venlafaxine increase side effects

[nicola1980]

Hi Clio, yep I've took 187.5mg before and it worked well for me, i had just forgot how bad the side effects are especially when your already in a bad place as it is, it's the heightened anxiety that I can't stand, it's so frightening. Today has been a much better day...touch wood!! XX

[nicola1980]

Well its day 12 and I've had an horrendous day, literally been curled up in bed with intense panic that is overwhelming me :( I can't remember if this happened last time I increased or not? Can anyone reassure me please? XX

[pinkdove]

hi nicola, i take it your pysc increased your dose, but if it was me, i would check with her,i dont think you should be struggling like this after 12 days, and with an increase of 37.5mg, i think i said before that my gp told me to stick with the lowest dose that made me feel well.

also i think with the stress you have been under, its not surprising that you felt like you were going backwards, think about how you felt on the lower dose, and speak to your gp/pysc, and tell them how bad you feel, you dont have to suffer to the extent that you are curled up in bed with panic

really hope you feel better soon hun, take care xx

[nicola1980]

Hi pink, i wasn't coping on The lower dose when physc dropped it from 187.5mg to 150mg when I was pregnant so after my miscarriage she has increased it back to my original dose which I was stable on before so I'm not sure what to do? Is this normal side effects of not? Or the increase not agreeing with me? I'm so confused XX

---------- Post added at 06:32 ---------- Previous post was at 06:27 ----------

Forgot to say I was in a pretty bad way before she increased me, the anxiety and panic was dreadful then XX

[MyNameIsTerry]

Hi Nicola,

I know how you feel, I went through this with Duloxetine. I've read about the difference between the 2 and Duloxetine hits its norepinephine dose quicker so you start on 30mg (which was ok, usual SSRI side effects) and then I went up to 60mg and my anxiety went through the roof. The worst 8-10 days of my life. I would wake with 1.5hrs of chest bursting adrenaline rushes and then it would be hours of strange after affects of adrenaline where you feel like everything is tight still and I really struggled to just sit down for hours after that. It was truly horrible and far worse than what I experienced going onto Citalopram which was calmed down with sleep courtesy of Zopiclone.

I had Diazepam but I was determined not to take any this time and just go straight onto the SNRI. When I increased to 60mg, I gave in and had to have 1 2mg Diazepam upon waking for the last 2 days of this. This did help a fair bit.

Once day the last day of these side effects hit, it completely changed over night but it did leave me a worse mess than when I had gone to my GP. I had the same issue with Citalopram though.

If you anxiety had increased prior to commencing the new dose, it could be possible that it is doing its normal increase of anxiety issue on top of what was already an unstable situation thus making it worse.

You are probably sensitive to adrenaline issue as not everyone seems to go through this type of thing. I know people who are on the same as me who didn't struggle and others who couldn't even tolerate the tapering dose!

Was it this bad last time?

You mentioned it took 4 days before the side effects started so I would consider this day 8. Based on this, it could be that its due to end soon and it might be worth holding out otherwise if it had been a full 12 days of this I would be less sure.

I just struggled through, I didn't see any other choice as it would have mean tapering off again and struggling to go on something else and I had only just started meds again.

Avoid caffeine at the moment. Caffeine has an effect on something else in your body that has a knock on effect of allowing more norepinephrine to be released and available and thats the last thing you need at the moment.

Exercise burns off adrenaline. I didn't try this as I was a complete mess but if you can, I would advise it as this and deep breathing are the things that cause adrenaline to be burnt off. So, try some deep breathing exercises as well. Even after an adrenaline spike, all the residual feeling is the adrenaline that is waiting to be metabolised and exercise will force this to happen. So, maybe some exercise a few times a day could help but I haven't tried this.

Drink fluids too as some adrenaline is excreted that way.

[nicola1980]

Hi terry, thankyou so much for replying, when I first increased it this time I was fine for the first 5 days and then the anxiety hit me like a ton of bricks, this was last Monday and I've been struggling ever since, I've had odd glimpses of relief like the weekend the anxiety wasn't so bad but yesterday it was horrendous again. When I was on this dose previously I honestly can't remember how it effected me as it was 2 years ago but I was stable on the 187.5mg until my physc lowered it to 150mg because I became pregnant unfortunately I suffered a miscarriage and went dramatically downhill hence being increased again. Today isn't as bad anxiety wise as yesterday but I'm still very panicky. Venlafaxine was the only AD that worked for me as others failed so I'm really loosing hope at the min and feeling very scared. Do you think this is normal side effects that will settle? Or should I try and get in touch with my physc which isn't easy and I doubt she could me. Thankyou for replying XX

[MyNameIsTerry]

Really sorry to hear about the miscarriage, that must have really rocked you on top of the reduction.

