Effexor

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-27-2003
Effexor
17
Wed, 05-05-2004 - 9:46pm
i just had my first visit with a psychiatrist. He diagnosed me as possibly having either dysthymia or atypical depression with the possibilities of having some low form of some anxiety disorders. vague, right? But honestly, even after reading everything on depression, I can see how my diagnosis might be confusing. Atypical depression seems about right though.

Anyway, he prescribed Effexor for me. I've read all sorts of things such as how terrible it is to get off of it to how it changed people's lives. I was wondering what you guys thought about it?

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iVillage Member
Registered: 06-21-2004
In reply to: pongo26
Fri, 06-25-2004 - 11:29am
I have been on Effexor since October '03 and have experienced more relief from depression and anxiety than with any other treatment. I used to have panic attacks every couple of months and have not had a single one since starting Effexor, even when I bought a house and moved out of state after losing my job. However, anyone planning to try Effexor needs to know that it is expensive, so having insurance is very important. Since losing my job in November, I have had to work hard just to obtain the medication. It's definitely worth it though, especially since my label is "treatment resistant depression." I take 225 mg, more than the average dose, which makes getting meds. even more difficult. Hopefully I will begin working again soon so I can have insurance. A counselor by trade, I have seen clients have difficulty titrating off the Effexor. If you are taking it and seeing great results, there really is no reason to stop it. I have tried stopping antidepressants before because I felt better, and it always resulted in my mood bottoming out. Some people only need them for situational or temporary issues, but for those with chronic depression (biochemical), ongoing meds. are often needed. When I finally realized I needed to stop screwing with my meds., life got much easier. Good luck to anyone starting new meds. and let me know if I can be of help. lyndahuddleston@hotmail.com
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-18-2007
In reply to: pongo26
Fri, 06-25-2004 - 2:01pm

I notice that I already posted in this thread, about six weeks ago.

 

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CL-ladybug987

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-26-2004
In reply to: pongo26
Sat, 06-26-2004 - 11:06pm
I have been on paxil, cerzone, prozac and effexor. I feel I did the best on Paxil. I am curently on Effexor and just feel like it doesnt really work. It seems to be really short acting and doesnt stay in my system as long as paxil.

I have been diagnosed with depression with a panic/anxiety disorder.

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-27-2003
In reply to: pongo26
Mon, 06-28-2004 - 2:42pm
I guess I've been on Effexor XR for about 2 months, at my current dose of 150mg for about a month. While it definitely helped ease the major depression I was having, I feel like I've plateaued. I feel like the same person, and while I know this isn't a miracle drug, I was hoping that it would give me "something." Since this happened before when I was on Celexa, I'm wondering if maybe this indifferent state that I always end up is normal for me, and that the meds are just for keeping me from getting too low.

I'm not really sure.
Visitor (not verified)
anonymous user
In reply to: pongo26
Tue, 06-29-2004 - 11:20am
Yeah I know what you mean and wondered if maybe my depression was chronic (as this is the second bout I've had with it in the last 5 years and had to be medicated) however my doctor seems to think that it not. At the moment I'm inclined to agree. The first time when I came off the meds it was ok for me however I was smoking a lot of pot at the time and I am sure that was affecting my judgment of the situation. I often wonder if all the partying and drugs I did when I was younger could maybe be a contributing factor.

I will let you all know how I get on.

Angela

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-14-2004
In reply to: pongo26
Fri, 07-02-2004 - 7:27pm
i started taking effexor xr on the 25th of june (8 days now, no side effects except dry mouth which isn't as bad as the sweats i was getting on paxil. i sleep a lot better too. i've never in the past fallen asleep half an hr after going to bed and i love that.

would spend all night awake or maybe get 3 hrs sleep, now i sleep a good 8 hrs a night.

i therefore recommend effexor....works for me !!
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-03-2004
In reply to: pongo26
Sat, 07-03-2004 - 1:09am
I see this is an older post and don't know if anyone will be reading this reply...anyway I was on Effexor a few years ago. In the beginning it was like a miracle. I became a completely different person. Then it started losing affect...the dosage kept going up but I was getting worse. Getting off that drug was the worst time of my life. I almost killed myself a couple times just getting off that drug. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. Being almost normal for a couple months isn't worth the terror that comes after.

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