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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 4905 to 4929 of 10407. Go back in thread:
Posted by zinya on August 3, 2003, at 21:11:13
In reply to effexor xr for chronic pain (esp. zinya) , posted by bori on August 3, 2003, at 19:56:48
hi bori,
it's interesting to me and rather coincidental that my chief source of pain is also pelvic (i just wrote a lengthy post about it two days ago over on a thread on the main website page - if interested and you can't find it, let me know - it was to someone with initials JRB who had lots of research expertise in what seemed to be a related area and i presented my situation to him for any thoughts he might have as to pain-energy-brain-depression connections)
For me, since my pain flare-ups trigger a complete loss of energy and from there a floundering into depression, what my md. focused on was that the norepinehprine effects would address the energy (adrenal system) depletion rather than pain per se, but since they're so intertwined for me, maybe he viewed it all as one. I see him again this week and will probably add this to my list of Q's...
Actually, by mentioning what your md said about 225 mgs, you've finally given the most sourced answer yet to a question i've been almost begging for an answer to for a couple of months here. One poster here had mentioned that the norep. effects don't kick in til 150 mgs, which i sought to get confirmed in vain, except another poster now at 300 did remember 2 weeks of almost hyper energy when she hit 150 and then it tapered into something more equilibrated.. But i got to 150 2 weeks ago and the only signs i've seen yet are just in the past 2 days that maybe i'm getting a noticeable increase - though too soon to tell for sure as it's very gradual, not like the woman's sudden uptick experience. If there's one rule you learn fast here, it's that the very same med and dose can have opposite effects on two different people. The uniqueness of our individual systems makes it impossible to predict what one's own body will do. My own 'progress' on it may or may not have been negatively impacted by the fact i've managed to rotate my lumbar twice in the past two months, which my chiropractor for 6 yrs who is a genius had, of all my 'tricks' never seen me do before, and the pain has been more pronounced in the course of dealing with that. Pain and energy and hormones and brain chemistry are all so interrelated along with surely a bunch of other things too that it's hard to isolate one factor and say "aha! there's the culprit!" ...
well, i welcome you and wish you well... I'll look for your postings to see how you're doing and if you learn more as you go, let me know and i'll do the same...
zinya
p.s. btw, do you take your effexor on a full stomach? i take mine at night after dinner on my fullest stomach of the day and for me it has worked fine also in terms of sleep etc... I had SOME nausea the very first morning after my first dose (which was only half - 19 mg - of a 37.5, cuz i'd had so much nausea and intolerable side effect on previous other a-d's that i took it twice as slowly as even the minimum -- took me 2 months to get up to 150 mg. instead of one, much as i was impatient to get there, i also didn't want to risk bad side effects.)
> Hi,
>
> I am on day two of effexor xr 37.5. I am using it primarily for chronic (pelvic) pain and secondarily for the anxiety that has surfaced around dealing with this and another chronic pain problem while continuing with the rest of my life. I was not happy to take effexor xr from all I read here, but other than tricylics (that I feared would sedate me and make me gain weight even more) it seems to be the only one to act on norepinephrine and pain. Now I am wondering if it was worth it because I feel so nauseous and a little light-headed and my shoulders hurt and I need to get up over 150 for this to work on pain (my doc said 225 but I hope it is lower). Anyhow, I want to know if anyone had success with it for treating pain and how long it took before side effects wore off. Thanks for your help!
