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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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Posted by dancingstar on November 14, 2004, at 16:45:08
In reply to Re: Thank GOD for Effexor, posted by MG1972 on November 14, 2004, at 10:18:27
At first I thought that it caused me to lose weight, too; but in the long run I gained 25 pounds from Effexor.
I've just taken them back off. But it was very unpleasant.
I thought I was so sophisticated about all this stuff, too, before. I was an "expert" at weight loss. Never ate the "wrong" foods, exercised nearly every day, and finally started to see my wonderful holistic M.D. because I couldn't understand why my weight was out of control. Still didn't figure it out. I even increased the Effexor cause I thought it would help. As knowledgeable as he is -- and he is knowledgeable -- he didn't know it made people gain weight. Everything I thought was wrong, wrong, wrong. It took me three years to figure out that it was making me gain, not lose weight.
Today I am down to 128. I had at one point ballooned up to 151 lbs. I am 5'6" and medium boned, and no one thought I was "fat," except for me cause I guess I have a lot of muscle or something or hide it well. But if I was depressed, it was because I was so frustrated over this problem. I had no idea what the deal was. I hardly ate food...really! Now I am eating and eating and eating. Gee, I must have been malnourished all that time.
As each day goes by, I realize more reasons why Effexor is a bad drug. It seems like I come up with something new every day. Sometimes now, like today, I cry. I cried because of some really painful things happened in the last few years that I had not bothered to deal with as well as I probably should have, and I know that it's because I emotionally "swept them under the rug" in a way that I could never have done if I were not taking Effexor, which I wasn't prescribed for depression in the first place. Effexor just doesn't let you feel pain. You don't care. You are just numb. Everything is fine. If you are in so much pain that you just can't stand to be alive, you think that being numb is a good thing, but it's not, not really.
So you know that pain in the gut that is part of the withdrawal? I wonder if that is the place that everything gets stuffed cause I feel things for the first time in a long time, and I'm thanking God for being alive and allowing me to feel again even if it hurts.
Well, anyway, I know a lot of you disagree with me about all this, but if I reach even one person and talk you into finding another way of dealing with your depression, it will make me happy. I know that life is difficult, but the answer isn't inside that pill. Please don't give up. There are real answers to your problems, but you are also blessed to have the problems that you have and to be able to sit at your computer and write about them...as am I.
Posted by dancingstar on November 14, 2004, at 16:46:52
In reply to Re: Still in need of help » dancingstar, posted by MKB on November 14, 2004, at 16:36:51
okay...thanks mkb, i'll check it out :-)
Posted by MKB on November 14, 2004, at 16:48:55
In reply to Re: Thank GOD for Effexor, posted by dancingstar on November 14, 2004, at 16:45:08
dancingstar,
I am one person who has been helped by your postings. Thanks.
Posted by Habitsowner on November 14, 2004, at 18:04:11
In reply to Re: Still in need of help » dancingstar, posted by MKB on November 14, 2004, at 16:36:51
I tried to find the correct board on the alternative site but I'm not real good at these things. I think that might be more what I'd like to see right now since I have absolutely decided against trying the Effexor, or any of the other related synthetic medications.
After I select other threads and alternative, what then?
SLT
Posted by corafree on November 14, 2004, at 18:08:24
In reply to Re: Thank GOD for Effexor, posted by MKB on November 14, 2004, at 16:48:55
I'm another dancingstar, cf
Posted by MKB on November 14, 2004, at 18:46:29
In reply to Re: Still in need of help-MKB, posted by Habitsowner on November 14, 2004, at 18:04:11
Just scroll up to the top of the page and you will see a list of the other Psycho Babble Boards. Alternative Board should be the first one. It will say "Psycho Babble Alternative."
Posted by MKB on November 14, 2004, at 19:19:51
In reply to Re: Still in need of help-MKB, posted by Habitsowner on November 14, 2004, at 18:04:11
Hello again,
If you want to try L-Tryptophan, you can order it from www.healthrecovery.com. There is plenty of information about it on the website, and you can order it online. Sixty capsules are $25, plus $5 shipping. Each capsule is 500 mg. I started the first 10 days on 500 mg and went up to 1000 mg. You can take more if that's still not enough. Please keep posting (but on the Alternative Board), as it's important to let folks know how it goes for you. Most people probably don't even know they can buy L-Tryptophan. As you can tell, I feel rather passionately about it. MKB
Posted by dancingstar on November 14, 2004, at 22:38:07
In reply to Re: Still in need of help-MKB » Habitsowner, posted by MKB on November 14, 2004, at 19:19:51
Thank you. I should check out the alternative board anyway.
