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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 4480 to 4504 of 10407. Go back in thread:
Posted by KimberlyDi on July 11, 2003, at 12:14:12
In reply to Has anyone experienced nightmares on Effexor XR, posted by Kathy Powers on July 11, 2003, at 8:09:50
Effexor XR (and some other AD's) can cause vivid dreams. Whether they are pleasant dreams or nightmares probably depends on the person. If she has a vivid imagination fed by scary movies or books, it might be expressed as nightmares. Or if she has any unresolved fears or issues during her waking hours, they might be expressed as nightmares while she sleeps. Most my Effexor dreams are very interesting and I almost regret waking up. Last night I had my first nightmare on it (1.5 to 2 months now on it). It was about my fear of being defenseless against abuse by men. I woke up shaking and almost unable to function. One note: for me, the nightmare only happened when I started to decrease my dosage of Effexor and switch to Lexapro. I think I'll stick on Effexor.
KDi from Texas> My daughter is on 150mg of Effexor XR every night, and she has been having horrible nightmares. Has anyone else noticed this? Could it be liked to the Effexor?
Posted by Jack Smith on July 11, 2003, at 12:14:27
In reply to Re: Anyone had success on Effexor XR? - Ripley's, posted by SLS on July 11, 2003, at 8:51:38
> > Hi there,
> >
> > Anyone care to comment on the use of Effexor?
>
>
> This thread contains 4490 posts. Someone should call Ripley's.Scott,
You would know better than I but this has to be the longest thread in Psychobabble history. Whoever "jp" was, I wonder what happenned to him? Moreover, his initial question "anyone care to comment on the use of effexor?" turned out to unleash a storm.
JACK
Posted by KimberlyDi on July 11, 2003, at 12:19:11
In reply to Re: Anyone had success on Effexor XR? , posted by Bridget on July 11, 2003, at 9:42:57
Hi there. Every time you bump the dosage up, you will probably deal with those side effects until your body adjusts to the new dosage. I'm at 200mg a day, and most of my side effects have decreased except for the lack of sex drive.
Hang in there!
KDi from Texas> I just started EFFEXR XR and it starts out with 37.5 mg the goes up. I seem to be doing okay with the only real problem of sweating, a little tired and not eating. Will these symtoms get worse with the mg going up to 75 mg tomorrow?
> .Anyone have any further infor for me,,,
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
Posted by zinya on July 11, 2003, at 12:37:27
In reply to Had terrible attack. Any 1 have these symtoms?, posted by mercedes on July 11, 2003, at 3:26:16
Oh gosh, Mercedes, I just responded to your previous post little imagining that you had a second post with such a crisis situation brewing already...
Wow. First of all, I'm disgusted with your primary physician for refusing to see you. These might be medical symptoms that have nothing to do with what your pdoc deals with, but this is unfortunately no time for you to have to try to find a new primary physician, it seems (although I would consider doing this when you feel better)! I would urge you to see your pdoc then (he IS a psychiatrist, not just a psychologist, right? i.e., an MD too?) and make an appt asap. This sounds VERY serious.
How many months ago did this first start happening? The impression I have is that it is not a side effect of Effexor, especially if it only started after you'd been on Effexor at high doses for quite some time. This doesn't sound like what I understood people to mean by "brain freezes" or whatever term I've heard used. This sounds more serious. In a way, it reminds me of an experience i had decades ago in the early days of having migraines (during a horrible marriage that my body dealt with, it seems, by giving me migraines). The second one i had was so bad it had an effect that caused me to make no sense when I was talking and I was taken to an ER and couldn't answer some normal Q's from the md (like subtracting 7 from 100, I said something like 940).
The fact you have several in a week once - were they this intense? Did you see a doctor about them then? I think you must see a doctor asap, Mercedes.
