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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 kid_A on July 27, 2001, at 6:34:19
I've never dreamt at all on effexor xr, I can't remember the last dream I have had on it... I am at 75mg right now and taking it twice a day... Last night I saw a therapist for the first time and when I came home I completely forgot to take my second dose...I went to bed feeling fine... I woke up at 5:00 with a splitting headache, feverish... I fell into sleep where I would dream about the most bizare things, wake up drenched in sweat, fall back asleep, same thing, worse, nightmares, very dark and scary stuff... Wake up again, realise I forgot to take my second dose of fxr the night before... this is the first time that I have ever missed a dose, and the first time I have had this sort of thing happen, except when I first started it...
I know people have complained of nightmares when taking the drug, anyone experience it -not- taking it, is missing a dose enough to give you withdrawl symptoms within 24 hours? curious.
thnx.
Posted by dreamer on July 27, 2001, at 8:06:57
In reply to Nightmmares from missing an effexor dose, strange?, posted by kid_A on July 27, 2001, at 6:34:19
>
> I've never dreamt at all on effexor xr, I can't remember the last dream I have had on it... I am at 75mg right now and taking it twice a day... Last night I saw a therapist for the first time and when I came home I completely forgot to take my second dose...
>
> I went to bed feeling fine... I woke up at 5:00 with a splitting headache, feverish... I fell into sleep where I would dream about the most bizare things, wake up drenched in sweat, fall back asleep, same thing, worse, nightmares, very dark and scary stuff... Wake up again, realise I forgot to take my second dose of fxr the night before... this is the first time that I have ever missed a dose, and the first time I have had this sort of thing happen, except when I first started it...
>
> I know people have complained of nightmares when taking the drug, anyone experience it -not- taking it, is missing a dose enough to give you withdrawl symptoms within 24 hours? curious.
>
> thnx.Hi Kid'
I'm on time release effexor so side fx reduced.
Missing a dose can do this.
I get nightmares but not as much as when I was on just 75mg-now on 150.
Last night I dreamt a horrific dream but suppose I've got kinda used to them get good ones too.
Sweating has reduced the longer I've been on it.
Think side fx lessen with dose increase but discontinuing the drug may be another matter.
Is a potent strange pill.
Posted by Simcha on July 27, 2001, at 8:20:15
In reply to Nightmmares from missing an effexor dose, strange?, posted by kid_A on July 27, 2001, at 6:34:19
Kid_A
Yes, I had a bad nightmare coming off of the Effexor. I actually launched myself out of my bed smacking the wall and the floor with my back. In my dream I was trying to get away from a scorpion that turned into a giant rat with big fangs.
I think that taking less Effexor did this to me for a while. DO NOT MISS A DOSE IF YOU ARE ON EFFEXOR!!!
It seems that many people have instant problems when they miss a dose. Somehow I never missed a dose on it...But like I wrote above, coming off of Effexor was a trip.
>
> I've never dreamt at all on effexor xr, I can't remember the last dream I have had on it... I am at 75mg right now and taking it twice a day... Last night I saw a therapist for the first time and when I came home I completely forgot to take my second dose...
>
> I went to bed feeling fine... I woke up at 5:00 with a splitting headache, feverish... I fell into sleep where I would dream about the most bizare things, wake up drenched in sweat, fall back asleep, same thing, worse, nightmares, very dark and scary stuff... Wake up again, realise I forgot to take my second dose of fxr the night before... this is the first time that I have ever missed a dose, and the first time I have had this sort of thing happen, except when I first started it...
>
> I know people have complained of nightmares when taking the drug, anyone experience it -not- taking it, is missing a dose enough to give you withdrawl symptoms within 24 hours? curious.
>
> thnx.
Posted by Noa on July 27, 2001, at 9:26:44
In reply to Re: Nightmmares from missing an effexor dose, strange? » kid_A, posted by Simcha on July 27, 2001, at 8:20:15
I agree--try not to miss a dose. For me, the effect isn't as bad with the XR than it was with the regular--with the regular, even taking a dose late made me feel a bit queasy.
Posted by Wendy B. on July 27, 2001, at 15:22:18
In reply to Nightmmares from missing an effexor dose, strange?, posted by kid_A on July 27, 2001, at 6:34:19
>
> I've never dreamt at all on effexor xr, I can't remember the last dream I have had on it... I am at 75mg right now and taking it twice a day... Last night I saw a therapist for the first time and when I came home I completely forgot to take my second dose...
