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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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Posted by My sons mother on April 29, 2007, at 18:17:14
In reply to Re: One year on Effexor XR, posted by KristiVegas on April 9, 2007, at 14:13:12
My son has been on effexor for 7-8 years and cannot get off of this medicine! He is now 28 years old. He has tried several times. He lowered his dose, and then tried and didn't work. It doesn't matter what dose he takes, he gets the same effect. As long as his body has it, it doesn't go into withdrawl. If he misses one day, he goes into withdrawl. Terrible withdrawl. He is afraid they are going to stop making this medication, because he heard he could go into a comma. This is not right. There should be a way to get off this medication! Does ANYBODY know how to get off this medication?
Thanks.
Very worried mom
Posted by ClubSoda on May 2, 2007, at 13:12:31
In reply to Re: One year on Effexor XR, posted by My sons mother on April 29, 2007, at 18:17:14
I went off of it pretty much cold turkey and don't recommend that to anyone. I didn't have insurance and couldn't afford it anymore.
I have read of people who tapered off of it very slowly to the point where they got to the lowest dose available in capsule. When that happened they opened the caps and started counting the grains and tapering to nothing.
Posted by KerriC4412 on June 19, 2007, at 11:13:15
In reply to Re: Long term effects of Effexor/permanent , posted by annj on February 27, 2001, at 15:37:01
Please....if anyone out there can give me insight into PERMANENT side effects of Effexor I need HELP! My 9 year old son was accidentally given effexor by pharmacy instead of prescribed antibiotic. He was hospitilized for five days and had many problems but this was a year ago and we are STILL struggling with mood swings, bouts of depression, manic ups and downs, concentration problems, memory loss/confusion....Is there any hope of this eventually going away? We NEVER had problems of this nature before!
Posted by Phillipa on June 19, 2007, at 21:30:38
In reply to Re: Long term effects of Effexor/permanent, posted by KerriC4412 on June 19, 2007, at 11:13:15
Kerri have you spoken to a lawyer as this is definitely a case. Do you still have the bottle it came in? Love Phillipa
Posted by KerriC4412 on June 20, 2007, at 9:50:08
In reply to Re: Long term effects of Effexor/permanent, posted by KerriC4412 on June 19, 2007, at 11:13:15
Yes we have and the pharmacy is not even fighting it. The pharmacist was 80 and has since retired and is fighting dementia. We have been to medical doctors, psychologists, psychiatrists, poison control....you name it we have contacted them. But everyone interprets the long term effects differently. It is just getting frustrating. Most of the research is about short-term withdrawl side effects. Not much out there on permanent or long-term....nothing specific. Maybe no one really knows for sure. The insurance company wants to settle and frankly I just want it over with but we really don't KNOW if this is something he (and WE) just need to accept as permanent now. Just curious if anyone else out there has experienced lasting side effects. Thank you for your concerns!
Posted by KerriC4412 on June 20, 2007, at 9:51:25
In reply to Re: Long term effects of Effexor/permanent, posted by KerriC4412 on June 19, 2007, at 11:13:15
Yes we have and the pharmacy is not even fighting it. The pharmacist was 80 and has since retired and is fighting dementia. We have been to medical doctors, psychologists, psychiatrists, poison control....you name it we have contacted them. But everyone interprets the long term effects differently. It is just getting frustrating. Most of the research is about short-term withdrawl side effects. Not much out there on permanent or long-term....nothing specific. Maybe no one really knows for sure. The insurance company wants to settle and frankly I just want it over with but we really don't KNOW if this is something he (and WE) just need to accept as permanent now. Just curious if anyone else out there has experienced lasting side effects. Thank you for your concerns!
