Raised Anxiety after starting Ven

[Jo79]

That’s great, makes no sense to increase it if you’re responding so well. Hope it continues for you 🙂🤞

[Dying_Swan]

So good to hear Maca. I'm so glad you're doing so much better. Long may it continue!

[Maca44]

So time to check in.

How are you DS & Jo ?.
I have had a good week just disturbed sleep wiv some horrific nightmares & now my wife tells me my snoring has got really loud, I don't care im asleep 😀. Things are not brilliant but a million miles away from how I was a couple of months ago.

[Sunnysideup]

Hello everyone,
Following this thread. I just started out on Venlafaxine 75mg XR nearly 4 weeks ago. Very interested to watch your progress. I did a straight switch from Citalopram 20mg.

My own experience was , I felt nothing for the first 4 days ie no change.
Then about ten or eleven days of heightened anxiety.
Then seven days of feeling a bit better.
Now a few days of anxious mornings but feeling better as the day progresses.

Feeling really impatient to stabilise, but I know you just can't rush this......it happens in its own time. I think I'm a bit less obsessive than I was, and a bit more able to bat away intrusive thoughts.....
Have you guys taken different meds before? I know Macca you have taken Mirtazipine, did you find it helpful? Is there a reason you are tapering off, if you don't mind me asking.....

[Maca44]

Mirtazapine never really tackled the anxiety but helped with sleep so I still take 15mg at night. One of the reasons for coming off is the weight gain, it can really make you want to eat junk so along with it not impacting on the anxiety was the reason to reduce and come off. Your post reflects just how starting the Ven went for me so try to relax and let it work but maybe 150mg is a better dose to help, obviously you need to have a chat with your GP about this.

Welcome to the site I hope you get the support I have so ask any questions you want.

[Sunnysideup]

Thank you
Although I don't feel quite right yet, I am beginning to feel different, if that makes any sense. It's definitely energising me a bit. I'm a bit shaky, though. Will be glad when the anxiety calms down. Wondering if you also have a bit of a racing heart on Venlafaxine?

[Jo79]

Hi sunny side up. Just like Maca I take mirtazapine for sleep, I don’t think it really helps for much else but then i’ve always taken it alongside another antidepressant, previously SSRIs sertraline and then escitalopram. I recently increased to 225 on the ven but wondering if I jumped the gun a bit too quickly as I had only been on 150mg for 4 weeks and they do say it can take 4 to 6 weeks to notice an effect. As you are doing well I would be tempted to stay on 75 for another week and see how you go, but keep in mind this is the minimum therapeutic dose so it may help to increase to 150.

Be kind to yourself and just try to accept that’s just how you feel today. Tomorrow is another day and these meds take time. I think the reason I have been so impatient with myself was because I was on escitalopram previously and this kicked in so quick for me, within two weeks I was back to my old self but it only lasted a couple of months.

Increasing to 225 had been hard work. I didn’t notice much improvement on 75 or 150 but on 225 have had the most horrendous side effects of increased anxiety and depression which are settling down now after 2 weeks. I’m now flitting between feeling down one day to feeling wired the next but it’s more bearable.

[Jo79]

P.s regarding the racing heart - you could ask your GP for some propranolol, it’s a beta blocker and really helps for this 🙂

[Maca44]

Yes I have had the racing heart but its calming down abit now. I wear one of those watches that measures HR and sleep, both have been affected since starting Ven but I can live with that the pro's far outweigh the con's.

[Sunnysideup]

[QUOTE=Jo79;1893555] As you are doing well I would be tempted to stay on 75 for another week and see how you go, but keep in mind this is the minimum therapeutic dose so it may help to increase to 150.

Hi Jo, thanks for the kind words, really good to hear from others going through similar journey. Yeah, have defintiely had some benefits. This last two days have been gnarly, though. I do think my sleep and energy have improved a bit....at the moment, days are a bit weird but then after about 4pm I start to feel better.

Be kind to yourself and just try to accept that’s just how you feel today. Tomorrow is another day and these meds take time. I think the reason I have been so impatient with myself was because I was on escitalopram previously and this kicked in so quick for me, within two weeks I was back to my old self but it only lasted a couple of months.
Thank you, yes, it's hard waking up and feeling that anxious feeling. You're right, these meds and especially this one, seems to take a while to get going. When I first took citalopram many years ago, it also kicked in within the first month.....I'm really hoping this one will work. Happy to hop to 150 if that's gonna help me. I just want to feel better again.

Managed to cope with seeing elderly parents today, which was a bit stressful, but back at home and relaxing now. Just getting through the days rght now feels like an achievement. Hope you're having a good day