Posted by detroitpistons on March 29, 2006, at 14:47:00
In reply to OK now I am afraid, posted by unknown_usr on March 29, 2006, at 11:06:16
> Is it worth the risk of withdrawal problems to take this? Does it work well?
Hi,
Don't be scared off by the horror stories. Keep in mind that there are also plenty of people who have come off of Effexor without incident, but you don't hear about those people. Don't let this kind of stuff hold you back from a possibly effective treatment.
Like anything else, you have to weigh the pros and cons. In my case, I had to start taking Effexor again. It was either that or constant misery, no appetite, etc. Effexor has been a great help to lots of people, especially for some who SSRI's don't work for. I don't know how severely depressed you are, so ultimately you have to be the judge.
Some of the SSRI's have easier withdrawals (Paxil is the next worst thing to Effexor though), so you may want to try something like Lexapro. I weaned myself off of Lexapro, however, it still took months to do it, and at the end, I was still having to take 2.5 mg (a tiny dose) every 4 days in order to avoid the symptoms. Lexapro is probably easier than Effexor, but none of these drugs are easy to come off of for most people.
However, you said you didn't like Prozac because it made you feel robotic. Different SSRI's like Lexapro will very likely have a similar effect on you.
>Like I experienced my first ever bout of insomnia last night, but I'm not surprised since both Effexor and Welbutrin have insomnia as a possible side-effect.
While you're starting up on Effexor, insomnia is not uncommon. If it's really bad, your doctor can give you something temporarily to help you sleep. I also have a rapid heartbeat while starting Effexor, and it raises my blood pressure, but not by much.
I think you will eventually find a good solution. Just don't stress yourself out too much with the things you read on the internet.
poster:detroitpistons
thread:13781
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060329/msgs/626169.html