Posted by Dan Perkins on January 3, 2005, at 19:40:43
In reply to Re: i really really need help - effexor, posted by DustBuster on January 3, 2005, at 19:29:58
They are not just "scary stories," they are first-hand accounts of what it is like to take a particular drug. Sure there are people who do well on Effexor, but look at all the posts on this message board and all over the internet from people who have had nightmarish experiences on Effexor. This is certainly not just idle complaining - if it were than why don't people complain as much about other drugs as they do about Effexor?
If there is anything you should take with a grain of salt, it is not what you hear on this message board but what you hear in your doctor's office.
Most pdocs get all of their information about the drugs they prescribe from sales representatives from the very companies that make billions off these drugs, whereas people on this website get their information from firsthand experience.To my mind, a broad sample of first-hand accounts about a drug's efficacy and side-effects (such as can be found on this message board) is much more valuable than pharmaceutical company propaganda.
> I would recommend staying on the drug, and talking to your doctor first. I was in the exact same boat as you. I panic'd after reading all the scary stories here, and elsewhere, stopped taking the effexor (75 mg) after just 3 weeks.
>
> It took a week and a half for the withdrawl side effects to stop. And I was so angry with my doctor, that I cancelled my next appt with him. After another 3 weeks of no meds at all, I decided to try something else, and went back to him. I now realize that the Effexor aggravated my anxiety a bunch. I'm trying Lexapro now, but if that doesn't work out, I'll consider Effexor again.
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> Take everything you read on the net with a BIG grain of salt. Remember that people who have problems tend to look for support and complain, but there are lots of people for whom effexor works just fine, and most of them aren't searching for assistance and posting here. They're out living their lives!
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> It's a tough decision, but ultimately, it's yours to make. I highly recommend talking to your doctor first, though. Maybe he can give you something else for the anxiety, to help you tolerate the scary stories better. And if you do decide to quit, decrease your dosable by no more than 37.5 mg per week, and be prepared to go back a step if it becomes intolerable.
>
> Good Luck!
poster:Dan Perkins
thread:437311
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050103/msgs/437348.html