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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 3 of 3. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by paulk on June 2, 2001, at 5:03:48
First let me say – I would recommend Effexor even if my cataracts are due to the drug – this would be a very infrequent side effect which might not even be related to Effexor. Please don't let this scare you from using Effexor.Sorry if I duplicated this post – I couldn’t find it with manual or automatic search, so I’m putting it up again.
I took Effexor for many years – 75mg with good effect except for the sex dysfunction.
I recently was diagnosed to have bi-lateral posterior sub-capsular cataracts (the kind normally seen by diabetics or folks on steroids (and not the old age cataracts) I also started having memory/cognitive/apathy/fatigue problems that led me to stop the drug. My memory is back – but so is my atypical depression.
The PDR listed cataracts but not the type. Where would one go to find out the type listed in the PDR?
Towards the end I could get a good AD effect on only 37mg of Effexor – I wonder if I might have slowed metabolizing one of the metabolites – which might have caused the Cataracts and the side effects I was getting.
I also take Prylosec, a low .25/day dose of Clonazepam and Synthroid. (I tried stopping taking Clonazepam for a few weeks but did not get any change in memory/cognitive/apathy/fatigue problems)
My psy doc thought I might need a higher dose – that doesn’t seem to be the case – I tried going up to 75 mg – had much worse memory problems – (at one time I could take 150mg without problems) and now that I stopped the Effexor, I am much better aside from the depression/anxiety.
Any comments on this would be appreciated.
Effexor & Cataract
Posted by Cam W. on June 2, 2001, at 11:28:18
In reply to Effexor Cataract Cam, Elizabeth, posted by paulk on June 2, 2001, at 5:03:48
Paul - I really did a thourough search for cataracts from Effexor™ (venlafaxine) and the only place that I found any mention was in the PDR under very rare side effects.. Not even PubMed or mentalhealth.com. Even the Canadian PDR, the CPS made no mention of it. I had definitely not heard it before. The CPS usually goes overboard in the reporting of side effects. I have been expecting to see hangnails show up as a side effect in some new drug.
I have had trouble with accomodation (focusing) with each dose increase, but this is lasted only a day or three.
I did find something interesting with regards to St.Johns Wort, though. Seems someone has connected cataracts to SJW and sun worshippers. See:
http://web.nami.org/camden/vol7is2/page4.html
There has been some debate on Seroquel™ (quetiapine) causing cataracts at high doses, but this has never been seen in humans, only dogs. I wonder if the cataracts showed up in preclinical trials with animals. Perhaps the researchers had a wonky batch of animals. Genetic inbreeding of critters used in research was a problem 20 years ago. As an aside, it was a bad batch of rodents in early LSD experiments that led researchers to conclude that LSD caused teratogenic mutations in offspring. Ya want to scare people, go for the gonads.
The PDF side effect profile lists everything that happened in animals and people during trials of the drug. Many of the very rare side effects are never seen again and a causal relationship of the side effect to the drug is seldom proven when it occurs in one or two people (or animals) out of the thousands tested. The company lists every side effect that occurs so that the FDA cannot come back at them and say they were hiding information, and also to cover their ass in the event of a lawsuit.
I will hazard a guess that cataracts showed up in one person or batch of animals and is totally unrelated to the Effexor. I have been wrong before, but we would have heard more on this by now. Rival drug companies would eat this up.
Hope that this is of some help. - Cam
Posted by paulk on June 3, 2001, at 2:35:18
In reply to Re: Effexor Cataract Cam, Elizabeth » paulk, posted by Cam W. on June 2, 2001, at 11:28:18
>Paul - I really did a thourough search for cataracts from Effexor™ (venlafaxine) and the only place that I found any mention was in the PDR under very rare side effects.. Not even PubMed or mentalhealth.com. Even the Canadian PDR, the CPS made no mention of it. I had definitely not heard it before. The CPS usually goes overboard in the reporting of side effects. I have been expecting to see hangnails show up as a side effect in some new drug.
< grin > Yes the PDR is starting to become worthless – because it contains so much information due to litigation rather than medically useful information.
>I have had trouble with accomodation (focusing) with each dose increase, but this is lasted only a day or three.
One thing I’ve noticed going off Effexor is my accommodation has much improved – I wonder if the accommodation side-effect has an age component (I’m 46)
>The PDF side effect profile lists everything that happened in animals and people during trials of the drug. Many of the very rare side effects are never seen again and a causal relationship of the side effect to the drug is seldom proven when it occurs in one or two people (or animals) out of the thousands tested. The company lists every side effect that occurs so that the FDA cannot come back at them and say they were hiding information, and also to cover their ass in the event of a lawsuit.
Ditto – well said.
> will hazard a guess that cataracts showed up in one person or batch of animals and is totally unrelated to the Effexor. I have been wrong before, but we would have heard more on this by now. Rival drug companies would eat this up
My hunch is the cataracts and my sudden intolerance may be related by a third cause. I might just be sick and that is interfering with my metabolizing Effexor and could also cause the cataracts. I’m due to see an endroconologist who I hope might be able to sort things out.>Hope that this is of some help. – Cam
Thanks Paulk
This is the end of the thread.
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