View Full Version : can you tell me more about venlafaxine and solian?
I saw a new psychiatrist today and he recommended I try Venlafaxine and Solian. My problems are depression, anxiety, panic attacks, and some obsessive thoughts.
Is this a normal combination of drugs? I know Solian is used for treating schizophrenia, and I can't say I'm willing to take it.
Another doctor that I saw a couple of days ago recommended Cipralex and Fluanxol. I don't know what to do.
Hi
Venlafaxine is certainly one of the meds used for depression and anxiety. Some people on here have had good results with it. Again, some people have had good results with Cipralex. Venlafaxine works on more neurotransmitters than Cipralex, and is often used in the UK if none of the SSRI meds have worked well (although that may just be the protocol in the UK).
I haven't heard of that particular anti-psychotic (Solian). However, psychiatrists sometimes prescribe very low dosages of anti-psychotics for people with anxiety as they have a sedating effect. I am taking 2.5mg of Olanzapine, which is an anti-psychotic, for that reason. However it is prescribed in much higher dosages for psychosis. Another anti-psychotic sometimes prescribed in low dosages is Seroquel. If you look through the posts you will see that there are some people on here on both Olanzapine (Zyprexa) and Seroquel. Olanzapine and Seroquel are relatively new and expensive drugs.
I too was concerned about taking an anti-psychotic, but my psych explained that I was taking a tiny tiny dose.
I hope that helps.
Dahlia
Low doses of antipsychotics are sometimes perscribed as the first treatment for anxiety ..I had Flupentixol ..It made me feel a bit tired but took the edge off the anxiety for a year ..After that it didnt seem to do anything .The side effects were hardly noticable ,and I usually get every one going ..The doses given for Schiz /Bi polar are much higher ,,So dont let it worry you ..Its worth trying at least . All the best Sue x
I read about Venlafaxine's bad withdrawal effects, and I'm reluctant to take it. I'll talk to my doctor about other options, if he insists on not prescribing an SSRI. He said he thinks the combination he gave me would be the best for me, but I'm worried about it.
I decided to give the meds a try. It's been 4 days on them, and I feel extremely sleepy, I can barely keep myself awake, and I feel run down. Side effects I guess.
I love Solian. I have been agitating to legalize it in the US for years.
My first year I did have some blinking and eyes shutting but it went away.
It did raise my prolactin pretty high and caused lactation, but with the
old pill, bromocriptine, as side-effect drug, this eventually went away.
Normally I don't have patience for side effects, my least favorites being weight gain or depressed affect, but for some reason I stuck this out
(an adventure) and now it's great.
Not only is a small dose great for the paranoia/hallucinations/voices of schizophrenia, but it is also good for bipolar(mood regulation) and has a holistic anti-depressant effect which bipolars(who otherwise shouldn't take anti-depressives) can tolerate without danger of suicidal anxiety.
It will make you less shy but also a little less hard-working at rote tasks. Does not hurt creativity at all, in my opinion.
Now, it is a bit new so I can't foretell its future effects and caveat: there is a 2% incidence of heart arrhythmia,
(which is why you have to have it mailed directly to your shrink in US), so you should get an EKG with your annual checkup(My last one was totally fine).
Oh, so happy for ten years now.
Sorry to hear that, Lotus. It's up to you how long you want to tolerate it and see if it gets better. It actually took me a year. I wasn't all that tired but my blinking made some people think I was falling asleep.
Venlafaxine is very hard to come off, it has some of the worse withdrawal effects and can lead to P.A.W.S.
I would not take it unless you really have to.
I have been tapering down the Solian because I think the raised Prolactin is bad for bone health and also raised cholesterol levels, to say nothing of the 2%
incidence of heart arrhythmia. So there is finally a new drug you can buy on Amazon.com, Lithium Orotate, which does NOT attack the kidneys. It goes directly into the blood cells, says my doctor, so we do not need to overdose.
I have to say, I feel pretty calm. I'm a little more back down to earth. A little! I'm almost completely off Solian. But OMG, in an emergency,
if you were down, I remember sometimes for instance when I just could not
be happy with Invega which is supposed to be a more upbeat version of Risperdal(on the new packaging you saw a prisoner in an orange jumpsuit).
Solian is definitely better than that. I recently read that the whole world is allowed to use Solian but the US.
But I think natural is better. Plus a US hospital may have Lithium-O, if need be.
I'm going back on Solian. First was too down without it, then too manic. Trying to find out
now if you need to taper back on. Probably yes. And the bromocriptine and the blood tests, and the EKG for heart arrhythmia every year. That's a small price to pay, though. It's experimental and no one has really taken it for decades(it's unsafe for the elderly), so there is some risk. It's available, I read, everywhere in the world(!) but here. Although I think I did see that it is beginning to be sold online.
