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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 nilla on November 24, 2002, at 8:47:14
I've suffered from depression/angst since I was in junior high. Towards the end of college, I finally took the anti-depressant route, which was the best move I could have ever made. Serzone (I normally took 400mg but at one point, was on 500 if I remember correctly) worked wonders for me for several years but after the reports of liver failure, I weaned off of it in March. I'm back in that slump again where it's time for meds.. which leads me to this situation:
I consulted with my doctor and she started me on Effexor XR (this started this past friday, so this is day 3). She spoke very highly of the med and found it to be incredibly successful among her patients.. But after reading everyone's posts on here, I'm extremely concerned.
I asked her about meds and weight gain and she made a good point which is that when you are depressed, you generally stop eating.. Meds correct that and hence, the weight gain. I definatley do NOT want to gain weight. All I want is more energy to be able to find things like working out enjoyable. At this point, I can't even motivate myself to get to the gym. And all the other side effects that i'm reading about are worrying me..
My symptoms are horribly lethargy, lack of interest in food, constant exhaustion and anxiety, to an extent, etc. I normally have excrutiatingly vivid dreams, sometimes nightmares, sometimes just an odd assortment of thoughts, so even though I'm technically sleeping way too much for my own good, I'm not getting restful sleep. For this, my doc prescribed Ambien, which I use sparingly and only take 5mg as compared to the prescribed 10. It has helped.
I'm unclear as to the differences between Effexor and Effexor XR and if there are differences between the side effects of the two "effexors"..
Any help anyone can suggest would be much appreciated... thanks!
Posted by Joel Maxuel on November 24, 2002, at 13:27:44
In reply to Just started Effexor XR - please advise, posted by nilla on November 24, 2002, at 8:47:14
> For this, my doc prescribed Ambien
Ambien.....is that the predecessor to the half century old deaner? If so, I have been looking for that stuff. Does it make you sleep less (well, probably more restfull sleep) and make you more alert during the daytime?
--
Joel Maxuel
ShamelessPlug(http://www.maxuel.ca);
Posted by Mr Cushing on November 24, 2002, at 13:38:46
In reply to Just started Effexor XR - please advise, posted by nilla on November 24, 2002, at 8:47:14
I'm just trying to get off of Effexor XR myself at the moment. Aside from the withdrawal being absolute Hell, the drug did work for me. Which is surprising since I've been diagnosed since as being Bi-Polar 1 and if I timed the doses just right Effexor would level me out rather nicely for the first few months that I was on it. However, if you're Bi-Polar, then ADs without a mood stabilizer already in your system (I've been on Depakote now for 3 weeks)is just not advised.Anyways, when you first start on Effexor, expect to feel horrible for maybe the first 2 weeks. No energy, sleeping too much, not interested a whole lot in food, sweating profusely, very vivid dreams, etc. That's all normal for about the first 2-4 weeks. I noticed a huge improvement in the side effects around day 15.
From what I was told, the differences between Effexor and Effexor XR is that Effexor XR releases itself more slowly into your system and doesn't upset your stomach as much. It also has a longer half-life.
Out of all the SSRIs I've tried (Paxil, Celexa, Zoloft, Effexor) Effexor was probably the most stabilizing out of them all. The only real problem I've found with this medication was the horrible first two weeks on it and that it's VERY hard to come off of.
Posted by lilsis on November 24, 2002, at 13:55:47
In reply to Just started Effexor XR - please advise, posted by nilla on November 24, 2002, at 8:47:14
my experience was horrible with effexors. i don`t know how it made others feel, but everyone that i know personally that went on them hated them and once they were off of them hated everything including life and antidepressants much much more
Posted by nilla on November 24, 2002, at 14:04:23
In reply to Re: Just started Effexor XR - please advise, posted by Joel Maxuel on November 24, 2002, at 13:27:44
Hey Joel - Ambien actually knocks me out so that my dreams are less vivid... It helps in being more alert during the day but I think it's due to actually sleeping for once.. :)
Sorry I couldn't help more.. I saw an article about Klonapin that suggests it helps with alertness so check out the paragraph that discusses prescription drugs. The except goes like this (the link follows it): "Klonopin (generic: clonazepam)... Paradoxically, very small doses (usually a quarter to a half a tablet in the morning and mid-afternoon) improve cognitive function and energy. If the daytime dose is low enough, patients will actually get a lot clearer and think better. If the daytime dose is too high patients will become drowsy. Patients need to adjust their dose for maximum benefit. Adjust the morning dose first, then take the same amount mid-afternoon if needed, then take three to four times the morning dose at bedtime. Consider doubling the dose during severe relapses. " http://www.immunesupport.com/library/showarticle.cfm/ID/3157
Hope that helps
> > For this, my doc prescribed Ambien
>
> Ambien.....is that the predecessor to the half century old deaner? If so, I have been looking for that stuff. Does it make you sleep less (well, probably more restfull sleep) and make you more alert during the daytime?