>
> I went to bed feeling fine... I woke up at 5:00 with a splitting headache, feverish... I fell into sleep where I would dream about the most bizare things, wake up drenched in sweat, fall back asleep, same thing, worse, nightmares, very dark and scary stuff... Wake up again, realise I forgot to take my second dose of fxr the night before... this is the first time that I have ever missed a dose, and the first time I have had this sort of thing happen, except when I first started it...
>
> I know people have complained of nightmares when taking the drug, anyone experience it -not- taking it, is missing a dose enough to give you withdrawl symptoms within 24 hours? curious.
>
> thnx.
Kid,
I guess since it's a weird enough drug to >cause< nightmares when you're on it (it did for me, each night was a new adventure - how to stay alive because someone or something was out to kill me) - then it could be powerful enough to cause nightmares when you don't take it. 'For every action, there is an equal and positive re-action.' And it also could be a quick withdrawal reaction. As someone else asked, are you on the XR version?
That shit is dangerous. Just from observation, Effexor is probably the most discussed drug on this board. It either drives people crazy, or it really helps them...Hope you are ok now,
Wendy
Posted by Angelique on July 27, 2001, at 19:32:15
In reply to Nightmmares from missing an effexor dose, strange?, posted by kid_A on July 27, 2001, at 6:34:19
I had bizarre dreams whenever I forgot to take my paxil.
Posted by adamie on July 28, 2001, at 0:57:16
In reply to Re: Nightmmares from missing an effexor dose, strange? » kid_A, posted by dreamer on July 27, 2001, at 8:06:57
i stopped taking paxil 7 days ago or so. the second day off paxil I started to have some heavy nightmares. yet i was starting to feel better. then 4 days off paxil i was beggining to feel really decent. but still some very strong nightmares. it was strange how i could feel decent, much better from before yet have such extreme nightmares.they seemed extremely real. hmmm hard to remember them.
one i would be on my bike and someone would be on a bike chasing me. this chase would go on quite alot. then my sister would be there for some reason on her bike. we reach the grass from the concrete and the guy is catching up. he is going after her. so i decide to try and save her. i throw something at him. maybe a pine cone. i missed. my bike freezes and he heads straight for me. he somehow infects me with something, a virus, decease, or a curse. i fall down into the grass. i begin to feel all physicall numb. my hands lose their ability to feel. then my face. i try to go for help. there is a school bus. at this point i can hardly move and my face seems like it is turning into plastic. i dunno where my sister went. then i eighter woke up or the dream changes into other scary thingies.
the nightmares would be okay for the most part. although once it was really horrific in the past few days. i can hardly remember the specific details. there were many portions to this nightmare. one of the most mild segments would be me being on a univeristy field. on the far left there would be several people. dark purple in color. far in the distance i have to go join a crowd due to some event which is about to take place. for some reason the horizon is becoming dark. the people on the far left begin to scream at me. i try to reach the other crowd as soon as possible. the people on the left begin to chase after me. it's all dark and lonely. a scary world where my fiance is missing. dirty people following me now. all 1000 of them. i manage to reach the other crowd. then it changes again.
i wish i would feel as i have 2 days ago. my depression was getting so much better. it was so amazing. i was so sure i was going to be cured. then it got worse yesterday evening. i kept crying loudly for 30 minutes in bed. today it has been slightly better. how the HELL can this happen. I am so tired of it. i miss feeling the way i have 2 days ago. i hope it's not just an effect of me coming off an SSRI. I hope I improve significantly in the next week. I am becoming so sick of not being able to enjoy things enough. to not be able to feel much for fiance is horrific enough. but it takes away everything.
Posted by Edward on July 28, 2001, at 10:44:20
In reply to Re: Nightmmares from missing an effexor dose, strange?, posted by Angelique on July 27, 2001, at 19:32:15
> I had bizarre dreams whenever I forgot to take my paxil.
I had this long nightmare when I stopped taking fluvoxamine which continued when I woke up. I opened my eyes and I could see this strange girl in my room. I was terrified, shut my eyes again and suddenly had this sensation that I was flying through the air really fast. I fell asleep and the nightmare continued again.
