Posted by jannbeau on October 1, 2002, at 11:46:31
In reply to a wee concern..., posted by legallybrunette on October 1, 2002, at 11:13:27
> Hi, Legally Brunette!
I felt "numb" while taking Effexor-XR - didn't react to much of anything. I even sat through a funeral with dry eyes-(this may not have been a bad thing because I usually have unbelievable difficulty separating myself from the pain of others, or even my belief that they MUST be suffering). The good thing was that my anxiety level dropped drastically (before Effexor, I would start to imagine the worst thing that could happen to someone I loved or to myself and then I would compulsively imagine the whole sequence through to the end of my life and how horrible it would be for me to live without them or for them to live broken and physically or mentally destroyed, and on and on. . .). Strangely, since I discontinued Effexor, I have gotten back my ability to feel joyful or sorrowful, presumably under appropriate circumstances AND I have not been obcessing over the possibility that bad things will happen to those I love! I don't know whether I taught myself to "stop" the bad thought processes or whether this effect is a lingering therapeutic effect of Effexor. At any rate, since STOPPING Effexor due to the side effect of extreme fatigue/daytime somnolence, I have felt FINE-- Maybe the "after effects" of Effexor are better than the "side effects (LOL)!
Jannbeau
i have the impression - from reading this board and
> a couple of others on the net - that effexor
> (or ADs in general) sort of 'blankets' or 'numbs'
> the emotions, (ie - dulling the anger and anxiety),
> rather than actually tweaking the brain to
> alleviate those labored feelings of despair and
> worry, and re-ENERGIZING the body and senses -
> allowing you to live normally and emotionally, but
> without the encumbrance of 'depression' and
> 'anxiety'.
>
> correct me if i'm wrong, but i get the sense that
> many of the people who are taking ADs to relieve
> themselves of anger, sadness and tension wind up
> feeling 'flat', rather than 'alive'.
>
> is anyone out there actually feeling re-vitalized?
> joyful? for the first time in a while feeling
> responsive to your surroundings?
> or do you just feel'neutral', 'ok', 'unconcerned'
> and 'subdued' ?
>
> i just don't want to become an android.
>
>
poster:jannbeau
thread:13781
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020930/msgs/121815.html