Just started Venlafaxine 37.5mg

[severe panic]

Hi everyone. I have been reading this forum a lot lately and wanted to detail my initial usage of 37.5 mg venlafaxine to help anyone else starting out. I started having high anxiety when my son was born. I have no past anxiety and no reason in my past for it. Im pretty clean. I became very irritable and angry so I went to my doctor and got Cipralex to help me cope. I took one and within a hour had a major panic attack (the first ever!) and ended up in the hospital thinking I had gone mad and was a danger to my son and myself.. They ended up keeping me overnight in the psychiatric ward on suicide watch just in case but the whole situation left me very distraught and feeling out of control. The psychiatrist told me the next day I was fine and not crazy but that I would have to deal with these attacks for now on. Sure enough the next night I had another full blown attack which lasted the entire night. I took an Ativan and it made it worst. I think because I was so afraid of taking the drug and having it affect me like the other. Anyways so after that life was hard. I refused any further medication and decided to get better on my own. After all I am a very strong confident person and I should be able to do this. I got a psychologist and went to weekly sessions but the attacks would reoccur and the daily anxiety has been rough. Its only been 3 moths since my initial panic attack but I feel at the end of my rope. I have been brave and tried everything I can get my hands on but I feel like my issue is not in my hands. I need more help.

Although I am scared to death of anti depressants I felt like I needed to try another because at the rate I was going I could feel the depression starting and like my feeling and thoughts were disappearing, like I was forgetting myself because all I could think about was anxiety. I cannot do anything really. I spend all day trying to deal with my constant fear and anxiety. I had to hire a full time babysitter for my son and now my parents will be moving from 3 provinces away to live with me. The situation is not good. The dizziness I get from the constant anxiety makes me even unable to drive much. My life is not good at this time and I want so desperatly to get back to the person I was.

I took my first 37.5 mg venlafaxine pill yesterday after staring at it for an hour thinking how it may put me back in the hospital, make me go insane, make me have a heart attack, make me depressed and suicidal or too agitated and want to hurt someone etc.. My panic makes me so afraid of the pill but I have to try at this point. Also with my panic I have obsessive thoughts about hurting myself or people close to me so I was very afraid that these feelings could worsen. Anyways I felt very nervous yesterday from the fear of the pill but underneath I felt a calming feeling. Placebo effects wouldnt do this as I was thinking taking this pill was going to kill me. I felt very calm under the fear until nighttime when I did get more anxious. I was a little nauseous (nothing serious at all), had a little case of the shakes for about a half hour, had some blurred vision, weakness and more anxiety but I dont know if it was the pill or me. The only bad effect was that I couldnt sleep right. Falling asleep felt very different and I was afraid and then I woke up at 4:30am with rushing thoughts and anxiety and had a panic attack. it wasnt nice but it went away after about 10 minutes, which is not normal for me. Mine last hours!! Anyways I just took my second pill and I am still very nervous and afraid. I wanted to detail my account for others. I would also like to say that I think I would feel any and every side effect, imagines or otherwise because my body is sooo sensitized at this point. I think my anxiety would definitely be labelled severe.

If anyone has any tips for me or can tell me about their side effects or how long this took to work for them i would appreciate it. I dont need to hear horror stories about withdrawal because I am already super anxious and I need this. This is not an easy way out for me. I have gotten to the point where I would risk a lot in hopes that this drug works even a little for me.

Thanks,
Janice

[Louise2009]

Hi Janice,

Reading your post, is axactly like reading about myself! and I understand 100% how you are feeling.

I too was prescribed cipralex and thought I was going mad, the anxiety was terrible, especially in the middle of the night.

I have been throught the same things, and its been 4 months now, and have tried everything to deal with this without anti-depressants but feel that I really have to start them now.

I have been prescribed venlafaxine/effexor 37.5mg to start and then up it to 75mg after two weeks and I am terrifed to take the tablet.

I will be so interested to know how you get on with it. I too need to build up the courage to take it.

Please let me know how you get on.
Louise

[severe panic]

Hi Louise,

Im sorry to inform you that I didnt make it. Every case is different of course but I now realize anti depressants are not for me. I took my second pill yesterday and had extreme anxiety all day and bad shakes. I confined myself to my couch and didnt really move as everything felt over stimulating and made me worse. it was bad. At night I couldnt sleep again and had another panic attack in the middle of the night. I felt pretty bad and decided to end the pill here. I feel like the Cirpalax did the exact same thing to me but of course it was worse because it was all new to me but I learned this isnt for me. So I didnt take my 3rd pill today and I decided I will get a new psychiatrist to try new methods and discuss getting a sedative such as Ativan for the rough times.

