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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 10 of 10. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by mark123 on January 13, 2001, at 0:06:04
I have just began to take effexor worried about any permanet problems that might be associated with this drug would appreciate any information .
Posted by tme on January 13, 2001, at 2:59:14
In reply to permanent problems after total withdrawal, posted by mark123 on January 13, 2001, at 0:06:04
mark,
the only thing that i as a effexor user of 8 years or more would tell you is that when you need or want to get off of it, be careful. its really really hard. the drug sure worked great when i needed it. but iwish i had been told how hard it was to get off of it.
Posted by Bob on January 13, 2001, at 14:18:17
In reply to Re: permanent problems after total withdrawal, posted by tme on January 13, 2001, at 2:59:14
> mark,
> the only thing that i as a effexor user of 8 years or more would tell you is that when you need or want to get off of it, be careful. its really really hard. the drug sure worked great when i needed it. but iwish i had been told how hard it was to get off of it.********************************
Mark:
Considering that you've been an Effexor user for eight or more years, you had to be among the first users of that drug, I would think. Why did you come off of it after so long? What did you think of it.
The subject line of this thread is "permanent problems after total withdrawal". What is the reference to permenance about?
Posted by tme on January 13, 2001, at 18:08:35
In reply to Re: permanent problems after total withdrawal » tme, posted by Bob on January 13, 2001, at 14:18:17
> > mark,
> > the only thing that i as a effexor user of 8 years or more would tell you is that when you need or want to get off of it, be careful. its really really hard. the drug sure worked great when i needed it. but iwish i had been told how hard it was to get off of it.
>
> ********************************
> no, it was ME!! i was the user of 8 or more years. not mark, i believe he just began taking it. and as i stated, it was great when i needed it. worked well for my anxiety. but, i didnthave a clue i was amoung the first users or a "guinea pig" or i would have never taken it. i will never ever if i can help it take a drug that hasnt been on the market for more than a decade and then i will research the heck out of it before i do take it. getting off this drug has been a tiny bit of hell. ive been completly free from taking it for about 11 days now. was on 200 mg a day. tapered off slowly i would think. took me about 5 months. but still, even now, i am experiancing the withdrawl effects of it. although not as strong but i have more s/e now than i did when i first started tapering. i guess thats to be expected. its one hell of a drug and personally, my opinion is, if you dont neeeeed to be taking it dont, because somewhere down the road youre going to forget a dose or decide you want to come off and see how you are without it, and you are going to go through the withdrawls. on the other hand if youve tried everything else and do neeeed to take this, dont forget a dose, if you do, take it as soon as possible and if you do ever decide to come off of it, you will make it its tough but you can do it......gee am i riding the middle line or what? lol does anybody have any advice as to what might make the time im going through a bit better?? thanks so much. and mark, good luck to you!!
> Mark:
>
> Considering that you've been an Effexor user for eight or more years, you had to be among the first users of that drug, I would think. Why did you come off of it after so long? What did you think of it.
>
> The subject line of this thread is "permanent problems after total withdrawal". What is the reference to permenance about?
Posted by Bob on January 14, 2001, at 0:16:42
In reply to Re: permanent problems after total withdrawal, posted by tme on January 13, 2001, at 18:08:35
> > > mark,
> > > the only thing that i as a effexor user of 8 years or more would tell you is that when you need or want to get off of it, be careful. its really really hard. the drug sure worked great when i needed it. but iwish i had been told how hard it was to get off of it.
> >
> > ********************************
> > no, it was ME!! i was the user of 8 or more years. not mark, i believe he just began taking it. and as i stated, it was great when i needed it. worked well for my anxiety. but, i didnthave a clue i was amoung the first users or a "guinea pig" or i would have never taken it. i will never ever if i can help it take a drug that hasnt been on the market for more than a decade and then i will research the heck out of it before i do take it. getting off this drug has been a tiny bit of hell. ive been completly free from taking it for about 11 days now. was on 200 mg a day. tapered off slowly i would think. took me about 5 months. but still, even now, i am experiancing the withdrawl effects of it. although not as strong but i have more s/e now than i did when i first started tapering. i guess thats to be expected. its one hell of a drug and personally, my opinion is, if you dont neeeeed to be taking it dont, because somewhere down the road youre going to forget a dose or decide you want to come off and see how you are without it, and you are going to go through the withdrawls. on the other hand if youve tried everything else and do neeeed to take this, dont forget a dose, if you do, take it as soon as possible and if you do ever decide to come off of it, you will make it its tough but you can do it......gee am i riding the middle line or what? lol does anybody have any advice as to what might make the time im going through a bit better?? thanks so much. and mark, good luck to you!!tme:
the only suggestion i would have is to maybe temper is by taking small doses of another ssri like maybe zoloft? that's a pretty wild ass guess though. I was on effexor for about a year and a half, and when i came off, it was hell also. i'll never, ever forget it. the funny thing is, i've actually contemplated going back on it at times, despite that fact that it didn't work all that well!!! it still worked better than most of the other treatments i've tried.
so anyway... you never revealed why you decided to get off of effexor - you just wanted to see how you were without it?
