Well here we go... 150mg

[Paradise10]

So just a quick update, i get mental health cover through my work health insurance. I have had an assessment and they have recommended cbt done via video call which I should get within a few days. I have also been on the phone with my doctor and he has increased my venlafaxine from 150mg to 225mg. He has said to take an extra 37.5 for 2 weeks then take the full extra 75mg after that. He has also prescribed me 28 diazepam and I can take these up to 3 times a day if needed. He did mention addiction of the diazepam but anyone who has read this full thread will know I really hate taking them and only use in a dire emergency.

I have told my boss I am increasing my medication and she has been amazing and told me to take time out when I need it for walks or just to chill. I am really lucky there, and working from home really helps. I am still at my parents and they said they will make sure I eat and get a walk eveyday.

I am not going to lie I am totally petrified of doing this but I can't stay like this.

Tomorrow will be day 1..... Gulp!!

Ava x

[Paradise10]

Ok, It's day one from the increase from 150mg up to 187mg and I took the increased dose at 9.30 this morning after I had forced some breakfast down.

At the moment I have 24/7 anxiety and a shed load of agitation so that's the main reason for the increase, I am also hoping at this higher dose it helps to get me more back to myself as I have felt all the other doses have helped the anxiety but I've never had that energy and excitement for life back. I wouldn't say I was depressed but I never got excited for things like nights out, weekends away, Christmas ect. The only way I can explain it is that it feels like a light switch in my head that has been dimmed and I would like the switch turning back up to bright, I don't know if that's maybe mild depression? I have never addressed that though as once i get stable with the anxiety i never want to increase more as i really don't want to go through all that again that increasing brings.

I am petrified that this increase wont work for my anxiety but I have to keep telling myself that any med I have taken has always helped my anxiety, the citalopram helped with my anxiety and my lightbulb went back to bright. The Cymbalta and Sertraline both helped with my anxiety but not my lightbulb.

I am still working at the moment as I can work from home and I am staying at my parents house at the moment as they are usually about during the day so I am not on my own. Might sleep at home at the weekend though with my husband as both me and my 17 year old son are here so we've left him home alone.

The side effects from the increase usually start to hit around day 4 but I will deal with that when I get there. I know this is going to be tough but the plan is to go out for a walk everyday maybe twice, keep working and eating, venting my feelings on here and take the diazepam if needed without a fight. (Not needed one today yet so that's good.)

I have to pick my son up from his driving lesson soon so that will get me out for a while.

Ian thank you for answering my questions, you have always been such a help to me.

Angie how are you doing now?

Till later, Ava x

[Paradise10]

Morning all... Tablets taken and it is now day 2 on this increase journey.

I am so glad I keep this thread as I have been reading through when I started it when I was increasing from 112.5mg to 150mg and it is all for the exactly the same reasons.

The ache around my left breast and top of the left side of my chest and numb feeling in left arm and the heavy feeling behind and between my eyes that makes me feel like my lightbulb is switched off. As usual the ven helps with the anxiety but those symptoms persist afterwards and although I have no anxiety I still keep thinking about them constantly and trying to push them away. Then after a few months the anxiety comes back. It tells me I must get these issues sorted or I will keep doing this. I just go round and round about what they could be, after my last blip in November I don't think it is Lung Cancer anymore as I had an x-ray and that was clear which I believe 100% also had blood tests which were fine too. So of course now I know it's not that I start moving onto other things it could be... Never stops.

So yesterday was manageable and no diazepam needed and no tears. I worked from home and did a lot of pacing between work. I picked my son up from his driving lesson at 11am then I took the dog out about 4pm. Cooked tea for my parents and son which I only managed half of and then watched some tv while looking at ven success stories online. I have not googled my symptoms though and I am determined not to. I also read my own thread through a couple of times.

I have an online appointment with a psychiatrist tomorrow evening at 8pm which has been arranged through my insurance and I am waiting for the CBT appointment to come through as well.

The plan is to get to 100% this time and not just 80% like previous as it just leaves me open to blips every couple of months and I don't want to keep doing this. I want the old me back!!

Got my partner coming here for tea tonight and a few meetings today, will also get a walk in with the dog.

Day 2, let's do this!

Ava x

[Angiesuggs]

Hi Ava

Really sorry I have not been on here been having difficulty logging in from my phone. It keeps logging me out when I type a message and when I get home I keep forgetting to go back on.

Really sorry you have to go up a dose but it maybe the best decision you have ever made. You have struggled for sometime and like you said you have never had that light switch moment where you have been totally happy.

I have been doing ok on my 112.5 but am I really totally me? I am unsure about this. I have a call with my GP tomorrow just a check up chat so do I go to the 150mg or do I stay and see what happens and if the interest in my life totally comes back? Maybe you can advise me?

I hope your appt goes well today. When I saw my Cons he said Ven is the best medication.

Sending love

Angie xx

[Paradise10]

Hi Angie, glad to hear you have been getting on OK, I think the best thing on your phone review tomorrow is to tell your doctor exactly how you are feeling and see what he says, he might say give it more time or he might suggest an increase. I always like to think they know better than we do so I go with what they say. It's hard for me to advise as up to now my interest is the same as yours. I'm planning to ask the phych on my appointment tonight so I will see what he says. I have also had my CBT come through so I have a video appointment with her today at 3.30 as well. Busy day and I am pretty much back to back meetings with work too.

