Posted by MaggieB on May 2, 2001, at 9:48:45
In reply to extreme fatigue and mental slow-down - please help, posted by MaggieB on April 30, 2001, at 16:49:52
> I have been taking effexor xr for 2 weeks. Severe fatigue and mental muddiness began immediately. The constant tiredness, lack of motivation and mental slow-down are contributing to my depression. I am now totally disfunctional. I have been reading this message board for over a week and have been encouraged to keep taking it because of the posts acknowledging similar symptoms and assurances that they normally go away. Each day I hope for some small improvement that would indicate that I have turned a corner, but there has been none. My questions is: does the severity of my side-effects indicate that I will not be able to take this drug? Is there something I should look for after 2 weeks that should indicate progress? I cannot afford to remain in this state much longer. I don't want to contact my doctor about changing the medication until I know I have given it a chance to work, but I'm beginning to think no one should feel this bad while adjusting to a new med. I took 37.5 mg. for 7 days and have been taking 75 mg for the past 7 days -- in the a.m. only. Does anyone have any thoughts on when to give up -- or not give up -- under these circumstances?
5/2/01: Thanks to all of you who have responded. The information you all have shared has been very helpful. I stopped taking effexor-xr Monday and am actually somewhat mobile today for the first time in over 2 weeks. I am feeling some mild withdrawal symptoms but much prefer that over the effects of taking the medication. I have appt. w/ dr. to talk about what to try next. No, effexor was not my first AD. I took paxil for about 7 years and it worked very well for me until a few months ago. Then, it just stopped working altogether. Prior to taking paxil, I tried zoloft and prozac -- neither worked for me. Again, thanks to all of you who shared your thoughts and experiences with me. I really needed the feedback.
poster:MaggieB
thread:61170
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010424/msgs/61368.html