> > Mark:
> >
> > Considering that you've been an Effexor user for eight or more years, you had to be among the first users of that drug, I would think. Why did you come off of it after so long? What did you think of it.
> >
> > The subject line of this thread is "permanent problems after total withdrawal". What is the reference to permenance about?
Posted by tme on January 17, 2001, at 1:39:43
In reply to Re: permanent problems after total withdrawal, posted by Bob on January 14, 2001, at 0:16:42
oh yeah,
i went on effexor because of anxiety due to a situation i was going through. well that situation was taken care of years ago!! i knew i didnt need it anymore....(take 1mg of klonopin though for the lingering anxiety and im doing great) anyway, i just kept buying the stuff and taking the stuff and everytime i tried to get off of it, i went right back on it..you know why i did that!! but this time, knowing i didnt need it and not wanting to be a prisoner to a "PILL" i got off of it. im doing wonderful though..took me awhile to get here. my husband still thinks im a bit bitchy, but hahaha, bad news for him. this IS the real me!! lol he must pick up his dirty socks now!! lol j/ting. after the "effexor" experiance, im just really leary now of taking anything that hasnt been around for a very long time. watched a show about new pills. like younger than 10 years old. was scary, and i knew exactly what they were talking about. remember phen phen?? look at what that did to people!! ruined heart valves for a few pounds?? how come they didnt know that BEFORE they put it out on the market. and im sure youve heard of viagra. i believe they were trying to come up with a heart drug and found it worked better....in other places. we are all just guinea pigs if we keep taking these drugs before theyve been outon the market for 10 years or more. this is my new opinon after effexor. ya know, effexor did work for me, but i think valium or something wouldve worked just as well and i know they wouldnt of just let mekeep taking that for so long. i think some docs just like to keep the drug companys happy and to hell with us...gee am i a bit skeptical? yeah, just remember, all of this is JUST my opinon. how long have you been off of it?? and yes, wasnt it just a breeze getting off? would you recommend anybody take it?
Posted by MarkinBoston on January 17, 2001, at 16:59:34
In reply to permanent problems after total withdrawal, posted by mark123 on January 13, 2001, at 0:06:04
Effexor is the only effective AD I've found. In previous episodes, despite my pdoc's encouragement to stay on for maintenance, I stopped once depression had resolved and I was only apathetic/passionless, sweaty, and anorgasmic. I had no withdrawl problems and the above problems resolved after stopping Effexor. I'm thinking of doing the same thing this go round and trying JohnL's cocktail for maintenance.
Posted by Bob on January 17, 2001, at 21:24:21
In reply to Re: permanent problems after total withdrawal, posted by MarkinBoston on January 17, 2001, at 16:59:34
> Effexor is the only effective AD I've found. In previous episodes, despite my pdoc's encouragement to stay on for maintenance, I stopped once depression had resolved and I was only apathetic/passionless, sweaty, and anorgasmic. I had no withdrawl problems and the above problems resolved after stopping Effexor. I'm thinking of doing the same thing this go round and trying JohnL's cocktail for maintenance.
You're saying that eventually you're depression cleared up, but you were left with the unpleasant side effects. Then you weaned yourself off of effexor with no withdrawal??? Anyway, I the underlying depression problem eventually came back, and now you are going to try the amisulpride and adrafinil combo? If you really had now withdrawal coming off effexor, I wish I could find out how you managed that!
Posted by Bob on January 17, 2001, at 21:24:22
In reply to Re: permanent problems after total withdrawal, posted by MarkinBoston on January 17, 2001, at 16:59:34
> Effexor is the only effective AD I've found. In previous episodes, despite my pdoc's encouragement to stay on for maintenance, I stopped once depression had resolved and I was only apathetic/passionless, sweaty, and anorgasmic. I had no withdrawl problems and the above problems resolved after stopping Effexor. I'm thinking of doing the same thing this go round and trying JohnL's cocktail for maintenance.
You're saying that eventually you're depression cleared up, but you were left with the unpleasant side effects. Then you weaned yourself off of effexor with no withdrawal??? Anyway, I the underlying depression problem eventually came back, and now you are going to try the amisulpride and adrafinil combo? If you really had now withdrawal coming off effexor, I wish I could find out how you managed that!
Posted by Bob on January 17, 2001, at 22:18:12
In reply to Re: permanent problems after total withdrawal, posted by MarkinBoston on January 17, 2001, at 16:59:34
> Effexor is the only effective AD I've found. In previous episodes, despite my pdoc's encouragement to stay on for maintenance, I stopped once depression had resolved and I was only apathetic/passionless, sweaty, and anorgasmic. I had no withdrawl problems and the above problems resolved after stopping Effexor. I'm thinking of doing the same thing this go round and trying JohnL's cocktail for maintenance.
I really loved your statement you made in your post with the quote: "I stopped once depression had resolved and I was only apathetic/passionless, sweaty, and anorgasmic." That really sums up in a nutshell what a "responder" to an SSRI goes through. First you you adjust to the med, then you feel good, then you start struggling with side effects, then the depression seems to be going away (provided the medecine is working well!), then all that's left is a bunch of side effects, but you start to lose your drive and desire for things.
This is the end of the thread.
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