Posted by willow on May 27, 2001, at 21:09:45
In reply to Re: I Love Effexor, posted by newby on May 27, 2001, at 10:35:31
*Have you experienced side effects?
Yes, lots of them. Having said that, they are all physical ones, which I can tolerate and have lessened with time or either I found a change in my lifestyle that would help aleviate them. The most common side-effect I have had from other anti-depressant medications have affected my moods and thinking negatively. This I couldn't tolerate, not if I was to live with other people.
*never taken medication for depression.
I spent my first week in the hospital for depression during my 16th birthday. Seven years later I took my first AD, impramine. It made me agitated and I cried non-stop. I think I took it for a month. Six years later I guess I started a long period of chronic illness, which just seemed to slowly get worse. This has lasted for almost five years. During this time I've taken different ADS which usually made me worse. Last October I started effexor.
I was unable to think when I moved or stand any external stimulation. The effexor lessened this, but it did have side-effects. The symptom it helped was worse than the side-effects, so this is probably why I stuck with it.
*Didn't even know I was depressed, but do have lots of anxiety.
My husband thought the doctor was wrong when he suggested that I was suffering from depression. We've been together a long time, so if anyone knows me he would. What I'm trying to say is that depression/anxiety can be hard to recognize. My psychologist says it's anxiety, which I've argued that I don't have, but now being on the effexor and it has gotten rid of the excessive anxiety I can look back and say it was. So I think it can slowly progress without us being aware.
*How long did it take before you started feeling better?
The concentration problems were helped fairly quickly, I noticed subtle improvement within days. After that it would be about every month when I look back, and say wow! Or I recover bits of my memory that I thought were lost, little pieces of the old me coming back.
Uups for making a short thing so long. In a nutshell, effexor has worked great for me. The most noticeable thing is that it can control chronic generalized anxiety. It can have side-effects that are manageable with help.
Let me know what you decide.
Willow
poster:willow
thread:13781
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010522/msgs/64455.html