Posted by Scooter1 on August 3, 2003, at 22:29:54
In reply to effexor xr for chronic pain (esp. zinya) , posted by bori on August 3, 2003, at 19:56:48
What kind of withdrawel symptoms did you have coming off the effexor Xr? Do you think Prozac helped with the symptoms. How is the Luvox? Are you taking it with the Prozac? let me know how you are doing? I still haven't increased my dose to 75 mg? Scared from what I read here I guess? Scooter1
Posted by theo on August 3, 2003, at 23:46:01
In reply to Theo, posted by Scooter1 on August 3, 2003, at 22:29:54
If you haven't felt anything great about Effexor XR 37.5mg, I wouldn't go up on dose, especially if you are having side effects still. I thought most of these posts about withdrawal wouldn't apply to me because most folks seem to be weaning down from 225mg, I was sadly mistaken. Most of my withdrawal was not really physical such as nausea etc. but feelings of extreme fear and panic. I quit drinking several months ago and don't take Xanax, Valuim etc. and really felt the withdrawal. I was still drinking when I took Paxil and the alchohol probably masked the discontinuing effects. I stopped the Luvox when the withdrawal kicked in and started the Prozac 20mg because of the long half life which I am probably going to stay on because of the long half life and see if it works. Since Prozac was older I just figured these dual type such as Effexor would be better so I've never given Prozac an honest try. I also took Atarax which is a strong antihistimine prescribed for anxiety. At least if I decide to quit Prozac I don't have to worry about the short half life problems with Effexor XR. My next step will be to go a complete different direction and try Anafranil for anxiety instead of SSRI's. I don't want to scare you but I would get off the Effexor XR unless your experiencing overwhelming great feelings from it.
Posted by lethe on August 4, 2003, at 3:42:07
In reply to Re: Anyone had success on Effexor XR?-WITHDRAWL, posted by theo on August 2, 2003, at 16:09:24
Well, day 6 for me and I am feeling better, sometimes the shock sensations are not too bad, and I have found st john's wart to be not to bad for my stress,that and a lavender oil on my pillow combi seems to get me some sleep! Just wondering, did anyone else feel like they were getting the flu or a cold during withdrawls from effexor xr? I can't believe all the withdrawl syptoms this drug has. Had I known before I started to take them I would never have in the first place, just my opinion!
Posted by skipper on August 4, 2003, at 15:43:55
In reply to Effexer and Effexer xr, posted by jal on September 13, 2002, at 15:48:57
I have been taking effexer for 4 years and have tried several times to stop - my Dr. told me to cut down for a few days and stop - That wasn't good - does anyone know of any doctor or group etc. in Los Angeles that can assistme in getting free form Effexer - tahnk you for any assistance.
Skipper
Posted by zinya on August 4, 2003, at 15:53:15
In reply to Re: Effexer and Effexer xr, posted by skipper on August 4, 2003, at 15:43:55
I dont' have an answer to your Q about specialists but when you say "cut down for a few days" that sounds very vague and irresponsible by your md. (albeit all too typical of what many report here -- and my own md. was particularly uninformative about side effects when he prescribed Effexor).
But, while you don't say what level you're at, the impression i have from months of reading here is that you MUST taper off very slowly and spending at least a week at each reduced level and even two weeks. It also seems that the final stage can be THE most important. Going from 37.5 to 0 must also be taken VERY slowly. Either by opening the capsules (you take XR?) and dividing them in half and then in thirds, fourths etc. and spending several days at each level. Or some people do it by going from 37.5 once a day to 37.5 every other day to every third day - but recently even such a plan didn't work for someone here who said they had to also open a capsule and phase out REALLY gradually. Another poster had the opposite experience. Dividing up granules wasn't as good for that person as the every other day approach.
But the idea of tapering off a few days sounds DEFINITELY problematic. Sounds to me like the tapering off should take at least a month (depedning on how high your level before quitting), step by step and a week or so at each step.
Good luck!
Let us know how it goes...
