he would like to see me on the drug 9 months and then we would talk.
>
> However.....I feel this drug has contributed to a weight gain that I DO NOT want!! I'm looking for opinions as to what would be a good way to taper off of this drug. Honestly, some of the stories terrify me. I was thinking of starting to take the dose every other day for awhile. Is this a good place to start?
>
> Thanks so much for any advice you have!
poster:PoohBear
thread:13781
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040304/msgs/320583.html