Please keep us informed, when you can, of how you are doing. My thoughts and hugs and good wishes are with you.
zinya
Posted by zinya on July 11, 2003, at 12:58:05
In reply to Has anyone experienced nightmares on Effexor XR?, posted by Kathy Powers on July 11, 2003, at 8:10:39
It seems possible from what I've read here over the months that the nightmares could indeed be from the Effexor. She didn't have them prior to taking the Effexor? Or is it that they are more chronic or more intense now?
I presume there are also some positive effects from the Effexor which mean that the nightmares are the one undesirable drawback she'd like to get rid of but keep staying on the Effexor??
If so, one thing you might try is to leave either music or TV on while she sleeps and see if it might give her brain something else to think about instead of the nightmares. I suggest this cuz I had to resort to this. My only situation (which I summarized above in a post to Mercedes a bit ago) led me last fall in the height of grief after losing my mom to cancer and having what was surely deprssion, I later decided, as well as grief, I started having nightly wake-ups at 3 am or so and with horrible thoughts in my head, possibly from nightmares i'd been having, and I started purposely falling asleep with the TV on, and it did "solve" the problem cuz my brain must find other topics instead. It probably interferes with dreaming of any type (or at least remembering them) cuz I haven't had any dreams I know of since I started doing that, but that seems okay, even though i used to like my dreams and be intrigued by what they meant (but they weren't nightmares).
Wishing you and your daughter well and let us know how she's doing. How old is she?
zinya
Posted by Bridget on July 11, 2003, at 13:50:55
In reply to Re: Anyone had success on Effexor XR? » Bridget, posted by zinya on July 11, 2003, at 12:04:14
My doctor is a MD/I also see a OB/GYN. I am already on artificial hormones due to a hysterectomy . I am only 31.I had uterine cancer.
I think I am doing okay. Like I said befor the mg go up on the sample pack tomorrow to 75mg.I am mainly being treated for anxiety. I definitely drink alot more water and no more nayusea. I just hope when it increases I do get all the side effects. I love the input.
Is it really going to help with the weight. I know my appetite in the last few days had decreased alot.
Posted by Bridget on July 11, 2003, at 14:03:33
In reply to Re: Anyone had success on Effexor XR?, posted by Bridget on July 11, 2003, at 13:50:55
I made a mistake in my last posting, I meant to say I hope I DON'T get anymore, not do get more . I will take the 75mg starting tomorrow because it is next on the sample pack. I am sorry for the mistake. Has it really been procev to cause weight loss, this may be a plus for me...
Posted by zinya on July 11, 2003, at 14:39:07
In reply to Re: Anyone had success on Effexor XR?, posted by Bridget on July 11, 2003, at 13:50:55
hi again Bridget,
gosh, you're so young to have uterine cancer. My heart goes out to you. Do you mind my asking how long ago that was? And I gather, if you're on HRT, then they took ovaries as well as uterus? I ask partly because i wonder if your body is still adjusting to hormone replacement? That in itself is a big set of changes for the body - how long have you been on them? and has that been getting altered (in terms of dose as well?) It's important to keep in mind that some things you might be experiencing in side effects could be related to that especially if you recently started. I ask also cuz i know more about the topic of HRT than i wish i did :)) and i think it's important for women to know about all the alternative types of estrogen -- Too many doctors (imo) prescribe Premarin as if it were the only option. Especially for long-term use, which presumably will be your case too, I think a much healthier route is Estraderm patches - It's a more natural form of estrogen - estradiol -- and there are other newer even more natural forms now getting developed which i'm just learning about which use more of estriol .. Using a patch is more efficient (transdermal) and it also protects the liver from having another daily drug to break down which, over time, can lead to liver function problems. I switched to using Estraderm in 1988 and have been very pleased overall, but again, as with ADs, each body is different and responds differently to doses and products.
But your latest post seems to raise this as a second thing that makes me curious (although you don't have to answer these Qs if you would rather not and i'll understand) ... There's a book I've recommended to women here before which I'll re-recommend to you re women's hormones if you haven't heard of it. I discovered her (a gynecologist somewhere in New England as i recall) on PBS when she did special programs. Her name is Christiane Northrup and the book is "Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom".