Posted by KimberlyDi on August 5, 2003, at 8:25:13
In reply to Re: Effexer and Effexer xr » skipper, posted by zinya on August 4, 2003, at 15:53:15
Posted by Scooter1 on August 5, 2003, at 9:26:55
In reply to Re: Effexer and Effexer xr » skipper, posted by zinya on August 4, 2003, at 15:53:15
Hi, I was just wondering how you are doing with your effexer withdrawel. I hope everything is ok with ya.... Please let me know, how you are doing with the Prozac....Scooter1
Posted by theo on August 5, 2003, at 10:06:49
In reply to Re: Effexer and Effexer xr » skipper, posted by zinya on August 4, 2003, at 15:53:15
I have a different opinion. When you get to 37.5, you can split granules but you are still going to have withdrawal effects when you finally get your nerve up to stop. I had effects dropping from 75mg to 37.5mg and god for bid someone weaning form 225mg and split granules, you would be on a six month wean! I would suggest when you are at 37.5mg to take 20mg Prozac the day after your last dose 37.5mg Effexor XR, it really does help because of the long half life. Do an "Effexor XR withdrawal" search on this site and you can get plenty of helpful hints.
Posted by theo on August 5, 2003, at 10:30:46
In reply to Theo, posted by Scooter1 on August 5, 2003, at 9:26:55
Doing great! The only good news about the Effexor XR withdrawal is you know it does end and you will survive! I strongly suggest if you do discontinue the Effexor Xr and go with something else, still take 20mg of Prozac the day after your last dose and take it for at least three days. Prozac has such a long half life that after just taking one, it takes a couple of weeks to leave your body. I felt immediate relief but wish I would have known to take it before the withdrawal kicked in. I saw my doc yesterday and after 3 weeks of Prozac I will be taking the following: Prozac Weekly 90mg
Wellbutrin SR 150mg daily
Xanax XR 1mg dailyAfter and if the slight anxiety sides wear off from the Prozac Weekly and Wellbutrin SR, I will drop the Xanax XR. The good news is if this combo doesn't work and I want to discontinue, I won't have to plan a weekend to go through hellish withdrawal. By the way a lot of folks on this site loosely use the term withdrawal. The "withdrawal" from Effexor XR is really a Serotonin drain, Serotonine Syndrome related effect rather than from the actual drug itself in my doctors opinion, this is why the Prozac is so helpful. I'll keep you posted but also let me know how you are doing.
Posted by bori on August 5, 2003, at 15:18:31
In reply to Re: effexor xr for chronic pain (esp. zinya) » bori, posted by zinya on August 3, 2003, at 21:11:13
Zinya,
I would love to read your post but I have had troubles navigating this website. How do I do it. Also, how can you search for recent threads rather than ones from last year? I am on day 4 of effexor xr and the nausea and dizziness are gone and it is just the headaches, head compression and jaw ache, along with almost numbness above my lip. The MD said to increase weekly but I am thinking that maybe I should do it every 2 weeks to give my body a better chance to adjust. Have you noticed any changes yet with the pelvic pain? Do you know about the yahoo group for vulvodynia? There is a link from Dr. Howard Glazer's website. It's helpful. Anyhow, I am interested to hear about all of your experience!
Bori
Posted by zinya on August 5, 2003, at 17:52:28
In reply to Re: effexor xr for chronic pain (esp. zinya), posted by bori on August 5, 2003, at 15:18:31
hi Bori,
I'm not the expert for giving directions on how to navigate around here :)) but i'll give it a try, plus i'm copying the initial post i was referring to here just in case so you can read it.
First, let me try to give you the "how to fish" rather than the fish itself :) ...
To get from here to the master psychobabble screen, go up to the top of this screen and there's a row of links. Hit the one that says just "Psycho-Babble." It will take you to the "main menu" of sorts. At the top of it, it gives you the names of some subset menu screens (like Psycho-Social-Babble) you can choose to explore. If you scroll down that page below those sub-menus, you come to the archived dates for past posts (on the main menu they seem to get archived at least once a week) and below that are the latest threads from the various submenus. That's where you would find the thread that includes my post which i was referring to and which i've also copied below. But if you go to the thread, you can also see the post i was responding to and the follow-up to it.
