Posted by SLS on September 26, 2006, at 2:16:37
In reply to Am I already addicted to Effexor after 3 months?, posted by shelby11 on September 25, 2006, at 19:43:18
Hi.
What are you being treated for?
> I have been taking Effexor XR 75 ml for about 3 months for anxiety. The side effects were intense at first but I don't get them any more, except for the yawning. I have to admit I don't obesess as much or get worried or as paranoid, and I only change clothes 3 times instead of 10 before I go to out of the house. But,I am skeptical whether I need this medication. I asked my DR, he prescribed Effexor with very few questions, very little info. I want to stop taking this medication, before I am addicted. or is it already too late?
Yes. Sort of. Not really.
Effexor really isn't addictive. You don't crave the drug or become psychologically dependent on it. However, the body does get used to seeing it being there. The brain makes some adaptive changes about 2-3 weeks after beginning the medication.
If you try to stop Effexor too abruptly, you might experience some uncomfortable withdrawal effects. It is difficult to predict how significant they would be. Many people have only mild, if any effects at all. For others, they can be intense. 3 months isn't really that long, so they might not be that bad, particularly if you were to taper the medication gradually over the course of at least 2 weeks.
I agree with both Racer and Blueberry that you should continue with Effexor if it is helping you. In fact, if this is the right drug for you, you might feel even better at a higher dosage. This is frequently what is found with OCD. If your medical condition was impacting so significantly on your functioning, I see no reason why you should feel any pressure to discontinue the medical treatment that is restoring your quality of life.
Pay particular attention to what Blueberry says about discontinuing a drug and coming back to it later. It often behaves differently. The most important behavior of the drug is that it very often doesn't work or doesn't work as well. Remember those adaptive changes I talked about? Well, here they are again.
For some reason, one of the biggest defects in logic that occurs when people are treated is:
"Ok, I'm feeling better now, I can stop taking the drug."
Well, duh.
You know what I'm saying?
"Ok, I'm feeling better now, I should keep taking the drug."
By the grace of God, you were one of the lucky ones! You found a drug that you responded to! Don't jeapordize it!
The range of dosages of Effexor extends comfortably between 75-300mg. You have quite a bit of room left with dosages if you need to go higher.
I don't know if Effexor is the best drug for you, but you seem to be benefiting from it. If you feel that it is still somehow inadequate, you might want to try increasing the dosage before switching to another medication.
Good luck.
- Scott
poster:SLS
thread:689186
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060919/msgs/689297.html