effexor anybody

[Rozia]

Dr. wants me to try but I just dont know . I have had 2 and it makes me jumpy , heart racing and just feeling sickly . Ug :(

[Jim59]

I took Effexor in 2002 after my Mom passed away. That was also before they had mania listed as a known possible side effect and of course it caused me to become manic for several days. That said, my younger Sister used it successfully without incident. I was taking 7 other meds at the time so who really knows. Before the manic episode it worked wonderfully for me. I'd give it a try because I wouldn't fear taking it again if necessary.
Jim

[zoso a.k.a Neil]

)))))))))))))))))Greetings(((((((((((((((((((
I have been on Effexor for a while now and they did take a bit of getting used to.The side effects ; if you get any go after a little while .I started on 100 mg one a day but am now using 2 50mg as i find that more useful as i do intend to try to come off them at some point.So i take 1 at night then if i feel myself slipping down that hole during the day day then i take another.
They are said to be difficult to come off of but we will see.
Your libido may also take a dive but if you have a partner that may not be a problem.
I was glad of something which would calm me down.
You have been warned.
I am also trying 5htp to boost my flagging serotonin levels.Check it out.
Good luck with it.
>>>>>>Zoso<<<<<<

[moose53]

((((((Rozia)))))),

I've been taking Effexor XR for a couple of years now for neuropathic pain and fibromyalgia.

One of my doctors tried to increase it once for depression :eek: Bad. Bad. Racy brain.

There's a type of adrenaline in there. That's what's giving you that feeling. Either your dosage is too high or the doctor ramped you up too fast or you won't be able to take it.

You have to be very-very careful when taking this med. If you skip too many doses or quit cold turkey, you will suffer horrible withdrawal symptoms.

You said you had taken "two" -- two at the same time Or two different times?? If you're taking two at once, that's too fast to ramp up. You are taking this under the supervision of a doctor -- right??

You might have the doctor start you at a lower dose. If you're taking this for depression, you might want to try prozac instead -- it doesn't have the adrenaline ingredient.

Good luck. Hugs.

Barb

[joy]

hello

Now I am wondering if I should have gone ahead and tried this medicine. I DO have peripheral neuropathy but this is what I asked about - I said, I don't think I am depressed BUT I just don't seem to be able to get anything done. Is there something that would MAKE me want to get up and do housework? Of course later the nurses all laughed and said if it works let me know! When I went home and read up on it I decided to not take it. Of course I still am not doing housework either. The adrenaline ingredient now has me wondering if it would have worked. I take 3 high blood pressure meds so I have that to consider also. Any thoughts on this anyone?

[moose53]

((((((Joy)))))),

I'm having the same problem. No incentive. No get up and go. No housework done :p

For me, the Effexor XR works fantastically for the pain in my hands and feet and for my fibromyalgia.

I do have some depression going on. And it's not working for that. Even though it should.

As I mentioned above, one of my doctors tried increasing the dose and I just had that horrible racy feeling. Couldn't sleep at all. Plus my pain was worse. My doctor didn't understand that. I think it was because the drug combination that's in the current dosage was JUST RIGHT for pain relief and shouldn't be messed with -- for me anyway.

I don't know if I mentioned that I was in a clinical trial for Cymbalta (which is chemically the same thing) and I got kicked out of the trial because I had fantastic pain relief but it didn't do a darn thing for my depression.

When I was talking with the investigator that was researching the Cymbalta (this was before it was available for sale), he said that when it was available that it would be possible for me to take the Cymbalta (or the Effexor XR) for pain relief and to take the Prozac for the depression.

I don't know if you've ever been diagnosed with depression. Some people like me pretty much have it their whole lives. But, then, there are other people that get depressed as a reaction to being sick for awhile. I imagine it's a side effect of feeling less able to do what you used to be able to do and also probably a side effect of all the drugs that we take.

It might be worth your while to get the doctor to prescribe the Prozac to see what happens. I took Prozac for 20 years (for depression) and was taking it when I came down with the neuropathy. It cut the sharpness of the pain but didn't eliminate it totally like the Effexor XR and the Cymbalta do for me. I was able to work full-time while I was taking it though. I went off it because my insurance wouldn't pay for the brand-name and the generic causes a bad in me.

If you don't want to go the medical route, there's another way that you might want to look into. Dr. Abraham Low -- Recovery, Incorporated. http://www.recovery-inc.com Dr. Low passed on quite a few years ago. He believed that people who had been hospitalized for psychiatric problems needed a method for coping with life issues when they came out of the hospital. He developed this very regimented program for teaching people how to cope.

He believed that no matter how lousy you felt, you should still be able to MOVE YOUR MUSCLES. You could get up, take a shower, get dressed, make your bed, eat your breakfast, wash the breakfast dishes. He believed that all of these small steps that you took gave you a feeling of at least getting 'something' accomplished. And that feeling would grow as you did more.

When you think about it, it's true. If you were going to see a World Series baseball game or see Elvis Presley live in concert, you would get up and do what you needed to do to get there on time. But, when it comes to our day-to-day 'boring' things -- harder to get going.

They have meetings all over the world. Usually in a church basement. There's usually no cost or just a small fee for cleaning the church after you leave. You can get the books at the library until you decide whether or not this would work for you.

They use a very precise manner of speaking to describe how they're feeling.

If you're interested, have them send you a newsletter so you can see what's like.

It works for some people. For some people, it doesn't. But, it is another alternative to taking more drugs.

Good luck. Hugs.

Barb

[joy]

Appoligies to Rozia for butting in but hopefully the conversation was helpful to you.

Thanks Barbara. I will go back later and read thouroughy the information on the link. I quickly scanned it and discovered there are no meetings in the state I live in.

I will probe further and still may request the newsletter like you suggested. I tryly don't think I am depressed. I have heard that those who have anxiety are depressed and I do at times have anxiety. Not as much as one would expect considering my health, my husband's, daugheter's etc. But I just can't get anything done!! And that's a bit of a bummer at times. We don't have company anyhow but it would be nice for the occasional person that does come by for various reasons to have a place to sit in a fairly clean spot, lol.

Who knows? I might even ask people over like I loved to do back when I was healthy. I never felt better than back when I could walk. As you said, just getting up and having a purpose was nice. I'd walk and found that I had more energy. I loved it so much that I overdid bringing on spine problems. I have bone on bone on my left hip and my arthritis doctor said no more exercise unless in a pool. That was great until the water became a problem with my firbromyalgia. Of course the not driving much is now the problem. I did however get my husband to take me to my first Tai Chi class. I heard it would be good for my balance problems. I hope I get to continue it. That might be just the ticket to my troubles. I am hopeful in any case. Thanks for replying. :)

[Rozia]

well ended up not taking it . too spooky on nothing now , except Keppra . Just will have to up the doseage on it. thanks all

[Kristina]

I took it a couple of years ago for about a year and my neighbor was taking it too. She and I noticed a big craving for wine/achlohol. She and I weened ourselves and BOY were we in for a shock! The withdrawels weren't pleasant, I can tell you that. I won't be using that med again...