Posted by Effexorvet on August 23, 2002, at 8:25:10
Hi everyone-
I'm a longtime Effexor user (since mid90's)and have only recently discovered this site but have found it very helpful.
Actually, I'm in the process of discontinuing effexor, so I wish I found this site earlier.
I'm discontinuing Effexor to try Meridia (weight-loss drug), which is also an SSRI (increases serotonin levels) and therefore the two can't be taken together.
I started at 37.5 mg and stopped at 250 mg (in tablet form) because my insurance wouldn't pay for 3 of the 75mg XR capusles (!?).
My dose has increased over the years and I've gone off it a couple of times for pregnancy and breastfeeding.
I had very bad withdrawal symptoms, esp. when I went off it to get pregnant. Felt absolutely exhausted all the time, is what I remember the most. This time,however, I've been taking 40 mg prozac since I went off Eff. I highly recommend taking prozac to anyone going off effexor. This is pretty standard procedure for going off effexor. The problem with effexor, I believe, is that it has a very short half-life, which means it leaves your body very fast. Prozac helps with this, and because it has a longer half-life, is easier to wean from. Also, discontinuing effexor must be done gradually and under MD's supervision.
I've had the decreased libido and problems peeing with Effexor, which have worsened at higher doses.
But for some of my symptoms over the years it's been hard to definitely pin on Effexor. For example, I'm a stay at home mom of two, so fatigue, irritability, difficulty concentrating, etc. are my life! Also, I've found that alot of my emotional issues can be tied pretty directly to my menstrual cycle. I've felt the worst (even with effexor) when breastfeeding because estrogen levels so low (estrogen is a natural antidepressant). I guess I would caution effexor users against nailing effexor for all symptoms. It could be effexor is the problem, or it could be you're not taking enough effexor, or for women, hormonal issues, and for all of us, other life/medical circumstances.
Overall I've been pretty happy with Effexor. It's only second antidepressant I've used (except for Prozac, which I used during pregnancy because more known about its risks). Other one I used in early 90's was Pamelor (nortryptiline), which gave me more side effects.
My main, intractable problem over the last 5 years has been the eating disorder, compulsive eating/over eating. I think its causes are many, including mainly depression (in turn caused by too low effexor doses; hormonal issues, esp. breastfeeding -- estrogen levels are very low; stay-at-home mom isolation). I also wonder about effexor's role in weight gain; I've read elsewhere about effexor users gaining weight.
I don't feel like effexor has been helpful with the compulsive eating stuff; increasing dosage hasn't made a difference. I've tried Weight Watchers (bad); eating-disorder targeted behavioral therapy (good); personal trainer (bad)
This is mainly why I'm giving Meridia and Wellbutrin SR a try.
Sorry I went on so long but this was my first post. Would love to hear from others in similar situations. Good luck to all!
poster:Effexorvet
thread:117486
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020821/msgs/117486.html