You guys, I gradually ditched the Solian but slowly. For a while I was taking it as a very
holistic anti-depressant- as needed. I dropped the Lithium Orotate slowly too, figuring that if it is so easily available without a prescription on Amazon, it must be just a supplement.
Now I am on Lamictal. I heard that it is not a cure for auditory hallucinations.
But so far I have heard no voices and obviously I will keep watch. Take care, everyone.
Honeysweet
19-03-13, 00:10
Hi. Just started on solian today. Doc said it will help me sleep (seems that my mind just won't stop talking to itself)
I lay awake at night and just can't fall asleep. I do have a lot going on in my life at the moment....
So I took my first tablet before bed this evening.... It's now 2am.... And I'm still awake... ? Will it start working at some point? Also. I don't want weight gain? Anyone had this side effect?
I have to say, in answer to your question. Solian is many things but it is not a sleep aid. It is an anti-depressant, mood stabilizer and can address schizophrenia all in one, but it's not for sleep, unless you want to drive in the middle of the day-LOL. Then watch out:) He may have meant it might silence voices.
Also what was I thinking dropping it for Lamictal? Lamictal is no more than a numbing agent like Tegretol and the side effects are worse. You can't go off it cold-turkey as its an anti-convulsant and I believe going off could cause seizures. I just know you must taper up and down. PS: Am on a small dose of Lamictal.
I must say categorically that my holistic experiment off going off Solian did not work. It disrupted a lot of relationships. Not all but enough. I got a bit paranoid and heard more than I wanted to know, let's say.
After being good for 12 years! Some people asked me if I wanted to run for office but based on my recent experiences going off my wonder drug I wanted to joke, "I'm flattered but I can barely volunteer in a lemonade stand."
I saw an ad tonight, "If you took this diabetes drug and experienced internal bleeding call such and such law firm." We say, "If you've been taking Solian, why on earth haven't you told anybody?" I've told everyone I could and I'm so sick of and heartsick at all the stories of schizophrenics going off their meds.
Writer Andrew Solomon says, in Far From the Tree, that the fruits of schizophrenia are unending and fruitless. To be fair, he does first advance the cutting-edge science of the matter(as it exists in the USA) both therapeutic and biological(brain chemistry). I've got to write up a full Amazon review, or respectfully submit a letter to his publisher, letting him know that the U.S. has got to stop being such a dope about this. A little bit of Solian might even help his depression(please see his very important Noonday Demon).
The French company that makes Solian(amisulpride) is loathe to weather the expensive, rigorous FDA approval process but we should at least be discussing this pill if not welcoming it with open arms. It is legal to have it sent from London to your psychiatrist. I have even heard of canadadrugs.com
For 12 years my doctor and I have known the efficacy of this drug and we keep seeing schizophrenics get blamed for everything gun-related. Just read the stats. Most of us are too busy minding our own mental states to plan a cold-blooded massacre. I will entertain Solomon's assertion that 1 out of 4 schizophrenics threaten their families. Such families are heroic. God bless them! And no, they should not have to
"do" this. However: Andrew then goes on to say that a statistically insignificant number of those patients who do anything violent are not also involved in some kind of substance abuse.
I'm not sugar-coating the illness; just saying there's a better way. Caveat:
1) prolactin levels must be monitored with blood tests, lowered back down with the old side-effect pill, bromocriptine, and 2) Baseline + annual EKG's are needed.
There was a diabetes drug in Europe for twenty years before it became approved here and many of our countrymen/women died needlessly. We are behind the western world.
Dear Folks,
Does anyone know a psychiatrist in Massachusetts who will prescribe Solian?
Am having a tough time with this and getting a lot of snubs from admin.
assistants. Do shrinks go on Craig's List? Any info much appreciated.
Lotus,
I would definitely chalk up your initial reaction to the new drugs to side effects, yes. And you're in good company with the very small dose of solian. Many people get prescribed a small dose of an antipsychotic for sleep or as an adjunct to treating anxiety. Among the many off-label uses for atypical antipsychotics has been to treat migraine headaches! My son had been visiting the emerg department on and off for a week for treatment for a stubborn migraine that would get better, then get worse again. Finally they treated him with an antipsychotic that took it right away.
If you continue to experience symptoms that are debilitating for you, let your doctor know and he may adjust or change your medications. If you have any questions about why he chose the two meds you are now on, I would go ahead and ask him.
