Effexor XR

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-27-2004
Effexor XR
4
Mon, 01-10-2005 - 5:58pm

Hi Everyone,

This is my first time to this board, hope you don't mind if I drop in. I just visited a new dr. today and he is going to switch me from Zoloft to Effexor XR. Does anyone have any advice, warnings, success stories with Effexor XR. I've been on Prozac and Zoloft and it seems both of them just kind of numb me, also since being on Zoloft I have gained a lot of weight. I've been through a lot this past year, and I'm hoping to find counseling and a support board to work together with the AD.

Thanks for an feedback, I really appreciate it!

Anne

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-22-2003
In reply to: needadvice2004
Mon, 01-10-2005 - 6:34pm

Hi Anne and Welcome!


We are so very glad you dropped in and hope you will stay!

*hugs             

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-31-2003
In reply to: needadvice2004
Mon, 01-10-2005 - 11:18pm

Hi Anne. I'm delurking to answer your Effexor XR question. I switched to Effexor about a year ago after many years on Prozac. I took zoloft also in the past but all it did was make me gain weight. I wanted off the Prozac also because I felt like it was making me gain more weight and didn't feel like it was doing anything for my depression/mood problems. Anyway, it took at least a month on the Effexor but it has been wonderful for me. I swear one day I realized...you know I'm actually happy and not having negative thoughts about myself. I also had a wonderful psychologist who helped me through years of painful memories and self doubt. Anyway, one really nice side effect of the effexor was it helps some with pain. I have chronic pain in my wrist and it subsided some when I started taking Effexor. Like all anti-depressants it can effect your sex drive. I also believe it was causing me to not sleep well so I make sure and take my pill in the AM even though it's an extended release pill it still seems to bother me in the night. Also, make sure you take it every day as close to the same time as you can, I can tell when I don't. I call it my magic pill and don't plan on getting off it even though I'm feeling better now. I've done it in the past and ended up back in my black hole, so I know this is not "all in my head" but a chemical imbalance.


Anyway, here is the effexor web site http://www.effexorxr.com/

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-04-1999
In reply to: needadvice2004
Tue, 01-11-2005 - 4:31am

Hi Anne and welcome.

I have been on Effexor XR for 2 years the end of this month, started on 37.5 for one week, then went to 75mg daily which I was on until last month Dec 27th. On that date I started a very gradual decrease of 3 days a week taking the 37.5, and the other days staying on the 75mg. I was never on any meds until January 2003 and I just want to know if I am in the category of always needing a med, or can I taper off. And I don't write this in judgment of anyone that chooses one road or the other.

The main side effect I have had with the Effexor XR the whole 2 years is constipation! So I daily drink Citrucel, and it keeps it manageable.

As the previous poster warned, take your dose faithfully, and at the same time as much as possible. There is some real horror stories out there of people going cold turkey from Effexor, so it is nothing to play with. However, I was so depressed and anxious when I started it, that it may have saved my life, or at least it gave me some quality of life, so I hope you have as much success with it.

I don't really think it gave me any weight gain. take care, hugs, Josie.

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-27-2004
In reply to: needadvice2004
Tue, 01-11-2005 - 11:48am

Thank you all so much for responding to my question!! It's sure nice to know there are people out there with information and personal stories to help! What did we ever do without the Web??

Brief history on me. I was diagnosed with depression about 8 years ago. I started on Prozac and lost a LOT of weight and felt really good about myself. However, I thought I was better and didn't want to have to be on meds. I slowly went off, but found myself in the same rut so I went back on. However, this time I didn't lose any weight and it just didn't seem to help my mood as much. I was mostly feeling lonely, late 20's and not even a date. Then I met someone. We dated briefly and got married within 8 months (don't try this at home:). I moved from the city back to the small town we both grew up in and tried starting a family. I had 2 miscarriages, but then was able to carry 2 beautiful baby girls and they are healthy and wonderful! However, 2 days after coming home from the hospital with our second daugther, my DH proceeds to give the "I love you, but I"m not in love with you" speech. So, here I was trying to recover from labor/deliver/post blues/etc., take care of a 14month old (yep, they are close in age) and a newborn...AND, my husband doesn't want me anymore. He had been verbally, emotionally, mentally abusive almost our entire marriage....but I really didn't think he would want to leave me (I thought it would be the other way around, but I'm a Christian and felt like I had to stay). He denied there being anyone else, but I soon found out otherwise (yes, he was having an affair while I was pregnant). Long story short, he moved out when the baby was 2 months old (Christmas Day of 2003, to be exact) and is now living with the OW. We are still not divorced yet and there is an order of protection against him because he physically abused me after he moved out (nothing major, but bent my wrist around and I thought it was broken). The pain of having this OW around my babies is heartbreaking. She does their hair, paints their nails, uugghhh....!! Also, he continues to verbally abuse me and continually point out how all of this is my fault. If I had only been a better wife...cooked more, cleaned more, "put out" more...etc. So, I realize I am better off without him...but I will forever be connected to him through our girls and he uses every chance he can to "get to me". He claims he is taking the "high road" and I should do the same, but he is a bit twisted in his thinking. He thinks I should just "get over" all of this. Now, let me just mention that ALL of my friends say he is lucky he is married to me and not them. I didn't throw his clothes in the street or burn them all, I didn't cause problems for him and his new honey, I haven't done anything but try to protect myself and my girls (he is also a drug user, unknown to me until recently).

Well, this turned out much longer than I wanted. I just wanted you to all know where I am in my life. I'm back to work full time (had gone part time to spend more time with our children), the girls and I are doing great and I have lots of family/friends around to help (my parents have been wonderful!). It's amazing what you realize you can actually get through when you do not have a choice!

God bless you all!

Anne