I think you would have remembered it if it was this bad last time, whilst I can't remember exactly how it felt, its not something I will be forgetting as it was the worst anxiety I have ever felt by a fair way.

Mine was constant and it was the following morning from taking the increase but it is a different style of SNRI that is used more for the dual effect whereas yours is often used as a SSRI until you go this high from what others have said on threads. So, its got a slightly different method of action and because of that, I'm not sure about that delay and the better period inbetween.

It does sound like the typical overload we get when commencing them until your system resolves it, its just most of us are used to the serotonin being increased as opposed to both so its a different thing to go through and I know I suffered side effects that were in the less common range eg adrenaline rushes.

Since you've been on it before to this dosage, part of me thinks its worth keeping going because of the max 8 days so far but I don't think you should leave it long if you do because I know mine became unbearable and wouldn't want anyone to go through that so if you can't bare it, make contact. If you can bare it, maybe it will settle very very soon. Its hard to say and its really your call as only you know how it feels.

I can only say that based on my SNRI, going up to the norepinephrine dose did make me feel like this for about 8-10 days and it was every single day but it did get worse after the first few days. After that it was probably my frustration that made it even worse as it was a horrible experience.

I'm just wondering whether your anxiety has been increased prior due to the reduction and by increasing again, it could easily be adding to that anxiety giving a cumulative effect of much worse anxiety until it passes.

Has anyone else on here had this? Marie (SADNoMore), you seem to know loads about this one so do you know about this?

[nicola1980]

Thanks Terry, when I first started venlafaxine I was in a very bad place and I seem to have erased that from my memory for some reason? At one point I begged to be put in hospital I felt so bad, I had to go and live back at my parents as some days I couldn't get out of bed, whereas I know I'm not that bad now this anxiety is scaring me but to be honest I was in a very bad way before I increased back up, i didn't cope very well on the 150mg at all and then after my miscarriage I just went dramatically downhill. Thankyou for your advice I really appreciate it, im going to try and stick it out a few more days XX

[MyNameIsTerry]

You're not alone there Nicola, I've had my days where I thought I might be better in hospital but they do pass. My anxiety hit at the point of looking around for houses and ever since I've stayed at home because I dreaded being on benefits with nothing and debts piling up and now I've been out of work a while, I'm just in limbo until I find my way to better times (although I am much better than back a couple of years ago).

I suffer constant spikes & mood swings that come about every 7 days. Even now when it starts up all those negative thoughts and feelings hit me. It only last a few days but I did have a rough time just after Christmas and I was suffering adrenaline rushes again which I haven't had for years really (maybe the one one hear & there but not consistent like when I upped the dose) and this really worried me because it made me feel like I was going backwards. So, right now its only nature for you to feel perhaps worse because you have taken a bit of a backward step and then there was a traumatic event which would upset anyone so that is going to be magnified in your situation but at the same time it will also magnify your own issues. So, remember that its just a current state, things have been far worse but they have also been better and hang onto the fact that you have had a couple of better days inbetween and hopefully it will break very soon and you can go back to recovering.

Is there any techniques that have helped you with anxiety? Relaxation, CBT exercises like Thought Records to counteract statements, all that kind of stuff. I know relaxation is really really hard when you go through this because its like your anxiety is not within your control due to this artificial effect from the meds so if you can't sit & relax, turn to exercise and see if it burns if off a bit to allow you to do the rest. Even gentle exercise.

And keep hydrated as it will help your body excrete some of it.

[nicola1980]

Thanks Terry, so sorry to hear you've gone thro a rough time also, it's absolutely horrendous feeling like this, I've got a child to look after too so it's a real struggle, infact I had to cancel his parents evening last night as the thought of going sent me into a state of panic. I'm just hoping and praying this passes really soon, unfortunately I had to resort to Diazepam yesterday and think I will today aswell. I try to do my relaxation but it's so hard when your in such a heightened stage of anxiety, im currently on the waiting list for CBT but could take a while. It's so frustrating when prior to all that's happened I was doing so well and living a practically 'normal' life, now all that fear is back. I've just managed to go to the shop which is a small step I guess as yesterday I couldn't leave my house. I'll give it a few more days and see how I get on. Thankyou so much for taking the time to reply to me XX