I would think that the side effect of daytime sleepiness is mostly the solian, because from venlaxafine start up side effects I had mild nausea (take after food) and fuzzy head feelings, not so much tiredness. But we are all different. I have had no bad reactions or health issues at all with venlaxafine. It is a very safe drug.
It is possible that your doctor thinks the solian will help with your OCD symptoms, it is sometimes used for that as well as extreme anxiety. I would call or go in to see him, hunni. xx
Marie :hugs:
Hi, Honeysweet,
Some people will get a paradoxical reaction to a given drug, for example, insomnia rather than sleep. It's possible that you are one for whom this is the case. I would give it another night or two to take proper effect and if it doesn't, then definitely see if your doctor has another idea for a med for you. :hugs:
Marie xx
---------- Post added at 09:41 ---------- Previous post was at 09:25 ----------
Merlinaut,
I have seen at least one thread on this forum warning against the taking of lithium orotate. Please don't experiment with substances available on the internet. They may interfere with your prescription medication, are often useless at best, and dangerous at worst.
Also please stick with your prescribed drugs and dosage, and allow your doctor to make any changes to your meds rather than beginning any kind of withdrawal on your own. I urge you to speak with your psychiatrist about any symptoms that bother you or any questions you have.
Good luck, best wishes for wellness,
Marie
---------- Post added at 10:44 ---------- Previous post was at 09:41 ----------
lleksam,
I have been around this forum long enough now to know that warning people off of medications that their doctors have prescribed is very strongly discouraged here. Firstly, we none of us are prescribing psychiatrists or pharmacists. We are not aware of all of the uses and indications of the different drugs, certainly not as they may apply to any of our members.
In consideration of her issues and her overall health, Lotus' doctor has selected venlaxafine as one of the best medications for her treatment. Clearly he does not consider the possible need to discontinue venlaxafine in future as being more important than the benefits she can receive from it right now. Especially since she has already begun with it, comments such as yours may contribute to her anxiety and OCD, although I'm sure that wasn't your intent with your post. I have suggested that people discuss with their doctor the intended timeline of treatment with venlaxafine and any plans for its discontinuation when considering it. But possible problems with discontinuation should not be a primary reason to reject it.
As well, while you may not be aware of it, there are many, many of us on the forum who take venlaxafine and are doing well with it! Some of us have been able to pick up and move on with our lives due to therapy with venlaxafine. It is because of a long-running thread started by one such person that I got through the early weeks myself with badly needed help and support. I expect to need to take it for the foreseeable future, due to the nature of my condition. Not all treatments end with discontinuation of medications. As to protracted withdrawal, discontinuation from a large number of antidepressants across all classes results in similar symptoms and length of program for discontinuation. There are various effective strategies for management of symptoms, including cross-tapering to fluoxetine and then gradual withdrawal from that. Literally, the last thing we should be concerned with is the withdrawal, when starting a new medication such as venlaxafine.
Best wishes to you as well,
Marie
Dear Marie,
Thank you for your reply. I got off Lithium Orotate a couple of years ago however I think it is more ineffective than harmful. Be that as it may.
Re your advice: Not to cut-down on Lamictal without advice from doc.
I never did that. But thank you very much for your reply.
Now for the million dollar question: "What doctor?"
No one will prescribe Solian in Massachusetts.
Please to know: How on earth are you getting it?
Hi, Merlinaut,
For the record, I am not on solian. Not sure if you were asking me?
Take care,
Marie
Marie, my mistake. More of a plea to the Massachusetts universe. It's a friendly blue state but very strict on the law. It's "rule of law" on steroids but nice place.
Sorry to hog this board so much! Well I am back on Solian 50mg 2x/day and finally got permission to ditch the Lamictal, yes tapering down slowly(lol) and
my drive is so much safer. No more drowsy driving and guzzling iced coffee to stay awake on the way to work. I'm so happy on Solian and no extra coffee.
I wrote to say I have rethought saying it was not a sleep-aid, Honey and Lotus. It is helpful to sleep, I now think because it balances your mind while leaving it free to create, wonder, work and play in the waking hours.
A lot of doctors think Lamictal works for everything that looks bipolar. I am so lucky I got permission to go off it. Driving just got so dangerous. "How many bad things have to happen?" I thought. Not accidents but trying to stay awake. :scared15:
I was on Venlafaxine and yes the withdrawals were crazy intense. If you do go on them and for some reason not work please please please take it very slow when weening yourself off of them. I also noticed that if I didn't take them exactly 24 hours of each other I was already feeling the withdrawal symptoms. It didn't work for me but doesn't mean it won't work for you. We are all different in how meds affect us. :)
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