Effexor increase

[Hemps]

Wow has it already been a month since your last increase? I haven't reduced from diazepam for at least 6 weeks. But I am going to have a go tonight. Today I have been okay, the weekends are the worst. There is a trigger in the weekends and I can't figure it out.

It is the start of spring here now, so hopefully that will help my mood.

Sorry I know you are going into winter.

Let me know how your increase is going. Are you going to go up any further?

Paula

[pulisa]

Could the weekend increased anxiety be due to you having the children around and the extra stress this involves? Just a suggestion.

[Hemps]

Yes I think that the kids could be a big factor. Which is a shame as I can't enjoy them like a Mum should be.

[pulisa]

Don't beat yourself up about this, Paula. Children are hugely demanding- no matter how much you love them- and pull massively on your emotional reserves when you are vulnerable and in need of support yourself. If you feel guilty about your feelings it will just increase your anxiety. Is there anyone who could help you with the children at weekends? Just to give you a breathing space? I know it isn't easy when there are no close relatives nearby but maybe you do have family or good friends who may be able to help out? xx

[Hemps]

My husband is a great help and takes them out. But we don't have much help, and not many people volunteer to take on three boys at the same time. They are just at a hard age, but everyone tells me it gets better!

I just need to find a way to deal with it at the moment, and don't think any amount of drugs is going to be able to fix it.

I just get frustrated at feeling up and down all the time.

I see a physcologist (sorry can't spell) once a month, but don't feel she helps that much.

[pulisa]

I agree with you on the drugs and on the psychologist front. Sometimes things just don't work out and no amount of drugs/psychological input help at all. I really feel for you and feel that you are giving yourself a hard time? It's easy to say be kind to yourself but we all need to cut ourselves some slack when we are struggling..

[SADnomore]

Oh, I second that Paula, young children can be very trying and are bound to frazzle your nerves! Pulisa is right, Hunni, don't punish yourself with these thoughts No mother is a "saint", enjoying their children all the time as you imagine you should be! Children wear their mothers thin, it's what they do!

Now that Spring is in the air there, hopefully the boys can play outside more and you can have a little time to regroup!

I am doing pretty well now on the 150 mg, 4 days in. I asked my doc how high I would be going up with the Effexor. He said that would depend on how I did. I've decided to stay on the 150 for at least 6 weeks and see if maybe that will be enough! If a further increase is needed, I will try to get the 37.5 mg tablets and split them in half, and stick with the 168-ish as long as possible. I won't have much time to do the decrease all the way down to 75 mg before summer.

[Hemps]

Do you ever recover from this? I wake up every morning hoping that I will feel normal again.

Marie, I am glad you increase is going well. And I hope it continues.

Thanks for your encourage guys. Yes children do wear you down. They know now that if they keep going I will break. Little buggers.