Venlafaxine driving me MAD!!

[shotokansho]

Hey all.

I started on venlafaxine 75mg about 5/6 weeks ago. For the last 5ish weeks I've been on 150mg. I thought I was lucky at first because the only side effects I had in the beginning was sweating. But the last week or so my heart rate has been reaching 138bpm. It's scaring the crap out of me to be honest. I've always had a bpm of around 64 and a lowish BP so this is all new to me. My anxiety is terrible and I'm not sleeping. I've got very little motivation and can't really find any fun in anything. I'm managing work but I hate it and feel low while I'm there. Before ven I was on escitalopram for 15 years, they became like my best friend. I hate these new drugs and I've since read so many bad things about them. I'll be honest, I feel grim and just feel like chucking in the towel.

[Pipkin]

Hi there,

I can only tell you my experience but I'm on venlafaxine and it's a life saver for me. It took about 3 months to kick in fully and now I have very little psychological anxiety. I still get the physical symptoms occasionally but I don't think anything will ever sort those.

Of course, we're all different but I can assure you that venlafaxine can work really well. Only you can judge whether it's working for you and if it's worth sticking it out. Also, you'll read horror stories about every drug if you search for them. Few people post the positives so all you'll see are the negatives.

Perhaps it's time for a med review with your doctor?

Good luck

Pip xx

[shotokansho]

Hiya pip. I read what your saying and it seems to make sense but I'm just feeling so negative at the moment. I'm just wanting to cry all the time. I think because I was on the same medication for 15 years this is all new, and very scary for me. I'm not seeing my psychiatrist until November and my CPN is on long term sick, I don't have an awful lot of faith in my gp.
Just feel so alone in it all. I missed a dose on Saturday and it really effected me, it was a horrible feeling. I never experienced that with escitalopram.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Missing a dose will very quickly cause problems with withdrawal if you are on the standard release. Ven standard has such a short half life that you can go cold turkey in not much over 24 hours!

If things have become a lot worse since then, I would put it down to this event and this will ease up shortly.

As for the HR issue, that may be down to the fact you have started to experience the epinephrine dose which kicks in at 150mg. I'm on Duloxetine and I have had the same with mine since going to that level (60mg for this one).

[Pipkin]

Morning,

I feel for you as I also had a really bad time with one drug which I had to stop. It's difficult to know what to do for the best. Based on my experience, I'd say give it a bit longer. If it still doesn't seem to be having a positive effect, you could ask your GP to taper you onto another med. You'd get a few WD effects doing that but it should be fairly minimal if it's done properly.

As Terry said, ven has a reputation for being tough to come off due to its short half life, ie it leaves your body very quickly and the sharp reduction causes the effects. I've come off it twice before and, whilst it's not exactly a walk in the park, it's bearable. You just have to reduce slowly. Being the impatient idiot that I am, I just stopped in one go (not recommended at all) and I still made it through in one piece.

To clarify what Terry said, venlafaxine and duloxatine both affect seratonin and noradrenaline levels in the body. Escitalapram and other SSRIs affect just seratonin. The noradrenaline effects of ven start when you reach the 150mg dose and this may be making your start-up symptoms worse. In the long run, acting on both should be positive and is probably why you been prescribed it.

Whatever you decide, keep as busy as you can, try not to focus on how you're feeling too much (if only it were that easy, I know) and keep posting here. We're here for support.

Take care

Pip xx

[shotokansho]

Thank you guys.
I'm feeling a little better today. I didn't sleep well but I'm feeling more motivated, I've cleaned my living room. :D and im going to my fitness class tonight.
I'm wondering weather it would be worth taking it at night as sometimes I can't always take it at the same time in the morning. I don't think it helps that I've got drunk a few times, it makes me feel really light headed.
Thanks again guys xx

[wilko]

Ive been on venlafaxine for just over 18months now and it has worked well for me. I have to say though that if I miss a day of taking it I get terrible brain zaps and they cause havoc with me. I've been on a bit of a downer recently so tempted to ask about increasing my dose. I'm worried about coming off them in the future though if I raise it any more.

[shotokansho]

Im at a point now that I feel like stopping all medication. I don't see the point of it anymore and the people involved in my care don't seem to care. Sometimes I don't sleep for days which really takes its toll on me, especially while trying to hold down a job. I mention it to my doctor and I get a leaflet put in front of me, which to be honest I find patronising. I've suffered with insomnia and night terrors for years, I think I've read every leaflet printed. I've also been discussing these palpitations caused by the venlafaxine and it's been suggested that I either half the dose (which seems pointless) or coming off it and trying sertraline. Im really not prepared to go through all this again, changing Meds completely is scary and stressful and quite frankly I'd rather not take anything than have a complete change again. If the withdrawals from venlafaxine wasn't so bad I would just stop taking them but I can't while I'm at work. I feel stuck, just don't know what I want or what to do :(