Day 1 tomorrow!

[richrocks]

Hello :)

I've been on a few SSRI's and none have helped (anxiety and depression). My GP has decided to try me with Venlafaxine and tomorrow is day 1.

Two weeks ago, he set me on a tapering off plan of Fluoxetine and told me to do my research on Venlafaxine and to go on that if I felt ok about it.

I do feel ok about it. What I have read on here has been encouraging.

I am going to ask him for two things. I know I would be lucky to get one or both but I will try!

1) Effexor instead of a generic if possible
2) a SR version as everyone seems a lot happier on this with fewer side effects.

Is there anything else I should request or ask?

Thanks so much.

[Poppy Girl]

Hi Rich

I've been on sr Ven for nearly 7 months now for anxiety after trying citalopram, sertraline and fluoxetine with no success. It's working really well for me. My doctor prescribed the slow release straight away so can't compare with the standard tablets.

I have Venlalic and have had no problems at all, only a few side effects such as constant yawning the first few weeks and increased sweating for a while. I'd far rather have these than anxiety though!

I noticed a difference almost immediately and after 4 weeks was significantly improved.

Keep us updated and if you need any support or encouragement just say!

Wishing you all the best :):)

[richrocks]

Thanks Poppy Girl, that sounds like a positive story and thanks for your advice. Fingers crossed an I will come home with slow release!

[richrocks]

I feel a bit lucky...

The GP gave me Effexor 75mg XL Prolonged Release capsules, so 1 a day. In two weeks I am to double the dose if needed.

Also, I took my first one this morning and there have been no side effects so far. I expected a poorly tummy at least. Early days tho, I am aware!

Whether it's psychological or not I don't know but I have felt remarkably chilled today!

Good start :-)

[Poppy Girl]

Glad to hear that Day 1 was good. Hopefully things will improve for you from now on. I must admit I really did feel improvements even aft the first day on ven. The slow release ones are definitely gentler on the body than the standard ones from what hear as they work throughout the day rather than dumping a whole lot of chemicals in your body in one go.
Keep us updated on your progress. Fingers crossed for you :)

[richrocks]

I've been on Effexor for 14 days now. Tomorrow I go from 75 to 150 as per my GP's advice.

So far, the side effects have been minimal. A bit of constipation and dry mouth. Thats about it.

I guess I am less anxious but as SSRI's have failed me, I am aware that I will most likely have to get past 150 before I see any real benefit of the SSRNI. Is that true?

Anyway, two weeks ahead on 150 before I have my first review with my GP.

[Poppy Girl]

Hi Rich
How have you been feeling on the 75? I actually felt fairly instant improvements on that dose and within 6 weeks was back to "normal". I then had a setback and anxiety kicked in again so my doctor upped my dose to 150 but I increased gradually by taking 75 one day and then 150 the next for 2 weeks before I went onto the 150 every day. However at 150 every day I felt worse so I went back to 75 / 150 on alternate days. This now seems to be working for me so I guess we are all different.
From reading posts on here it seems that 150 is the dose where the noradrenaline kicks in and so you start to get the benefit of that as well as the serotonin. Maybe I just don't need that!
I think all gps have different approaches too as my doctor has always told me to try meds for at least 4 weeks before increasing. I guess you have to do what yours advises but if 150 is too much then try alternating like I do. Unfortunately you can't just cut the slow release tablets in half otherwise I'd take 1.5 tablets each day.

[richrocks]

Hi Poppy Girl thanks for your reply.

Yes, I think it is fair to say I feel calmer, more relaxed and do find myself smiling for no reason now and again! Which is a vast improvement! I have been on the 150 for two days now so still early days and I can't wait to see the improvements over the next few weeks.

Do you think your anxiety setback was something to do with the process of your body getting used to the meds? Almost like your body fighting with the meds but because you stick with taking them, you and the meds win?

[Poppy Girl]

Hi Rich
Glad to hear you're starting to feel better. It's such a relief when you can start to see a chink of light at the end of that long dark tunnel!
I think my setbacks are caused by stress. I finally started to feel better on the ven after 6 months of trial and error with different SSRIs. I felt so much better and back to my old self so when I felt the old feelings returning I convinced myself that the ven had failed - hence my trip to the doctor and the increse in the dosage. It took 2 months before I was back to "normal" again. Looking back I can see that the anxiety returned after a couple of things happened in my life. Normally I would have been able to deal with these but memory is a great or a bad thing and in this case I think my brain just thought it needed to be anxious again.
However, although it took a couple of months, I stabilised again and had a great Christmas and start to the new year. A couple of weeks ago, more stress and I felt myself start to slide backwards again. This time though I was able to talk rationally to myself, see clearly what had caused the feelings and tell myself that the anxiety would pass if I didn't pay it too much attention. And it has! So no trip back to the doctor, no more increase in my dose and although there is still some residual anxiety first thing in the morning or when I think about it too much, for the most part it has gone again.
I guess what I'm trying to say here is that I think the ven has helped calm my mind to a point where I can think rationally and accept the anxious feelings without falling into that pit of despair again. I can see now that medication definitely helps reduce the anxiety but ultimately the "cure" will come from within me myself once I have truly accepted the anxiety and don't let it worry me any more.
I'm sure that there will be more setbacks along the way but it's how I deal with them and how badly I allow them to affect me that will determine how long they last.
Really hope you stabilise on the 150 soon.
Keep us updated!

[richrocks]

Hi Poppy Girl

Thanks for the reply. I'm glad you're starting to feel well. What dosage have you stabilised on? How do you know when to ask the doc for an increase?

I'm currently on day 4 of my increased dose from 75mg to 150mg. Feeling a bit anxious right now! I am sure its my body fighting with the meds. I'll let them fight it out!

[Poppy Girl]

Hi Rich
How are you doing? Hope you are starting to settle on the ven now?
I've stabilised for the moment on an alternating dose of the modified release 75 mg one day and then 150 the next.
I think it's difficult to know when you need an increase as it probably differs from person to person. For me, when I had my first setback after 2 months on 75mg, I felt like I couldn't cope again and all the old feelings came back. I also needed lorazepam to help me feel calm, which it did but also made me sleepy and a bit spaced out. I went up to 150mg a day but after 6 weeks still felt the same but I didn't want to take a higher dose so agreed with my doctor to try the intermediate one and that has worked.
When I started having another setback a few weeks ago it was different in that I didn't want to take a higher dose of the ven and although I did resort to using the lorazepam again for a few days, I took half the dose that I was taking before as I didn't want to feel over medicated. I was able to recognise that a few stressful days and not feeling 100% had probably caused the anxiety to return. I have been able to cope with it much better and now 3 weeks later the anxiety is almost gone again.
I think this tells me that the dose of ven is the right one. The ven has calmed me to a point where I can think rationally again and realise that medicaton has helped me but the "cure" is coming from within myself. I'm no longer living in dread but looking forward to each day. There will probably be more setbacks but I'm now in a better place mentally so more able to deal with them.
:yahoo:

[richrocks]

Hi Poppy Girl, It's great when you know you've reached the right dose. I hope that happens to me. SSRI's wee unsuccessfully so I am really hoping this one will do the trick.

Back to my GP next Friday. I feel I will be asking for an increase.

Have a great weekend and I hope you keep that anxiety away!

[Poppy Girl]

Oh I'm sorry to hear that you need another increase. Has the 150 helped you to feel any better?
How long have you had the anxiety? Are you taking any otheŕ meds like benzos or propranolol to help?