I dont want to scare you or anything and like I said everyone is different but today I have felt very nervous and had some brain shivers and 1 brain shock so far so there must be some withdrawal after only taking a couple. I read that Effexor was very potent and had bad withdrawal and I am happy I didnt take anymore. I would really like to know when this will be completely out of my body. Anyways sorry about the bad news but I hope it works out for you. Its better to try right? Let me know how it goes.

[Louise2009]

Hiya,

I am sorry that the 2nd tablet did not work out for you. Apparently, an increase in anxiety can happen when taking the tablets but should go away after a week or so.

I fully understand how you feel. I am really terrified of taking the venlafaxine, I think I will, because I have a stressful job and am off sick at the moment, and I know that when I go back to work, I won't be able to cope without some sort of medication to help me. I have had councelling for weeks now, and it does help, but I think that when the pressure is on at work, I won't easily be able to put everything I have learnt into practise.

I just wish all this had not started and I could turn the clock back to how I used to feel.

Just keep in mind that you will get better and this time will pass, even though it might not feel like it at the moment.

I will let you know if I take the medication.

Louise

[tj0121]

severe anger and violent mood swings is the side effects i got bad with venlafaxine, never had them before, always suffered fom anxiety but not the anger venlafaxine gave me. It is a shame too, as in the 5 weeks i was on venlafaxine, my depression had started to feel abit better. anyway, the not being able to sleep thing, i got that too when i first started venlafaxine, but that did get much better after about 2 weeks, the nausea went after a short time too, the anger etc is apparently a rare side effect with venlafaxine so i was just unlucky. From what i have experienced, and from what i have read, i think that when you find the drug that suits you, it'll be a real help. We are all different, and alot of people have found venlafaxine to be a fab drug, you don't know till you give it a go. As for withdrawal, i am suffering badly from that at the moment, but i can honestly say i think thats because my psych took me off the pills too quickly, if you are taken off venlafaxine slowly, apparently you don't get this awful withdrawal.

[bottleblond]

Hi

I'm so sorry to hear this.

I have been on Venlefaxine for a few years now and have never had a problem with them but like you say, everyone is different.

I really hope that you find a medication that suits you and helps you with your anxiety issues.

Best of lock to you
Lisa
x

[severe panic]

thanks everyone for their replies. It is now the day after coming off the pill and I feel great and motivated. I think for me i will always be scared of medication as that is was started my panic attacks. I feel a renewed sense of courage though because this past weekend was so awful that the my "normal" anxiety issues seem more manageable. Does that make sense? Now when I have panic/anxiety I know its just that and not the pill. That brings me comfort. I was really ready to put up with a lot to take the pill but I couldnt handle the side effects. Of course I am still glad I tried the pill as I wouldnt have known otherwise. The past 4 days I have been scared out of my mind and not able to do anything! I was on the couch and could not be alone. Today I am up, dressed and ready for a bike ride on my own and feeling pretty confident.

All the best to you Louise! We do seem to be in the same boat. I am off on maternity leave right now and have to go back to work in 2 months and I am afraid of how I will cope. I am going the natural route with diet, relaxation exercises 3 times a day, exercise and just telling myself its anxiety and relax. Oh and of course Claire Weekes. Ill update again in a few days. :yesyes:

[tj0121]

just ordered claire weekes book today, is it any good?

[severe panic]

Claire weekes is amazing!! A must have for anxiety and panic. She is a little hard to understand as her books as old but they are the best I have and I have a lot!! I read her book "hope & help for your nerves" every time I feel really anxious and it definitely helps. If she were still around and could counsel us we would all be cured Im sure.

Today I bought the Linden Method by Charles Linden and I think it is amazing as well. everything I read made sense to me finally.. I see a psychologist and I find going there just creates more anxiety because we spend an hour talking about my anxiety and I feel like i really just need to forget about it somehow. ive been seeing her for 3 months now and all I talk about when I go there is the coping methods Ive learned elsewhere (Claire Weekes and Dr. Edmund burn are my favorite) and I get nothing from these sessions. So Im quitting therapy and just doing the Linden Method. I feel so confident today. I went for an hour long bike ride, went shopping and my mother left from a visit and Im fine. Of course it is my first day on the Linden Method and I cannot talk about my anxiety after today. It is a rule of the program because the thought is that it makes you think about it too much and rely too much on others. I will let you all know how it goes soon.

