![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 10 to 34 of 87. Go back in thread:
Posted by Robin on January 10, 1999, at 22:41:35
In reply to Re: Effexor-side effects, posted by Lisa on January 8, 1999, at 16:03:49
I can relate to your feeling of having to choose between physical or mental health. The first time an anti-depressant worked for me, I was so elated that I did not care what kind of side effects I had. I was just glad to be functioning mentally so well! But my doc. convinced me that she could actually fine-tune my medicine so that I wouldn't have such trouble with side effects. I agree that it seems like you need a mild sedative at night. Have you ever heard of "restless legs syndrome"? I couldn't believe there was actually a medical term for the jumpy nighttime legs thing (I've had it, too). There are a variety of reasons that it can occur. But I would bet that a sedative may relax those muscles enough for you to get a good night's sleep. (I don't know if you actually have restless legs syndrome, but I just thought it might be interesting info. for you!) Good Luck!
Posted by Lisa on January 11, 1999, at 9:05:08
In reply to Re: Effexor-side effects, posted by Robin on January 10, 1999, at 22:41:35
> I can relate to your feeling of having to choose between physical or mental health. The first time an anti-depressant worked for me, I was so elated that I did not care what kind of side effects I had. I was just glad to be functioning mentally so well! But my doc. convinced me that she could actually fine-tune my medicine so that I wouldn't have such trouble with side effects. I agree that it seems like you need a mild sedative at night. Have you ever heard of "restless legs syndrome"? I couldn't believe there was actually a medical term for the jumpy nighttime legs thing (I've had it, too). There are a variety of reasons that it can occur. But I would bet that a sedative may relax those muscles enough for you to get a good night's sleep. (I don't know if you actually have restless legs syndrome, but I just thought it might be interesting info. for you!) Good Luck!
Yes actually I do have restless legs syndrome. I just wasn't aware that there was a medical term for it. I definitely need something to help me sleep though. Thanks for the input.
Posted by Cheryl on April 11, 1999, at 20:46:50
In reply to Re: Effexor-side effects, posted by Lisa on January 11, 1999, at 9:05:08
I've been on Effexor for 4 years. My highest dose was 200mg/day. I have tried and tried to get off this drug, but by the time I just about get off, I feel myself falling down the hole again. I cry for no apparent reason, I feel hopeless and useless and am unable to make decisions. I totally relate to the sleeplessness - I haven't really slept well for 4 years! I just had a blood test done and there has been some liver damage. I'm really serious about getting off of this drug. I think I might try some of the herbal remedies. Has anyone out there been warned of liver damage for long term use?
Posted by Rebecca Willis on April 12, 1999, at 13:36:29
In reply to Re: Effexor-side effects, posted by Cheryl on April 11, 1999, at 20:46:50
I am possibly going to start Effexor for depression. I have finally lost my excess weight and absolutely do not want to gain weight. Does Effexor cause weight gain or increase appetite?
Posted by Polly on May 17, 2000, at 19:11:07
In reply to Re: Effexor-side effects, posted by Cheryl on April 11, 1999, at 20:46:50
I have been on Effexor for less than a year and while I feel great and don't have many of the side effects that have been mentioned with the exception of the hands trembling, I'm thinking it has made me gain weight. And now hearing about the your blood tests and liver enzymes or whatever I'm really worried that this is not the right medication for me. My friend works for Bristol-Myers and reps Serzone. It supposedly has the fewest side effects but Doctors won't prescribe it as much because it has to be titrated. Has anyone ever tried it and how did it work if so.
Posted by Orin on May 18, 2000, at 21:43:42
In reply to Re: Effexor-side effects, posted by Polly on May 17, 2000, at 19:11:07
From my experience, stay with the venlafaxine if its working. Worry about liver damage if you drink, not if you're taking venlafaxine. Serzone (nefazodone) had a very crude "feel" to it. In fact, I felt physically terrible while taking it (12 week trial). Be aware that serzone's metabolites reach extremely high levels in your blood, and your liver has to deal with every one of those molocules. One of the metabolites (mppp or mcpp or something like that) is **anxiogenic** and you'll likely feel it as a wrenching in you gut. I believe the drug affects one's immune system; I had one cold after another while taking it; I developed a staph infection under a fingernail that did not clear up, even after several bouts of antibiotics, until I went off the drug. Also, you'll likely get LSD-like after-images and trails, and these make for dangerous night driving.