Posted by KristiVegas on June 21, 2007, at 17:28:37
In reply to Re: Long term effects of Effexor/permanent, posted by KerriC4412 on June 19, 2007, at 11:13:15
Kerri,
I had a very bad reaction to Paxil a few yrs back-developed tinnitus. I went to a Nutrionist because the Drs. said there was nothing they could do for me. The residue of the med is in his liver. That's why he's still having side effects. The Nutrionist advised me to take Milk Thistle and Red Clover Bark 3x a day for 3 weeks. Lo and behold - the tinnitus went away!!! Obviously I'm not a doctor but I DO know that it worked for me. The Nutrionist said the liver needs to be cleaned out. "Scrubbing Bubbles" she called it. Good thing about it is that it's herbs and not more prescribed meds. It certainly can't hurt him. Good luck!!
Kristi
Posted by markymark on June 21, 2007, at 19:47:27
In reply to Anyone had success on Effexor XR? , posted by jp on October 24, 1999, at 14:59:14
I had great success on Effexor XR! I had no side effects and was on it for about 5 years. Dont listen to the horror stories. Give it a chance!
Posted by Phillipa on June 21, 2007, at 21:01:29
In reply to Re: Long term effects of Effexor/permanent, posted by KerriC4412 on June 20, 2007, at 9:50:08
How long was he on it and at what dose? And did you notice anything while he was on it? Was he emotionally perfectly okay before this. This is not to be taken litely a child's whole life and future are are stake. Money can't give that back. Love Phillipa
Posted by kaleidoscope on June 22, 2007, at 14:45:59
In reply to Re: Long term effects of Effexor/permanent, posted by KristiVegas on June 21, 2007, at 17:28:37
Hi
I'm am sorry to hear what you are going through.
However......
Your nutritionist is unlikely to know much about Effexor. Effexor is very rapidly excreted from the body. All trace of the drug is eliminated from the body a few days after stopping it. It does not accumulate in the liver. I do not have an explanation for why your son is ill. If it's any reassurance though I can tell you that there will be absolutely no trace of Effexor in your son's body.
Posted by kaleidoscope on June 22, 2007, at 14:46:44
In reply to Re: Long term effects of Effexor/permanent, posted by KristiVegas on June 21, 2007, at 17:28:37
Hi
I'm am sorry to hear what you are going through.
However......
Your nutritionist is unlikely to know much about Effexor. Effexor is very rapidly excreted from the body. All trace of the drug is eliminated from the body a few days after stopping it. It does not accumulate in the liver. I do not have an explanation for why your son is ill. If it's any reassurance though I can tell you that there will be absolutely no trace of Effexor in your son's body.
Posted by KristiVegas on June 22, 2007, at 23:33:36
In reply to Re: Long term effects of Effexor/permanent » KristiVegas, posted by kaleidoscope on June 22, 2007, at 14:46:44
It's not my son. Please read the previous posts. And I was talking about Paxil not Effexor and the herbs were a suggestion based on my experience with Paxil.
Posted by kaleidoscope on June 23, 2007, at 15:13:07
In reply to Re: Long term effects of Effexor/permanent, posted by KristiVegas on June 22, 2007, at 23:33:36
I apologise, my mistake.
Posted by KerriC4412 on June 25, 2007, at 11:25:28
In reply to Re: Long term effects of Effexor/permanent » KristiVegas, posted by kaleidoscope on June 23, 2007, at 15:13:07
I apologize. Perhaps it wasn't a good idea to post my dilema on this forum. I was in hopes someone out there had encountered a similar situation and could offer guidance and/or support. Obviously I did not include all of the specific details of our situation - such as his 5 day ICU stay, the fact that as a child he inadvertantly was given 700 mg. per day of the extended release meds., the fact that his kidneys completely shut down and never returned to proper functioning, his liver was affected but has returned to normal and his heart is now enlarged and the fact that it caused chemically induced seratonin syndrome and his body no longer produces seratonin, he experienced hallucinations and was in and out of consciousness....all as a PROVEN direct result of the OVERDOSE and subsequent improper withdrawl of the meds. as stated by the pharmacutical company and documented in PRE-Trial studies that are not always necessarily published but poison control reps were able to acquire. I guess what i have learned is that there really is no documented circumstance similar to mine.....which is actually a blessing for everyone else..... I am eternally grateful for that we are only dealing with what we are. I guess my original question seems silly now that I think about it. Just posted it in a weak moment after again getting not so positive results from doctors and hoping that some other mother out there could relate. I will have to learn to trust my own knowledge and research as it is probably more extensive than those who have personal experience with the drug AND unfortunatly even more extensive than most doctors at this point. The drug itself is not to blame, it was just never intended for a young child in such lethal doses nor was it intended to be withdrawn cold turkey as it was. Thank you all very much for your input. I really do appreciate it and again apologize if I wasted your time.