If you have trouble navigating the directions i hopefully made clear above, you could also just plug in the following to leap right to my post in the thread in question:
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030802/msgs/247595.html
One other thing: To see earlier posts in this Effexor thread just open the top post visible now on this screen -- from earlier today or yesterday (I can't see it now while i'm typing this reply, but don't go to the original post from 1999. There's a line gap and then the next post below that is the one i'm talking about, which should be very recent.) When you open that post, it then re-adjusts the display of posts to move backward through time. Doing this allows you to scroll backwards through posts as far as you want to go. To get back to the present to open the very bottom post (or, again, if instead you go to the post just above the bottom one - if there's a line gap between it and the bottom that means you've scrolled back in time and you can advance in time again by again hitting the penultimate post and scroll forward batch by batch the reverse of the way you scrolled backwards. Or you can do "fast forward" by hitting the very bottom (and latest) post.
Is that at all clear? It's the only way i've learned to navigate. :)) Hope this helps. And here's the one post (below) i was referring to of my own just in case ...
Meanwhile, sounds like you're a tad better side-effect-wise. It's not a linear thing and some new effects surface as you go up to higher levels. I chose to do what you are debating and took twice as long to move up as what the doctor had advised cuz i'd had such a history of bad reactions to other a-d's ... And i did wait until i felt "stabilized" at a given level for at least a couple of days (with no or minimal side effects) before moving up. I'm not sure if that's necessary or helpful or wise but it's the way i did it. :)
zinya
Re: just more evidence...ADs protect the brain » jrbecker
Posted by zinya on August 2, 2003, at 13:16:26
In reply to Re: just more evidence...ADs protect the brain » SLS, posted by jrbecker on August 1, 2003, at 17:32:24
JRB,greetings ... I've just stumbled on this thread and went to the link you gave here to the prior thread as well - I'm double-posting this in both threads to hope to catch you.
I'm wondering if the experience I've been recounting to doctors who give me only glazed looks for the past 15 years could begin to be explained if I understand correctly the line of interconnection you seem to be outlining here between neural and (adrenal? and) depression-triggering 'damages'.
A brief history, as I know no other way to present my 'case study'. I lived 34 years with energy for anything I wanted, never knew what pain was really, not chronic pain. In 1981, after a serious roller skating accident which left me with a compression fracture between my 4th and 5th lumbars, i discovered a congenital anomaly (quite a unique one according to my chiropracter) involving an extra half a lumbar fused to my sacrum which has from birth presumably meant a pull on my right hip that creates something of an angle. Perhaps some childhood accidents like crashing on my coccix had some impact, but never chronic pain until that 1981 accident. It started first to manifest in sciatic pain for some years. Then a chronic viral infection beginning in 1985 entered the picture. By 1987, i crashed (compounded by the stress and grief of my father's death) into a 'black curtain' of zero energy and only at that point did the doctors look back and realize i'd been running with the chronic viral infection for 2 years, having gone in for sheer exhaustion, had blood tests but no one told me of the infection, figuring it would pass.
For two years from 87 to 89, recovery was elusive. Every time i would try to resume normal activity, which had included swimming between one and two miles a day prior to '87, i recrashed into zero energy even though i resumed with very gradual steps (like 1/4 mile only). Walking became a re-injuring activity. I was referred to various specialists who diagnosed Epstein-Barr, then Chronic Fatigue, also fibromyalgia, miofascial pain syndrome... I tried all kinds of traditional and nontraditional (eg acupuncture) methods.
I was given Prozac first in 89, later lithium (because of merely a one-day-ever manic episode and because i tend to do "fast talk" when i'm with a doctor trying to cram a lot into a visit and some then think i'm hyper but i'm not. What i've eventually come to realize is that my adrenal system, shown in blood work in 2000 to be depleted, is erratic but almost entirely on the no-adrenalin, no-energy side of the pendulum.
Okay, with that as some peripheral but converging background:
I've been telling my doctors for all these years that, in my lay terms, "My back goes out on me and then i just cascade downwards into no energy and feeling depressed." By which i mean that the nerve damage (pinched nerve) in my sacroiliac area -- or then also after getting hit in 1990 by a red-light-runner and suffering additional neck nerve damage from a concussion into my driver's window -- also enough nerve damage that i can no longer applaud as that hand clapping triggers nerve damage that also cycles into body-wide energy flagging and other downturns.