Posted by Wendy B. on July 28, 2001, at 15:13:16
In reply to Re: Nightmmaressss , posted by adamie on July 28, 2001, at 0:57:16
>
> i stopped taking paxil 7 days ago or so. the second day off paxil I started to have some heavy nightmares. yet i was starting to feel better. then 4 days off paxil i was beggining to feel really decent. but still some very strong nightmares. it was strange how i could feel decent, much better from before yet have such extreme nightmares.
>
> they seemed extremely real. hmmm hard to remember them.
(...)
> the nightmares would be okay for the most part. although once it was really horrific in the past few days. i can hardly remember the specific details. there were many portions to this nightmare. one of the most mild segments would be me being on a univeristy field. on the far left there would be several people. dark purple in color. far in the distance i have to go join a crowd due to some event which is about to take place. for some reason the horizon is becoming dark. the people on the far left begin to scream at me. i try to reach the other crowd as soon as possible. the people on the left begin to chase after me. it's all dark and lonely. a scary world where my fiance is missing. dirty people following me now. all 1000 of them. i manage to reach the other crowd. then it changes again.
>
> i wish i would feel as i have 2 days ago. my depression was getting so much better. it was so amazing. i was so sure i was going to be cured. then it got worse yesterday evening. i kept crying loudly for 30 minutes in bed. today it has been slightly better. how the HELL can this happen. I am so tired of it.you're going through withdrawal from the Paxil. did your p-doc advise you to taper down? why are you coming off it?
>i miss feeling the way i have 2 days ago. i hope it's not just an effect of me coming off an SSRI.
i'm almost sure this is the reason...
>I hope I improve significantly in the next week. I am becoming so sick of not being able to enjoy things enough. to not be able to feel much for fiance is horrific enough. but it takes away everything.
you should call your shrink for advice, and maybe consider going back on the drug. if it made you sick or had side-effects, you could switch to something else. what do you think? please write back -
Wendy
Posted by adamie on July 28, 2001, at 17:22:21
In reply to Re: Nightmmaressss » adamie, posted by Wendy B. on July 28, 2001, at 15:13:16
> >
> > i stopped taking paxil 7 days ago or so. the second day off paxil I started to have some heavy nightmares. yet i was starting to feel better. then 4 days off paxil i was beggining to feel really decent. but still some very strong nightmares. it was strange how i could feel decent, much better from before yet have such extreme nightmares.
> >
> > they seemed extremely real. hmmm hard to remember them.
> (...)
> > the nightmares would be okay for the most part. although once it was really horrific in the past few days. i can hardly remember the specific details. there were many portions to this nightmare. one of the most mild segments would be me being on a univeristy field. on the far left there would be several people. dark purple in color. far in the distance i have to go join a crowd due to some event which is about to take place. for some reason the horizon is becoming dark. the people on the far left begin to scream at me. i try to reach the other crowd as soon as possible. the people on the left begin to chase after me. it's all dark and lonely. a scary world where my fiance is missing. dirty people following me now. all 1000 of them. i manage to reach the other crowd. then it changes again.
> >
> > i wish i would feel as i have 2 days ago. my depression was getting so much better. it was so amazing. i was so sure i was going to be cured. then it got worse yesterday evening. i kept crying loudly for 30 minutes in bed. today it has been slightly better. how the HELL can this happen. I am so tired of it.
>
> you're going through withdrawal from the Paxil. did your p-doc advise you to taper down? why are you coming off it?
>
> >i miss feeling the way i have 2 days ago. i hope it's not just an effect of me coming off an SSRI.
>
> i'm almost sure this is the reason...somethings have deffinetly changes since coming off the paxil. While on the paxil I was only feeling slightly better than my previous state of being very severely depressed. Overall though, being on paxil was not good. concentration was horrible. and i just felt numb.
i didn't have any withdrawl effects for the 7 days being off paxil. at least none that i noticed. i did notice libido returning a bit the 2 days being off it and end of enorgasmia. I was feeling slightly better in general. my mood was getting a bit better. then the 3rd day... wow i was getting so much better. 4th day 5th day and 6th day were VERY GOOD! i was so relieved. full of emotions. strong ability to concentrate. passion for music among other things returned. most things enjoyable again.
