Psycho-Babble Medication Thread 976095

Shown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.

 

Venlafexine and Tianeptine cross-taper?

Posted by veggieseattle on January 7, 2011, at 14:49:39

Hi there. I'm wondering if some of you brainiacs out there can help me? I have fibromyalgia, depression and terrible anxiety, and am pretty treatment-resistant. My pdoc thinks tianeptine would be a great option for me, and said he'd write an rx to order online. I'm currently on 225mg of effexor, and am wondering if it's possible to do a cross-taper? I'm so frickin' scared of the withdrawal from effexor. Paxil withdrawal symptoms lasted over a year, and effexor is supposedly much worse. *cringing*. So, I'm hoping that cross-tapering is safe.

Thoughts??

Thank you! (And I know ordering online is a murky area, so please no judgments about that; There are so few options for Fibromyalgia treatment I'd fly somewhere to get the meds if I needed to). Thanks again!

VG

 

Re: Venlafexine and Tianeptine cross-taper? » veggieseattle

Posted by europerep on January 7, 2011, at 15:18:47

In reply to Venlafexine and Tianeptine cross-taper?, posted by veggieseattle on January 7, 2011, at 14:49:39

hmm, if you are scared of venlafaxine withdrawal, then adding tianeptine would probably be a bad idea because, logically at least, it could make things worse.. it would speed up reuptake of serotonin, which is the opposite of venlafaxine's actions on serotonin. if you want to avoid withdrawal, I think you could try tramadol for a limited period of time, or replace venlafaxine with a long-acting SSRI like fluoxetine, and then taper down on that.. or you reduce your venlafaxine dose really slowly, 75mg every other week or so..

have you and your doc considered milnacipran (savella)? it's supposed to be good for both depression and fibromyalgia...

good luck!

 

Re: Venlafexine and Tianeptine cross-taper?

Posted by veggieseattle on January 7, 2011, at 15:39:13

In reply to Re: Venlafexine and Tianeptine cross-taper? » veggieseattle, posted by europerep on January 7, 2011, at 15:18:47

Hi. Thanks. So, I guess, if most of the side effects are thought to be bc of withdrawal of Seratonin, then adding Tianeptin would make that worse because it will block seratonin, leading to a sudden stop vs. a gradual tapering. Is that it?

Yes, I've tried Savella and had some pretty severe side effects. But it was prescribed by a pain doctor, to take on top of effexor. That didn't make any sense to me, and after feeling pretty nuts for a week, and knowing they didn't have enough expertise to deal with potential seratonin issues, I went off it. Tianeptine seems like a better choice tho because I have such bad panic attacks and generalized anxiety...so yeah, I'm not saying it's going to save the world ;)...but it might be a good thing to have in mine. VG

 

Re: Venlafexine and Tianeptine cross-taper?

Posted by Christ_empowered on January 7, 2011, at 16:59:16

In reply to Re: Venlafexine and Tianeptine cross-taper?, posted by veggieseattle on January 7, 2011, at 15:39:13

hey. I just think you should realize that withdrawal from effexor can be managed, as long as your p-doc is attentive. Switching to prozac at some point can help (prozac lasts forever and pretty much self-tapers). I imagine there are other drugs, like benzos or something, that can help with some of the other symptoms. It won't be terrible :-)

Anyway, its cool that your p-doc is OK with online meds. Good luck w/ the stablon, and seriously--try (I know its hard, but still..try) not to be too anxious about the upcoming effexor taper.

Good luck!

 

Re: Venlafexine and Tianeptine cross-taper? » Christ_empowered

Posted by veggieseattle on January 7, 2011, at 17:45:02

In reply to Re: Venlafexine and Tianeptine cross-taper?, posted by Christ_empowered on January 7, 2011, at 16:59:16

Hey. Thank you. Yes, my fibro doctor is pretty great and open-minded. He even said he'd research the companies to make sure I'm getting the real thing. He had heard of Tianeptine and seemed excited to have *someone* try it. And, his sub-specialty is psycho-pharmacology. So I feel pretty lucky. (Even though he STILL hasn't managed to find a sleep med that works, and is thinking of trying Marinol next...and I don't want to gain weight). But still, all in all, pretty lucky that find someone like him. Yay! And I'll ask him about the prozac. : )

 

Re: Venlafexine and Tianeptine cross-taper? » veggieseattle

Posted by Phillipa on January 7, 2011, at 19:10:43

In reply to Re: Venlafexine and Tianeptine cross-taper? » Christ_empowered, posted by veggieseattle on January 7, 2011, at 17:45:02

Sleep med? Benzos work well for me. Have for over 40 years. And didn't need to up dose. Phillipa


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