do you all get relapses since meds?

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-29-2005
do you all get relapses since meds?
6
Sat, 12-17-2005 - 8:07pm

Maybe this is an obvious question, but here goes anyway (looking for some reassurance).

I'm on effexor 75mg since October and in about 5 years ago was on paxil for about 2 years. The paxil totally took away my anxiety and panic attacks. However, I've noticed with the effexor that I have good days and bad days and/or I go through periods where I'm really cool and not thinking about the anxiety and then periods where I think about it much more frequently. Is this common for those of you on meds?? Am I right that the meds we're on don't always completely ELIMINATE these issues?

thanks for your input, I just wonder why these spells come and go???

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-22-2003
Sat, 12-17-2005 - 9:46pm

I know that meds do not always eliminate all the symptoms.

Sheri Ann

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-28-2003
Sat, 12-17-2005 - 10:00pm
I have the same problem myself. I'm on Zoloft and have had great success with it several years ago for depression and GAD. I went back on it a couple of months ago when the panic attacks began. For almost a month I was pretty free and clear of panic episodes. I felt almost normal again and it was great. Unfortunately last weekend things began to shift and by Monday I was having panic attacks again. :( My doc prescribed me Xanax to take on those days when it's too much and I had to take one today. It helped out quite a bit.

Jennifer

"Oh, that you would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evi

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-11-2004
Sun, 12-18-2005 - 12:41am

I had good luck with effexor for 3 years. I went off the med because I wanted to try dealing with my A/P without it & the dr. agreed I was ready. In my experience with meds for A/P

 

 


 



iVillage Member
Registered: 03-29-2005
Sun, 12-18-2005 - 11:11pm

Hi, and thanks for the response!

I went off paxil because I felt "ready", I hadn't had any anxiety for over a year and I felt like I could do it. And I did, and everything was going well for about 4 years until now.

I went on effexor instead of paxil this time b/c with paxil I had some bad sexual side effects and my doc thought the effexor would be better with the sexual side effects, which it is.

thanks again

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-18-2003
Mon, 12-19-2005 - 8:56am

That's great that you went 4 years without meds!

Sheri Ann

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-01-2004
Mon, 12-19-2005 - 9:36am

I have been on Paxil for 3 years and it has generally worked well for me but I still have bad days and the occasional panic attack. What Jan said about coping skills being part of it is right on the money. Instead of changing my meds, I have always gone in for therapy when I started to feel like things were getting worse. This has always worked for me, helping to alleviate the symptoms.

As for the sexual side effects, yeah. There is that. I am single and have not been in a relationship for a year and a half, but I remember that it definitely dampened my mojo.