2nd day on Venlafaxine :(

[LostTomorrow]

Hey all,
Not taken any meds for ages, Propranolol was my last months and months ago.

Started 1x 75mg of Venlafaxine yest and wow I wasn't expecting it to be so strong! All positive yesterday, smiling all the time for the 5 or so hours it seemed to last.

Today.......felt so down and anxious, not felt this low for years, spent most of the day curled up on sofa or on my bed :(

I know it's early days...day 2 lol, but how come a high yesterday and a massive low today?? Is that normal?

I don't think I could cope with 4 weeks of how I felt today:ohmy:

[spawn]

I would expect lots of high and lows, it's just how it is with the drug getting in your system,
The first 10 days or so will be worse, but you will settle. Just try to stay positive!

[nicola1980]

Hi gav is right, i take venlafaxine and its tough at first but it gets better i promise, could you ask your gp for some diazepam to help you through? I only started on 37.5mg so if things get too unbearable you could ask to start on a lower dose? Good luck x x

[kittikat]

Agree with all the above, and I also started on 37.5mg a day, you will have ups & downs for a couple of weeks, that is normal. But I have to say Ven has been a bit of a wonder drug for me and I am doing great on 112.5mg a day now. Good luck!!

Kitti :)

[butterflylion]

ive just recently been put back onto venlafaxine... tried it just over a year ago n it worked for a short period but before i knew it i was on the maximum dose 250mg and it wasnt effective... but now i have a new gp (due to moving) and he thinks its worth a try trying it again... it is a good med i cant knock it, it jsut wasnt right for me.. unfortunatly though this time i suffered quite severe sickness as a side effect but after about 6 weeks i realise that i was on the standard tablet not the modified release which has fewer side effects! i wish you all the luck in the world with it! i know how hard it is to find a med that works! im still looking 3years on!
wishing you all the best Butters x

[LostTomorrow]

Thanks for replies. Im just wanting to hide from the world at the moment.

[LostTomorrow]

Hey guys :)

When you read on various forums about going through " Hell " for the first week or two with terrible side effects.........apart from some manageable SE's like headaches, jaw clenching, tingles all over, headaches, the only hell I am experiencing is far more severe anxiety, almost to the point where I can't leave the house ( Was never that bad before ). Is this the hell people refer to?

The other day, day after I posted the above thread, I was sure I was having a nervous breakdown, yesterday I had a cry.

I think I'm on day 5, I'm trying my best to have positive thoughts but I'm scared when I return to the DR in 3 weeks time that I'm going to be worse than before I started these meds. Ven doesn't seem as strong now, I get tingles all over when it starts kicking in, mainly tingles on my scalp and seems to last a lot shorter now. I take it at mid day and seem to be at my least anxious in the evenings.

I have no idea if it's slow release, it's in a plain box with no med description.

Before I started on the Ven I could go days with out anxiety, well, without really bad anxiety. Now I'm praying for a couple of hours a day without anx!

How you people in work managed to go to work when you first started Ven is beyond me!!??

Anyhow, I hope whoever reads this is having a good day.
All the best
LT

[Pipkin]

Hi there,

I promise it gets better. I worked right through the startup but needed beta blockers for the physical symptoms.

Not that I'm a clinician, but I would never have recommended you start on 75mg. Nearly all of us started on 37.5 and increased after a couple of weeks. It doesn't matter now though as you're through the worst of it so well done!

You would know the slow release as it would say in the leaflet or on the box. What brand are they? If they're standard release, it's best to take them in 2 doses, 37.5 am and pm. I recommend you discuss this with your GP. What brand are you on?

Stick with it because, when it works, it's fantastic and you'll see a huge improvement. Another week or so and you'll feel much better.

Pip xx

[pinkdove]

agree with pip i started on 37,5 mg , but it has given me my life back, stick with it, the side effects will pass, and the benefits are fantastic when your body gets used to it.

its not a quick fix as im sure you know, but i had some diazapam to help when i started, and had little or no side effecs...good luck xxx

[LostTomorrow]

Thanks guys.
Pip they came in a plain white box, no leaflet. Looking at the strips of Ven, they are a generic made by Teva. Should I ask for the real thing when I go back to DR? (Effexor)

[Pipkin]

I started on the Teva tablets - there's no problem with them, I just think you should be on a divided dose but that's your GP's call. I'd make an appointment and discuss it with him.

The standard tabs are fine but, as ven has a short half life, you'll get high blood levels for 12 hours after taking it and then the levels fall until your next tab. The options your GP should give you is standard tabs with divided dose or the modified release, once a day. I specifically asked mine about this years ago and he was clear not to take the standard ones once a day. It won't harm you, it just means you'll be a bit up and down and may feel a bit nauseous when you take them.

Putting all that aside as it's only really a minor point, stick with it and you'll really see the benefits.

