effexor anyone???

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-30-2003
effexor anyone???
13
Tue, 02-20-2007 - 11:14am
My dr has just put me on 37.5 mg Effexor for anxiety. I was online and read all these things about horrible weight gain. I have been on weight watchers for a few months and have lost 22 pounds. I need to lose about 45 more. I am SO scared I will gain on this drug. Does anyone have any positive experiences with this drug? I started it last night and kind of feel weird right now. But I am not as jumpy as usual. Any success stories out there about antidressants or anti axiety meds?
Thanks
Sonya

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iVillage Member
Registered: 04-11-2003
In reply to: saggzz
Tue, 02-20-2007 - 12:34pm

I took effexor. I didn't have weight gain but it was a truely horrible experience. I wish you would have asked before you took any. I had side effects that were very scary if I missed my scheduled dose by 10 mins. The side effects are kind of hard to describe but I'll do my best. I would feel an electric charge zap through my brain and tounge. I would also feel like the floor was falling away from beneath me which would make me feel dizzy and nauseous. It did help with the anxiety and depression. I think I stayed on it about 6 months. When I tried to wean off of it, which I did extreemly slowly, it was a nightmare. I felt so sick. I would often have to scoot down the stairs on my butt because of the "floor falling away" making sure I would fall down them. The electricity feeling in my head lasted for a couple months. I was worried that the effexor had done permant damage but it finally went away and I'm good now. Thankfully the depression hasn't come back because now I'm terrified to take any kind of med like that now. I really really hope you don't have the same experience I had.

Samantha

Samantha
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-22-2003
In reply to: saggzz
Tue, 02-20-2007 - 12:48pm

My experience was not with Effexor...but with a different anti-depressant/anxiety medication. While on it, I gained approximately 40 lbs.- granted, I felt okay, but I still gained a ton of weight. When I finally got up the courage to wean myself off, I went through almost the exact same thing Samantha did. The "electrical brain zap" was scary as all heck, I was so dizzy and nauseous I couldn't even drive (had to have a friend pick up the kids from school).

I'm sorry you're going through this, and I wish I'd had a better experience.

Amy

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iVillage Member
Registered: 06-25-2003
In reply to: saggzz
Tue, 02-20-2007 - 1:04pm

Sorry, but my story is not good either.


I was put on Zoloft (against my better judgement).


After about 4 days on it; I had a seizure.

-Paula

visit my blog at www.onesickmother.com
iVillage Member
Registered: 02-06-2007
In reply to: saggzz
Tue, 02-20-2007 - 3:04pm
I'm not on effexor, but I'm on 20mg of celexa, which I've heard is similar. I'm also on it for anxiety. I started taking it about 6 weeks ago. I too suffered from the dizziness and nausea. It did subside after about a week. I'm having the opposite experience with weight. I've lost about 8 pounds without trying! Its kind of nice because I got into a pair of jeans I haven't been able to fit in a year...but its also a little scary. I'm thinking I may pitch the pills also, but I'm feeling so much more relaxed!
Good luck...I hope things work out for you.
iVillage Member
Registered: 11-13-2003
In reply to: saggzz
Tue, 02-20-2007 - 3:57pm

Effexor is *the* most difficult of any of the anti-depressants to wean from. I was put on it not knowing about this fact. When I tried to wean slowly it was not slow enough! It took a very long time and reduction of dose in very, very small amount and I would be on that amount for at least a week and a half to two weeks before reducing again. I was so sick. Mostly I remember being dizzy and nausiated. The only relief I got was to lay flat in bed and even then it wasn't good. How long have you been on it? I would never go on that one again.

I take Wellbutrin which finally came out with a generic (bupropion) much more affordable now. That one does cause weight loss usually. I think if you are prone to seizures you cannot take this one. So ask your dr.

If you want to do a search on weaning from effexor; go to prohealth.com to where it has message boards. Click on Chronic fatigue or fibromyalgia board. Then at the top there is a search feature, put in the word effexor and read all about it!

Molly

Molly
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-12-2005
In reply to: saggzz
Wed, 02-21-2007 - 5:33am

I so hate to be another negative post... but I have to chime in. I've never been on effexir myself, but my mother was, and it was one of the scariest and most heart-breaking things I've ever seen.

She's being evaluated for AS and has always had inertia problems, social anxiety, general anxiety, etc. She was put on effexir for the anxiety. She gained over 40 pounds, started doing really weird things to help her deal with all the new sensory problems it created in her, and worst of all, she went from having 'inertia problems' to, well, the only word to describe it is 'catastrophic'.

Motivating my mother to do things has always been a problem for as long as I can remember, but with a little help (or nagging) she could usually be gotten going. After she started the effexir she literally stopped doing everything, and I do mean everything. Not only could she no longer be motivated to do her grocery shopping, she couldn't even be motivated to cook, not for herself OR her diabetic & wheelchair bound husband (who couldn't get his wheelchair into the kitchen because of all the stuff that was sitting in the way because she no longer had the gumption to put it away). My family and I lived with them for a month when we were looking for a house when we first moved out here and she was on it when we were there. When we first got there, there was absolutely NO eatable food in the house. She hadn't gone to the store in over 30 days. What was in the fridge was moldy/rotten/spoiled. My stepdad's BGC was waaaay off because he hadn't eaten properly in over a month and he was visibly ill. He was physically dependant on her to prepare food for him, or at least keep the floor clear so he could get to the stove himself.