I will say one more thing.. i took 2 effexor xr pills and this is day 2 off it and I am still getting mild brain shivers all day! I cant imagine the withdrawal anyone on them for a year or so would have. I am so happy I did not take anymore. I know its different for everyone and anyone on it I wish the best but thank god I quit it early. i am never touching another pill for this condition!

I cannot post on here anymore as part of my program but I will after I am done. Good luck to everyone!:yesyes:

[violetta]

I am absolutely terrified of taking anti depressants as my experience with the different types have not hellped I am now in such a stste of terror due to years of panic and anxiety set off by many bereavements I am 82 terrified of hospitals and dying after six years of the local mental health team I am to see the only psychiatrist in the area who wants me to go into a physciatric ward for the elderly 8 beds mixed types of mentally ill I have always refused antidepressants now I am desperate I have forgotten what it is linke not to live in constant fear

[krees69]

hi
Oh i really feel for you. You sound like you are in what might be refered to as an anxiety crisis. I know them very well!, It is horrendus and you feel like you are either going mad or going to die, you begin to become obsessed with things and then those obsessions spiral out of control and the aggitation that goes with it is awful I have suffered with anxiety for 20 years and has about 4 panic crisis'. My first one was the worst as i was so very very frightened, i didn't know what it was to begin with went on for months getting worse and worse, then of course i went to get it sorted out.
You have done the hard part, recognition and are looking for a treatment that suits-you will find one. I think you have got into a cycle with the pills a cause and effect thing, you think the experience was due to the pills, so now every pill you take you will start to panic. Panic is an extremely powerful feeling and so is association.
In terms of pills I would stay well away from the benzo's (ativan) they are very addictive. venlafaxine didn't suit me, it made my anxiety worse (not what you want to hear) but for others it is brilliant. My best meds are paroxitine and citalopram, these days when i need to treat, i quater the prescribed dose, so for example if i am prescribed 20mgs a day i take 5 or ten and gradually increase it over say 3 weeks, it massivly reduces those horrid intial side effects (and they can be bad), BUT the problem with these pills is that you have to perservere- about a month should do it and you should absolutly NOT abruptly stop taking them-horrendus, gradual is the only way.
I am a keen advocate of the pills, why suffer this awful feeling when you don;t need to others don't go for them I have had all the therapies over the years some good some not so good, but the crucial thing to remember with anxiety is that it is a managment game, and a long game at that.
As for the 'i am a strong person' bit , well you probably are , but you are reacting to a 'crisis' in your life-childbirth and motherhood is about as big as it gets, so its no reflection on you that this has happened, i would challenge anyone who said that they didn;t react to having a new baby!

my advice-hold on there you WILL get your life back and carry on with the treatment.
Kath

[krees69]

hi
sorry to hear you didn't follow on with the pills., There are better ones out there for anxiety, as i said in my previous post. what other things have you tried-you sound so desperate-i think as we all do from time to time, with those persecutory thoughts and self doubt. If you want to leave off the SSRI, then what about st john's wort-sold under lots of brand names, but interacts with some other meds like the contraceptive pill and aspirin. I have also used Bach flower oils, whether the effect was imagined i don't know but i felt they helped.
One thing that helped me more than anything in the early days, still does if i need it is the really cheap and cheerful relaxation tapes. Massage and that sort of thing is ok too.
For me councelling was only any good when my anxiety was somewhat under control, not during the worst times, the brain is to busy being anxious i think.
You will get back to the person you were, stronger for your experience, when you are in a better frame of mind you will be better placed to cope with any other challenges life chucks at you.
Let me know where you are at
Kath

[RageMonsterRx]

This type of anxiety in my experience can only be cured with HARD exercise. Running, weightlifting, arobic style (military style) exercise. The primal body is most activated after child birth, in the hunter gatherer age of humanity we would still be hunting for our food, even after child birth and we would be hunting more so to provide for our young. The mind often does not know how to react to this modern lifestyle and will respond to this modern environment as a threat because we are not burning energy and hormones by hunting prey. The best way to beat this primal anxiety after childbirth is to exercise like you are trying to run for your life. Hiking, mountain biking, running, climbing, all of these outdoor aerobics will reduce this anxiety. I'm speaking from experience! Good luck and get outside!