Posted by Michelle on May 19, 2000, at 14:06:50
In reply to Re: Effexor-side effects, posted by Rebecca Willis on April 12, 1999, at 13:36:29
> I am just starting Effexor, I have been on Prozac off and on for about 2 years. Is there anything that I should be worried about taking this medication. I'm starting on 37.5 mg and then 75.
Posted by Noa on May 19, 2000, at 16:33:21
In reply to Re: Effexor-side effects, posted by Michelle on May 19, 2000, at 14:06:50
Michelle,
The most important advice I can give you is GO SLOW. Don't rush from 37.5 to 75, and from 75 up. It takes a lot of patience, of course, until you get to whatever the therapeutic dose for you will be, but it can make a big difference in how your body gets used to it.
Posted by Rita on May 25, 2000, at 18:34:28
In reply to Re: Effexor-side effects, posted by Michelle on May 19, 2000, at 14:06:50
> > I am just starting Effexor, I have been on Prozac off and on for about 2 years. Is there anything that I should be worried about taking this medication. I'm starting on 37.5 mg and then 75.
I've been on Effexor for five years with various side effects, none of which seemed serious or long lasting. The most pronounced, was the jerking muscles....legs, arms, whole body sometimes ...during that "almost, but not quite asleep" state. If I could stay calm and ignore it, eventually, I'd fall asleep. In the beginning, I had to use an occasional sleep aid (Benadryl, or Ambien). Eventually, especially after I stopped taking Effexor after 2 p.m., I didn't need a sleep aid anymore.
Re stopping: VERY difficult. Can relate to an earlier note in this thread about how everything started to fall apart again. **IMPORTANT** Check out an article currently on the "abcnews.com" web site called "SSRI Withdrawal Effects Underdiscussed" by Dr. Joseph Glenmullen. I just found it yesterday and it seems to apply...at least in my experience with this drug. Am going to share it with my doctor, too....they're all still learning about these "new" drugs which help "BUT"....
Bottom line, withdrawal can take many months and must be done VERY gradually. For me, it's been worth it; but I'm glad to know this about the withdrawal symptoms...because I've tried to go off it, too; but the symptoms scared me back on. Have reduced from 300 to 275 sucessfully now, for 3 months. Will continue to attempt to decrease by 25 gm (the size of my tablets) about every 4-6 months. May be easier if you're not on such a large dose, or haven't been on as long. But trust your body, your doctor and your own sense of well being...and take it easy. If the drug helps, it's worth the effort to go on and come off it right. Took a long time to find this drug that works for me....so many others didn't.
Posted by Leslie on June 2, 2000, at 0:35:33
In reply to Re: Effexor-side effects, posted by Rita on May 25, 2000, at 18:34:28
I've been on Effexor for about 6 months and "mental" health-wise it has definitely made a HUGE improvement, however I have developed an irritating problem that really interferes with my sleep. I clench my teeth and I keep hearing a popping noise in my ears at night, when I go to bed. Does anyone else have this??? It got so bad that I cut back on my dose by 75mg, then I tried to get completely off it - what a mistake that was. I became so disoriented and dizzy that I had to go back on the meds.
Posted by LD on June 2, 2000, at 8:45:32
In reply to Re: Effexor-side effects, posted by Leslie on June 2, 2000, at 0:35:33
Since I have been on Effexor (2 months) I have also started clenching my jaw severly at night. I'm on 300 mg XR. Sometimes its so bad that I can't chew the next day. I've found that taking alot of advil helps with the stiffness and pain, but not with the clenching. Maybe taking a muscle relaxer at night?? I also take klonopin and have noticed it helps with the clenching alittle. Sorry I can't help more.
