Side effects

[supdudes]

Hey guys,

recently started effexor (like 4.5 weeks ago), am now for 3.5 weeks on 75 mg. Side effects are increasing and were pretty tough to begin with. No therapeutic effect whatsoever. I have been for 15 weeks on escitalopram and 10 on sertraline, both of which didnt help for my anxiety and for both of which my side effects did not go away at all. How long do you guys think I hsould go with effexor before I can savely say it wont work? Ive been trying ad's for so long now and they make me so sick, its kinda hard to poison yourself every night.

This is also the first ad to give me mental side effects like increased anxiety and extremely irritable (thoguh never aggessive, more in a introvert kind of way). So ye im kinda annoyed that everything I try only seems to make me more sick, but ive tried long enough without ad's and that didnt get me there either. Feel kinda frustrated. How long do you think I should keep up the effexor?

Cheers,

me

[nicola1980]

Hi stick with the effexor for a bit longer, when I first started my anxiety increased tremendously and I felt so sick along with other side effects, i didn't start to see an improvement until I reached 150mg and then I needed an extra 37.5mg boost so I now take 187.5mg slow release and this dose seems to work for me, with every increase tho unfortunately the heightened anxiety came back but I managed to ride it out and things eventually got better. I've also had many failed AD's before effexor too, remember these meds can take up to 8 weeks to kick in fully XX

[supdudes]

Ty for the reply Nicola. So basically what you're saying (if I undrstand it correctly) is that I should see if my situation improves before the eight week mark, and than call it quits. And if side effects improve but theres no therapeutic effect, than I should increase and try the eight weeks again. Just to make sure, this would be your advice?

Thanks again for the help and I hope you are doing well dear,

Bram

[hopey]

Nicola1980 re Side effects. Thanks for your information on side effects. I have now been on 150mg ven for six weeks. still very anxious.. and vision problems. Also I seem to be always tired although have started to sleep better.
So i was really interested to read it took you eight weeks. So will look forward to
the next two weeks ???????. Hope you are feeling better. thanks hopey.

[SADnomore]

Just a quick bit of sharing re: Effexor, in my experience. I would say that it is not the drug to give up on unless you absolutely have to. Effexor is almost never prescribed for initial treatment, partly because of the difficulty often associated with withdrawal, whether that is well-known or not. So if there's a chance still that it may work for you, I would continue with it for up to 12 weeks, anyway. That's when I finally felt the old "normal good" feelings and thoughts taking hold.

I am pretty sensitive to side effects, and suffered them all, lol! Fuzzy head/fog brain, early, transient nausea, muscle tonus, knots in stomach, exhaustion, etc. I learned that the heightened anxiety has to do with serotonin receptors in the gut, actually, and as the reuptake lessens (more stays in the brain), then the anxiety and body tension eases off too.

As for daytime exhaustion and insomnia, I found it MUCH better when I started taking it at bedtime instead, though that may seem counterintuitive. I do take trazodone, 50 mg. A mild antidepressant that is mainly used as a sleep aide, it does NOT, in fact, cause tolerance, and so there has really been no need to increase the dose. ... with sleep hygiene practices and deep breathing it may be possible to resume normal sleep without a sleep aide altogether, but since I have always had a sleep disorder, I am satisfied to be off zopiclone and sticking with the "starter" dose of trazodone.

Good luck, Hopey! ... Good to see you again, Nicola!

Marie

[hopey]

Hello Sadnomore. What would we do without all the information received on here?
Thankyou for your interesting blog. I have suffered such a lot of side effects and
one thinks they are alone. So it is really good to read replies.
Have had a few awful days just lately six weeks on 150mg ven Nicola said it will
be at least 8 weeks
so
am hoping

Thanks again Hopey.

---------- Post added at 14:48 ---------- Previous post was at 14:44 ----------

Hi Sadnomore. Have just reread your letter. And. see you state 12 weeks.
I WILL cope for that long if it will mean I could feel just a little bit happy and normal.
Hopey.