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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 7 of 7. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Dramatica on May 7, 2003, at 14:42:33
I'm 19 and have been taking meds for depression for several years. Zoloft actually made me worse, and Paxil had no effect on me at all. Effexor has made me sane again and I thank God for that, but I'm actually scared to continue to take it and terrified to stop taking it. Even though Effexor 150mg has effectivly controlled my moods and emotional explosions, at the same time it drains me of all energy and has effected my sleeping/dreams. When I started Effexor I was also put on Ativan 1mg tabs to calm me down enough to sleep. I've since stopped the Ativan and I'm sleeping great...but its wierd because I can be at work, totally busy, and all of the sudden a dream that I had 5 years ago that I didnt remember back then will flash in my mind. This happens at least twice a day, where as before I took Effexor it had NEVER happened. I dont have the nightmares that alot of people have posted about, but I have noticed that my dreams are so vivid that sometimes I have hard time remembering that my dreams arent real. My experiences and those of other people that I've heard about have made me question as to whether or not this is a medication I really feel safe taking. I mean when you're dealing with manipulating your brains chemicals you need to be careful, right?
On the other hand, the withdrawl effects of Effexor scare me to death. With my busy schedule I once forgot to take my pill for 2 days...I thought I was dieing..I even missed work because of it!!! I had no idea it was the Effexor, I just though I was really sick. I finally figured it out after forgetting to take it a again a few weeks later. I would get so dizzy and I'd have this intense buzzing in my head...I could barley keep my balance if I were to stand. Then if I were to lay down I'd feel like the room was spinning. It's a hellish feeling that I wouldnt wish on my worst enemy.
So I dont know what to do. Do I continue to take Effexor because all these side effects are normal and the fact that being sane is worth having no energy? Or do I try to quit and risk "withdraw-hell"? The thought of quitting scares the crap out of me, but I'm also worried that taking such strong meds while I'm still young with hurt me in the long run.
Is anyone else worried about how Effexor will effect them over time? Has anyone had sucess with none med-related therapy?
Posted by mmcasey on May 7, 2003, at 14:56:56
In reply to Afraid to continue...scared to death to quit, posted by Dramatica on May 7, 2003, at 14:42:33
I don't think that you need to worry about the effect it having on your brain
chemistry. Tons of people take Effexor and it is a very safe drug.
But if you do want to go off of it because of the side effects,
I think that doing that will be okay. I know that a lot of people
have a very hard time going off it, but I went off of it a couple
of months ago and it was no problem at all. It is different
for everyone. But also, the times that you forgot to take it,
you missed an entire dose. But if you taper off it the withdrawal
effects should not be nearly so bad (like if for the first few
days you go down to 120mg, then 100, then 50 or something like that).
Those are just my thoughts. Good luck with whatever you decide.
Posted by Snoozy on May 7, 2003, at 15:43:49
In reply to Afraid to continue...scared to death to quit, posted by Dramatica on May 7, 2003, at 14:42:33
Hi -
I was on Effexor at one time (I was 19 at one time too ;-) Have you tried other drugs besides Zoloft or Paxil? Wellbutrin or anything?
For me, I don't worry about brain chemistry or long-term effects. As the previous poster said, they're pretty safe. If something makes me feel better, I'll take it. My thinking is that if I don't feel better in the here-and-now, I won't live to have a "later".
When I was on Effexor, I had the nightmares, but the really troubling thing was the incredible vividness. The content could be the same as dreams I'd normally have, but the vividness made them a different thing altogether. I wonder if there's a drug that you can take that would suppress REM but not mess up anything.
So I would just look at what the medication is doing for me, what the side effects are, and weigh that out. I've been taking Wellbutrin for several years - I take it because of the activating side effect profile, and I don't seem to do well with SSRI's. You might want to ask around and see if there's a medication that would fit your needs better than Effexor.
I would not let concern about Effexor withdrawl color my decision making. You know that you want to taper off, not stop cold turkey, which is more than some of us were ever told :) I think if it's managed properly, it shouldn't be a big deal. If you do decide to stop the Effexor, you might want to come back here and ask some veterans about tapering. But if you think it's helping you, and you can live with the side effects, I would keep taking it (and talk to my pdoc about all of this).
I hope this helps you in some way. Good luck!
> I'm 19 and have been taking meds for depression for several years. Zoloft actually made me worse, and Paxil had no effect on me at all. Effexor has made me sane again and I thank God for that, but I'm actually scared to continue to take it and terrified to stop taking it. Even though Effexor 150mg has effectivly controlled my moods and emotional explosions, at the same time it drains me of all energy and has effected my sleeping/dreams. When I started Effexor I was also put on Ativan 1mg tabs to calm me down enough to sleep. I've since stopped the Ativan and I'm sleeping great...but its wierd because I can be at work, totally busy, and all of the sudden a dream that I had 5 years ago that I didnt remember back then will flash in my mind. This happens at least twice a day, where as before I took Effexor it had NEVER happened. I dont have the nightmares that alot of people have posted about, but I have noticed that my dreams are so vivid that sometimes I have hard time remembering that my dreams arent real. My experiences and those of other people that I've heard about have made me question as to whether or not this is a medication I really feel safe taking. I mean when you're dealing with manipulating your brains chemicals you need to be careful, right?