Posted by Snowdancer on June 29, 2000, at 21:57:10
In reply to Effexor-side effects, posted by Lisa on December 30, 1998, at 12:34:47
> After trying just about every kind of anti-depressant,
> my psychiatrist put me on Effexor. I am currently
> taking 300mg a day (150mg twice a day) and I really
> starting to feel better, but does anyone ever have
> muscle spasms? I have noticed that not only do I have
> trouble sleeping because of the strange dreams, but
> everytime I try to sleep I can feel my legs jump and
> quiver uncontrolably. I never feel rested.
I just wanted to say that I have had horrific nightmares on my effexor xr, 150 mg per day. I also did with prozac. My dr put me on 1 mg of xanex at night and during the day for anxiety and it has helped tremendously! I can't believe the nightmares that I have, everynight, constant, and wow! Afraid to sleep without my xanex although after a year I am afraid I am building a tolerance up to it because the nightmares are coming back and fast. taking two pills now to be rid of them. Good luck! Don't know whats up with the dreams but have read that they can be a side effect. :( Hugs! Snowdancer*
Posted by Lesley on June 30, 2000, at 19:21:45
In reply to Re: Effexor-side effects, posted by Snowdancer on June 29, 2000, at 21:57:10
I started Effexor about 2 months ago and was up to 150mg day and I was also already taking Trazodone for sleep. I had about a half a dozen days where I would get a wierd dizziness off and on throughout the day. It started up again one night while laying in bed and actually made my eyes roll downward for a second. In the morning, the "episodes of dizziness" progressed to the point where it was happening constantly. It was almost like an electical charge in my brain and getting dizzy was an after-effect of these charges. It got to the point where I was feeling tingling down my right arm to my palm & fingertips whenever I got the "charges". I slowly discontinued using Effexor and I've been back on Prozac for a couple days now and I've never had any side effects from that. Has anybody ever had this type of experience with Effexor?
I also have nightmares (waking up with my fists clenched), night sweats and see "trails" sometimes
Posted by Snowdancer on June 30, 2000, at 22:36:05
In reply to Re: Effexor-side effects, posted by Lesley on June 30, 2000, at 19:21:45
> I started Effexor about 2 months ago and was up to 150mg day and I was also already taking Trazodone for sleep. I had about a half a dozen days where I would get a wierd dizziness off and on throughout the day. It started up again one night while laying in bed and actually made my eyes roll downward for a second. In the morning, the "episodes of dizziness" progressed to the point where it was happening constantly. It was almost like an electical charge in my brain and getting dizzy was an after-effect of these charges. It got to the point where I was feeling tingling down my right arm to my palm & fingertips whenever I got the "charges". I slowly discontinued using Effexor and I've been back on Prozac for a couple days now and I've never had any side effects from that. Has anybody ever had this type of experience with Effexor?
>
> I also have nightmares (waking up with my fists clenched), night sweats and see "trails" sometimesOH Most definately! People call them everything from
brain spikes to nerve spikes in the brain to brain
flashes, oh it's unreal! We all no exactly what
the other person is trying to describe as soon as they
start! It's unreal, I hated going back on this med
after all the he!! I went through while going off
it, and never went through any of it with prozac. My
dr blew a gasket when I took myself off though and
a couple mo later told me to go back on it so I did
since I was in the hptl due to crashing hard and
trying to od. I really had to listen to his advice
at that point and to keep my husband satisfied. yes
I remember all to well the dizzy episodes where I
would just turn my head or even move my eyes from
one object to another and get them brain flashes,
nerve spikes, what ever they are! And the sweating
is horrid not to mention the nightmares. I think
I'm better off not taking this stuff but then I
hit rock bottom when coming off it. The only reason
I quit prozac (my miracle pill!) was my body seemed
to build up a tolerance to it and I gained 30 lbs.
