Posted by Leo on April 19, 2001, at 20:09:53
In reply to Anyone had success on Effexor XR? , posted by jp on October 24, 1999, at 14:59:14
Hello Pamela,
The Doctors out there are responding predominantly to what the drug company reps are telling them. The reps are motivated by money, so their feedback to the doctor is going to be "slanted" as are some of the posts I've been reading. They are certainly not going to give the doctors all the facts concerning effexor. A drug company reps facts, when a drug starts presenting a problem, tend to become rationalizations. That in itself is a problem that is huge in the drug company industry. The doctors usually get the facts from their patients. Hence, the suggestion concerning taking a hand full of these posts and presenting them to the doctor. A good doctor will take a hard look when confronted with a multitude of symptoms and side effects in patients that all share commonalities. And then he has the pleasure of watching the drug rep back peddle when presented with the facts. As far as dosages go, I think effexor is an extremely volatile drug in any dosage. People who have been on it for any length of time need to discontinue it under the watchful eye of a good doctor. There are physical things that happen to the body during the withdrawal process that are in fact dangerous and could be life threatening. There are studies that confirm this. There is no established weaning process from the drug. I believe it was rushed to market for profit sake. And I go back to the fact the brain is uncharted territory. Introducing drugs that attempt to alter "state of mind" touted as offering relief for depression is some ones best guess. I'm not anti-drug but I am anti-carelessness. I have no doubt that depression and anxiety are the by-products of a serious chemical imbalance in the brain. Researchers haven't evened scratched the tip of the iceberg on this yet. Controlling the imbalance is the problem. The drug company’s answer is to throw it out there and see what happens. I don't dispute the fact that effexor is good for some but these people are in a MINORITY. And a small one at that. That's until they try to get off of it and then they join the majority. I also don't believe that these drug companies create drugs with the intent of hurting people. What I have a problem with is when they bury their heads in the sand or put blinders on when it comes to addressing the "aftermath" of their creations. Then they are hurting people. The doctors can't be blamed but they can be educated by their patients, not by the drug company reps.
I've also looked at Marilyns posts...GOOD JOB. No one can dispute the facts!!!! Don't let up. Don't be to surprised when you see a segment on one of televisions renowned evening news magazines concerning effexor. I know, that at this time, there is some real heavy investigating going on.
Also, keep tabs on your overall health. This will be important in the future.
This post should bring them out of the woodwork.
Can't wait to see the responses to this one.Regards,
Leo
poster:Leo
thread:13781
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010417/msgs/60511.html