We had just driven 700 miles in an overheating van with 3 young children and within 30 minutes of arriving I was at the grocery store while my husband and oldest daughter cleaned out the fridge and cleared pathways for my stepdad. While we were there I did all of the shopping, cooking, cleaning, laundry, paid bills (which were all overdue even though they had the money), and more. I had to physically move her to get her to take showers and stand in her bedroom doorway to get her to put on clean clothes. She didn't get up to go to the bathroom until she was in physical pain from the need, and yes, she soiled herself a few times. She too complained of dizziness, but it only happened when she was standing up... which was very rarely because she rarely stood up.

She was on a few different meds for a few different things and we didn't know it was the effexir. Until, that is, she neglected to call in a refill for it and ended up detoxing the hard way. It took her three days to get up off the floor, literally, and when she did she refused to take it again. She almost died from the detox, and it was later determined that she had a minor stroke from it (which she was prone to to begin with anyway).

Now, I know that her reaction was NOT typical, but I will never, ever, ever recommend that med to anyone. Not after seeing that, and after all the other horror stories I've heard from people who've taken it.

My mom says she's actually happy to have the anxiety back. She has to handflap for five minutes before making a phone call to anyone (even me), and she has to call people to psych her up to get out of the house to run her errands. She's prone to fits of tears at the drop of a hat and boughts of explosive energy followed by a sudden inactivity (usually right in the middle of whatever she's doing) with no warning at all. I call her almost every morning before she gets out of bed so she doesn't wake up on a depressed note. She often feels sad, anxious, and angry without any reason...

... but now she can feel.

I hate to sound so doom and gloom and dramatic about all of this, but I wouldn't feel right with conscience if I didn't speak up. Especially since my mother's story wasn't as bad as I've made it sound. It was worse. There were a few things that happened while she was on the effexir that I wouldn't feel right about sharing without her permission.

~Candes

APOV on Autism

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-23-2005
In reply to: saggzz
Wed, 02-21-2007 - 6:41am
i dont know but i was on it after i had annabelle i had ppd and i didn't gain any weight at first then it was just like the pills kicked in and i gained a crazy amount... and then i was finally ready to get off it it was horrible withdrawals. but..i was on a higher dosage too...75 so... different' for every person i guess

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-23-2005
In reply to: saggzz
Wed, 02-21-2007 - 6:47am

i just wanted to add after reading all the other posts too that I had that brain zap thing too not while i was on it though just when i went to go off of it. it was really bad sometimes i would have to lay there and hold my head. it took me 4-5 months to wean off of it. i could barely stand it. if i ever had to go back on antidepressants it would definitely not be my choice. it was very strong... it said too on some stuff i read that that side effect stays sometimes and when i am really overtired i feel that weird zapping thing just once in awhile not as much anymore but its been almost a year off them now. anyways im done for real now :P

Heather

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-30-2003
In reply to: saggzz
Wed, 02-21-2007 - 8:48am
Thanks you guys. I had only taken one pill and have not taken another b/c of what you have said. I wonder if there are any natural cures for anxiety. The effexor did make me feel less jumpy yesterday, but I am not willing to go through those horrible side effects or weight gain. I am at a loss over this anxiety. I do exercise about 45 minutes a night, but that isn't really releaving my anxiety anymore.
Thanks for all your support.
Sonya
iVillage Member
Registered: 12-22-2003
In reply to: saggzz
Wed, 02-21-2007 - 9:16am

You'll have to hear my out on this one Sonya...

If I were you, I'd try yoga. Please understand that I am in no way, shape or form a "natural health" guru. I don't cook with whole foods, I don't use natural supplements, I don't spend extra $ for organic foods, and to be honest, I haven't worked out since I had to give up my Curves membership due to unemployment.

BUT the few times I did yoga (this was a couple of months ago when I was successfully doing Weight Watchers and exercising every day) I felt amazingly good. You have to concentrate on each movement and each breath so deeply that for me, all of the stress would release and I was able to get a grip on my anxiety. It was truly the best thing I ever did for my mental health...and not because of the "zen factor" associated with yoga. It was because of how great I felt once I re-learned how to breath.

I took a class for people that was geared towards "overweight mom's who needed to learn to breath"...and was very comfortable with the environment. No 20-something size 4's in this class. :-) The class taught us how to use practical yoga techniques and didn't push the spiritualistic aspects. However if taking a class isn't your style, I bet you could borrow DVD's from the library and give it a try.

My DH, who is a whiskey drinkin', NASCAR lovin' physical therapist, is addicted to Diamond Dallas Page's Yoga for Real Guys videos. Yes, this is the SAME Diamond Dallas Page that used to be a professional wrestler. It's aimed at men (and women) who need to loose 50 lbs. or more or who are over the age of 50. The way I see it, if THAT part of the population can see the benefits of yoga, so then can everybody else. :-)

Good Luck. Anxiety sucks. I know...I've been there, done that.

Amy

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