which added to my depression ofcourse! Well good
luck to you, feel free to email me if you have any
addl questions! snowdancer@ameritech.net :)
Posted by Rita on July 1, 2000, at 10:16:04
In reply to Re: Effexor-side effects, posted by Lesley on June 30, 2000, at 19:21:45
> I started Effexor about 2 months ago and was up to 150mg day and I was also already taking Trazodone for sleep. I had about a half a dozen days where I would get a wierd dizziness off and on throughout the day. It started up again one night while laying in bed and actually made my eyes roll downward for a second. In the morning, the "episodes of dizziness" progressed to the point where it was happening constantly. It was almost like an electical charge in my brain and getting dizzy was an after-effect of these charges. It got to the point where I was feeling tingling down my right arm to my palm & fingertips whenever I got the "charges". I slowly discontinued using Effexor and I've been back on Prozac for a couple days now and I've never had any side effects from that. Has anybody ever had this type of experience with Effexor?
>
> I also have nightmares (waking up with my fists clenched), night sweats and see "trails" sometimesHello again. As Snowdancer mentioned, I too can relate to the various side effects you mentioned. For me, most of them went away after several weeks; but would return briefly if I changed the dose, missed a dose, or got over stressed/tired. The teeth clenching has persisted, but apparently not as bad as yours. Flexeril (at night) might help....it's a muscle relaxant and helped me with both the teeth clenching and the muscle jerks/spasms. Have been getting off the drug over the past few weeks... Starting at 275mg, began cutting back (with doctor's permission) by 25mg/week...now down to 100mg and still OK. Tried to stop before by cutting back 50mg/day (the size of my pills)...disaster!! Like someone else said...scared me back on. Now I use a pill cutter and every time I cut back, I readajust to make sure I spread the remaining dose as evenly over each 24 hour period as possible. Best of luck to all of you. Effexor's a good drug; works when many others don't; however, it has it's own idiosyncracies and doesn't work for everyone (like Prozac didn't work for me). Trust your doctor and your body! ... Rita
Posted by Cindy W on July 1, 2000, at 12:02:03
In reply to Re: Effexor-side effects, posted by Rita on July 1, 2000, at 10:16:04
> > I started Effexor about 2 months ago and was up to 150mg day and I was also already taking Trazodone for sleep. I had about a half a dozen days where I would get a wierd dizziness off and on throughout the day. It started up again one night while laying in bed and actually made my eyes roll downward for a second. In the morning, the "episodes of dizziness" progressed to the point where it was happening constantly. It was almost like an electical charge in my brain and getting dizzy was an after-effect of these charges. It got to the point where I was feeling tingling down my right arm to my palm & fingertips whenever I got the "charges". I slowly discontinued using Effexor and I've been back on Prozac for a couple days now and I've never had any side effects from that. Has anybody ever had this type of experience with Effexor?
> >
> > I also have nightmares (waking up with my fists clenched), night sweats and see "trails" sometimes
>
> Hello again. As Snowdancer mentioned, I too can relate to the various side effects you mentioned. For me, most of them went away after several weeks; but would return briefly if I changed the dose, missed a dose, or got over stressed/tired. The teeth clenching has persisted, but apparently not as bad as yours. Flexeril (at night) might help....it's a muscle relaxant and helped me with both the teeth clenching and the muscle jerks/spasms. Have been getting off the drug over the past few weeks... Starting at 275mg, began cutting back (with doctor's permission) by 25mg/week...now down to 100mg and still OK. Tried to stop before by cutting back 50mg/day (the size of my pills)...disaster!! Like someone else said...scared me back on. Now I use a pill cutter and every time I cut back, I readajust to make sure I spread the remaining dose as evenly over each 24 hour period as possible. Best of luck to all of you. Effexor's a good drug; works when many others don't; however, it has it's own idiosyncracies and doesn't work for everyone (like Prozac didn't work for me). Trust your doctor and your body! ... RitaHello! i feel so lucky, because i take Effexor 275 mg/day and it doesn't bother me in any way. Hope you find the right thing!
