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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 13 of 13. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Richard51 on October 29, 2003, at 18:22:21
In the past I have taken Lexapro for depression and anxiety. I found this med. very helpful, but I experienced decreased libido and ejaculation disfunction.(very difficult to have an orgasm. I swtiched to Wellbutrin and did not have any sexual side effects. However, my depression and anxiety has returned so my doc. has prescribed Effexor XR 37.5 mg 1x daily to start. What can I expect in terms of effectiveness and sexual side effects? How does med. compare to Lexapro?
Thanks!
Posted by john1022 on October 29, 2003, at 18:29:42
In reply to Lexapro vs. Effexor XR, posted by Richard51 on October 29, 2003, at 18:22:21
I have to be honest, I think Effexor is one of the worst of the SSRI/SNRI for sexual side effects. I had serious problems with not being able to have an orgasm and sustain an erection on Effexor. I continued to have these problems even after almost a year (but not to the same degree) of stopping Effexor.
I have seen/heard of a lot of people that experience the same on Effexor. I have actually yet to hear of someone who did not have sexual side effects while on Effexor. Sorry to be so honest. But personally I would much rather not have depression and anxiety than have some sexual side effects. Best of luck
Posted by need2feelbetter on October 29, 2003, at 18:34:18
In reply to Lexapro vs. Effexor XR, posted by Richard51 on October 29, 2003, at 18:22:21
i need help. i feel so embarrassed. i am in the health profession (lpn) and i suffer from generalized anxiety/depression with panic attacks and hypochondriac thinking. everyone says that i shouldn't be a nurse if i have these problems. i don't know what to do.. i am very smart and i looked up info on lexapro and effexor.. i have been prescribed both at different times.. never gave lexapro a chance. but now am on fourth day of effexor. simply put, i feel weird right now. kind of depressed and disoriented and yet anxious and jittery. will this go away with the effexor or should i rather try lexapro... or daily klonopin... i need to function. i mean i made it through nursing school and i want to be a nurse but i can't let my problems interfere with my job, so i need to get it controlled. please help
Posted by john1022 on October 29, 2003, at 18:53:25
In reply to lexapro vs. effexor xr, posted by need2feelbetter on October 29, 2003, at 18:34:18
I know it's hard not to worry if you are a hypochondric, but please just give the medication a shot. They really work wonders for most people.
Sometimes feeling slightly worse, jittery or more anxious can be a common side effect of the medication when you are first on it that will probably start to go away after a week or two.
Just do your best to ride it out until then and see how you feel. These medications work for a lot of people and they do take a few weeks at first. Klonopin only isn't a good choice, because you would not be treating the underlying condition of your chemical imbalance and Klonopin isn't something you want to stay on long term if Lexapro by itself fixes your problem.
Please just give the meds a shot and bare with them (unless of coarse the depression/anxiety you are feeling becomes unbearable). But just understand what you are feeling might be and actually are common feelings until the meds start working.
As long as you functional on them and can get up and go to work, I wouldn't worry about how they are making you feel at the moment (as hard as it might seem to not worry about it). Kick back, try to relax and let the meds run there coarse.
The mind is a powerful thing, so do not sit around and think about your condition too much and how you are feeling. Just try to get on with your life and eventually, possibly very soon, you will realize that the meds are working and you will feel great.
And don't feel any guilt about being a nurse and having these problems. The last two nurses I have talked to had tried a couple of the same meds I have! More people have anxiety and depression problems than you would ever expect, 1 out of 5 people statistics say. Don't feel ashamed! Good luck!
Posted by Bill LL on October 30, 2003, at 9:39:42
In reply to Lexapro vs. Effexor XR, posted by Richard51 on October 29, 2003, at 18:22:21
Effexor, like Lexapro and Wellbutrin, is very safe and effective. However, it also can cause sexual side effects. But hopefully it won't for you. If I were your doc, I would probably have kept you on Lexapro since it was working, and added Wellbutrin to diminish the senxual side effects. Many people take Wellbutrin at the same time as taking Lexapro or Effexor.
