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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 14 of 14. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by nmk on August 29, 2002, at 13:07:50
I am going through a horrendous post-partum depression/anxiety and can't seem to get my meds straightened out. I have tried zoloft at 100 mg for 6 weeks but didn't have any luck. I have been on effexor xr for three weeks now and am up to 150 mg. I have been on 150 mg for one week and although the anxiety and depression are slightly better than at 75mg, I am still experiencing depression, feelings of depersonalization, and an overall "spacey" feeling. I see my doc on tues and am wondering if I need to talk about a med change or adjustment. Will increasing the effexor make me more spaced-out or could it help? I don't know what to do at this point and am trying to be a mom to three kids and work-full time but am emotionally void. I just want to feel normal again.
Posted by Ritch on August 30, 2002, at 0:57:22
In reply to Should I stop taking Effexor?, posted by nmk on August 29, 2002, at 13:07:50
> I am going through a horrendous post-partum depression/anxiety and can't seem to get my meds straightened out. I have tried zoloft at 100 mg for 6 weeks but didn't have any luck. I have been on effexor xr for three weeks now and am up to 150 mg. I have been on 150 mg for one week and although the anxiety and depression are slightly better than at 75mg, I am still experiencing depression, feelings of depersonalization, and an overall "spacey" feeling. I see my doc on tues and am wondering if I need to talk about a med change or adjustment. Will increasing the effexor make me more spaced-out or could it help? I don't know what to do at this point and am trying to be a mom to three kids and work-full time but am emotionally void. I just want to feel normal again.
Just a suggestion, but you might want to try a switch from Effexor to Prozac. It seems you might do much better with "activating" meds, rather than sedative ones. Feeling "emotionally void", "spaced-out",seems to be more commonly experienced by the "sedative" SSRI's. Effexor, Paxil, Luvox, Zoloft or Celexa (to a lesser extent) are more commonly sedative than Prozac. Individuals will vary, however. There are other options, too. Desipramine (a tricyclic) can be quite activating. Wellbutrin+SSRI can work quite well. I have found that Effexor+Wellbutrin can work quite well.
Mitch
Posted by denise528 on August 30, 2002, at 8:07:11
In reply to Re: Should I stop taking Effexor? » nmk, posted by Ritch on August 30, 2002, at 0:57:22
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Posted by nmk on August 30, 2002, at 8:16:41
In reply to Re: Should I stop taking Effexor? » nmk, posted by Ritch on August 30, 2002, at 0:57:22
Thanks for the advice Mitch. If I do switch to one of the more activating SSRI's, will this aggravate my anxiety? It is still pretty intense on most days and I take ativan as needed. I don't know which is worse, to feel anxious or numb.
Posted by sleepy lizard on August 30, 2002, at 18:22:26
In reply to Should I stop taking Effexor?, posted by nmk on August 29, 2002, at 13:07:50
I have been taking Effexor XR for about 13 weeks now. It works after a month or more. I've found it has less side effects than Paxil and Celexa, and it seems to be activating at doses of 150 mg and up (I've tried up to 225 mg). It does not make me feel spaced out, but results vary. It also limits my depression and anxiety. However I eventually got anorgasmia so I dropped the dose to 75 mg and added 300 mg Wellbutrin SR. That is really activating. Basically the Effexor increases serotonin and at 150 mg/day increases norepinephrine too. The Wellbutrin increases norepinephrine and dopamine. I hope you side effects lift and you get some relief from your depression/anxiety soon.
Posted by fairnymph on August 30, 2002, at 19:51:59
In reply to Should I stop taking Effexor?, posted by nmk on August 29, 2002, at 13:07:50
If you are tolerating the effexor well, I would suggest going up in dosage. Effexor did nothing for me until I reached 300 mg, and it was most effective at 400-450 mg. I personally think that the low doses of effexor that are frequently prescribed are much less effective.
Also, 3 weeks isn't quite enough (especially at that dose) to really begin feeling better; you need to give it a bit more time.
Good luck and I hope you feel better soon...
~fairnymph
Posted by Terri C. on August 30, 2002, at 21:37:18
In reply to Should I stop taking Effexor?, posted by nmk on August 29, 2002, at 13:07:50
Everyone has a different story to tell with hopes of helping someone else. After two months of tapering up to 300 mg of Effexor daily, I started having blackouts lasting up to 24 hours. Prior to these blackouts, I was experiencing similar feelings as those you've described...spaced out, depersonalization. I also experienced HYPERlibido, which is almost as frustrating as hypolibido.
Whatever you choose to do, just be very attentive to how you're feeling, and ask friends and family to lend their perspectives. I was afraid to talk to people about how I was feeling, but in retrospect, I wish I'd have shared my feelings with someone close.
There are an equal amount of stories shared by those of us who have discontinued Effexor. There are serious withdrawal effects, so if you make the decision to DC, do it with your physician's advice and your family's love and support. I wish you the best!!
Posted by Ritch on August 30, 2002, at 23:13:36
In reply to Re: Should I stop taking Effexor?, posted by nmk on August 30, 2002, at 8:16:41
> Thanks for the advice Mitch. If I do switch to one of the more activating SSRI's, will this aggravate my anxiety? It is still pretty intense on most days and I take ativan as needed. I don't know which is worse, to feel anxious or numb.
I know what you mean by that last statement. I really liked Prozac. There were just a few things that it did to me so severely that I couldn't handle taking it any longer (after seven years)-diarrhea (several times a day), acid reflux at night, and insomnia (broken sleep). If it were not for those adverse events, I would gladly take it. It was a little "buzzy" and "activating" compared to the others, but I really felt well in my head at least while I was taking it (during the daytime).Mitch
Posted by d miller on September 3, 2002, at 11:31:20
In reply to Re: Should I stop taking Effexor?, posted by fairnymph on August 30, 2002, at 19:51:59
> If you are tolerating the effexor well, I would suggest going up in dosage. Effexor did nothing for me until I reached 300 mg, and it was most effective at 400-450 mg. I personally think that the low doses of effexor that are frequently prescribed are much less effective.