As to Effexor, you sound like you're saying you feel you're doing okay enough to move up to 75 mg. IF you have a bad reaction after moving up, I'd definitely call your MD and/or if it seems intoleralbe (and/or if it's over the weekend and you can't get a hold of anyone), one alternative would be to go back to 37.5 by opening up a capsule and splitting the granules in half... At least until you could talk to the MD for advice. But DO NOT EVER for ANY REASON SUDDENLY STOP taking them altogether. Everyone's experience seems to be that this is a drug you MUST taper off of very gradually to avoid bad side effects.
more 2 cents from me,
zinyap.s. As to the weight, again, you never know how it's going to affect you - seems to affect each of us differently.
> My doctor is a MD/I also see a OB/GYN. I am already on artificial hormones due to a hysterectomy . I am only 31.I had uterine cancer.
> I think I am doing okay. Like I said befor the mg go up on the sample pack tomorrow to 75mg.I am mainly being treated for anxiety. I definitely drink alot more water and no more nayusea. I just hope when it increases I do get all the side effects. I love the input.
> Is it really going to help with the weight. I know my appetite in the last few days had decreased alot.
>
Posted by mercedes on July 11, 2003, at 14:40:55
In reply to Has anyone experienced nightmares on Effexor XR, posted by Kathy Powers on July 11, 2003, at 8:09:50
I've had unusual dreams/nightmares. This is one "side effect" from effexor xr. What I did was ease myself from taking the effexor at night, to mid-morning (I moved it up one hour a day till I got to mid-morning). Just cause, I'll try anything to ease the side effects. Told my pdoc about it and he had no problem with it. Sweating is also a side effect. I drink water now, which is good for me. I used to only drink coffee and diet coke, no water. All in all, Effexor is right for me. Hope this helps.....mercedes
> My daughter is on 150mg of Effexor XR every night, and she has been having horrible nightmares. Has anyone else noticed this? Could it be liked to the Effexor?
Posted by mercedes on July 11, 2003, at 15:15:52
In reply to Re: Anyone had success on Effexor XR? , posted by Bridget on July 11, 2003, at 9:42:57
Glad you seem to be doing okay with the 37.5. The sweating, lack of appetite and tiredness seems to be common side effects. I've always sweat but it wasn't till I read so many people on this thread say they sweat more, did I realize I was also sweating more. I seem to be drinking water vs. none. My appetite decreased but I could stand to lose alot of weight. Make sure you take the med with something. I used to get terrible heartburn, until I read that it should be taken with a meal or even some crackers or toast. I'm on 300mgs now (sound like alot huh?) Feel better as far as depression goes. I also have anxiety disorder for which I take xanex and agraphobia which is also treated with the effexor and getting better. My memory is sometimes shot but I write alot of things down. Let us know how you do on the 75, okay?
Mercedes
**************************************
> I just started EFFEXR XR and it starts out with 37.5 mg the goes up. I seem to be doing okay with the only real problem of sweating, a little tired and not eating. Will these symtoms get worse with the mg going up to 75 mg tomorrow?
> .Anyone have any further infor for me,,,
Posted by KimmieM. on July 11, 2003, at 15:17:21
In reply to Re: Has anyone experienced nightmares on Effexor XR » Kathy Powers, posted by mercedes on July 11, 2003, at 14:40:55
Hi guys. I have to say that I have never experienced nightmares, nor have I experienced more or less "normal" dreams than usual. Again, this med seems to affect everybody different.
Does anyone know what the Drug Monograph that the manufacturing company includes, states as the most prevalent side effect? that would be intersting to know.
P.S. to mercedes, "keep on trucking" congratulations on your drive, you must have been extremely pleased with your progress so far. It is great to see, that there is hope, and support from all.
Posted by CherC68 on July 11, 2003, at 16:39:27
In reply to Re: Has anyone experienced nightmares on Effexor XR?, posted by Susy on July 11, 2003, at 9:24:13
Susy, exactly what you describe is what I have at least 3/4 times a day on top of the depression. The running feeling, chest feelings, pounding, etc. Effexor didn't seem to help (even though I wasn't on it long enough) neither did the Zoloft.