Doctors have been hard pressed to see how or why a reinjury to lower back nerve pain should be related to body-wide energy levels and depressive states. They seem to distrust me that i'm accurately assessing that i'm fine until a reinjury of my back and that that then alone launches a downcycle impacting depression.
Would an upshot of this research you have presented suggest that in fact there would be a plausible cause-effect linkage?
And, to get to remedies, as I'm now on Effexor (month 2 at 150 mg) after having tried without success Prozac, lithium, depakote, zoloft, paxil and celexa at various crisis moments over the past 15 years, usually having to quit due to side effects but sometimes because of no positive effect.
I have begun to wonder (since the Effexor I'd been led to hope would start to work on my adrenal system and show energy benefits by 150 mg levels but so far after 2 weeks at this level has shown none -- and i have had two back reinjuries -- rotated lumbar -- during this time period):
Would I perhaps be better off treating back injuries with stronger painkillers (I tend to try to get by with just 1/2 a vicodin which often is enough to be satisfactory but i've also learned that a full vicodin not only masks the pain but gives me actual energy restoration -- yet i am reluctant to take a full vicodin on a regular basis for fear of addiction), that perhaps if i did let myself take a full vicodin more immediately more regularly at the first sign of back pain, would i perhaps "envelop" the pain that perhaps then would not deplete (?) the adrenal system which then might not -- along the lines of what i gather from the research you cite -- trigger the depressive cycles??
I realize this can at best be answered on a theroretical level here based on a streamlined (!! believe me, you got the short version!) case study and no physical examination plus you are a researcher not a doctor. However, if you have any thoughts on the "logic" of the kind of connection I have long sensed intuitively lies at the root of this past 15 years of debilitation which has impacted my career and my ability to travel as i used to, etc. It's this lay sense that "my back (nerve damage in lumbar/sacrum) that goes out and then i cascade into depression that takes longer to recover from than the back pain itself."
Any thoughts? And apologies if this feels like an imposition in terms of being something out of your bailiwick.
thanks,
zinya
Posted by postpartumgal on August 5, 2003, at 19:36:30
In reply to Re: Effexer and Effexer xr » skipper, posted by zinya on August 4, 2003, at 15:53:15
just wondering...no one has mentioned...am I the only one who experienced post partum anxiety who WAS taking this drug?? As I said, the brain shocks have disappeared completely after 2 wks and now I'd never known I had taken it. I never did prozac, as my goal was to get off this stuff, not to replace it with something else.
and what on earth is Xanax XR????
Posted by Helaine on August 5, 2003, at 20:45:20
In reply to Re: Effexer and Effexer xr, posted by postpartumgal on August 5, 2003, at 19:36:30
Day 15 on 37.5 mg of effexor XR. I seem to feel like I am in a fog some of the time. But, what really concerns me is I seem to forget such obvious things for a few minutes. Like, peoples names that I have known for many years..phone numbers,simple words ect..it does come back to me after less then 3 min (but it frightens me and it feels like an eternity. My son told me where is was going and that scared me the most because I forget where he said he would be. But, as I said it came back in just a few minutes.At times I also feel anxious and the hot flashes makes me more anxious because my heart starts to race. Is this commom(especially the memory loss)? I am hoping the SE are going to pass!! I would appreciate any one that may have had experience with this or may know someone that has ...please let me know .
Thank you,
Helaine
Posted by Helaine on August 5, 2003, at 20:50:59
In reply to Short term memory loss??, posted by Helaine on August 5, 2003, at 20:45:20
Sorry..this was my 2nd letter but I forget to check "notify of later follow -ups)
Talk about being confused? Day 12 of Effexor 37.5 XR mg..primarily given to me for menopause and all the SE from this change of my life thrusted on me due to a hysterectomy!So, yesterday I learn my cholesterol is high and now I need to go on Lipitor 10 mg! So my dr says effexor is good for migraines which I have..yet lipitor can give you mingranes.He told me effexor will help my HOT flashes..effexor and lipitor both are known to give you HOT flushes..He told me effexor will not effect my sex drive..I now say.."what sex drive???"
