Started Effexor XR today - anyone on it?

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-28-2003
Started Effexor XR today - anyone on it?
8
Fri, 03-10-2006 - 6:01pm

Hi group!!! I have a history of Panic / anxiety problems (about 5 years) I hadn't had a problem with it in quite a while and lately it's been pretty bad.

Dr. put me on effexor XR - who has been on this? Cna you tell me any information - your experiences with it ? side effects? anything like that?>

Thanks in advance -

Valerie (28)
DD - Abby - 2
DS - Devin - 7 1/2

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-17-2001
Fri, 03-10-2006 - 7:26pm

Hi Valerie,


I have not been on it but my Dr wants to take me off lexapro and that is one of the meds that I have in mind. Please let me know how it goes.


Hugs,

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Avatar for cricketvk
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Registered: 03-28-2003
Fri, 03-10-2006 - 7:51pm

I sure will - I haven't heard much about Lexapro but everytime we have talked about treating me for it from that dr. he always mentioned Effexor and said that he thinks it works best for anxiety/panic.

I have taken multiple things over the years

Amitryptaline - I didn't take it daily - didn't do anything good or bad for me

Zoloft - made me terribly ill - couldn't think right, confused, irrational thinking (only took 2 days) was told never to take it again.

Serzone - no huge side effects - but didn't really help the panic problems either

Wellbutrin - took 2 days - made me happy - but hyper to a point i felt like something was wrong..

Paxil - felt funny at first then when they increased the dosage i felt burning sensations in my head - that went away after a little while - so i took the paxil about 6 months.

I also took Ativan through most of that time.. and at the end of my worst panic period - I was on Klonopin which finally got it to stop - but caused some memory problems.

I guess I should probably do an introduction of myself since it's been so long since i've been on this board at regular intervals. I'll do that today.

I'll let you know how it goes -

Valerie

P.S. - out of curiousity - why does he want to take you off Lexapro?

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-22-2003
Fri, 03-10-2006 - 8:38pm

Hi Valerie, My sons gf, who goes to our chats but doesn't read the board, started Effexor XR 2 days ago for anxiety & panic attacks.

Sheri Ann

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-17-2001
Fri, 03-10-2006 - 10:55pm

Hi there!


I am on 30mg of lexapro and the recommeded theraputic dose it 20mg. I have an AMAZING pdoc and he says that after being on this for a yr he thinks that its working but not enough. I still have some panic, it is not nearly as bad as it was but he wants me to be anxiety/panic free. This is also the 1st med that I have been on, I am also on klonopin and have been for a yr 3x a day.


I would really like to try Wellbutrin... have you been on that or heard about that???


Hugs,

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-11-2004
Fri, 03-10-2006 - 11:03pm
Hi, Valerie! I was on effexor xr for 3 years for panic disorder with agoraphobia. It worked wonders for me. I did have some difficulty with sleepiness & dry mouth @ first, but that quickly passed. I also had trouble achieving orgasm, but that was the least of my concerns because my anxiety/panic was @
 

 


 



Avatar for cricketvk
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-28-2003
Sat, 03-11-2006 - 2:07am

Thanks Jan and Heather -

Heather - I have tried wellbutrin - but only for 2 days - it made me happy but it made me hyper to a point i felt like something wasn't right and paniced my way right out of that medicine. I think it probably would have been ok had i given it more time.

Jan - Thanks for the effexor info - i am nervous about it simply because i've not always had the best experiences with the meds - but I think a big piece of that was psychosematic and maybe I made it worse than it was..

I have felt pretty good for the most part today - nothing too weird - i had a moment where i felt a panic attack coming on and i haven't had a panic attack in quite some time - even though i've been having anxiety problems... it only lasted for about 2 minutes - long enough for me to go what the heck is going on - and then it went away. I am hoping that if i have any issues they will pass very quickly and the medicine will work for me.

Thank you ladies - I look forward to more discussions from you both.

Valerie

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-16-2005
Sat, 03-11-2006 - 10:03am

Valerie may I suggest you go to Ivillage antidepressant medication message board and type in the name of the medication in the (find messages about) window. This will give you a pretty large group of messages to read from. I find that doctors tell you one thing but I'm more interested in how it effected real people. I used this way of deceiding which medication I would agree to be on as I also have had problems with other.

Keitha

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-05-2005
Sat, 03-11-2006 - 6:46pm

Hi again Valerie,

The effexor XR is working great for me. The only side effect i had was 3 day

of headachs, but that it is, I also take Klonopin 3x times.I am pleased with it so far.

(((BIGS BIG HUGS))))

Lynn