To me the side effects intensified the panic attacks.
I was given xanax when I was younger - just one prescription of 10 after I was raped and every now and then my mom gets a prescription and will give me two of hers to hold for when I get my "I think I'm dying panic attacks" NO doctor I have been to recently will prescribe xanax - As a matter of fact, I've taken maybe 20 in my entire life and I'm almost 40. Why are Dr's so afraid of giving out this drug (addictive or not)when it is the one pill that seems to help when I have a bad anxiety attack. Zoloft and Effexor is addictive too in its own way, all the AD's are if you ask my opinion.
My best friend actually gave me her two prescriptions of .25's, which I am using only as needed, and after that I'm SOL. But my depression is bad and now my panic attacks are so bad. My twitching right eye is back - in full force (I had an eye tick EVERYDAY 24/7 for over a year). It actually went away when I was on the zoloft for 4 days, but it just came back recently.
I've been off Effexor for weeks now. I had started taking Wellbutrin (same friends prescription - she's now only on Paxil), Wellbutrin was something I took years ago when I had female problems and they thought it would help with my nerves and at that time it did), it does not help at all now either.
I have been having a lot of floaters (little floating dots swimming past my eyes lately). To me, it sounds like what you are having are actually a form of Migraines. Sometimes with Migraines there are sharp zaps and a lot of double vision.
I wish you luck Suzy, please keep me posted. I wish there was a miracle drug, but unfortunately, I don't believe that there are. For me the AD's take care of a little of the depression, but the SE's far outweight it. I don't know anything anymore it seems.
Take Care,
Hugs, Cher<<my panic attacks don't give me double vision but I do see everything too shiny and sometimes I see this zigzag glow thing that don't allow me to see well, I see this zigzag thing even with my eyes close, while my heart is racing like crazy and I feel short of breath, and pain in the middle of my chest, like if it is too hard. I also feel this desperation like If I want to go out running, and sometimes I also feel electricity all over my body, of course, my head also pounds bad, and this comes anytime, anywhere>>
Posted by CherC68 on July 11, 2003, at 16:52:07
In reply to Re: Anyone had success on Effexor XR?, posted by Bridget on July 11, 2003, at 14:03:33
Hi - your situation sounds just like me but it was 4 years ago when I was 36. Do you take HRT? I do not, so hot flashes suck and I'm glad I'm off the Effexor now because I couldn't handle the sweating along with the Hot Flashes. Please let me know how you are doing!
Take Care,
Cher
Posted by mercedes on July 11, 2003, at 17:32:27
In reply to Re: Had terrible attack. Any 1 have these symtoms » mercedes, posted by zinya on July 11, 2003, at 12:37:27
Thanks Z, for your concern. My symtoms started nearly 7 years ago, as I stated in my prev. post. This is nothing new to me. I've had every test imaginable, ct scans, crt's, coroted artery tests, seizure tests, etc., by different dr's in the past 7 years. I always get referred to the pdoc. or therapy. My current pdoc is a psychiatrist and is better than any I've ever had. Some of my attacks are less severe, some more.
I used to get these while at work. The dble vision, and unable to speak clearly. We had a trained team at work that would come take my blood pressure and take me in a wheelchair to our infirmary. I'd lay down, sleep, then go back to work after a few hours. I was so useless, and cldn't remember who I'd spoken to on the phone or anything for at least 24 hours.
On one of my first episodes way back then, I did go to the hospital, my son's were young and I passed out on the kitchen floor. They cld 911. It was Christmas Eve. Anyway, the hosp didn't find anything just referred me to my doctor. Then the dr. referred me to a psyc.
These attacks have nothing to do with Effexor. Like I've said before, Effexor XR has been my saving grace. I take Xanex for these so called anxiety attacks. Like right now I'm fine but I could "zap" anytime. I'm not working now which is good. I fear having an attack while on an interview. Wouln't make a good first impression, huh? We need to laugh more to get that seratonin flowing.