Posted by Snowdancer on July 1, 2000, at 16:35:56
In reply to Re: Effexor-side effects, posted by Cindy W on July 1, 2000, at 12:02:03
> > > I started Effexor about 2 months ago and was up to 150mg day and I was also already taking Trazodone for sleep. I had about a half a dozen days where I would get a wierd dizziness off and on throughout the day. It started up again one night while laying in bed and actually made my eyes roll downward for a second. In the morning, the "episodes of dizziness" progressed to the point where it was happening constantly. It was almost like an electical charge in my brain and getting dizzy was an after-effect of these charges. It got to the point where I was feeling tingling down my right arm to my palm & fingertips whenever I got the "charges". I slowly discontinued using Effexor and I've been back on Prozac for a couple days now and I've never had any side effects from that. Has anybody ever had this type of experience with Effexor?
> > >
> > > I also have nightmares (waking up with my fists clenched), night sweats and see "trails" sometimes
> >
> > Hello again. As Snowdancer mentioned, I too can relate to the various side effects you mentioned. For me, most of them went away after several weeks; but would return briefly if I changed the dose, missed a dose, or got over stressed/tired. The teeth clenching has persisted, but apparently not as bad as yours. Flexeril (at night) might help....it's a muscle relaxant and helped me with both the teeth clenching and the muscle jerks/spasms. Have been getting off the drug over the past few weeks... Starting at 275mg, began cutting back (with doctor's permission) by 25mg/week...now down to 100mg and still OK. Tried to stop before by cutting back 50mg/day (the size of my pills)...disaster!! Like someone else said...scared me back on. Now I use a pill cutter and every time I cut back, I readajust to make sure I spread the remaining dose as evenly over each 24 hour period as possible. Best of luck to all of you. Effexor's a good drug; works when many others don't; however, it has it's own idiosyncracies and doesn't work for everyone (like Prozac didn't work for me). Trust your doctor and your body! ... Rita
>
> Hello! i feel so lucky, because i take Effexor 275 mg/day and it doesn't bother me in any way. Hope you find the right thing!Hi, Just wanted to say that for my experience these symptoms only happen when going off of the effexor or if I've missed my dose a few days in a row, as long as I take it every day I never have these symptoms either, other than the nightmares and I've always had them with all ad's. Just wanted to let you know... :) Snowdancer
Posted by Snowdancer on July 1, 2000, at 16:41:47
In reply to Re: Effexor-side effects, posted by Cindy W on July 1, 2000, at 12:02:03
> > > I started Effexor about 2 months ago and was up to 150mg day and I was also already taking Trazodone for sleep. I had about a half a dozen days where I would get a wierd dizziness off and on throughout the day. It started up again one night while laying in bed and actually made my eyes roll downward for a second. In the morning, the "episodes of dizziness" progressed to the point where it was happening constantly. It was almost like an electical charge in my brain and getting dizzy was an after-effect of these charges. It got to the point where I was feeling tingling down my right arm to my palm & fingertips whenever I got the "charges". I slowly discontinued using Effexor and I've been back on Prozac for a couple days now and I've never had any side effects from that. Has anybody ever had this type of experience with Effexor?