> On the other hand, the withdrawl effects of Effexor scare me to death. With my busy schedule I once forgot to take my pill for 2 days...I thought I was dieing..I even missed work because of it!!! I had no idea it was the Effexor, I just though I was really sick. I finally figured it out after forgetting to take it a again a few weeks later. I would get so dizzy and I'd have this intense buzzing in my head...I could barley keep my balance if I were to stand. Then if I were to lay down I'd feel like the room was spinning. It's a hellish feeling that I wouldnt wish on my worst enemy.
> So I dont know what to do. Do I continue to take Effexor because all these side effects are normal and the fact that being sane is worth having no energy? Or do I try to quit and risk "withdraw-hell"? The thought of quitting scares the crap out of me, but I'm also worried that taking such strong meds while I'm still young with hurt me in the long run.
> Is anyone else worried about how Effexor will effect them over time? Has anyone had sucess with none med-related therapy?
Posted by leeran on May 7, 2003, at 17:03:04
In reply to Re: Afraid to continue...scared to death to quit » Dramatica, posted by Snoozy on May 7, 2003, at 15:43:49
Regarding: "When I was on Effexor, I had the nightmares, but the really troubling thing was the incredible vividness"
My father, who is elderly (76 years old) had increasingly strange hallucinations/dreams on Effexor. It took us forever to figure out what was going on. However, I have heard that the side effects of any medication are exacerbated in the elderly. Additionally, he is very sensitive to cough medicines with codeine, etc.
I'm on Lexapro, and yesterday, I thought of the names of two people I hadn't thought of in years (since college). I don't know if I would have been able to remember their names a few weeks ago. I know that sounds odd (it may be a side effect of SSRIs over several years). Anyway, I thought it was really surprising that these names just popped in my head (along with some of the memories associated with these two guys, who were actually kind of jerky but I guess the Lexapro gives me a "oh, who cares" attitude).
Maybe someone in your age group can give you some input Effexor? It seems a shame to give up something that's working fairly well.
I wonder if some of these drugs don't allow us to recall things that have been hidden under the cobwebs for awhile (i.e. your older dreams)?
Posted by bookgurl99 on May 7, 2003, at 22:49:45
In reply to Re: Afraid to continue...scared to death to quit, posted by leeran on May 7, 2003, at 17:03:04
> I wonder if some of these drugs don't allow us to recall things that have been hidden under the cobwebs for awhile (i.e. your older dreams)?
I notice that while on an ssri, i will have vivid, long, sometimes disturbing dreams with random content, but going through withdrawal of an ssri, i will have dreams about my biggest fears. i wonder what's going on then (in the brain chemistry) that causes it?
books
Posted by bookgurl99 on May 7, 2003, at 23:08:51
In reply to Afraid to continue...scared to death to quit, posted by Dramatica on May 7, 2003, at 14:42:33
> Do I continue to take Effexor because all these side effects are normal and the fact that being sane is worth having no energy?
You know, my p.doc talked about how with drugs there's a 'trade-off,' where you get some positive symptoms and some negative ones. So, for example, when I took Prozac I had the positive symptoms of not being depressed and crying, but the negative trade-offs of numbed emotions and lack of interest in my responsibilities. Obviously that trade-off was not worth it, as it negatively affected my life.
It sounds like you feel the trade-off is not worth it at this point. This sounds like a good time to see a real psychiatrist, if you have the chance to, and figure out what _would_ work for you.
> Or do I try to quit and risk "withdraw-hell"? The thought of quitting scares the crap out of me,
Withdrawal can be tough, but knowing about what it feels like (since it happened before) is good. Now you can know how you'll feel,and plan to deal with it -- like after you taper, come off over a long weekend or something so you can have the dizziness at home on the couch instead of at work.
I also worry about what this stuff does long term. I'd like to talk to a version of me that is in a world that doesn't have these kind of meds and see what she would say about how she's making it.
I have had some success with therapy, but when I withdraw, I see that I am plagued with life-impairing anxiety. I'd like to try working on it in the future and being med free.
Posted by lawrence S. on May 12, 2003, at 17:29:12
In reply to Afraid to continue...scared to death to quit, posted by Dramatica on May 7, 2003, at 14:42:33
It would come out of the blue. I could be doing anything and all of a sudden I would be having flashbacks of different dreams I had in the past. I thought for sure it was psychosis! Terrifying! I don't get this anymore thank God. I think this is a symptom of depression and/or a lack of sleep. If you told this to a Pdoc he would probably want to put you an AP's. What seemed to help me was finding the right AD. Also the addition of fish oil taken for several months has totally stopped this symptom.
I used to be worried about meds causing brain dammage. Then my Pdoc changed my point of view. According to him deppresion and prolonged stress can cause your hippocampus (pleasure center) to shrink and your hypothalamus (emotions) to get larger. Essentially you feel less pleasure have more emotional instability. And stress /depression is believed to be responsible for all kinds of diseases including parkinsons. There is some thought that taking Prozac might even reduce some kinds of cancer and I can't remember what else.
This is the end of the thread.
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