Constipation from effexor..diarrhea from lipitor??? Lack of sleep from effexor..dizziness and weakness from lipitor..
I think I need an antidepressant just to take the effexor.I don't expect a miracle..Though it would
be NICE!!!! Howevever, all the confusion combined with my mental staus is to say the least very unnerving at this time. Although, I may seem to sound negetive..I really am going to give it a try. I see my dr. in a month. Hopefully, by then I wouldn't be walking backwards.
Thank you,Helaine
Posted by KimberlyDi on August 6, 2003, at 9:34:20
In reply to Short term memory loss??, posted by Helaine on August 5, 2003, at 20:45:20
I'm not sure if the short term memory problem goes away. I don't worry about it, but maybe only because I've forgotten that I've forgotten anything. Try keeping a small notepad to scripple important things down and most of us need a little black book of phone numbers & names anyways.
I know that when my heart races, I make it worse by having a panic attack because I'm afraid I'm going to have a panic attack. Self-fulfilling prophecy <~ forgot how to spell that! haha. I count backwards from 100 to distract myself and calm down.Good luck!
KDi in Texas> Day 15 on 37.5 mg of effexor XR. I seem to feel like I am in a fog some of the time. But, what really concerns me is I seem to forget such obvious things for a few minutes. Like, peoples names that I have known for many years..phone numbers,simple words ect..it does come back to me after less then 3 min (but it frightens me and it feels like an eternity. My son told me where is was going and that scared me the most because I forget where he said he would be. But, as I said it came back in just a few minutes.At times I also feel anxious and the hot flashes makes me more anxious because my heart starts to race. Is this commom(especially the memory loss)? I am hoping the SE are going to pass!! I would appreciate any one that may have had experience with this or may know someone that has ...please let me know .
> Thank you,
> Helaine
Posted by theo on August 6, 2003, at 9:42:50
In reply to Re: Short term memory loss?? » Helaine, posted by KimberlyDi on August 6, 2003, at 9:34:20
I'm off Effexor XR now for a few days and already have found my speaking and word retrieval problems diminished. My drive to get things done and go see people is back, not to mention my desire and drive to have sex, YES!! I've tried almost every SSRI on the market and although it works for some people, on an overall scale I think the drug should be off the market. This word retrieval-short term memory problem is a pretty serious side effect and now that I can look back I think it's a dangerous SSRI.
Posted by Helaine on August 6, 2003, at 11:22:50
In reply to Re: Short term memory loss??, posted by theo on August 6, 2003, at 9:42:50
Thank you for your reply KDi in Texas and Theo:
I'm so confused now I can just about cry even more then the worse day of my depression. I always prided myself on my good memory. Bills always on time..appointments kept(well you get the idea) But now I forget the simplest and some of the most obvious things. It really scares me!!! I was hoping that maybe this SE would diminish as soon as my body adjusted to the 37.5 MG now my 16th day! Is that a possibilty??
Also, the dr said this medication will have no affect on my sex drive..Now i have to say SEX DRIVE???(whats that)
I see my dr in a few weeks..I think I'm going to tell him I seemed happier when I was just depressed. Hey maybe that's the secret ingredient as far as this pill goes. Making me feel worse makes me realize I was never as bad as I thought ( I guess)
I was primarily put on effexor xr 37.5 because I had a hysterctomy and am going through menopause and all the nasty stuff menopause comes with..depression, HOT Flashes, just feeling plain old BLAH!!!
I don't know if I should throw in the towel and stop taking it (talking to my dr of course 1st) or give it more time.
I think at this point I need an antidepressant just to take my antidepressant!