Posted by need2feelbetter on October 30, 2003, at 13:40:31
In reply to Re: lexapro vs. effexor xr, posted by john1022 on October 29, 2003, at 18:53:25
hello again.I want to thank you guys for your support.Sorry to not even introduce myself and just start complaining, but i was just so frustrated, you know. As a nurse, i am well aware of the benzodiazepines and other meds used for depression and anxiety, but i am so ashamed to tell my patients to comply with their med regimen, while i am not taking my own meds due to being scared of side effects!! i read the package inserts on lexapro and effexor and some of the effects were terrifying. Like i said, a lot of people told me i am in the WRONG profession, since i am a 'hypochondriac' but i love what i do. I just need to be under control, obviously i can't be shaky and having a panic attack while trying to give an injection. I guess what i really want to kn ow is if effexor has worked for anyone with anxiety and panic attacks.. i guess i want the best med with the fewest side effects. i am just so miserable :( i have suffered for 12 years with this disorder and i am now 24. i don't want to suffer for the rest of my life.
so, i hope with your support and my determination, i can get relief from this disorder and continue to be productive in this world and help others.
btw, do you guys know any other sites that have info or support 0n health care workers with anxiety disorders? thanks a lot, and i hope i can help you guys as well as i get better :)
Posted by sfloridamatt on November 1, 2003, at 14:32:23
In reply to Lexapro vs. Effexor XR, posted by Richard51 on October 29, 2003, at 18:22:21
i am currently on effexor xr 300mg daily along with wellbutrin sr 450mg. daily. taking the wellbutrin alone was not working so i added effexor...my sex drive actually went up and has helped a lot, but everyone is different.
i didn't respond well at all to ssri's..was on prozac, zoloft, and lexapro the first two only gave me terrible sexual side effects.
because effexor is a strong reuptake inhibitor of serotonin AND norepenephrine (dopamine also at higher doses usually 275 and above)..i responded a lot better.
only side effects i have went through the first few weeks were dry mouth, insomnia (xanax worked great for me at night), and a kinda "high" feeling, but not like a meth high or anything...good luck
Posted by LynneDa on November 4, 2003, at 12:03:03
In reply to Re: lexapro vs. effexor xr, posted by need2feelbetter on October 30, 2003, at 13:40:31
Hi need2feelbetter - How are you doing? Just wanted to send you a note of support that says - don't feel guilty and don't change professions. I've worked with nurses for 16 years and they are human too :-) Everybody has issues and everyone walks a fine line between good and poor mental health. If you love what you do and are good at it, stick with it! Being a hypochondriac is what pushed you into nursing in the first place, I would guess! Continue trying to get help and use your nurses' knowledge of meds to guide you through it! (I'm on Lexapro and love it - anxiety is pretty much gone.) Hang in there, many side effects go away after a few months!!
~ Lynne
Posted by need2feelbetter on November 4, 2003, at 13:20:39
In reply to Re: lexapro vs. effexor xr, posted by LynneDa on November 4, 2003, at 12:03:03
Thanks Lynne.. i appreciate the support. Right now i am on my tenth day of effexor..75mg. I feel spacey at times and tired as well, yet jittery too.. if that makes sense? I take klonopin to alleviate some of the jitteriness, but i am gonna hang in there to see if this is the right drug for me. Otherwise, i may give lexapro a try again. I just am glad i am not alone out there you know? I feel like a freak sometimes when i have panic attacks and people are like 'what is wrong with you , why can't you control yourself?'. they don't understand that these attacks come out of nowhere and even wake you from sleep... sigh.. i want to get on with my life and my career without this dreaded anxiety disease. thanks so much for your replies and support. Honestly, though, do you guys know of actual nurses/doctors that have panic attacks or disorders, and is there a website or somewhere that has more info about health care workers with this disorder.. sorry for the lengthy post, i just need to verbalize to feel better :)
thanks a lot!!
Posted by LynneDa on November 5, 2003, at 12:40:00
In reply to Re: lexapro vs. effexor xr, posted by need2feelbetter on November 4, 2003, at 13:20:39
Hi need2feelbetter -
I'm glad posting makes you feel better. I was looking at my last post and realized I didn't put "hypochondriac" in quotes, which I should have. I didn't mean it to sound like an insult, but only a repetition of what you wrote! The term has such negative connotations when really it is just one manifestation of anxiety.I don't know of any healthcare sites that are similar to this one, but it would certainly be a good idea! If I hear of one, I'll be sure and let you know. Please hang in there, you must have a real calling that enables you to stay in nursing despite your obstacles :-)
~Lynne
Posted by need2feelbetter on November 5, 2003, at 21:48:45
In reply to Re: lexapro vs. effexor xr » need2feelbetter, posted by LynneDa on November 5, 2003, at 12:40:00
thanks for the reply. i have always been interested in the medical field and when i started having anxiety problems at age 12, i became intensely interested in reading any medical info i could find about anatomy and physiology, especially the symptoms i was having. i wanted to be a doctor at one time, but i have a two year old at home and i don't want all that schooling. i like doing nursing work, but i just need to get over my anxiety. i can't keep having panic attacks or bad side effects to meds when i am trying to assess patients and such. so can you guys tell me, how do you feel on effexor xr? i am on my eleventh day, and sometimes i feel jittery, wired (not panicky, per se, but..) and sometimes i feel spacey, like i don't want to talk or it takes a lot to concentrate.. plus my jaw is so tight!!! i wake up clenching my teeth and biting my tongue. also i get transient headaches. have any of you had any of these problems, and do they get any better? i can't be the best nurse if i am jittery, or spacey or can't concentrate... thanks so much for all your help everyone :)
Posted by maryhelen on November 6, 2003, at 6:50:42
In reply to Re: lexapro vs. effexor xr, posted by need2feelbetter on November 4, 2003, at 13:20:39
Hi:
I have been reading your posts asking for feedback about Lexapro and Effexor. I am not so much responding to the medications aspect of your questions, but your concerns about the validity of being a nurse while suffering with the conditions/disease that you are. Lexapro is not availalbe in my country, but I have heard many positive results from the med. I was on Effexor so many years ago that I cannot really remember side effects. etc.