Mercedes
Posted by mercedes on July 11, 2003, at 17:52:41
In reply to Re: Has anyone experienced nightmares on Effexor XR?, posted by Susy on July 11, 2003, at 9:24:13
Suzy, thanks for discribing your panic attacks to me. Keep taking your xanex. I too have been councelled on the addiction to it but if it is helping me, then I need to take it. Do you take it everyday, like three times a day? And what dose are you taking?
Mercedes************************************
From Suzy:
Mercedes, my panic attacks don't give me double vision but I do see everything too shiny and sometimes I see this zigzag glow thing that don't allow me to see well, I see this zigzag thing even with my eyes close, while my heart is racing like crazy and I feel short of breath, and pain in the middle of my chest, like if it is too hard. I also feel this desperation like If I want to go out running, and sometimes I also feel electricity all over my body, of course, my head also pounds bad, and this comes anytime, anywhere,
that is why I have to take Xanax everyday, it really helps me.But I am also affraid about the dependency they say it comes by taking Xanax continuosly. Obviously I would like not to take it anymore, not to have any more panic attacks and go back to work.......but who knows? maybe I have to take another medicine, I don't know, it is very hard for me....tell you all this so you can see that I understand what you are thru.
Posted by mercedes on July 11, 2003, at 18:17:22
In reply to Re: Anyone had success on Effexor XR? » mercedes, posted by zinya on July 11, 2003, at 12:25:04
Z, I wrote a long story about how I related to your move, your mom, my mom, and unpacking but it got lost somewhere. I'll re-write later.
But to answer your question re the below, I went from 75 to 112.5, then 150 to 300. I've read that Effexor XR is supposed to be taken once a day. It is an extended release tablet and needs to be taken at one dose per day. just a FYI all
Mercedes**********************************
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
Posted by Bridget on July 11, 2003, at 18:18:38
In reply to Re: Anyone had success on Effexor XR? » Bridget, posted by CherC68 on July 11, 2003, at 16:52:07
I am on HRT. I am very nervous about the dosage going up, but I will deal with it,. I take Prometrium for the hot flashes i got after the Hysterectomy . I take this with my Effexor xr it seemede to help today. I just hope I lose some weight...
Posted by sierra1 on July 11, 2003, at 18:43:41
In reply to Re: Anyone had success on Effexor XR?, posted by Bridget on July 11, 2003, at 18:18:38
To all you gals out there .. not really an effexor question, but are any of you concerned with the negative public drug studies recently released on HRT?
Posted by CherC68 on July 11, 2003, at 21:29:08
In reply to Re: Anyone had success on Effexor XR?, posted by sierra1 on July 11, 2003, at 18:43:41
I am extremely worried about taking any HRT's. I said earlier I had a complete hysterectomy and part of my intestines taken out and radiation for uteran "C" about four years ago. I was put on a patch and medicine. Since I also have endometriosis (yes, I still HAVE Endometriosis) taking HRT's can produce more endometriosis, or basically cause the endometrial tissue (which can be outside the uterous and on the outside walls and endometrial tissue has even been found in peoples brains, near the heart and other organs).
Just because the tumor was taken out, over 100 cysts which were attached to everything even my bowels, my tubes, my ovaries and my uterous, everytime I tried taking HRT I hurt so bad, like my ovaries were killing me but I didn't have ovaries.
Also, taking HRT made me a cold hearted b**ch. I could give two craps if someone got hurt, if someone fell down in front of me and hurt themselves, the only emotion I would have is disgust that I had to actually walk around them.
I tried HRT's for 6 months (switching to different types of HRT's because each had horrible effects on me just like the zoloft/effexor xr I finally stopped taking it because of the pain I felt in my non-existent ovaries and the fact that any endo tissue was regrowing and drying up and bleeding inside me.
But, like any other medicines, each person responds different to medications.
