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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 Pantt on August 31, 2004, at 17:55:45
I know amnesia is listed as a side effect of effexor but has anyone actually experienced amnesia for a period of several hours or longer while taking this medication?
Was this the first time it had happened to you and did it happen more than once?
Did it ever reoccur after the effexor was discontinued?
Thanks
Posted by Charm on September 1, 2004, at 10:00:22
In reply to Effexor induced amnesia??, posted by Pantt on August 31, 2004, at 17:55:45
Hi Pantt -
Sorry - I never experienced any amnesia while on Effexor. However, I am getting old (41) and I many have forgotten that I had amnesia :-).
Charm
Posted by Pantt on September 1, 2004, at 10:48:09
In reply to Re: Effexor induced amnesia??, posted by Charm on September 1, 2004, at 10:00:22
Well I'm old too :) In fact at first effexor was giving me what I would call senior moments-going down the aisle in the grocery store and being totally blank about what I was looking for or going blank about a name or a word. I had all ready started tapering off it for that reason among others when this happened.
But what I called "amnesia" was a period of about an hour to 2 hours during which I left my house and drove downtown to the library. I came to leaving the library. I emerged into really bright light after the dim library interior and I suddenly realized I didn't know where I was. I remember looking around and thinking I must be at some kind of school and then I had a very clear thought-I don't know how old I am. It quickly started seeming familiar to me and I realized where I was but I couldn't remember what car I was driving or where I was parked. I finally found my car in an out of the way parking lot I wouldn't ordinarily use-in fact other than not remembering doing it- parking in an odd place was the only thing that seemed unusual for me to be doing on Saturday morning. I never did remember leaving my house etc.
Posted by Charm on September 1, 2004, at 11:49:08
In reply to Re: Effexor induced amnesia??, posted by Pantt on September 1, 2004, at 10:48:09
Hi Pantt -
Unfortunately, forgetting what I am looking for, or going blank on a word or forgetting which client I talked to on the phone is something that is not that uncommon for me. It could be from the years of AD's.
That sounds like a seriously scary episode at the library. I've never heard of anything like that happening before because of Effexor. How much were you taking? Were you taking anything else with it?
For me, the worst experiences from Effexor happened when my doctor cut me down from 300mg to 150mg. My stomach was constantly in knots, I felt "very weird", and was much more conscious of how strange I felt inside and not very focused on external events. After about two weeks these bad symptoms faded away.
From what I've seem on this board and others is that even though Effexor withdrawal can be hard, once it is completed most folks don't appear to suffer from the drug's side effects any longer. (Of course, there are always exceptions.) I'm hoping for you that it will solve your memory/amnesia difficulties and that you won't be one of the exceptions. Life is hard enough without not knowing where you are or how you got there! :-)
What do you plan to try after you wean off the Effexor?
Smiles!
Charm
Posted by Pantt on September 3, 2004, at 9:02:25
In reply to Re: Effexor induced amnesia??, posted by Charm on September 1, 2004, at 11:49:08
Thanks. It was scary. I'm off the effexor now. I think I just wanted to put it on the record in case it happened to anyone else. I looked in the archives and couldn't find anything like this. That was where I found out amnesia was listed as a side effect. I wasn't taking any other medications at the time. I had been decreasing and think I was taking about 75 mg at the time that happened.
What to try next? I don't know. I'm afraid too of the cumulative effects of years of ADs. I had a long stretch on Prozac too. I guess if I decide to try another AD it would be cymbalta or possibly nardil.
Probably I am going to try fish oil exercise and therapy for now. It may not work but the side effects should be less destructive.
This is the end of the thread.
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