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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 10 of 10. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Michele on May 18, 2000, at 10:24:27
I have been taking Effexor XR for a little over 3 weeks. I am currently on 75 mgs. I have quite a few side effects. The side effects are shakiness, numbness in some areas of my body, muscle tension and twitching and dizziness. I increased the dosage to additional 37.5 mgs with my doctors consent and the side effects worsen. I dropped the additional dosage and went back to 75 mgs. That was much better. I feel that the medicine has not kicked in yet. How long does this take. Do these side effects eventually go away? I know I cannot live with these side effects for much longer. Can anyone tell me about their experience on this medicine? Are these side effects lasting too long? Help!
Posted by Noa on May 18, 2000, at 14:18:07
In reply to Effexor XR does it really work?, posted by Michele on May 18, 2000, at 10:24:27
This is a med that I found it helpful to titrate very slowly when starting out. Did you start at 75 mg? Or did you start at 37.5? What kinds of side effects are you having? Some may calm down a bit after a while, some may not. As for working....this varies, of course, but it may be that 75 is not enough to make a noticable difference. Still, I recommend not increasing too quickly.
Posted by Michele on May 18, 2000, at 14:40:03
In reply to Re: Effexor XR does it really work?, posted by Noa on May 18, 2000, at 14:18:07
> This is a med that I found it helpful to titrate very slowly when starting out. Did you start at 75 mg? Or did you start at 37.5? What kinds of side effects are you having? Some may calm down a bit after a while, some may not. As for working....this varies, of course, but it may be that 75 is not enough to make a noticable difference. Still, I recommend not increasing too quickly.
I started at 37.5 mgs a day for four days, then increased to 75 mgs a day. My anxiety has increased since I have taken this medication. I actually have panic attacks again. I am hoping that this side effect will go away. These panic attacks are something I cannot live with.
Posted by Noa on May 18, 2000, at 17:38:36
In reply to Re: Effexor XR does it really work?, posted by Michele on May 18, 2000, at 14:40:03
I don't know. I find effexor to be very activating, which sometimes feels like increased anxiety, fidgitiness, etc, and this is a long-term effect, not just an initial one. But panic or anxiety was not really a problem for me, so this isn't such an issue. It may be that for you, effexor is too activating. I might be inclined to give it a bit more time, but not too much. I would also talk to your doctor about this, because it just may not be the right med for you.
Is the effexor working for any of your symptoms? If it is, let's say, for depression, then you might consider keeping it, but adding something to counter the activating serotonin effects, something that is more calming, like serzone, for example?
That being said, I hope you hear from folks with a similar symptom profile as you, as to whether they experienced these effects on effexor.
Posted by Cam W. on May 18, 2000, at 22:45:58
In reply to Re: Effexor XR does it really work?, posted by Michele on May 18, 2000, at 14:40:03
Michele - Give the Effexor another week or two, unless the panic attacks are unmanageable. All SSRI-like drugs will cause an initial increase in anxiety until your body adjusts to the drug. This adjustment ususally occurs within two weeks of starting the drug, but some people are just more sensitive to the effects (sometimes this means that their depression will respond better to the antidepressant). Your body may just may be a little slower to adapt to the receptor changes needed to bring about better serotonin flow.As Noa says, do tell your doctor of the panic, he/she may give you a few anxiolytics (eg low dose Ativan) to help you when the panic occurs. She is also correct that many people need to start at a lower dose and stay on that lower dose for longer than four days (the 4 days is just an average). It would be a shame to give up on a drug too early, especially if it is working for the depressive symptoms.
Good luck and I hope this helps - Cam
Posted by Cindy W on May 18, 2000, at 23:38:38
In reply to Re: Effexor XR does it really work?, posted by Cam W. on May 18, 2000, at 22:45:58
>
> Michele - Give the Effexor another week or two, unless the panic attacks are unmanageable. All SSRI-like drugs will cause an initial increase in anxiety until your body adjusts to the drug. This adjustment ususally occurs within two weeks of starting the drug, but some people are just more sensitive to the effects (sometimes this means that their depression will respond better to the antidepressant). Your body may just may be a little slower to adapt to the receptor changes needed to bring about better serotonin flow.
>
> As Noa says, do tell your doctor of the panic, he/she may give you a few anxiolytics (eg low dose Ativan) to help you when the panic occurs. She is also correct that many people need to start at a lower dose and stay on that lower dose for longer than four days (the 4 days is just an average). It would be a shame to give up on a drug too early, especially if it is working for the depressive symptoms.
