Posted by dankdiglet on July 22, 2010, at 16:30:17
In reply to Re: Effexor, what it did to me brit me manic, posted by manic666 on April 4, 2009, at 4:19:42
So here is my follow up 9 years later...
I continue to have periods of severe anxiety and can vaguely remember the time when I was on the drug, it seems that all that time was lost. Whether it be the fact that I didn't actually do much during that time or a result of the medicine, either way I am better without it. I have since gotten a good job, a great relationship, maintain stable weight, enrolled in my second degree for college and on my path to start a family in the next few years. I am now almost 30 and perhaps the only lasting side effect is the anxiety and memory loss of that time period I was on the medication of about 2 or 3 years. Being that Venlafaxine/Effexor was only introduced in '93 and I was put on it around '96 or so, the long term side effects could not have been anticipated. Well here I am, living proof that it has caused issues that were not present before taking the medicine. Some of my anxiety/panic attacks would last weeks, and over time I do not have as many for near as long. Now there is an abundance of information available, just type in 'brain zaps' on Wikipedia and you can read for yourself that the term is actually a legit word now used to describe the adverse effects. What I do remember most clearly on withdrawal, besides the nausea and 40 pound weight loss (in 3 months) was the feeling that inside my head my brain felt like it was very tiny and was packed in styrofoam and over time that styrofoam disintegrated and it was like I was learning things all over again. For example foods, colors, people, things I used to like prior completely changed and I had to become myself again, but a new self. It was very difficult, because there was no sense of self or stability based on experiences. Those experiences seemed like they were made by someone else. Now, I am generally happy, with mild depression but I think that is related to the stressors at work. I am not saying that this medication does not help some people as the other option without them may be even worse. I can say however, that I do not believe that I should have ever been put on them. Either I never had a problem and was wrongly diagnosed or I have just adjusted to live with my condition and feel I have no problem. Either way I think that many people have been misinformed about the mechanism of the drug and the serious side effects they may cause, especially if it is ever anticipated to go off the drug. Best of luck to those out there on this medication that might be trying to discontinue, I can say that it will get better over time.
poster:dankdiglet
thread:65056
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20100720/msgs/955456.html