Shown: posts 1 to 10 of 10. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Mud on September 2, 2001, at 12:52:45
I'm beginning my fourth year on effexor xr this month. The drug has been a lifesaver for me, taking away the depression that I'd lved with as long as I could remember, giving me a boost of energy that had been missing, just basically making life more livable...in fact, making life enjoyable for the first time. I've joked from the first that I know what would happen if I had to get off the effexor: Someone would have to go into my brain with a hammer, to that entrance to my depressive side, and pull out the nails that this medication used to keep that entry shut for these years. And that would no doubt give me an awful headache. But I guess I feel like it would be worth it, that these three years without depression have been such a wonderful glimpse of the life I imagined other people living.
So what I would like to start is a thread for people who are long-term users, who perhaps see themselves as potential lifetime users. Is this a good place for that, or is there somewhere else on the web where this thread would be a better fit?
I'm soon to be fifty-one, so began taking this at forty-eight, after too many years of depression, anxiety, etc.
Anyone interested?
Posted by Sea on September 2, 2001, at 14:40:14
In reply to Beginning my fourth year..., posted by Mud on September 2, 2001, at 12:52:45
> I'm beginning my fourth year on effexor xr this month. The drug has been a lifesaver for me, taking away the depression that I'd lved with as long as I could remember, giving me a boost of energy that had been missing, just basically making life more livable...in fact, making life enjoyable for the first time.
< snip, snip >
> So what I would like to start is a thread for people who are long-term users, who perhaps see themselves as potential lifetime users.
< snip >
> Anyone interested?Mud,
I would certainly like to see more from those who have had success with effexor. I have just started effexor (3 weeks) and feel that it is helping. I'd like to hear more about your experiences with this drug and hear from other long-term users. Did you have much difficulty with side effects in the beginning? How high did you need to go on the dose? Were there times along the way that you considered stopping effexor? If so, what convinced you to continue?
We hear a lot about negatives of effexor and not enough about the successes. I think this thread could be very helpful to those of us just starting effexor and those deciding whether to try it, as well as a forum for those taking effexor long-term.
Thanks for starting this thread.
Sea
Posted by Mud on September 2, 2001, at 16:24:17
In reply to Re: Beginning my fourth year..., posted by Sea on September 2, 2001, at 14:40:14
Sea-
I didn't have any awful side effects, certainly nothing that would make me want to stop taking effexor. There was a lot of exhileration for me in the first few weeks, enough that I told my wife I didn't see how anyone could even think about being depressed with this drug. And that's the way it's been for me for three years.
I started out on the low dosage, building up over about a week to 150mg, and that is where I still am today. I haven't felt any need whatsoever to increase the dose, nor have I ever wanted to stop taking it. It's just been a nice time from day 1...improved outlook, lessened anxiety, better relationships with my wife and family, more enjoyment of all aspects of life. I may qualify as an effexor xr poster child, except that I'm too old.
Posted by Sea on September 2, 2001, at 18:05:15
In reply to Re: Beginning my fourth year..., posted by Mud on September 2, 2001, at 16:24:17
Thanks Mud, great success story!
Sea
Posted by Andre Allard on September 2, 2001, at 20:06:16
In reply to Beginning my fourth year..., posted by Mud on September 2, 2001, at 12:52:45
I am now on my third trial of effexor.
1rst trial:
Over a three week period I worked up to 225mg and it was a lifesaver along with 100mg trazadone at night. If I took the trazadone away I would drop a bit. After 2 months, I noticed the effects waring off slightly but my doctor did not want to increase the dose. After 5 months of effexor, I was beginning to get sick and tired of taking over an hour to ejaculate during intercourse. I decided to go off the drug.
2nd trial:
Over three weeks, I worked up to 225mg again. After six weeks, I was still depressed so I bumped the dosage up to 300mg. That dosage did not work either so I came off and tried other meds. I blamed the effexor for not working but now that I look back on it no drug could have done the job considering little was going on in my life.
3rd trial:
The reason I upstarted effexor every time was because I could not get similiar relief out of any other med. Every time I went back on effexor I was hoping that it would change my life the way it did the first time and every time I ended up disapointed. This time, I started at 150mg along with the usual 100mg trazadone. Although my social anxiety was gone the depression had not lifted completly considering that I had two very serious suicide attempts during this period(the first attempt my heart stopped beating, the second time I damaged my liver and kidneys).
While in the hospital recovering from the second attempt, the pdoc I consulted with suggested pushing the dosage up to 375mg. That dosage did help and once I got my life into gear my depression had been the best since this whole game started. But, nothing lasts forever and just like previous, I noticed my anxiety and depression coming back. My girlfriend left me and I lost my job shortly after (I lost both because of my illness). I overdosed for a fifth time with no success and decided to increase the effexor to 450mg along with trazadone and 3g L-tryptophan. This seems to be doing not to bad although I still feel something is missing.Over the last two years being off and on effexor, I haved tried augmenting with valproic acid, lamictal, wellbutrin, quitiapine and resperidone to no evale. My plan is to increase the dose every few months or so when I notice the effects warring. If one day I am up to 750mg effexor then that is what it is going to take. I realize that I cannot simply keep on cranking the dose up forever. When that day comes, when mega dosages of effexor do not do anything anymore, I pray that by then there will be a new miracle drug for me.