However, as to your questions about being a nurse and following doctor's orders as to the prescribing of medications that you have knowledge of and there own affect on you. This is not your responsibilty. In my opinion, you are doing the right and only thing in performing your job responsibly.
Your questions as to whether or not other doctors and health professionals could be suffering from the very diagnosis that their patients suffer with, and would any others be in the same dilemma you are ..... in my opinion, you bet!!! My experience is having been in one of three subsance abuse programs programs. In one, in particular, out of the 20 female patients who were in the program at the same time as myself, 16 were nurses. Of the males, 4 were dentists, 6 were doctors, a judge, a lawyer, the rest of us in varying careers, or housewives, unemployed, etc. My point being, that, for the multitude of reasons one may become addicted/dependent on alcohol or drugs, prescription or otherwise, we are really all the same, with struggles with depression, panic attacks, bi polar, etc.... These illnesses, to me, know no bounds. I don't think we can look at someone or the position they are in, and imagine, that because of the standing one may have in our society, that everything is okay with them. We all have our problems, and we all need to help each other deal with them.
In my opinion, the fact that you are aware of and asking questions about your concerns, tells me that you would be an exceptional nurse. You would have the empathy and understanding, beyond those who have not suffered as you have. You would be a blessing to your patients, and remember you are not responsible for the prescribing of their meds, but you have a greater understanding of what a patient is going through. Please continue to work on getting yourself well, asking questions here, and please know that there are many health professionals that have depression, anxiety/panic attacks, and of course, are not going to discuss them openly. You have come to a wonderful forum to do this for yourself and I believe that you are a wonderful assest to all you come in contact with, as you show how caring and concerned you are.
Remember, you cannot judge a book by it's cover, I am sure others have there own problems, so please try to focus on yourself and continue to ask for support here. I don't post often, but surely read this board, ask for advise when I need it. There are so many here who are so well informed, have done such incredible research and offer invaluable personal experiences and knowledge, that it blows my mind. I go to my own pdoc with the info I receive here. I guess I am lucky that he is responsive and receptive to this and respectful, knowing we are the ones going through the effects of the meds, that he usually will listen and let me try what we think may be helpful.
My best regards, and I hope you can get the right balance of meds to help you with your anxiety/panic attacks.maryhelen
Posted by puravida on November 7, 2003, at 19:23:15
In reply to Re: lexapro vs. effexor xr, posted by need2feelbetter on November 5, 2003, at 21:48:45
I was on Effexor for several months when I started having a ton of jaw pain. I ramped up slowly - 37.5 the first week, 75 for a few more weeks, then 150. Then I started a new job, and I guess I was clenching at night.
It took two months after being off Effexor for my jaw problems to go away, and they came on a few months after I started Effexor, so I can't say for certain there is a correlation. It all finally started to break when I did a few days of Vicodin along with massage and trigger point therapy, and I guess it finally broke the cycle or spasms or whatever was happening.
Now off the Effexor - no withdrawal symptoms, and now on Lexapro. I was much more focused and motivated on the Effexor, but I don't catch myself clenching like I was before.
Hope this helps
PV
> thanks for the reply. i have always been interested in the medical field and when i started having anxiety problems at age 12, i became intensely interested in reading any medical info i could find about anatomy and physiology, especially the symptoms i was having. i wanted to be a doctor at one time, but i have a two year old at home and i don't want all that schooling. i like doing nursing work, but i just need to get over my anxiety. i can't keep having panic attacks or bad side effects to meds when i am trying to assess patients and such. so can you guys tell me, how do you feel on effexor xr? i am on my eleventh day, and sometimes i feel jittery, wired (not panicky, per se, but..) and sometimes i feel spacey, like i don't want to talk or it takes a lot to concentrate.. plus my jaw is so tight!!! i wake up clenching my teeth and biting my tongue. also i get transient headaches. have any of you had any of these problems, and do they get any better? i can't be the best nurse if i am jittery, or spacey or can't concentrate... thanks so much for all your help everyone :)
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