Posted by zinya on July 11, 2003, at 12:25:04
In reply to Re: Anyone had success on Effexor XR?, posted by mercedes on July 11, 2003, at 2:32:32
hi mercedes,
That sounds very wise and important about learning not to chastise yourself for not having energy. I TOTALLY identify with what you state as I too have a whole long story I'll spare you but which has meant that this last year and a half in particular have left me in a catch-22 of sorts of a new house (well, in short, i bought it only to have my mom living with me, a bunch of ignorant doctors having utterly failed to diagnose properly that what mom was dealing with was cancer, which only got diagnosed 4 months after i moved her and me into this house, thinking she had at least another 5 years, spending my time attending to her -- thank goodness -- little imagining that she had something which meant she would wind up only having 5 months. And ever since then i've had zero zero zero energy to make this house into what i'd envisioned. For the whole winter i thought maybe i was dealing with grieving which would eventually pass but finally realized by May that there was probably 'clinical depression' underlying this too. And so here i am.)
But i too can barely lift a finger yet - my one task now is to try to remedy a garden that i didn't realize all winter could get so out of hand - the previous winter had been dry and i didn't realize all this year's rain was producing so much havoc in the garden that i mostly ignored in my grief and depression. Now i manage to fill a big city trash bin full of garden refuse each week, with the hope of being sort of caught up by end of July. But meanwhile, inside my house, I have two rooms that still are full of boxes never even unboxed since moving here. And one of those is the first room you see entering the house. So i don't even like to invite anyone over. I was never like this before. But i too just have to do my darnedest not to chastise myself for it and figure the day will come when i can deal with it. Until then, i go to friends' houses cuz i know it just would feel too stressful to me to try to make my place look the way i want it to or to feel apologetic all the time. Only my absolute closest friends are ones i feel okay letting see the chaos. And i'm in an atypical phase of not feeling the energy to socialize even remotely as much as i usually (used to) do anyway. I'm happier staying home most nights. I love going to movies, for example, but in recent months, i don't even have that urge.
I appreciate hearing your accounts of your own path through this, mercedes! I'm curious: Did you notice that your energy levels (these bursts you describe) started getting more frequent or more energized at any one particular dosage level? Or for you was it gradual across all levels? I ask cuz they say that 150 mg is kind of a pivotal level when the adrenal system is supposedly also affected by the drug?? But i'm assumign that too must be somewhat individualized to each of us??
Did you go from 150 to 225 and then to 300? Do you take the whole 300 at one time each day? Did you find that your adjustment to each new level got easier (fewer side effects) or did each level bring some days of side effects at first?
thanks, and hugs,
zinya
poster:zinya
thread:13781
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030708/msgs/240884.html