The only other drug that has worked great has been olanzapine. I could not handle the insatiable cravings.
At the moment I experience only a few side effects. Trazadone takes care of the insomnia, decreased appetite and the inability to relax my body. I combat the constipation with a drug I purchase over the counter that increases the intestinal contractions - effexor does the opposite. L-tryptophan is for appetite and it further helps me to relax. Finally, the grogginess I experience from the L-tryptophan is masked by 20mg ephidrine once or twice/day.
Posted by k9lover on September 3, 2001, at 7:46:43
In reply to Beginning my fourth year..., posted by Mud on September 2, 2001, at 12:52:45
Great thread. Sometimes I think nothing works, but then, when there's a longevity thread, I realize I have good and bad days. All of them better then the pre-AD days. I'm on year three of Paxil and BuSpar and will be forever. And that is OK by me!
Jan
Posted by SLS on September 3, 2001, at 10:29:56
In reply to Re: Beginning my fourth year..., posted by Andre Allard on September 2, 2001, at 20:06:16
Hi Andre.
Two things occur to me. You can try Geodon in place of Zyprexa and avoid the increased appetite and weight gain. The other thing is to add Serzone to Effexor. That you felt better with trazodone might be an indicator of its efficacy. The other advantage to Serzone is that it might eliminate your sexual side-effects.
Take care.
- Scott
Posted by angel1 on September 4, 2001, at 22:44:53
In reply to Beginning my fourth year..., posted by Mud on September 2, 2001, at 12:52:45
> I'm beginning my fourth year on effexor xr this month. The drug has been a lifesaver for me, taking away the depression that I'd lved with as long as I could remember, giving me a boost of energy that had been missing, just basically making life more livable...in fact, making life enjoyable for the first time. I've joked from the first that I know what would happen if I had to get off the effexor: Someone would have to go into my brain with a hammer, to that entrance to my depressive side, and pull out the nails that this medication used to keep that entry shut for these years. And that would no doubt give me an awful headache. But I guess I feel like it would be worth it, that these three years without depression have been such a wonderful glimpse of the life I imagined other people living.
> So what I would like to start is a thread for people who are long-term users, who perhaps see themselves as potential lifetime users. Is this a good place for that, or is there somewhere else on the web where this thread would be a better fit?
> I'm soon to be fifty-one, so began taking this at forty-eight, after too many years of depression, anxiety, etc.
> Anyone interested?IT IS SUCH A RELIEF TO FIND A THREAD WITH A SUCCESS STORY. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING
YOURS WITH EVERYONE HERE. IT IS ESPECIALLY
NICE TO HEAR AN EFFEXOR SUCCESS STORY. ALL I
READ ABOUT IT IS THE HORRIBLE SIDE EFFECTS.
WE NEED MORE SUCCESS STORIES ON THIS SITE.
IT GIVES ME HOPE ONCE AGAIN THAT THERE IS SOMETHING OUT THERE THAT CAN POSSIBLY WORK FOR
ME! THANK YOU AND CONTINUE TO BE WELL TO LIVE
YOUR LIFE!!!!!
Posted by Waterlily on September 5, 2001, at 12:29:36
In reply to Beginning my fourth year..., posted by Mud on September 2, 2001, at 12:52:45
Is this thread only for long-term Effexor users or for long-time antidepressant users in general? I first started on Zoloft when postpartum depression hit after the birth of my second daughter when I was 25. That daughter turned 7 just a few days ago. I switched to Wellbutrin after two years of Zoloft and have been on it ever since. I have had several failed attempts to go off antidepressants but never even got completely off before the depression and irritability came back. My psychiatrist now says that he expects I will need it for the rest of my life. I don't even want to attempt going off again because it takes me months to return to normal. I'm extremely grateful that I respond to antidepressants because my sister-in-law doesn't and needs to be hospitalized about 60 days out of every year.
Posted by tobycat on September 5, 2001, at 19:13:56
In reply to Beginning my fourth year..., posted by Mud on September 2, 2001, at 12:52:45
I spent my whole life wondering if I would ever be able to be like "regular people". Effexor XR did the trick for me after I had tried just about everything else without success. Before the Effexor I was constantly worried and filled with anxiety to the extent that I did not socialize and avoided situations where I would have to be in a crowd or be with a lot of strangers. I was also so down that I slept all the time, had no energy or enthusiasm at work, and totally lost my libido. Within two weeks of starting Effexor all that changed around and it has been smooth sailing ever since. The initial side effects were not fun, but I am SO glad I stuck it through.
I don't envision wanting to ever stop taking the Effexor because it has clearly corrected the lifelong chemical imbalance in my brain. After all these years I have finally become the person that I've always wanted to be: social, confident, and happy!
Many thanks to Mud for starting this thread. It's important to share our successes as well as challenges!
This is the end of the thread.
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