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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 8 of 8. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by jennie277 on January 25, 2005, at 17:28:29
I had been taking the SSRI Remeron for about 5 years. It was primarily for my anxiety. I was always thin in the past so it helped me out in gaining some weight. I was prescribed w/ 15mg but because it made me so sleepy and lethargic all the time, I split the pill in half. After all this time, I just couldn't handle being tired all the time and now I realize that it did not necessarily help my anxiety, it just made me so tired that it would supress it. So that is where the Effexxor comes in.
I went to my doctor 13 days ago now with my issues of the anxiety and wanting to stop the Remeron. I let him know that Remeron aside, my anxiety causes me a nervous stomach, nausea, shaking, extreme thirst, loss of appetite and a few more other complaints. He prescribed me with Effexxor and almost made it seem like it would solve all of my problems. I started taking it right away.
The first night I had taken it, it made me so nervous and terrified that I just got in bed and finally fell asleep after a few hours. Since then, I would wake up a lot through out the night, but I would go right back to sleep. I did get the 'shocking sensation' a lot while I would try to go to sleep. For example, sometimes in general when I am dozing off to sleep I begin to dream I fall off a curb or run into a tree as if it's really happening and it shocks me so much I wake back up. This happened a lot the first few nights on the Effexxor.
Into the next few days though I stopped eating and lost my appetite. I was extremely dehydrated and just wanted to drink gatorade or water. It was not as though I was nauseous or my stomach bothered me at all. I just didn't want anything but liquid. Because of this (not eating--anything but smoothies) I was very lethargic and had no energy. Finally though, over this past weekend, I have been able to eat a lot more. Other side effects I do experience currently is I tend to yawn a lot, but I do not feel anywhere as drained of energy as I did on the Remeron. I tend to get the shocking sensation once in a while.
SO THE POSITIVE SIDE TO ALL OF THIS is that I feel so very emotionally and mentally balanced, more than I ever had. I am in my mid 20's and the older I get, the more my anxiety has become a problem.. I am extremely shy, I get very nervous, I shake, and can't breathe. Until I felt as balanced as I do right now, I did not realize just how much of a problem the anxiety was.
So for the most part I feel like it was a lot of work to adjust to the Effexxor and although I am only 13 days into this, I feel pretty satisfied. I feel focused, confident, and feel as though I am making much more healthier choices and decisions in everything I do.
Unfortunately though, I find a lot more negative information on experiences on Effexxor through searching the web. I don't think I have actually found one positive experience which is a little concerning but perhaps everyone's body chemistry and degree of anxiety and depression is different(?)
Posted by FaithT on January 25, 2005, at 18:54:15
In reply to Positive effects of Effexor, posted by jennie277 on January 25, 2005, at 17:28:29
Hi Jennie~
I am one with a positive experience and there are others. Please read my post above yours on the Babble Page, entitled "Positive Experience on Effexor XR". Feel free to post how you're feeling there, as I am trying to give hope to others that not all Effexor experiences are bad. However, I am only one voice. I'm hoping others will chime in to share their positive experiences as well.
Best wishes to you, Faith~
Posted by Bill LL on January 26, 2005, at 9:08:14
In reply to Positive effects of Effexor, posted by jennie277 on January 25, 2005, at 17:28:29
I know that there are a lot of negative posts on Effexor, but there are also a lot of success stories. It sounds to me that you will be one of the success stories.
Although the horror stories seem to show up more on discussion groups, Effexor is a very safe and effective drug. I have never tried it, but I wouldn't hesitate to if I needed to change medications in the future.
Posted by emme on January 26, 2005, at 11:03:32
In reply to Positive effects of Effexor, posted by jennie277 on January 25, 2005, at 17:28:29
> Unfortunately though, I find a lot more negative information on experiences on Effexxor through searching the web. I don't think I have actually found one positive experience which is a little concerning but perhaps everyone's body chemistry and degree of anxiety and depression is different(?)
The internet is both helpful and harmful in terms of sharing experiences. Many people for whom a drug works are probably out there going about their business, or perhaps don't spend much time on a computer. It would be interesting to see an informal poll of pdocs to see how many of their patients do well on a particular drug, how long it's generally taken those patients to adjust, etc. Perhaps such a thing has been done. The error bars would be big, of course. But one cannot expect a balanced view of anything with a self-selecting population. Just my humble opinion.
Posted by emme on January 26, 2005, at 12:23:16
In reply to Re: Positive effects of Effexor, posted by emme on January 26, 2005, at 11:03:32
I tried Effexor. I liked the antidepressant response and increased motivation. But my body didn't tolerate it that well and I chose to stop it. I expected discontinuation symptoms and I was free of them in about four weeks. I'm an example of someone who had discontinuation symptoms that were unpleasant, but of limited duration and able to be weathered with a slow taper.
I'm not sorry I tried it - I benefitted from the positive effects by starting projects that I was able to then continue. And I'm not in the least angry about the discontinuation syndrome. I expected it as part of the package, had communication with my doctor to talk about managing it. I wouldn't dissuade anyone from trying Effexor if their doctor thought it was an appropriate choice.
Posted by FaithT on January 26, 2005, at 12:56:25
In reply to Oh, and my experience, posted by emme on January 26, 2005, at 12:23:16
If you guys wouldn't mind, maybe you can join the thread that I started. Another poster and myself were encouraged by Dr. Bob to try and share positive Effexor experiences, to help balance the negative.
I think that the more voices heard, will help give others hope that not ALL Effexor experiences are bad ones.
Thanks so much,
Faith~
Posted by dancingstar on January 26, 2005, at 21:14:12
In reply to Re: Positive effects of Effexor, posted by emme on January 26, 2005, at 11:03:32
> > Unfortunately though, I find a lot more negative information on experiences on Effexxor through searching the web. I don't think I have actually found one positive experience which is a little concerning but perhaps everyone's body chemistry and degree of anxiety and depression is different(?)
>
> The internet is both helpful and harmful in terms of sharing experiences. Many people for whom a drug works are probably out there going about their business, or perhaps don't spend much time on a computer. It would be interesting to see an informal poll of pdocs to see how many of their patients do well on a particular drug, how long it's generally taken those patients to adjust, etc. Perhaps such a thing has been done. The error bars would be big, of course. But one cannot expect a balanced view of anything with a self-selecting population. Just my humble opinion.
>
>
You asked for an informal poll of psych docs...will this help? Click on the whole link if it looks big, it will still work.http://www.dr-bob.org/tips/split/Antidepressant-discontinua.html
Posted by not2late4u on January 27, 2005, at 1:20:09
In reply to Re: Positive effects of Effexor, posted by emme on January 26, 2005, at 11:03:32
emme, I think you are absolutely right and thank you for posting. Can I add that my impression of some of the negative posters is that there is no middle ground. I trie to word it in a civil way, hope I did and hope I was able to get my true point across. Renee
This is the end of the thread.
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