Posted by John k on April 16, 2001, at 3:37:16
In reply to Re: Efexor XR beach ball effect, posted by Grae Hall on April 13, 2001, at 4:54:39
> I was told it wasn't an SSRI (as previous SSRI's had been unsuccessful), I was worried it was an MAOI, I'd read they had bad side effects. So far any reading I've done indicates that it IS an SSRI.
I believe your doctor is right. The name "SSRI" indicates that the medication only increases serotonin levels. Efexor _does_ increase serotonin, but it also increases norepinephrine quite a lot and also dopamine to a minor extent. The medication is marketed as "Prozac with a punch" and it seems to work better than SSRIs for a number of people.
Efexor doesn't have any effect on the enzyme MAO (the target for an MAOI).> What are some risks / side effects of this particular drug
The side effects are more or less the same as with the SSRIs, with one exception. Some people get an elevated blood pressure with this drug so you should probably take a look at your blood pressure, especially if you are going all the way up to 375 mg.
> Why is it administered in doses that are significantly higher than that of SSRI's (Eg, between 10 - 60mg). When he said 375miligrams, I was a bit suprised.
The dosage of a medication doesn't necessarily say anything about how much effect it has in the brain. The uptake from the gastrointestinal tract is different for different compounds, and the extent that the liver breaks down a drug differs too. Also, there are differences in the uptake and metabolism of a drug in different people. So, 20 mg of Prozac may in one person result is as much serotonin increase as 150 mg of Zoloft gives in another person.
I hope I answered your questions :-)
poster:John k
thread:29133
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010411/msgs/60033.html