Today is day 3 on my increase and nothing major to report, no side effects as of yet which is good. Got through work ok yesterday, can't sit too long at the laptop as I have to get up and walk about a bit and I struggle to concentrate and get lost in work. My partner came to my parents for dinner last night and then I just watched some TV until I went to bed about 10.30. Woke a couple of times in the night but went straight back to sleep. Woke with a banging headache this morning and I was dripping in sweat (how nice) Headache cleared on it's own though. Need to go eat a biscuit so I can take my ven now and get ready for my meetings.

Angie let me know how you get on with your docs chat.

Speak soon Ava xx

[Angiesuggs]

Hi Ava

I think the sweating is a side effect of the Ven? I have heard quite a few people say that. I have done a CBT course and I really enjoyed it. I did it with the Mental Health Community at first then I paid and did 7, 1 hour sessions with a lovely lady called Dr Tracey Vick. She said last week that she doesn't want to see me anymore as she feels that I am doing really well on my own. I never had negative thoughts much as I am always a happy person and a glass half full king of girl. But it was good to learn how your mind affects your feelings. I think my doctor will discharge me tomorrow as well. I am probably back to almost myself. I have plenty of energy and I can do most things but there is still that small bit of me missing. The bit where I liked going away with the girls and looked forward to going to our caravan. I will def discuss this with my doctor tomorrow. She may say give it a little longer and it will come back or the other way she could say well go up to 150mg and see how you get on. I just don't like the side effects mainly for me the increase in anxiety at about weeks 3 and then weeks 5/6. I will let you know what happens anyway.

Hope you have a good day, and speak soon

Angie

[Paradise10]

Hi, well day 4 on this increase journey and it's going OK. No side effects to report as yet apart from maybe headaches but I was having them before so that might not be the ven and also constantly want to burp as I feel I have something stuck in the middle of my chest.

Busy day yesterday, Had a lot of work meetings which I coped OK with, I then went and worked from home by myself from 3pm as I had my first video CBT session. The lady doing it is really nice and we went through everything that has been happening, she then set me some homework, I have to fill in an activity tracker for the next week which monitors what I do and how I feel about it then I have another session next Thursday. I also had a video assessment with a phychiatrist and he asked loads of questions. He said I defo had anxiety (which I obviously knew) but that I also had some depression, I queried this as I said I didn't feel low but he explained that depression isn't just feeling low or hopeless, depression can be a loss of interest in doing things and a loss of pleasure in doing things which I did say I felt like so I found that quite eye opening as it looks like the tablets have been fixing the anxiety but not the depression. He then suggested a plan which I agreed to as I trusted him. He has said to stay on the increase of 187.5mg for 2 weeks as planned then go up to 225mg. He has also told me to stop the nortryptline by dropping 10mg per week as that's not a good combination to augment the ven. He wants to see me again in 6 weeks to assess as he said there is scope to go further on ven if needed or to add something else in. He said he is also writing to my doctor telling them to send me for an ecg as everyone should have one after starting on venlafaxine. I am pleased I now have someone looking after my medication rather than different doctors at my surgery.

I am working today then we have my step daughter visiting tonight with the puppy to watch the rugby.

Angie how did your telephone appointment go with your doctor? I hope you are feeling ok?

Take care all, Ava x

[Angiesuggs]

Hi Ava

So glad to hear your appointments went well. I really enjoyed my CBT and she also used to give me homework to do. It does sound similar to yours. When I saw a psychiatrist I was already on 45mg of Mirtazapine and he added in the Ven and said it was the best combination. You may have that added to your Ven, it gives you such a good sleep the best I have ever had. My appt is tonight with my GP, so I will let you know how it goes. At the moment I am feeling ok, its been 9 weeks on the 112.5mg so not sure how long I should wait to maybe up or not? I know these tablets take much longer to work as Ian has said and I have heard it from someone else on a Facebook group that I joined. Maybe tonight I will discuss with my doctor about staying another 4 weeks and if I still feel not quite there I can ring and they will put them up for me. Hoping my body will be used to them then and I wont get too much side effects.

Speak soon

Angie xx

[Paradise10]

Hi Angie, my Phych did say each increase should be 3 months so if you have done 9 on the 112.5 maybe ask for a review in another 3 weeks and if you still feel the same try the 150mg.

Don't settle if you are not right as I have done this so many times and it just comes back.

He didn't say what he would add in so I will go with whatever he says if I need to, fingers crossed the 225mg works on it's own. I am glad to be getting off the nortryptline though as I didn't think it was doing anything.

Re side effects I don't think you can ever know, I am usually much worse than I am by day 4 (touch wood lol) I have been really bad at this point on the other increases so you never know xx

[Angiesuggs]

Hi Ava

thats good to know about the increase. Is that to give your body time to get used to the meds and for them to work? My GP did ring me and I said that most things have come back for me but I am still not totally myself. My Surgery isn’t a fan of putting up your meds it’s always a battle as to why you think you need to increase. She seemed happy that 112.5 was ok for the moment and I said can I ring in day 4 weeks if I feel I am still not myself? She did question as to why I wanted to go to 150mg? So I think I will just keep some notes of my feelings and in 4 weeks ring and go up if I feel I am not there yet

I hope that’s the right thing to do it will be a little over 12 weeks then. So glad you don’t have any side effects at the moment. Maybe your body is getting used to this medication and you will up your dose without any issues. Fingers crossed for you.

sending love

Angie xx