Posted by Phillipa on June 25, 2007, at 20:24:37
In reply to Re: Long term effects of Effexor/permanent, posted by KerriC4412 on June 25, 2007, at 11:25:28
Kerri you didn't waste anyone's time the way I see it you educated parents to be especially careful where they keep their meds. And I pray that your child improves what happened it dreadful and horrible. I wish I could help but how? I can offer my support to you. Love Phillipa
Posted by KristiVegas on June 25, 2007, at 21:22:43
In reply to Re: Long term effects of Effexor/permanent » KerriC4412, posted by Phillipa on June 25, 2007, at 20:24:37
Kerri,
You did NOT waste anyone's time and I certainly understand your frustration. I know what it's like to feel like you're not being listened to AND no one has any answers. We're here to be supportive and help in any way we can. Please keep me posted on your son's progress and keep researching!!! YOU (and sadly enough) will be the only one who will find the resolve to this.
Kristi
Posted by Sachi on July 11, 2007, at 17:48:57
In reply to Re: Anyone had success on Effexor XR?, posted by Kev on January 4, 2000, at 21:32:43
I almost didn't even try this med because of all the terrible things I read about it on certain sites. I am so glad I decided just to try. My Dr. said to start with 37.5 mg XR for an entire month just to be sure before upping the dose. I think that made me feel more comfortable. I could tell the second day I was taking it that it was working for me. In the past I have tried Zoloft, Elavil, Prozac, Celexa, Wellbutrin and most recently, Cymbalta. I have been diagnosed with cyclic dysthymia (mini bi-polar), major depression, post-partum depression and generalized anxiety disorder at different times in my journey. I'm not a complete nut, I function quite well, but have always felt like other people just seemed to feel better/more cheerful and optimistic than me... and that I always just had a dark aura/cloud over me no matter how I tried to lift it by exercise/meditation/nutrition etc. This has been a life-long battle for me and I have found the answer in Effexor. I wake up in the morning happy and ready for the day instead of in a cloud and wanting nothing more than to go back to sleep indefinitely. I have energy during the day instead of dragging through every moment only wishing for bedtime. I am not anxious for the first time in my life, which is weird because I am also not tried. Every other thing I ever took for anxiety made me want to go to sleep. Now I feel calm, but not sleepy... NICE! This is a miracle for me after 36 years of suffering. I hope other people who read all the terrible things about Effexor, also read this and at least give it a try at the lowest dosage just to see if it works for them like it works for me!
Posted by Clayton on July 11, 2007, at 18:57:06
In reply to Re: Anyone had success on Effexor XR? » Kev, posted by Sachi on July 11, 2007, at 17:48:57
I want to echo the main thought expressed by the below reproduced post. I too had been through every anti-depressant in the book )amitryptalin, Prozac, Paxil, Welbutrin, Remeron to name some)except for Effexor which I greartly feared due to posts read on this site, paticularly those concerning the withdrawn effects.
When nothing else worked I gave it alot of thought and decided to try effexor. My PDoc started me at 150 mg and I am now up to 300 mg. There were NO side effects from the initial dose or the current rather large dose. NONE.