I myself feel like I'm just going to have to live the rest of my life with my tortured thoughts, my anxiety attacks, my self-loathing, obsessive compulsive, bi-polar, borderline personality, menopausal self. I've been miserable since 4 years old, and I do have a lot of joy in my life, but I'm too miserable sometimes, okay, a lot of the time to see it!
If anyone knows of any good HRT's or a way to find vitamins that have helped them, please let me know.
Next week I will be trying to find a PDoc that is also closely associated with a therapist, because if I can't take AD's, maybe I can get some help somehow because at 40 I can't take another 40 years of this crap!
Hugs,
Cher
Posted by Susy on July 11, 2003, at 23:47:46
In reply to Re: Has anyone experienced nightmares on Effexor XR? » Susy, posted by CherC68 on July 11, 2003, at 16:39:27
Cher, thanks for your understanding, digging in the internet I found 2 very interesting articles about the medicines we have to take to deal with our anxiety and panic attack problems.
I wish I could send them so you can read them
but I don't think I can't attach anything in this thread.Can you e-mail me to Susyqst@aol.com?
You will find very interesting information about AD and Xanax written by two professionals in this matters.
It is horrible to live this way, I ask God why shouldn't I have another illness instead of this one. It is too much to stand it. =(
But I don't want to loose my hopes, at least not at this moment, some other times, I do.
Thaks for your reply, Susy
Posted by Susy on July 12, 2003, at 0:03:01
In reply to Re: your response to my attacks, posted by mercedes on July 11, 2003, at 17:52:41
Hi Mercedes, I was so happy that you could make it driving to meet your grandaughter that then I felt so bad when you describe your attack.I have been taking Xanax for more than 2 years now, since my panic attacks instead of improving are getting worse. =(
Right now I am taking this alprazolam made in Pakistan, 0.25 I am taking a half of tablet per day, one quarter in the morning, around 10 the other quarter in the afternoon around 4, sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night let's say at 3 or 4 a.m. and I take another quarter. I do have a lot of paxil's the last Dr. gave me, but I am affraid to take them again, even when the Dr. told me that I can take Xanax and Paxil along, I still don't dare to do it.
I had a terrible experience with Paxil, although I did notice 2 good things, in the middle of 1,000 bad things when I took Paxil (just 3 times)
and it was that I didn't smoke that much those days as I usually do, and I didn't go to the bathroom to pee that much either.
Those were the only two good symptons I noticed with Paxil. But then, I wasn't able to sleep, neither to eat, I felt not able to control my own thoughts and I was more nervous than usual, and like If I was stoned, very bad.
Please keep on telling us how you are feeling I will pray for you Mercedes.
Posted by Bridget on July 12, 2003, at 14:19:18
In reply to Anyone had success on Effexor XR? , posted by jp on October 24, 1999, at 14:59:14
I started on 75mg today going from 37.5 and went to the gym with my husband. I felt so good. I SO FAR have not had anything major not even sweating too much. I just am not hungry. I have to force myself to eat. I hope this is all the effects or it may start in a few days...
I guess so far I am a lucky one...:0)
Posted by zinya on July 12, 2003, at 15:32:51
In reply to Re: Anyone had success on Effexor XR? » zinya, posted by mercedes on July 11, 2003, at 18:17:22
Well, i identify with the frustration of writing a full response and then discovering it fell into the cybermuda triangle...
If/When you have the energy to try again, i look forward to it but i know from experience it can take a while to psych up to restate what one has already said.
Tonight's my last night at 75. Given that I now only have 150 mg tablets, I am planning to move up from 75 next to 100 then 125, then 150, as those are relatively easy divisions of capsules (although i've been spoiled by a whole week of being able to just pop one capsule. Now back to my little dishes and dividing 300 into 3 nights' worth, etc).
I'm impressed that you went in one leap from 150 to 300. Does your non-mention of side effects mean it was a relatively easy increase? Is it your experience that the higher you go, the more your body is already used to Effexor and makes the transition easier, even when it means doubling from 150 to 300??
