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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 Shelleye2006 on October 15, 2007, at 12:04:01
I have been taking Effexor XR for the past 7 years. About a two months ago my prescription looked different so I called my Dr. and he told me that the Effexor had switched to generic and not to worry. Around the same time I started to experience lightheadedness/dizziness off and on. Especially when I went for my walk, I got very dizzy. The same feeling I will get if I miss a dose. (I take 150 mg in the morning and 37.5 mg at night with 25 mg of Imipramine) I asked my Dr. about it and he said it wasn't from the meds because I'd been on them too long for any new side effects.
About 5 years ago I started experiencing hot-flushes with blotching on my neck and chest and was told it was peri-menopause. So I've ignored it as that. But now I am getting the hot-flushes more often and sometimes breaking out in a sweat. I also have night sweats and have been experiencing headaches at different degrees for the last week. Sometimes they are so bad I feel nauseous.
My hormones have been checked twice in the last year and have been normal. So my question is, is the generic type of Venlaflaxine different than the Effexor XR and I'm reacting to that, am I having side-effects from long term use of the drug or can I chalk it all up to peri-menopause even though there is nothing wrong with me hormonally??? I'm very confused.
The dizzy spells and headaches are effecting my every day life, it's getting hard to work. My phsychiatrist says it's not the drugs and my Dr. tells me everything is peri-menopause, so who's right??
Any help would be appreciated.
Posted by Phillipa on October 15, 2007, at 12:10:38
In reply to Effexor XR, posted by Shelleye2006 on October 15, 2007, at 12:04:01
What is your age bracket as until you hit menopause FSH is below 50. But during perimenopause the hormones fluctuate. I think it's that as sometimes it's l5 years to get to menopause and even then some have hot flashes. I never did but would and still do wake with sweating. Phillipa
Posted by Racer on October 15, 2007, at 16:36:21
In reply to Effexor XR, posted by Shelleye2006 on October 15, 2007, at 12:04:01
> I asked my Dr. about it and he said it wasn't from the meds because I'd been on them too long for any new side effects.
>Well, that's true -- you've been on Effexor XR too long to expect new side effects from it...
You've been on generic long acting venlafaxine for about two months, though -- and that really is different. Remember "separate but equal?" The same is true for generics: they have to be "equivalent" to the name brand, but they don't have to be identical to it. That means that you should be absorbing the same amount of active substance from it -- but since the fillers and binders are different, and the time release mechanism may also be different, you're still getting a different drug. I have taken both Prozac and generic fluoxetine, and both are about equally helpful for me -- but I have allergic reactions to some of the generics. Not all, just some, that's how we know that it's something to do with the binders or fillers.
So, you may be having a reaction of some sort to the fillers/binders, but I doubt that. That sort of reaction usually hits your skin, too, so my guess is that you're experiencing a different reaction because of the time-release mechanism. You could talk to your doctor about changing your dosing schedule, or you could ask your pharmacy whether they can get a generic from another manufacturer to see if that causes the same problems. Last option is to specify name brand, although you'll most likely have to appeal to your insurance carrier to get that covered, so your doctor would have to be on board with it.
Good luck.
Posted by shelleye2006 on October 16, 2007, at 9:51:02
In reply to Re: Effexor XR » Shelleye2006, posted by Phillipa on October 15, 2007, at 12:10:38
> What is your age bracket as until you hit menopause FSH is below 50. But during perimenopause the hormones fluctuate. I think it's that as sometimes it's l5 years to get to menopause and even then some have hot flashes. I never did but would and still do wake with sweating. Phillipa
I'm 43 and the flashes started when I was 38, the night sweats, started last year, and now the dizziness/lightheaded feeling started about a month ago, and the headaches I've had for the last 10 days.
Posted by curiousone on December 12, 2007, at 20:35:50
In reply to Effexor XR, posted by Shelleye2006 on October 15, 2007, at 12:04:01
I was on the regular Effexor XR, not the generic, when I started to experience the same symptoms you described. I was on the medication for almost 1 1/2 when I noticed hot flashes during the day and at night. I would wake up in a pool of sweat a couple of times a week.
I too thought I was going thru early meno-pause but the test results came back negative. Not even close.
I don't think it was the generic version of the pill. In my case it was just being on the pill for a length of time that brought out this side effect.
This is the end of the thread.
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