And, as to withdrawl effects, I was away on vacation and ran completely out of my Effexor (not very good planning there!). I waited with trepidation for the "brain shocks" and flu-like symptoms (so often mentioned on this site) but neither of these things happened AT ALL. In fact, there were NO WITHDRAWL EFFECTS (other than returning to the somewhat depressive state I was in before I stared the Effexor). And I went without the med for two weeks!
As for efficacy as an ant-depressant, I echo the setiments of the Author to whom I am responding. Effexor has helps me immeasrably. It is the first ant-depressant that has actually worked for me. In fact, it's the first one I could feel the effects of at all. I can say enough good about it.
It's a given that everyone reponds differently to different drugs. Still, I would not want to see people (who might well be hugely helped by Effexor)avoid it because of the plethora of negative posts on this and other sites. And my PDoc said there are parmacological solutions for the "brain shocks" if they occur. I haven't found out more about these because with me they DID NOT occur.
So, here's to Effexor, the only effectice anti-depreppant I have found, and one with absolutely no side-effects (for me).
If you have not done so yet, please read the post reproduced below. It tells a similar story much more eloquently than I could.
Regards and best of luck to you all!
> I almost didn't even try this med because of all the terrible things I read about it on certain sites. I am so glad I decided just to try. My Dr. said to start with 37.5 mg XR for an entire month just to be sure before upping the dose. I think that made me feel more comfortable. I could tell the second day I was taking it that it was working for me. In the past I have tried Zoloft, Elavil, Prozac, Celexa, Wellbutrin and most recently, Cymbalta. I have been diagnosed with cyclic dysthymia (mini bi-polar), major depression, post-partum depression and generalized anxiety disorder at different times in my journey. I'm not a complete nut, I function quite well, but have always felt like other people just seemed to feel better/more cheerful and optimistic than me... and that I always just had a dark aura/cloud over me no matter how I tried to lift it by exercise/meditation/nutrition etc. This has been a life-long battle for me and I have found the answer in Effexor. I wake up in the morning happy and ready for the day instead of in a cloud and wanting nothing more than to go back to sleep indefinitely. I have energy during the day instead of dragging through every moment only wishing for bedtime. I am not anxious for the first time in my life, which is weird because I am also not tried. Every other thing I ever took for anxiety made me want to go to sleep. Now I feel calm, but not sleepy... NICE! This is a miracle for me after 36 years of suffering. I hope other people who read all the terrible things about Effexor, also read this and at least give it a try at the lowest dosage just to see if it works for them like it works for me!
Posted by montecello on July 14, 2007, at 20:15:22
In reply to Re: Anyone had success on Effexor XR? » fredwb, posted by Phillipa on November 21, 2006, at 18:02:30
So I have been struggling with depression since I was very young. Recently *the past year and a half* I started having horrible dizzy spells and migraines. Lately, my depression was getting worse even though my life is getting better by all accounts. I had been very opposed to taking anything to help because I felt that this is me and I don't want to alter who I am. But after some recurring bouts of depression that I could not overcome coupled with the dizziness and migraines, my doc gave me effexor. I have only been taking it for three weeks and I'm at 75mg. Up until today I have felt great. I'm eating less, actually stopping when I'm full, sleeping less and feeling more rested, and best of all, no depression.
But I've had a few side effects that I was wondering if anyone else has had. First off, I used to be a HUGE coffee drinker. After the first couple days I realized that this would not work with effexor. So, except for a cup every now and then I have cut it out of my diet. Today I slipped and wasn't thinking and had about 4 cups. To say the least, I was buzzing. Now I've crashed and I feel so depressed and dispondent. Has anyone else ever experienced this?
Also, my dreams. My work exposes me to a lot of "out-of-the-norm" issues and my dreams have always been interesting. Not scary by any means, actually very fun. Now my dreams are so vivid and numerous. Again, anyone else? And does this one diminish over time?
And finally, one for the guys. My libido is so far gone right now. And to reach orgasm when I am in the mood is next to impossible. My fiance` likes my improved mood so much that they would rather deal with these side effects than my depression. Do the sexual side effects decrease over time?