> > >
> > > I also have nightmares (waking up with my fists clenched), night sweats and see "trails" sometimes
> >
> > Hello again. As Snowdancer mentioned, I too can relate to the various side effects you mentioned. For me, most of them went away after several weeks; but would return briefly if I changed the dose, missed a dose, or got over stressed/tired. The teeth clenching has persisted, but apparently not as bad as yours. Flexeril (at night) might help....it's a muscle relaxant and helped me with both the teeth clenching and the muscle jerks/spasms. Have been getting off the drug over the past few weeks... Starting at 275mg, began cutting back (with doctor's permission) by 25mg/week...now down to 100mg and still OK. Tried to stop before by cutting back 50mg/day (the size of my pills)...disaster!! Like someone else said...scared me back on. Now I use a pill cutter and every time I cut back, I readajust to make sure I spread the remaining dose as evenly over each 24 hour period as possible. Best of luck to all of you. Effexor's a good drug; works when many others don't; however, it has it's own idiosyncracies and doesn't work for everyone (like Prozac didn't work for me). Trust your doctor and your body! ... Rita
>
> Hello! i feel so lucky, because i take Effexor 275 mg/day and it doesn't bother me in any way. Hope you find the right thing!PS: Cindy, after 3 months at 150 mg effexor is not quite doing it for me, did you notice a difference when u jumped to 275mg, was it a big improvement? Just wondering if I should suggest going higher on the dosage to my dr.... thx! Snowdancer
Posted by Rita on July 1, 2000, at 20:20:31
In reply to Re: Effexor-side effects » Cindy W, posted by Snowdancer on July 1, 2000, at 16:41:47
>
> PS: Cindy, after 3 months at 150 mg effexor is not quite doing it for me, did you notice a difference when u jumped to 275mg, was it a big improvement? Just wondering if I should suggest going higher on the dosage to my dr.... thx! SnowdancerSnowdancer: You didn't ask me, but thought an answer might be helpful anyway... ...if not, you can ignore it :-)... I worked my way up to 300...25 mg at a time...and somewhat reluctantly (although at my choice), once I was above 200mg (some crazy notion of mine, that that should CERTAINLY be enough)...I found that each 25mg added, brought me just a bit closer to feeling "OK"... and when I hit 300mg...it just felt right. I don't know if everyone senses a difference in such small increments...but if you're tuned into your body and you're not feeling "right" yet at 150mg...but tolerating the drug well, I'd suggest it to your Doc. Best of luck to you. ....Rita
Posted by Snowdancer on July 1, 2000, at 21:20:11
In reply to Re: Effexor-side effects, posted by Rita on July 1, 2000, at 20:20:31
> >
> > PS: Cindy, after 3 months at 150 mg effexor is not quite doing it for me, did you notice a difference when u jumped to 275mg, was it a big improvement? Just wondering if I should suggest going higher on the dosage to my dr.... thx! Snowdancer
>
> Snowdancer: You didn't ask me, but thought an answer might be helpful anyway... ...if not, you can ignore it :-)... I worked my way up to 300...25 mg at a time...and somewhat reluctantly (although at my choice), once I was above 200mg (some crazy notion of mine, that that should CERTAINLY be enough)...I found that each 25mg added, brought me just a bit closer to feeling "OK"... and when I hit 300mg...it just felt right. I don't know if everyone senses a difference in such small increments...but if you're tuned into your body and you're not feeling "right" yet at 150mg...but tolerating the drug well, I'd suggest it to your Doc. Best of luck to you. ....Ritawell thanks Rita! I really appreciate your advice!
I will talk to my doctor about upping my dosage then. Have you by chance lost any weight with this med? I was on and off prozac for eight yrs and gained quite a bit of weight with it and my dr says that effexor has weight loss as a side effect. just curious. Thanks again! XOXOXO
Posted by Rita on July 1, 2000, at 21:56:27
In reply to Re: Effexor-side effects » Rita , posted by Snowdancer on July 1, 2000, at 21:20:11
> well thanks Rita! I really appreciate your advice!
> I will talk to my doctor about upping my dosage then. Have you by chance lost any weight with this med? I was on and off prozac for eight yrs and gained quite a bit of weight with it and my dr says that effexor has weight loss as a side effect. just curious. Thanks again! XOXOXOHi again...no, I didn't lose weight; but I had a complication (fibromyalgia) which meant I couldn't exercise ...however; I didn't gain any on it...even after I got a handle on the fibromyalgia...so that's a plus! and that's with a real MINIMUM of exercise...so, perhaps if you're good about routine workouts, you might get lucky and enjoy that positive side effect of losing weight!
