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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by R. Kol on March 29, 2001, at 10:48:18
I was on effexor because of anxiety induced insomina. I did start sleeping after taking effexor but always had to have a glass of wine or two with dinner to get me tired enought to fall asleep so I am not sure effexor ever really helped my sleep. I recently went through 3 weeks of hell with a VERY difficult withdrawal from effexor. I got off of it mainly because of the very intense night sweats, waking me up at least 6 times a night. There were also other side effects that I did not like. I am considering Serzone because I have serious insomnia. Has anyone had trouble with night sweats on this medication? Also I am wondering if there is a Serzone "withdrawal syndrome" similar to effexor. I NEVER want to go through that again. It was horrible.
Posted by loosmrbls on March 29, 2001, at 12:20:23
In reply to Night Sweats with Serzone?, posted by R. Kol on March 29, 2001, at 10:48:18
I was on Effexor at one time and had the same side effects: sweating, increased blood pressure, and extreme irritability. My withdrawal wasn't that bad. But, like you, I did suffer from insomnia. I was switched to Celexa, but this drug did nothing. I was just recently switched to Serzone. I am not on the max dose yet (still tapering up) but I noticed an almost immediate improvement in my sleep and anxiety.
Effexor increased norepinephrine (noradrenaline) which can be very activating and cause insomnia. At doses like 225mg/day, it increases dopamine which can make these symptoms worse.
Serzone is basically like an SSRI except weaker, and it blocks certain serotonin receptors to stop some of the side effects of "classic" SSRI's. It also binds histamine, which is why maybe I became less anxious and slept better so soon. It does have a mild norepinephrine effect, but I haven't noticed any problems with insomnia or activation yet. I'll let you know as the dose continues to go up. But my response to Effexor was similar to yours, and so far Serzone has been much better.
Posted by PuraVida on March 31, 2001, at 3:27:07
In reply to Re: Night Sweats with Serzone?, posted by loosmrbls on March 29, 2001, at 12:20:23
I've been on Serzone for about 2 years - no side affects at all, until I started taking 600 mgs a day - I started sleeping too much. I'm good at 500 mgs now -
Posted by SalArmy4me on April 2, 2001, at 4:33:30
In reply to Night Sweats with Serzone?, posted by R. Kol on March 29, 2001, at 10:48:18
All of the night sweats symptoms are remediable will simple Urecholine (rx only)--ask your doctor about that.
> I was on effexor because of anxiety induced insomina. I did start sleeping after taking effexor but always had to have a glass of wine or two with dinner to get me tired enought to fall asleep so I am not sure effexor ever really helped my sleep. I recently went through 3 weeks of hell with a VERY difficult withdrawal from effexor. I got off of it mainly because of the very intense night sweats, waking me up at least 6 times a night. There were also other side effects that I did not like. I am considering Serzone because I have serious insomnia. Has anyone had trouble with night sweats on this medication? Also I am wondering if there is a Serzone "withdrawal syndrome" similar to effexor. I NEVER want to go through that again. It was horrible.
Posted by izzy on April 2, 2001, at 15:38:31
In reply to Night Sweats with Serzone?, posted by R. Kol on March 29, 2001, at 10:48:18
i have tried a variety of ssri's and my worst experiences were with serzone, although i know someone who loved it. it's all so subjective.
forget about not sleeping, i could barely stay awake on the stuff. it got to the point that i couldn't bring myself to put another pill in my mouth, so i just stopped taking it. obviously, this is the completely wrong way to come off a drug like that, but i hated it so much. needless to say, the withdrawal i went through was hellacious. it lasted a weekend, and i never want to feel that way again in my life (although i'm about to be weaned off effexor xr, which i also dislike. i'm ready for it this time, though.
good luck with whatever medication you try.
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