>
> --
> Joel Maxuel
> ShamelessPlug(http://www.maxuel.ca);
Posted by nilla on November 24, 2002, at 14:07:32
In reply to Re: Just started Effexor XR - please advise » nilla, posted by Mr Cushing on November 24, 2002, at 13:38:46
Out of curiousity, why are you getting off the drug? Or is it just the time where you no longer need them? I'm glad to see that it was effective for you.. I haven't been diagnosed as being Bi-Polar so there isn't a need for a mood stabilized drug (yet). I've experienced no real side effects other than jittery hands and an occasional feeling of head fuzziness. I've had no problem sleeping and my stomach has responded well.
Anyways, many thanks.. keep me posted on any other info/opinions you might have
>
> I'm just trying to get off of Effexor XR myself at the moment. Aside from the withdrawal being absolute Hell, the drug did work for me. Which is surprising since I've been diagnosed since as being Bi-Polar 1 and if I timed the doses just right Effexor would level me out rather nicely -for the first few months that I was on it. However, if you're Bi-Polar, then ADs without a mood stabilizer already in your system (I've been on Depakote now for 3 weeks)is just not advised.
>
> Anyways, when you first start on Effexor, expect to feel horrible for maybe the first 2 weeks. No energy, sleeping too much, not interested a whole lot in food, sweating profusely, very vivid dreams, etc. That's all normal for about the first 2-4 weeks. I noticed a huge improvement in the side effects around day 15.
>
> From what I was told, the differences between Effexor and Effexor XR is that Effexor XR releases itself more slowly into your system and doesn't upset your stomach as much. It also has a longer half-life.
>
> Out of all the SSRIs I've tried (Paxil, Celexa, Zoloft, Effexor) Effexor was probably the most stabilizing out of them all. The only real problem I've found with this medication was the horrible first two weeks on it and that it's VERY hard to come off of.
Posted by nilla on November 24, 2002, at 14:08:30
In reply to Re: Just started Effexor XR - please advise, posted by lilsis on November 24, 2002, at 13:55:47
Hey.. I'm sorry to hear about your bad experience and hope my body responds better to it... What drugs have you tried since effexor and what have you found to work?
> my experience was horrible with effexors. i don`t know how it made others feel, but everyone that i know personally that went on them hated them and once they were off of them hated everything including life and antidepressants much much more
Posted by Mr Cushing on November 24, 2002, at 20:22:11
In reply to Mr Cushing: Re: Just started Effexor XR - , posted by nilla on November 24, 2002, at 14:07:32
I'm "trying" to get off the drug so I can test out some mood stabilizers to see which one would work the best for me without anything else in my system. Effexor with me was really tricky as I had to time my doses just right (75mg every 36 hours) or else I'd be moving back into the beginnings of another manic episode. I couldn't miss a few hours or my body would really start to notice it. I couldn't increase or decrease my dosage almost anything at all or the side effects would immediately nail me. But the thing is that when I did time my Effexor dose right it brought me out of a very ummmmm.. psychotically (?) manic phase for me. That's why I'm saying that it's a great stabilizer because of it's ability to do that for me, with me being Bi-Polar and for the warnings being that you should never put anybody who's bipolar on an AD before getting a mood stabilizer set in because it could push them right over the edge.Just try to ignore the negative posts about Effexor that people post onto this board. In many cases, these are people that would complain about just about any medication that they could possibly take that could make them feel better. And you know that most people would rather complain about something than to give it praise. Most people that take Effexor start feeling so much better that they don't need to keep checking back on this board to see how other people are doing because they're out living a very productive life.
Besides, for people that are manic depressive like I am, no side effects are more scary or painful than the "extreme" highs or lows eventually brought on by this disease. The side effects eventually go away IF you take the medication as you're supposed to. Like the saying goes, you always have to sacrifice something to get what you want. Therefore, the side effects make perfect sense to me in order to finally achieve peace of mind.
Posted by lilsis on November 26, 2002, at 15:30:24
In reply to lilsis: Re: Just started Effexor XR - please , posted by nilla on November 24, 2002, at 14:08:30
> Hey.. I'm sorry to hear about your bad experience and hope my body responds better to it... What drugs have you tried since effexor and what have you found to work?
>
>
>
> > my experience was horrible with effexors. i don`t know how it made others feel, but everyone that i know personally that went on them hated them and once they were off of them hated everything including life and antidepressants much much more
>
> ACTUALLY, I HAVE BEEN TO SCARED TO TAKE ANTIDEPRESSANTS SINCE AND REFUSE ANY OF THEM, BUT THEY PUT ME ON CELEXA AND EVEN THOUGH I ONLY TOOK THEM FOR THREE DAYS THEY DID NOT HAVE SUCH BAD WITHDRAWAL
Posted by lilsis on November 26, 2002, at 15:32:56
In reply to Re: lilsis: Re: Just started Effexor XR - please » nilla, posted by lilsis on November 26, 2002, at 15:30:24
BUT I DO HAVE TO SAY ON THE DAYS OF THE EFFEXORS I WAS ALOT HAPPIER, I JUST COULDNT HANDLE THE WITHDRAWAL. IF YOU HAVE MORE PATIENCE THEN ME THEN THEY SHOULD BE GREAT
This is the end of the thread.
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