Posted by dancingstar on January 4, 2005, at 22:48:37
In reply to You might want to give that a second thought.... » emtbman, posted by dancingstar on January 4, 2005, at 17:38:23
Renee,
In answer to your question, because since I stopped taking Effexor I have read posts from only one person that had a limited amount of trouble when he stopped taking Effexor, and I don't know whether or not he switched to another antidepressant, like Cymbalta, at the same time. Generally, though, once you take these drugs, most people have a very difficult time ever quitting. They become a part of their lives forever. And yet, no one tells us this at the time we take the first pill. Unless someone is severely depressed, I will guess that most people would choose to not take that pill if they were informed that it was to be a lifetime decision that could possibly involve bodily harm.
Ask any pharmacist how many of their customers have stopped taking Effexor without replacing it with another antidepressant? Mine has not seen even one person besides me. He doesn't know anyone that has ever stopped taking it.
The rest of my deductions have been made from reading posts here; the information provided in links from people kind enough to offer them that have shown testing data, published and unpublished from Wyeth; and the website with journals, testing, and posting information from England. That and the fact that over 7,000 people now have signed a petition to the manufacturer of Effexor, many of them detailing the problems that they have had and their experiences with it, have led me to my conclusions.
Though I am not at liberty to give you any details whatsoever, as of today we have located chemists that work with venlafaxine, Effexor, and hope to be able to come up with something more concrete and substantial soon.
In the meantime, it is my personal opinion that people should do their research, not take my word for it, but be cautious before taking Effexor for the first time or increasing their dosage. I have posted links all over this website so that people can get the information that they need. As I have said all along, we all have a right to know what a drug is doing to our bodies when we take it, and we do not have all the facts at this time. Wyeth does not even admit to Effexor causing weight gain. For me, five pounds is a big deal. Fifteen is anxiety producing. If there is a link between Effexor and thyroid, that could possibly have had something to do with three years of chronic fatigue, and I will not have been the only victim of severe fatigue, even pain. Others have had heart and cardiovascular problems, liver damage, problems with pregnancies, depression, anxiety. That's just the beginning.
In excess of 20 people have personally written to me, saying that they have had problems with Effexor, I'd say some have extremely serious health problems. That's in this last month alone.
Have I sufficently answered your question, Renee?
Bebe
poster:dancingstar
thread:13781
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050103/msgs/437939.html