Posted by Lesley on July 1, 2000, at 22:46:05
In reply to Re: Effexor-side effects » Lesley, posted by Snowdancer on June 30, 2000, at 22:36:05
> OH Most definately! People call them everything from
> brain spikes to nerve spikes in the brain to brain
> flashes, oh it's unreal! We all no exactly what
> the other person is trying to describe as soon as they
> start! It's unreal, I hated going back on this med
> after all the he!! I went through while going off
> it, and never went through any of it with prozac. My
> dr blew a gasket when I took myself off though and
> a couple mo later told me to go back on it so I did
> since I was in the hptl due to crashing hard and
> trying to od. I really had to listen to his advice
> at that point and to keep my husband satisfied. yes
> I remember all to well the dizzy episodes where I
> would just turn my head or even move my eyes from
> one object to another and get them brain flashes,
> nerve spikes, what ever they are! And the sweating
> is horrid not to mention the nightmares. I think
> I'm better off not taking this stuff but then I
> hit rock bottom when coming off it. The only reason
> I quit prozac (my miracle pill!) was my body seemed
> to build up a tolerance to it and I gained 30 lbs.
> which added to my depression ofcourse! Well good
> luck to you, feel free to email me if you have any
> addl questions! snowdancer@ameritech.net :)
Its been 3 days since quitting Effexor and 1 week since my really bad day. I've been taking 20 mg prozac again. This morning the head zaps started again with tingling down my arm. My husband convinced me to take 37mg effexor and see if it relieved the problem and it did after about an hour. But I'm not sure I should be taking both meds at the same time and I also want to quit effexor altogether.
I found a website, Health-center.com, that also had a site for Effexor withdrawals, as a matter of fact, there were 30 pages of comments from people that have experienced all these same things. I printed it out & am going to take it to my doctor as proof that other people experience these same symptoms.
Posted by Snowdancer on July 1, 2000, at 22:56:07
In reply to Re: Effexor-side effects, posted by Lesley on July 1, 2000, at 22:46:05
>
> > OH Most definately! People call them everything from
> > brain spikes to nerve spikes in the brain to brain
> > flashes, oh it's unreal! We all no exactly what
> > the other person is trying to describe as soon as they
> > start! It's unreal, I hated going back on this med
> > after all the he!! I went through while going off
> > it, and never went through any of it with prozac. My
> > dr blew a gasket when I took myself off though and
> > a couple mo later told me to go back on it so I did
> > since I was in the hptl due to crashing hard and
> > trying to od. I really had to listen to his advice
> > at that point and to keep my husband satisfied. yes
> > I remember all to well the dizzy episodes where I
> > would just turn my head or even move my eyes from
> > one object to another and get them brain flashes,
> > nerve spikes, what ever they are! And the sweating
> > is horrid not to mention the nightmares. I think
> > I'm better off not taking this stuff but then I
> > hit rock bottom when coming off it. The only reason
> > I quit prozac (my miracle pill!) was my body seemed
> > to build up a tolerance to it and I gained 30 lbs.
> > which added to my depression ofcourse! Well good
> > luck to you, feel free to email me if you have any
> > addl questions! snowdancer@ameritech.net :)
>
>
> Its been 3 days since quitting Effexor and 1 week since my really bad day. I've been taking 20 mg prozac again. This morning the head zaps started again with tingling down my arm. My husband convinced me to take 37mg effexor and see if it relieved the problem and it did after about an hour. But I'm not sure I should be taking both meds at the same time and I also want to quit effexor altogether.
> I found a website, Health-center.com, that also had a site for Effexor withdrawals, as a matter of fact, there were 30 pages of comments from people that have experienced all these same things. I printed it out & am going to take it to my doctor as proof that other people experience these same symptoms.That's a great idea! I hate to tell you this but
when I stopped my effexor the first time, I went
from 150mg to 75mg for a week and a half then 37mg
for the last week and I STILL went through pure
he!! going off it slowly like that... I'd say
you have two choices, go off it slowly and still
go through the withdrawls or cold turkey, which
I also did once and pure he!! but like I told my
husband, "I just want this sh!t out of me!!!"
