Posted by pseudoname on July 10, 2006, at 11:52:26
In reply to 1st time anti-dep. should i feel like this?, posted by deve8r on July 10, 2006, at 10:47:48
Hi, deve8r. Welcome to Babble. (Cute name!)
> Using effexor for my first time ever on an anti-depressant. Wasn't sure what to expect but was surprised […]
It's upsetting to me that your doctor did not take the time to explain to you what you might experience on your antidepressant or how long a trial should be. Grrr!
> Now on my third day and feeling fairly anxious.
Feeling strange is pretty typical. Initial effects, especially in the first few days, can be markedly different person to person. You may have lots of unusual feelings at first and each time you increase the dose. Most of the wierdest cognitive ones will subside over a few days, but some can persist. Others like sleepiness and changes in sleep, appetite, and sex drive can persist for weeks or months.
I would expect your anxiety response to go away in a few days at the same dose or if you increase the dose (if that's part of your treatment plan). But if the anxiety is crippling or extremely disruptive or if it doesn't diminish in a few days, call your doctor.
> What should anti-depressants make you feel like?
Any antidepressant can make you feel weird, especially right at first. If it ultimately is successful for you, it probably won't have that therapeutic antidepressant effect until you've been on it for 2 to 6 weeks at the full dose.
> Keep taking effexor or is this the wrong one for me?
Any antidepressant can have similar effects; there's no telling in advance how a particular person will respond. If you're able to tolerate the side effects, I would suggest sticking it out to the end of an adequate trial (up to 6 weeks at the full dose). But if you CANNOT stand the side effects and they're not diminishing, there's no shame in discontinuing a drug trial for that reason.
Good luck and keep us posted?
poster:pseudoname
thread:665686
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060709/msgs/665708.html