It was as if I was returning back to normal. Except for my very strange dreams and nightmares. Before the depression I would never have such strange and bizarre dreams. it's like when I'm dreaming I'm in some new strange dream world where all my dreams are very different from what they would have normally been.
anyway on day 7 i was feeling suddenly worse. much much worse. i went from feeling very good to hardly being able to feel much at all. It was so difficult to even imagine my fiance. then the next day it got slightly better then that horrible evening on day 7. and now it is day 9 and i am feeling kind of the same as yesterday. i am able to enjoy things but to a very mild extent. emotions are low. concentration is kind of low. i hope hope i will get better. i absoluetely have to. if i can feel very good for 3-4 days surely i will feel that consistantly later on. maybe a few weeks, months, years... but i will get there.
oh and I went off the paxil because i found out from enough informative sources that it was very unsuited for my specific symptoms. my depression is caused by an acne drug called accutane that messed up things in my brain (at least temporarly). my depression has been very severe. i went on the paxil during a time when i was hardly reacting to anything. my days were spent sitting in front of my computer just trying to read about depression and medications. but even that was kind of difficult. reading was sometimes quite hard to do. normally i am an excellent reader.
regarding paxil not being suited for me... well my major symptoms have been extreme inability to think and concentrate, severely limited emotions with a mild exception to anger. i could get angry occasionally. and also inability to enjoy things which of course would have to be cured when those two primary symptoms go away.paxil i found out was a very bad choice for people with poor cognitive issues (bad concentration). and also i read enough of how paxil tends to numb emotions. I NEED my emotions. I dont want some sick disgusting numbing effect. grr.
my depression is not caused by some traumatic life events. i would be perfectly happy if i was normal again. I want ALL my emotions to the fullest extent possible. So that paxil is not for me. I need my emotions. when i was normal it was impossible for me to be sad simply because my life was and is completely perfect. I have a perfect fiance. and nothing else has ever mattered. so i was very dissatisfied with what the paxil was doing with me.
at day 24 being on paxil i stopped taking it. i went from 20, to 11mg the next day, then 4mg, then none. so day 3 is when i reached the 0mg. and also day3 was when my mood was starting to go up along with all my other symptoms. all of which of course affect mood (how can one be happy if he can't think properly?).
so that is why i went off the paxil. and i have been feeling very well those 4 days. i wish it lasted. now it's just a very mild form of those 4 days now. very mild enjoyment and emotions.
I am planning to try Wellbutrin very soon and also ritalin or Adderrall if I can get them. i need something for thinking ability. and wellbutrin should be good for my emotions in general. I think it is a very good choice for me. oh and it's also supossed to be good for poor cognition.
only thing i dont like about from everything i have read is that is can often cause weight loss. I have always been quite thin so I can deffinetly become anorexic while on wellbutrin. but i will manage. The stimulants are also supossed to add to the weight loss affect. I will have to be careful and force myself to eat. and get protein shakes. well take care.
regarding withdrawl effects... is it abnormal that they started 7-8 days after coming off paxil? because i dont think i noticed any withdrawl effects. what I have gone through the last 2 days i assume is due to just the accutane giving me a down period since the drug can stay in the body fats for a very long time. months and even years. but if it is a paxil withdrawl effect then that is good because it would mean that i should feel very good again soon.
take care. thanks for replying. and since coming off the paxil... those 7 days all i noticed which i would consider negative is the nightmares. on the paxil i didn't have hardly any nightmares or dreams that u would remember. and very easy to fall asleep. simply because it was like being brain dead. I couldn't think so i could only sleep when i went to bed.
when i was my normal perfectly happy self before the depression i would always have a natural insomnia because when i would go to bed i would spend maybe 2 hours or so just thinking and imagining things. like my fiance. i would try to sometimes fall asleep but my mind would be very active. I loved this about me. I hated that I could so easily fall asleep. and that was all simply because my thinking and concentration were horrible.
well take care. thanks for replying
> >I hope I improve significantly in the next week. I am becoming so sick of not being able to enjoy things enough. to not be able to feel much for fiance is horrific enough. but it takes away everything.
>
> you should call your shrink for advice, and maybe consider going back on the drug. if it made you sick or had side-effects, you could switch to something else. what do you think? please write back -
>
> Wendy
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