Good luck

Pip

[LostTomorrow]

Cheers Pip :)

Yesterday I feel back to normal, hardly any side effects:yesyes:

I still get anxiety....but it's not as severe. I think I'm gonna ask the DR to up the dose and see what it's like then.

[Pipkin]

I would stick with 75 for a good month before increasing. I was still improving after 3 months so don't rush things. Ask about the modified release though.

Pip

[LostTomorrow]

Well Iv'e just entered week 7, I was given efexor 75mg xl x2 just over 2 weeks ago.
First week was really good....1st day of 150mg was actually! 2nd week was back to feeling shitty and like as if I hadn't taken any meds at all and the anxiety was back in full force, actually that's not quite true. I felt lousy but not anxious, I didn't want to go anywhere or do anything, I wasn't depressed, I wasn't angry & I wasn't anxious but I had some strange feeling almost like anxiety.... but not, I don't know :S I'm putting that down to the meds!
Been feeling good for last couple of days though :)

I'm due to go back to DR in less than 2 weeks, I'm assuming he will keep me at 150mg for the next few weeks, I'd really like something to take the edge off in my dips and I don't really want Diazepam or any Benzo, is there an alternative that works quite well guys?

Take care all :)

[DAC]

This is my 3rd day on Venlafaxine and I feel awful. Never taken it before. Been started on 75mg. I've had no high. I feel anxious and tearful. I don't want a life on medication.

[LostTomorrow]

Wow, over 4 years ago I posted this. Venlafaxine for me worked well, sort of. I quit it about 8/9 months ago as I felt it was making me more aggressive and less emotional but worked really well for anxiety!
I went about 5 months med free, got myself a full time job after being unemployed for over 10 years due to anxiety, I'm working 6 days a week every week and yep.... anxiety came back with a bang a few months ago :(

I would of gone back on Ven, but now that I'm in work there's no way I could go through the first couple of weeks of taking Ven without quitting my job ( I'm self employed so can't take time off ) The start of Venlafaxine for me years ago felt like some kind of nervous breakdown.
Asked Dr for something else and he put me on Mirtazapine, helps me sleep but crap for anxiety in my case :(
I've now started on citalopram, day 3 on 10mg and holy crap it's like the hell of Venlafaxine in the early stages!!
Work tomorrow is going to be shite :(
I hope this passes soon??
Meh

[pinkdove]

Could have written this myself, like you i did so well on ven then decided to slowly wean off, that was in June, and i have had a major meltdown too, I have been back on ven for 8 weeks, now at 112.5mg, extended release, i dont work, so it's easier for me, but the side effects have been awful again, just hoping it works for me 2nd time around.

Really hope you begin to feel better soon xx

[LostTomorrow]

I hope it works for you again too.
Yea horrible side effects, during my few months of no meds I had a bad couple of days and took 1 150mg effexor.....it doubled my shityness and gave me withdrawal brain shock things for over 2 weeks! 1 effexor!
I've been in bed for a few hours worrying about work tomorrow, biting my nails, staring at but not watching TV etc, anxiety has lifted for now and your reply helped :)
Your still getting side effects 8 weeks in?
Hopefully gone soon and you'll feel good, or better again x

[pinkdove]

Not sure it's side effects now, it's probably the illness, and i'm not sure if i need an increase or decrease....I know that feeling well, staring at, but not watching the telly, hard to concentrate on anything when your anxiety is that high, the funny thing is i feel better in the evening, make plans for the next day, then wham, wake up feeling like crap again.

I know you are self employed, but your health comes first, you need to give your body and mind time to heal, maybe you could cut your hours down so you dont burn yourself out. We will get through this, we have before, and we will again. take care, and keep posting, we can help each other through :)

[LostTomorrow]

Yep know what you mean about waking up feeling crap, I thought Monday was going to be bad for me as Sunday I was an anxious mess, but weirdly even though I woke up anxious Work went ok and Monday evening I was very relaxed, even watched some TV! I thought great, Tuesday morning will be fine....... been so bad all day and am now worrying how I'll feel tomorrow, a vicious exhausting circle which really p*ss' me off that for years and years I can't get the tiniest bit of control over! I think writing it down on a forum helps though lol?
I know it's early days, 4 or 5, on the citalopram but I'm already thinking of maybe going back on Venlafaxine again, maybe.
Do you like reading? Are you able to at the moment? A year or two ago I took my kindle everywhere with me, beach, dr's, car, dog walks, I always had it with me and it really helped me through some bad anxiety spells! I haven't been able to concentrate on a book for months now though :(
I hope you wake up tomorrow feeling better, your not alone in this battle. Hugs x

[pinkdove]

No, i can't concentrate much at the moment, i put the radio on during the day, but am able to watch telly at night, I think you are doing great holding down a job, it is so exhausting, really hope you have a better day tomorrow, and your right, it does help to write it down, and to know you are not the only one going through this :hugs: