14 days on Venlafaxine

[billyclark33]

I started venlafaxine on the 9th Jan 2015 , at the moment my anxiety seems to be suppressed but depression still quite bad.
Not getting a full nights sleep although with sleep apena this could account for that

Suffering from weird thoughts and feelings

Also suffering from fatigue especially in my legs can still walk etc just a tired feeling in them


Appetite is a bit on the low side which is good i could lose a few pounds

Is the above just the effects of the venlafaxine , I have an appointment with my gp 9?02/15

Any advice would be good
Thanks

[SADnomore]

Yes! Hang in there, two more weeks and the side effects will have pretty much abated! You can expect to still have dry mouth and tension in tummy for another week, and probably the muscle tonus in legs. Ven is a wonderful med, give it time! If titrating upwards, ask if you can have the 37.5 mg capsules and go slowly up, and you'll be fine. I've had to go up to 225 mg from 75 mg in summer, but depression is well-lifted now and I feel normal-good! xx

LOTS of support on here, and lots of success stories and info on venlaxafine. Do a search :)

[billyclark33]

many thanks for your reply it helps a lot when you understand whats happening , it gives the motivation to keep going. I am currently on 75mg slow release

[Pipkin]

It works well for me too - I'm on 150mg. It's tough to start and stop but the improvement in my quality of life makes all that worth it.

I agree with SNM, move up slowly. You may settle at 75mg as I did for quite a while or you may need higher. Just take it slowly and keep posting here as there are loads of people with experience of ven.

Pip x

[billyclark33]

i was on 75mg slow release last month ( initial dose) saw the doc today and has doubled it to 150mg slow release and arranged an appointment for one month , hopefully this will improve things

[SADnomore]

Billyclark33, how are you doing now? That's quite a jump, but it may signify that your doctor feels the need to feel better ASAP is worth the possible increase in side effects in the short term. I had all sorts of time, a good six months before I needed to be on optimal winter dosing (I have winter depression/SAD), back in summer when we began the increase. Once you are feeling stable at 150, which may be a month or six weeks, do consider another small increase by 37.5 to 187.5. For some of us, this allows the benefits of the norepinephrine to settle in more fully. Good luck, keep posting! :bighug1:

[billyclark33]

Thanks for your reply , A bit of jaw clenching and still a feeling of slight depression , constipation a little problem but i expect to feel a bit bad in the next few days so I will work through it
Not sure how to ask the doc for another increase I g back to see him in the begining of March , I will keep posting

[hopey]

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[SADnomore]

Billyclark33, beginning of March will be perfect to assess how you are doing with the increase. In chatting with you, your doctor will probably either suggest an increase, or else to stay the course.

My doctor is kind of hands-off and once treatment was established, gave me the go-ahead to increase as I felt needed. I had learned about the 37.5 capsules from other posts here, and asked him I could be prescribed those for a couple of months, then once I reached a dose that felt right, I went back to the 75 mg and now cobble 3 of those together. I also switched to taking at night, as I feel less tired during the day that way.

Good luck, hang in there, you're doing great! :D

[billyclark33]

coming up for 2nd week on the higher dose of 150mg and a bit anxious and feeling depressed very similar to my first 2 weeks on 75mg hoping it will pass before the week is out

[nicola1980]

Hi bare with it, I increased nearly 3 weeks ago and the side effects were pretty bad up until yesterday when I started to feel alot better, i very nearly gave up as my anxiety rocketed to quite an extreme level but it does pass...well touch wood it has! XX

[billyclark33]

today I feel slightly worse more depression than anxiety but I know I have to go through the bad to get the good , might need another increase to totally get the problem solved but time will tell , thanks for all the help and support