Thank you,
Helaine
Posted by Dr. Bob on August 7, 2003, at 12:26:49
In reply to Re: effexor xr for chronic pain (esp. zinya) » bori, posted by zinya on August 5, 2003, at 17:52:28
> I'm not the expert for giving directions on how to navigate around here :)) but i'll give it a try
Thanks!
Bob
Posted by kgv on August 9, 2003, at 12:56:16
In reply to Re: effexor xr for chronic pain (esp. zinya), posted by bori on August 5, 2003, at 15:18:31
> Zinya,
>
> I would love to read your post but I have had troubles navigating this website. How do I do it. Also, how can you search for recent threads rather than ones from last year? I am on day 4 of effexor xr and the nausea and dizziness are gone and it is just the headaches, head compression and jaw ache, along with almost numbness above my lip. The MD said to increase weekly but I am thinking that maybe I should do it every 2 weeks to give my body a better chance to adjust. Have you noticed any changes yet with the pelvic pain? Do you know about the yahoo group for vulvodynia? There is a link from Dr. Howard Glazer's website. It's helpful. Anyhow, I am interested to hear about all of your experience!
>
> Borihi! i am taking 37.5 mg of effexor xr for fibromyalgia. my chronic pain has been reduced greatly and i sleep so well! i finally have energy and am in a much better mood. fibromyalgia causes depression and that has lifted too. my relationships with my family and boyfriend are better and i feel much less anxious and cranky. i experienced some side effects for the first 2 weeks, mostly some nausea, insomnia for about 3 nights and a general feeling of fogginess. it's been almost 2 months now and the side effects are nearly gone. i noticed that taking the pills around the same time each night helps me avoid side effects. the only thing i'm concerned about right now is that i sometimes have some sexual side effects. my desire isn't high and at times my orgasms are weak. they used to be intense and easily reached. i find myself thinking it about it a lot during sex, because i'm worried that i won't have a good orgasm. could i be psyching myself out of having one? overall, i am happy with effexor xr because i can sleep well and my chronic pain and fatigue are almost non-existent which puts me in a much better and more social mood. anyone else have results similar to mine? good luck..i hope it helps you too!
Posted by zinya on August 9, 2003, at 13:30:25
In reply to Thank you for your replies about short term memory, posted by Helaine on August 6, 2003, at 11:22:50
Helaine,
I'm VERY concerned for you. When you first wrote, i was frankly a bit stunned that an md. was giving Effexor for menopause since my most chronic side effect (I'm now at 150 mg, having edged up twice as slowly as most people, starting in the end of May and only got up to 150 2 weeks ago) is inordinately sweating and clammy skin and body heat that does feel like flashes. I know that doctors are now so concerned about estrogen (although i do think estraderm patches are a safer way to go and without uterus concerns not needing to take progesterone) but there's nothing like estrogen to deal with menopause itself.
Is your doctor a specialist, and, if so, in what?
I didn't write to you at first because i didn't think i had any relevant input to offer and didn't want to alarm you with my initial instinctive reaction of surprise. Also, if there's one thing i've learned here it's that this med affects EVERY single one of us diffferently ... and we each have very different reactions as we increase dosage as well - some find their side effects go away, some find they get worse, etc. One person becomes sleepy, the next one insomniac; one gains weight, the next loses weight, etc etc... So what do i know?? Maybe your md. knew something I didn't...
But as you describe your symptoms after 2 weeks on Effexor, I begin to think you perhaps should try to see if you can see your md. sooner than waiting a month? Or depending on his/her specialty, maybe even consulting a second physician? I still find it odd that Effexor would be an appropriate menopause response, but there was one other person i recall who mentioned being given it for the same reason a few weeks back. You might try a search feature here for 'menopause' to find others' stories that would possibly shed light for you (although, again, EVERY individual has a unique response to these a-d drugs it seems).