Thanks for reading this. I really appreciate any feed back as my doctor doesn't seem to know too much in the side effect dept.
Posted by cloudnine on July 15, 2007, at 5:01:20
In reply to Great success on Effexor XR and no side-effects, posted by Clayton on July 11, 2007, at 18:57:06
Just wanna add tha Effexor is the only med that made me feel like my true self again.I've tried all ADs one can imagine from the oldest to the newest but...Effexor rules...only side effects increased sweatng and some loss of libido and some dificulty with ejaculation.
Posted by KarenRB53 on August 24, 2007, at 10:28:36
In reply to Effexor vs Prozac, posted by Mariec on January 23, 2003, at 14:01:49
> Hello,
>
> Has anyone been on prozac and expierenced bad effects(more aggression, aggitation)been able to switch to Effexor with better results? I am on Prozac xr now, not doing well and need to find something else!
>I know its been awhile however I just found your posting and I'm thinking of changing from Prozac to Effexor for the same reasons you had. The Prozac lifts my depression but causes me to be agitated and very restless. Did you go on the Effexor and are you stll on it? Does it work well for you? Thanks for any info.
Karen
Posted by invisibleman15010 on August 24, 2007, at 12:00:21
In reply to Re: Effexor vs Prozac, posted by KarenRB53 on August 24, 2007, at 10:28:36
Yes, I went through the same thing, had the strangest feelings of anger, mad all the time and that is not like me at all even felt agressive, prozac has helped a lot but I have had better luck on Effoxor XR and Lexapro
Posted by Phillipa on August 24, 2007, at 12:09:11
In reply to Re: Effexor vs Prozac, posted by invisibleman15010 on August 24, 2007, at 12:00:21
My next door neighbor didn't realize she had been isolating inside all Spring and then saw her pdoc in florida she's been on 3-6bars? of xanax for years. And she was also on lexapro. He said I've had you diagnosed as major depression for a long time and put her on effexor immediately seriously she felt much better and is on 75mg of effexor now with the xanax and he said she has a lot of room to wiggle. And she says first time she has known happinsess real happiness in years. I wonder since I tried it years ago if it would work for me now as just existing. He also said he needed to get her anxiety under control before addressing the depression does this seem right? Wonder if her meant the xanax and lexapro for anxiety and now the xanax and effexor for both? Phillipa
Posted by chante on August 24, 2007, at 12:56:45
In reply to New to effexor and wondering about side effects, posted by montecello on July 14, 2007, at 20:15:22
what about wellbutrin or effexor..very sensative to medecine.. tryed zoloft before and at 25mg was ok after my doc put it up at 50mmg started to be less motivated and happy but not productive at all, now i'm starting a new carrer and have to move out with my 2 kids, divorcing... 2 years old and a 16 years old.... hard... I feel extremely stress, taking valium help a lot... but just notice i started to feel depress a little too.... so i know lot's people say wellbutrin is good but you forget everything completeley et disttacted??/ I wish i could just take litlte mini dose so and it would work so i don't have to feel all non-productive in the day , and just enough to elevate my mood a bit. any suggestion anybody?? please help...
Posted by invisibleman15010 on August 24, 2007, at 15:28:54
In reply to Great success on Effexor XR and no side-effects, posted by Clayton on July 11, 2007, at 18:57:06
ah sounds just like me,I am finally back on Effoxor, I did well on it before, then was changed after agreeing to the horrible torture of ECT. My new dr. put me back on Effoxor and Lexapro and am doing quite well. He also added to Geoden to aide in sleep and racing thoughts at night and to help me to concentrate after the disastrous results of ECT.............so for now I will push on with this new cocktail.....the only downside is ED and lack of sex drive alltogether. It was still there before the Effexor, but then gone quickly after starting it.......I just saw my regular dr. about it and he said it should be treated via, Viagra, Cialis or the other one, we shall see, you loose so much with depression, hard to loose that! Good luck to all.....
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