Posted by Zellie on January 11, 2004, at 21:12:26
In reply to Am I the only one here that likes Effexor?, posted by Paco on January 11, 2004, at 19:48:27
I am encouraged to hear of your positive experience with Effexor. Everyone has a different story to tell, some pleasant, some not.
I, too, am very pleased with Effexor. It has changed my life completely. I have GAD, Major Depression, ADHD, and for 2 decades I had Panic Attacks as well. At 42, I now have peace for the first time, and I finally no longer wish I were dead. My life and my home are unquestionably happier.
My side effects are minimal, and whatever I do experience is worth it in my case. The benefits far, far, far outweigh the side-effects, for me.
By the way, I have learned from several sources that, the earlier the onset of symptoms, and the greater the number of occurrences, the greater the odds are that that person may require meds indefinitely. I am a perfect example of a person who will likely always require meds to control my symptoms and help me function in a healthy way.
I have discovered that many doctors seem to want to wean their patients off their meds as soon as their depression/GAD has been under control for 6-12 months. In some instances, this may be beneficial. But I have friends who are very fearful of going back to the life they once lived, once their meds are reduced or eliminated. They've had depression in their lives for years (decades), and, therefore, may be quite prone to a return to that state if taken off their meds.
As I said, according to the plentiful readings I have perused, and according to my own pdoc, there are many patients who ought to never be off the meds (if not Effexor, then one that is optimal for that patient). Why does there seem to be such a push to get them off? There is much evidence that indicates that there will be a return of the old symptoms, because their problem is chronic, and not just an isolated experience of depression.
You may want to research it yourself. Amazon has the book, The Mayo Clinic on Depression (by Keith, Md. Kramlinger). This is one book that had a really good summary of the matter, in my opinion. You may want to ask about remaining on Effexor or another anti-depressant, indefinitely.
If you do decrease or come right off of Effexor, ask your doc to take you down by baby, baby steps, allowing at least a month, if not 2 or 3, each time you are titrated down. This will help minimize intensity of the side-effects.
In the meantime, you may wish to carry an emergency pill or two with you, so that, if you wind up unexpectedly away from home when you usually take your dose, you'll have it with you. I recommend that you use one of those daily pill holders, too, so that you can check to see if you've had your pills (I can take mine, and then within a minute not remember if I've taken it...so I just check the pill box). I certainly don't want to miss a dose or be late in taking it, nor do I want to double up, if I ever cannot remember whether I've taken my meds.
I wish you much continued success.
Kindest regards,
Zellie
> I just started looking at this board again after being away from it for a few months....
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> I've been taking Effexor XR for about 10 months and it has been working just fine. No side effects, normal life, just the med I had hoped for.
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> I avoided all meds for years after bad, actually terrible, experiences with Prozac, Zoloft, and Paxil. I thought nothing would work, and I assumed all meds would bring about these awful side effects. I didn't want to experience this again, so I avoided all meds and just lived with depression. When I couldn't take that life any longer I finally gave up and went to my doctor and tried Effexor XR. What a difference it has made.
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> I saw my doc the other day and he suggested I taper down to 75 (I'm on 150) this spring or summer. I had a taste of the brain zaps recently when I took a dose a few hours late, but I swear a few days of that would be worth the comfortable life I've had this last year.
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> Not sure where I'm going with this other than I've had good results with Effexor, have no side effects, and only had about four days of relatively light side effects while going on it. Some of these meds work for some of us, others don't. Just keep trying and find out what works for you.
>
poster:Zellie
thread:13781
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040109/msgs/299567.html