Oh, btw, I would HIGHLY recommend to you a book I've mentioned previously here by a woman gynecologist, Christiane Northrup, who specializes in alternate and holistic views of dealing with menopause and all manner of woman's issues. I think she has a specific menopause book out as well, but the book of hers which i have (and find to be like a bible for understanding hormonal functions and ways of treating) is "Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom".
Wishing you the best of luck, Helaine!
zinya
Posted by bsho on August 10, 2003, at 2:09:44
In reply to Re: Anyone had success on Effexor XR? , posted by darkstar on March 9, 2001, at 2:14:39
I have been taking 150 mg. Effexor for about 4 months now. It got rid of my depression, and caused constipation, tiredness at night, and odd sexual side effects (although my libido is just fine). I forgot to take it for 2 days and found myself to be dizzy. Now I found this board and am worried about further side effects from it, especially upon withdrawal. Before Effexor, I once tried Prozac for 3 days, and I was extremely happy and giggly for no reason.
Posted by Helaine on August 10, 2003, at 12:29:29
In reply to Re: Effexor for menopause » Helaine, posted by zinya on August 9, 2003, at 13:30:25
Dear Zinya:
Thank you very much for your relpy. I appreciate it very much! I think I do see a very SLIGHT improvement from the effexor such as ( better moods and more pep)However, the hot flashes seem the same and maybe even a little worse. My md put me on this medication not only for the hot flashes but all the unpleasant SE brought on by menopause too. To continue or not "that is the question" I found an article on the web about effexor and Hot flashes if anyone is interested (http://www.breastcancer.org/research_menopause_030002.html)
My worse SE from the effexor are my short term memory losses. It scares me so much. I draw blanks for just a few minutes but while they occur they seem like an eternity. My libido has dropped to just about zero. But, is that the medication doing that or the menopause?? I just don't know. Plus, as if that's not enough confusion I was just diagnosed with high cholesterol and was put on lipitor. Can you guess the most common side effect of lipitor? HOT FLASHES!!!!!!!!!!!!! waaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
Do you know if I choice to stop taking the effexor after 3 and 1/2 week at 37.5 mg will I go through any kind of withdrawels???
Thank you,
Helaine
Posted by zinya on August 10, 2003, at 12:50:01
In reply to Re: Effexor for menopause, posted by Helaine on August 10, 2003, at 12:29:29
hi again Helaine,
It seems the main problem you are facing is that there are NO easy answers for menopause these days. We used to think we had an "easy answer" and now realize that was a primrose path...
I do think you'd find some serious practical help from the Northrup book.
As for going off Effexor, YES, everything I read here tells me you should DEFINITELY ease off, even at only 37.5 mg. Either open the capsules and divvy up the granules to cut the amount to half for a few days or even a week and then even cut to a third or a quarter of the amount. Another alternative is to take the full 37.5 but go to every other day and then every third day etc. And stay several days in either case at each new reduction level, even a week. Effexor withdrawal seems to be its biggest problem (apparently due to short half-life, something i think i read someone say it shares in common with Paxil but not with Prozac).
In any event do NOT think that 37.5 is so small you can go off cold turkey. Easing off the slower the better will spare you risking some really awful reactions some have reported here.
good luck, whatever you decide!
zinya
Posted by dandelion on August 11, 2003, at 14:31:03
In reply to Re: how to navigate around here » zinya, posted by Dr. Bob on August 7, 2003, at 12:26:49
Hi....i'm just curious if anyone else has experienced a plateau while on Effexor XR. I've been taking it since December or so, and have been taking a maintenance dose of 225 mg for about 3 months now. i was doing pretty well; though occasionally i had moody days, compared to feeling dead and numb, it was an improvement. However, over the past few weeks, i've suddenly noticed a change. I've been terribly angry...having outbursts and snapping at everyone, crying for no reason. Is it possibe that the med has just stopped working? that I've leveled out and am back to where i started? i made an appointment with my psy. to see. I'd rather not get it increased anymore. anyone experience something similar? thanks :)
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