Boy, i sure am feeling the heat/sweat potential. I did finally do some errands yesterday at banks, etc. that i'd felt zero energy to do for a while, so it's a good sign that i did those things but i found myself everywhere I went thinking and a couple of times asking "Is it just me or is your A/C not working very well?" :))) The clerks I asked were having no problem, so guess who was having the sweats and heat-rising feelings even in a/c-ed banks and stores... On Thursday I had a return of unusual dizziness but i realized it was cuz i did something that morning that probably provoked it. Basically, i'm down to the sweating as the one lingering side effect. And wishing I had started this process some other season than summer! :)
good wishes,
zinya
Posted by zinya on July 12, 2003, at 16:00:12
In reply to Re: Anyone had success on Effexor XR? » sierra1, posted by CherC68 on July 11, 2003, at 21:29:08
hi Cher,
gosh, when i read of what you've gone through and is still unresolved for you in this horrible saga of cysts and hormones, I can't imagine how I would be reacting. I assume you mean the patch you were put on was Estraderm, so you've already tried that? Gosh, is there any chance you could find a specialist to see? I would try to insist on seeing some more expert person who might have some better idea about all these lingering cysts, etc. It seems sooo possible that what you are dealing with that led you to Effexor is related to either this unresolved cyst situation or the lack of HRT or some such.Did you try the all natural estrogen that is sold wihtout prescription in little boxes - I think it's called Estroven or something like that?
and to both Cher and Sierra and anyone,
The major alarm so far with new HRT tests is all focused on the role of progesterone for those still with uteruses (and especially those starting HRT after age 60). While the jury's still out on estrogen alone as to other cancer risks, it seems like one is wise to proceed cautiously but to not yet assume that estrogen alone will be proven to have those same risks either.
Also, a friend just sent me this reference, which seems very interesting - I've read some of it but not the whole article yet - It's an article on "'Natural' Isomolecular Hormone Replacement: An Evidence-Based Medicine Approach." at this website:
http://www.islandpharmacy.com/natural%20hormones.html
She excerpted some paragraphs I've read and it discusses all the different forms of estrogen and one in particular (which isn't contained in premarin at all) which can impact frequency of urination, something both my friend and I have had troubles with for some time.
Which just adds to the sense of how incredibly interrelated everything is in our bodies. The first clue to me in recent years if a doctor is someone I will trust is whether he/she recognizes all these interactions. When I still hear a doctor say things like "Oh, no, estrogen only affects x in your body" I know he/she has WAY too limited an understanding of things. Our hormones affect virtually every system in us - and such things as hair growth, sweating, skin, carpal tunnel syndrome, now to learn urinary frequency, etc. The connections just keep getting more and more extensive.
(Sometimes i think we need to have been born about 20 or more years later - maybe they'll finally know this stuff. Although i dare say it's also required a 'baby boom generation' to get to this stage in life for enough more people to start seriously researching it.)
In case you or anyone missed it, this is a relevant portion of a post I sent to Bridget above about hormones:
Too many doctors (imo) prescribe Premarin as if it were the only option. Especially for long-term use, which presumably will be your case too, I think a much healthier route is Estraderm patches - It's a more natural form of estrogen - estradiol -- and there are other newer even more natural forms now getting developed which i'm just learning about which use more of estriol .. Using a patch is more efficient (transdermal) and it also protects the liver from having another daily drug to break down which, over time, can lead to liver function problems. I switched to using Estraderm in 1988 and have been very pleased overall, but again, as with ADs, each body is different and responds differently to doses and products.
But your latest post seems to raise this as a second thing that makes me curious (although you don't have to answer these Qs if you would rather not and i'll understand) ... There's a book I've recommended to women here before which I'll re-recommend to you re women's hormones if you haven't heard of it. I discovered her (a gynecologist somewhere in New England as i recall) on PBS when she did special programs. Her name is Christiane Northrup and the book is "Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom".
my 3 cents' worth,
zinya
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