Is medication to blame? Please help :(

[ana]

I'm reading it now, thank you.

[KK77]

Robin, if your programme cures me of this, I'm having a statue of you erected in the town square!

Statue of me and Mogs too please, Ana

[ana]

Shouldn't it be you who erects a statue of me?
Some fan you are!

[KK77]

Mogs and I inspected the Town Square of which you speak and there is more than enough space for a statue of you too, so fear not

PS - Which brand of Ven do you take?

[ana]

Haha! I'm glad there'll be a space for a statue of me.

Well I'm in Croatia, so the brand I use is Pliva. I take the 75 mg ones. I'm really curious as to what my therapist will say when I see her in two days. I'll take her advice and lower the dose if she thinks it's possible that the medication is stimulating my nervous system. I've not had panic attacks since Thursday, though my heart was racing over night last night and is beating fast again this morning. :(

[KK77]

It's not as if you take up much space anyway - you could probably fit through Mogs' cat-flap

Are they the prolonged release capsules? The immediate release tablets are like crack cocaine and should be banned forthwith

[ana]

Guess I'm on crack cocaine then!

Haha aw I'll take the cat-flap comment as a compliment. One thing I've not noticed with Venlafaxine which I have noticed with Escitalopram is that the former doesn't make me feel brighter, less depressed, if you will. Even though Escitalopram wasn't working for my depersonalisation, it was making me happier, giving me a brighter outlook on things...

[KK77]

Guess I'm on crack cocaine then!

Ask for the prolonged release capsules because the immediate release ones cause more side effects. The slow release helps IMO. I was getting awful mood swings on immediate tabs and asked to be given the XL capsules. I think it makes a difference, Ana.

[ana]

Ooh, okay, I'll ask her. My therapist did mention the slow release ones initially, but wasn't keen on putting me on them. I didn't have any side effect with Venlafaxine, except for a little bit of nausea when I'd take them on an empty stomach. Escitalopram was causing me nausea for weeks - it was unbearable. :(

[MyNameIsTerry]

The prolonged release have a closer half life to some SSRI's like Sertraline so tend to be smoother. The immediate release have such a short half life that missing one dose puts you in withdrawal so your blood plasma levels are up & down more.