me again! - decreasing dose!? effexor

[LisaS]

sorry you must be fed up with me by now!!

well on monday I upped my dose to 150mg.. i must say i was surprised when my GP suggested it during my blip and to have it as some kind of 'insurance' for the stress of starting uni again on monday esp as i've been on 75mg for about 9 months now and going well...

anyway. i saw my CBT lady today who is fantastic and she said that upping my dose wasn't really the answer. I can't expect to do this every time i come across a stressful situation. She likened it to taking paracetamol all your life for the times you get a headache!

so now - i've only been on 150mg 3 days, do you think i should go back to 75mg tmrow or continue with the 150mg!!?

pls help or give your opinion!!

thanks

lisa
xxx

"do not fear to hope...Each time we smell the autumn's dying scent, we know that primrose time will come again"

[Piglet]

Ooh tricky one!

I think in someways I come down more on the side of the cbt lady.

Big hugs - you know deep inside that you can do this Lisa its also a confidence thing. Our confidence takes such a knock after/during anxiety times.

I wonder hun if you have ever listened to Glenn Harrold self-hypno cd's?? I was very sceptical at first but now I am a total fan. Have a look on Amazon at all the reviews. My favourite is the 'Self-Esteem' one - I am always raving about it. I have got quite a few of his now and there is a good self-confidence one too.

I think it would be nice to tackle the underlying issues :)

Ok mate?

Piglet xx

"Supposing a tree fell down, Pooh, when we were underneath it?" said Piglet.
"Supposing it didn't," said Pooh after careful thought.

[Antipodes]

Hi LisaS,

I'm using Venlafaxine (Effexor XR) at 225mg/day and needed this because 75mg/day (and 150mg/day) were inadequate for my needs.

If 75mg/day is not sufficient because of external events causing increased anxiety then it makes sense to increase the SNRI. Effexor is good for anxiety (for those it works for). I don't think a doctor would simply up the dose for "insurance", there would have been some doubt that you were at the therapeutic level. It will take a little while for the increased Venlafaxine to improve and settle your anxiety. Give it a week or two more eh?

I hope this helps. It's just an alternative balanced opinion :- )

Antipodes

[LisaS]

hmmm,

i know what you're saying antipodes and maybe my GP would have been right if i'd been highly anxious on 75mg for a while, but to be fair it had only been a couple of days of me panicking about going back to uni, which i guess is to be expected.. its been a really hard decision to make and i have been doing great on 75mg for 9 months now so it seems odd to up the dose now? does it!?
I dont know really but I went with my CBT lady only because this is her niche and she is an 'expert' whereas GP's are not specifically trained in anxiety.. CBT lady did put a lot of things in perspective for me actually and i'm feeling ok about starting uni, yes i'm nervous but thats to be expected..
i'll just see how i go and if things get worse again, i will definately increase the dose.

thank you so much for your advice i really do appreciate it.

Lisa
xxx

"do not fear to hope...Each time we smell the autumn's dying scent, we know that primrose time will come again"

[Piglet]

I think you have answered yourself most sensibly Lisa - as you do seem to do when you have had chance to weigh up the options.

It is absolutely apropriate to be feeling nervous about Uni, you would have done before too, but now we seem to take it to heart so much more.

Piglet xx

"Supposing a tree fell down, Pooh, when we were underneath it?" said Piglet.
"Supposing it didn't," said Pooh after careful thought.

[Antipodes]

Lisa,

Thank you for your reply. I think you have a good handle on things.

By the way, I think you'll find the uni thing a bit of an anti-climax. It will be new, lots of people and places to get to know, but then you'll soon be settled in. In next to no time you'll be wondering why on earth were you anxious about it.

I'm being encouraging and not trivialising anxiety.

Antipodes

[LisaS]

thanks Piglet!!

wow seems a long time ago since you made me laugh about your idea of running down hospital corridors in a long white nighty!!

and thanks too antipodes - i hope i do find it an anti climax - its certainly feeling like a bit of a chore now having to go! considering i have managed to get myself a good job without a degree.. ah well!

i will let you all know how i get on tomorrow..
thanks everyone.

lisa
xxx

"do not fear to hope...Each time we smell the autumn's dying scent, we know that primrose time will come again"

[Piglet]

Lol hun so it does!!!:D:D:D

All the best and look forward to hearing all about it soon.

Piglet xxxx

"Supposing a tree fell down, Pooh, when we were underneath it?" said Piglet.
"Supposing it didn't," said Pooh after careful thought.