>
> Good luck and I hope this helps - CamMichele, I take Effexor-XR and have found it to really help with depression and OCD. I started it very slowly as people mentioned above, and felt "hyper" for a while, which has all but gone away (except for some trouble sleeping at night). Hope it works for you!--Cindy W
Posted by Michele on May 19, 2000, at 1:17:37
In reply to Re: Effexor XR does it really work?, posted by Cindy W on May 18, 2000, at 23:38:38
> >
> > Michele - Give the Effexor another week or two, unless the panic attacks are unmanageable. All SSRI-like drugs will cause an initial increase in anxiety until your body adjusts to the drug. This adjustment ususally occurs within two weeks of starting the drug, but some people are just more sensitive to the effects (sometimes this means that their depression will respond better to the antidepressant). Your body may just may be a little slower to adapt to the receptor changes needed to bring about better serotonin flow.
> >
> > As Noa says, do tell your doctor of the panic, he/she may give you a few anxiolytics (eg low dose Ativan) to help you when the panic occurs. She is also correct that many people need to start at a lower dose and stay on that lower dose for longer than four days (the 4 days is just an average). It would be a shame to give up on a drug too early, especially if it is working for the depressive symptoms.
> >
> > Good luck and I hope this helps - Cam
>
> Michele, I take Effexor-XR and have found it to really help with depression and OCD. I started it very slowly as people mentioned above, and felt "hyper" for a while, which has all but gone away (except for some trouble sleeping at night). Hope it works for you!--Cindy WI appreciate everyones response to my questions. I really do not want to give up quite yet. I am hanging in there. I am not only concerned about the panic attacks I have once in a while, but also this constant dizziness I feel. What is really strange is I feel more dizzy when I am laying down. It feels like the room is spinning. Has anyone had this side effect? If you have, did it go away?
Posted by Cindy W on May 19, 2000, at 9:23:36
In reply to Re: Effexor XR does it really work?, posted by Michele on May 19, 2000, at 1:17:37
> > >
> > > Michele - Give the Effexor another week or two, unless the panic attacks are unmanageable. All SSRI-like drugs will cause an initial increase in anxiety until your body adjusts to the drug. This adjustment ususally occurs within two weeks of starting the drug, but some people are just more sensitive to the effects (sometimes this means that their depression will respond better to the antidepressant). Your body may just may be a little slower to adapt to the receptor changes needed to bring about better serotonin flow.
> > >
> > > As Noa says, do tell your doctor of the panic, he/she may give you a few anxiolytics (eg low dose Ativan) to help you when the panic occurs. She is also correct that many people need to start at a lower dose and stay on that lower dose for longer than four days (the 4 days is just an average). It would be a shame to give up on a drug too early, especially if it is working for the depressive symptoms.
> > >
> > > Good luck and I hope this helps - Cam
> >
> > Michele, I take Effexor-XR and have found it to really help with depression and OCD. I started it very slowly as people mentioned above, and felt "hyper" for a while, which has all but gone away (except for some trouble sleeping at night). Hope it works for you!--Cindy W
>
> I appreciate everyones response to my questions. I really do not want to give up quite yet. I am hanging in there. I am not only concerned about the panic attacks I have once in a while, but also this constant dizziness I feel. What is really strange is I feel more dizzy when I am laying down. It feels like the room is spinning. Has anyone had this side effect? If you have, did it go away?
Michele, glad you're going to give it a fair trial. I had dizziness at first with Effexor-XR (usually while walking around), but it has gone away. I've been taking it for about 5 months; the dizziness lasted for maybe four weeks. Over time, I've increased the dosage but the dizziness has not recurred.--Cindy W
Posted by Orin on May 20, 2000, at 11:28:59
In reply to Effexor XR does it really work?, posted by Michele on May 18, 2000, at 10:24:27
Michele:
I found the XR formulation less effective than the regular immediate release tablets used twice a day. My theory is the immediate release flips on the right chemical switches, and they stay on for a good while. The XR formula just does it in slow motion.
I believe immediate release formula takes better advantage of the pharmacodynamic potential of the drug...how it actually affects your brain.
The side effect I have from both formulas is an increase in diastolic blood pressure.
Posted by Andre Allard on May 25, 2000, at 12:25:03
In reply to Effexor XR does it really work?, posted by Michele on May 18, 2000, at 10:24:27
For me, effexor is a life savor - literally. I am currently on 225 mg of the xr version. The only side effects I have are delay of ejaculation, decreased appetite and insomnia. The trazadone takes care of the appetite and sleep problems. I noticed an improvement with each increase in dosage. The benefits were seen right away but I did not get the full effects for a month. Other meds have not even come close to working for me like effexor has.
If you can tolerate the effexor, you might want to try increasing the dosage up to atleast 150 mg. The reason you do not feel anything is probably because you are only at 75 mg. Side effects are a problem for you so increasing in increments of 1/2 of a 37 mg tab every week might help you acheive a higher dosage and response with minimal side effects. Normally, most of the side effects disipate after 4 weeks. If you cannot tolerate the effexor, then a switch of ADs could do the trick. Good luck!
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