damned if we do and damned if we don't unfortunately,
I feel for you, I would love to go back on prozac
but my system built up a tolerance to it and it
just stopped working after years of relief from the
black hole... God I wish you all the luck, I would
like to think that taking the 20mg of prozac would
help relieve some of the withdrawl symptoms but
maybe because they are two different types of ad's
that is why it does not help. Wish I could help
you more, I SURE know what you are going through...
good luck and keep me posted please! >> SD
Posted by Cindy W on July 3, 2000, at 9:11:03
In reply to Re: Effexor-side effects » Cindy W, posted by Snowdancer on July 1, 2000, at 16:41:47
> > > > I started Effexor about 2 months ago and was up to 150mg day and I was also already taking Trazodone for sleep. I had about a half a dozen days where I would get a wierd dizziness off and on throughout the day. It started up again one night while laying in bed and actually made my eyes roll downward for a second. In the morning, the "episodes of dizziness" progressed to the point where it was happening constantly. It was almost like an electical charge in my brain and getting dizzy was an after-effect of these charges. It got to the point where I was feeling tingling down my right arm to my palm & fingertips whenever I got the "charges". I slowly discontinued using Effexor and I've been back on Prozac for a couple days now and I've never had any side effects from that. Has anybody ever had this type of experience with Effexor?
> > > >
> > > > I also have nightmares (waking up with my fists clenched), night sweats and see "trails" sometimes
> > >
> > > Hello again. As Snowdancer mentioned, I too can relate to the various side effects you mentioned. For me, most of them went away after several weeks; but would return briefly if I changed the dose, missed a dose, or got over stressed/tired. The teeth clenching has persisted, but apparently not as bad as yours. Flexeril (at night) might help....it's a muscle relaxant and helped me with both the teeth clenching and the muscle jerks/spasms. Have been getting off the drug over the past few weeks... Starting at 275mg, began cutting back (with doctor's permission) by 25mg/week...now down to 100mg and still OK. Tried to stop before by cutting back 50mg/day (the size of my pills)...disaster!! Like someone else said...scared me back on. Now I use a pill cutter and every time I cut back, I readajust to make sure I spread the remaining dose as evenly over each 24 hour period as possible. Best of luck to all of you. Effexor's a good drug; works when many others don't; however, it has it's own idiosyncracies and doesn't work for everyone (like Prozac didn't work for me). Trust your doctor and your body! ... Rita
> >
> > Hello! i feel so lucky, because i take Effexor 275 mg/day and it doesn't bother me in any way. Hope you find the right thing!
>
> PS: Cindy, after 3 months at 150 mg effexor is not quite doing it for me, did you notice a difference when u jumped to 275mg, was it a big improvement? Just wondering if I should suggest going higher on the dosage to my dr.... thx! Snowdancer
Snowdancer, I noticed changes from Effexor-XR during the first week. I did feel better as the dosage increased, though. Talk to your pdoc and see if that's a good idea for you. Good luck!
Posted by Libby on July 3, 2000, at 11:36:16
In reply to Re: Effexor-side effects, posted by Lisa on January 8, 1999, at 9:54:52
Lisa wrote...
> I have found it hard to write and my mind starts racing a lot lately. I really do not want to stop taking Effexor because I haven't felt this good in years, but the side effects are wearing down on me. It's almost like I have two choices Mental health or physical health.<This is what I started to feel like after my doc increased my dose of Effexor XR from 150 mg/day to 300 mg/day. In my case, the sleep problems were definitely dose-dependent. Stepping the
dose back down (GRADUALLY) has helped. My moods are still good and I can sleep again... Effexor alone didn't help my concentration problems... If anything, they got WORSE at higher doses... You might ask your doc about taking something else for those symptoms.It turns out that I may be ADD, as well as depressed... I just started taking Ritalin and that has helped a great deal in just a few days. Even if you're not ADD, drugs, like Ritalin, Wellbutrin, ProVigil, and Adderall, for
instance that can improve concentration, even
in depressed people without ADD...Best of luck...
L.
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