>
> Also, 3 weeks isn't quite enough (especially at that dose) to really begin feeling better; you need to give it a bit more time.
>
> Good luck and I hope you feel better soon...
>
> ~fairnymph
FairnymphI'm gald I came across your post becasue I'm have now increased my effexor to 225mg, at 200mg I was feeling normal for most of the month. I have not felt that good since before Christmas last year. As of 4 days ago the depression and anxiety has come back and hit me like a ton a bricks. I'm so sad because I thought I was on the road to recovery. My Pdoc is a believer of going to the highest dose before giving up. I see him tommorow so I'll see what he has to say.
You have gone up to 400mg, are you still on effexor and did you do well on that high of a dosage?
dmiller
Posted by nmk on September 3, 2002, at 12:40:29
In reply to Re: Should I stop taking Effexor?, posted by d miller on September 3, 2002, at 11:31:20
Don't give up hope. I met with my pdoc a few hours ago and he is increasing my effexor to 225mg. If that doesn't do it after a week, he says he will increase to 300mg, which is a typical therapeutic dose for his patients. If you don't get any relief soon, you may want to increase (provided the side effects are tolerable). Do you feel "spaced-out" on effexor? My doctor states that this is caused by the depression, not the effexor. Hang in there and good luck with your appt.
Nicole
Posted by fairnymph on September 3, 2002, at 14:40:55
In reply to Re: Should I stop taking Effexor?, posted by d miller on September 3, 2002, at 11:31:20
> > If you are tolerating the effexor well, I would suggest going up in dosage. Effexor did nothing for me until I reached 300 mg, and it was most effective at 400-450 mg. I personally think that the low doses of effexor that are frequently prescribed are much less effective.
> >
> > Also, 3 weeks isn't quite enough (especially at that dose) to really begin feeling better; you need to give it a bit more time.
> >
> > Good luck and I hope you feel better soon...
> >
> > ~fairnymph
>
>
> Fairnymph
>
> I'm gald I came across your post becasue I'm have now increased my effexor to 225mg, at 200mg I was feeling normal for most of the month. I have not felt that good since before Christmas last year. As of 4 days ago the depression and anxiety has come back and hit me like a ton a bricks. I'm so sad because I thought I was on the road to recovery. My Pdoc is a believer of going to the highest dose before giving up. I see him tommorow so I'll see what he has to say.
>
> You have gone up to 400mg, are you still on effexor and did you do well on that high of a dosage?
>
> dmillerDmiller --
That sounds good, I think your dr is on the right track. I had the exact same problem as you -- I went on the Effexor and was tolerating it well and it starting helping (once I got to 300 mg) but then after a few weeks at that dose, my symptoms began returning so I went up to 350 mg. A few weeks later, and the same thing happened again...until I was at the max dose, 450 mg. A few more weeks later, it pooped out. :(
I'm now taking it again, a year later, and I seem to be more sensitive to it. I'm only taking 200 mg (which helps lsightly but not enough), unfortunately I can't afford to take any more at the moment.
I have always tolerated Effexor exceedingly well, and I don't get any more side effects at higher doses than I do at lower ones. I can't orgasm, of course, and my libido is slightly reduced, and my appetite is somewhat repressed...but otherwise I have no side effects. I really like Effexor; it's a shame it stopped working for me.
~fairnymph
Posted by Robin.d.j on September 3, 2002, at 16:20:41
In reply to Re: Should I stop taking Effexor? » d miller, posted by fairnymph on September 3, 2002, at 14:40:55
HI I took effexor 37.5mg for 7 days then increased to 75mg for 4 days ..iusally take to most meds very fast , but after 11 days went to the hospital for 6 days ..told the doctor the amount I was taking and he said that is way to low of a dose for your family doc to get you to take ..the psycho doc has now got me on 30 mg of remeron and I took to it in 5 days ..feeling alot better now ..during the day he has me taking clorazepam 0.5mg and that helps reduce the anxiety..I'm just new at having serious depression and anxiety, but I have to say going from wanting to kill myself to eating 3 times a day and forgetting about the past is easier to day than last week and I am functioning and getting out again...The people on this sight that I would like to call friends have been wonderfully supportive..may you find the right advise and find peace in your life..God only knows thats what we are seaching for and we will find it (*:
Robin
Posted by LynnPerley on September 3, 2002, at 23:02:06
In reply to Should I stop taking Effexor?, posted by nmk on August 29, 2002, at 13:07:50
As the others have said, you may want to consider waiting it out and increasing the dosage. I used the starter pack then stayed on 150 mg for 60 days, felt it poop out, and then went up to 225 mg. The higher dosage was a big help to me. After 75 days on 225 mg, I'm going to try and cut down in a few weeks to see if I can wean off or switch to another med or combo due to constipation/digestive side effects. I am hoping I can retain the many benefits at a lower dosage of effexor xr combined with something else while getting rid of the constipation etc.
Posted by nmk on September 4, 2002, at 9:26:30
In reply to Re: Should I stop taking Effexor? » nmk, posted by LynnPerley on September 3, 2002, at 23:02:06
Thank you all so much for your help, I can't believe I found such a supportive group of people. I went to my pdoc yesterday and he increased my effexor to 225 mg and he added Adderrall xr 5mg. I will keep my fingers crossed. Is anyone else on SSRI's plus stimulants? This combo scares me a bit.
This is the end of the thread.
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