I know that people feel very passionately about why they think that Effexor is a good thing. It wasn't until today that I knew that you could actually read what people that had signed the petition said about it, and I am now more convinced than ever of its inherent flawed nature. Though I admit that I don't understand how it is able to create such a mess for so many people, it also answers a lot of questions.
I wonder how many people felt that they got "fibromyalgia" only after they began to take Effexor.
I will keep you updated on the Tryptophan. Thank you very much for the suggestion.
Posted by dancingstar on November 14, 2004, at 22:47:16
In reply to Re: Thank GOD for Effexor, posted by MKB on November 14, 2004, at 16:48:55
Thank you guys so very much!!!!! I realize I have been more than a little bi**hy about this subject.
Did you read what people that signed the petition had to say? Wow!
Posted by MKB on November 14, 2004, at 23:09:08
In reply to Re: Thank GOD for Effexor, posted by dancingstar on November 14, 2004, at 22:47:16
Yes, I've read every single page, including the one that said Effexor is what Andrea Yates was on. It breaks my heart. Knowing how unlike myself I was during withdrawal and how I said things to my child that I would never have said otherwise, I feel it is unjust that this poor woman is in prison.
Posted by Kimbersaur on November 15, 2004, at 8:59:58
In reply to Re: Effexor XR and orgasm » jujube, posted by sunny10 on September 30, 2004, at 10:57:56
> I had a breakdown (again)last February. I had felt myself cycling into it, called my doc and she put me back on the Depokate and Desipramine that I had previously been on. My diagnosis is Major Depression with General Anxiety. The breakdown happened anyway and I was put on Effexor XR. I take 75/mg a day, (I am a small person and I apparently have a small brain, too- LOL). That is enough to ease my general anxiety and depression enough for ME to control my situations, not the medication.
> But even on this low dose, I have gained 13 lbs. (not pretty on my tiny frame)and suffer from a TOTAL inability to become aroused, thus pain during intercourse. My brain says, yes, yes, yes, but my body just won't respond.
> I went to my gynecologist to rule out medical causes ( I had a LEEP procedure in June). He said that this was probably caused by the Effexor XR and gave me VagiFem, a "naturally-derived" estrogen insertable tablet which is usually prescribed to postmenapausal women. I am only 37. I just used the first one last night, so it is too soon to tell if it will work. I have thought about switching to Wellbutrin because it is said to cause "the least amount of sexual dysfunction". I am a little nervous taking estrogen because of cancer related possibilities.
> Has anyone tried the estrogen tablet addition to Effexor XR and if so, are there any side effects? Has anyone switched to Wellbutrin because of weight gain and loss of sexual desire?
>
> Thanks for any light you can shed on this.
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> > Good luck to you. Take care.
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> > Tamara
> >I talked to my dad- he is a OBGYN. I asked if VagiFem could in any way increase cancer risk and he said absolutely not. Good luck
Kimbersaur
Posted by invisiblemanpa on November 15, 2004, at 10:21:19
In reply to Re: Effexor XR and orgasmTamara, posted by Kimbersaur on November 15, 2004, at 8:59:58
Sorry to hear your problems, welcome to the world of Effexor Xr..I to (male) gained 20 lbs, lost most of my sexual desire and most ability...as soon as I weaned myself off the Effexor..my desire, sexual dreams etc..all started to come back...the weight is still there..while I exercise like crazy and eat almost a veg. diet...I have started on Cymbalta 60 mg about 6 weeks ago with mixed results, I had been on remeron also and stopped that along with the Effexor, knowing the Remeron is notorious for weight gain, plus I wanted to rid myself of another pill....but about 10 days ago I really started to feel the signs of depression creeping back in so I added back half a dose of Remeron and it really seems to have helped. I had it added previously because the Effexor had quit working and was causing much greater depression symptons. I can't say that Effexor ever helped me with anxiety at all..and I was up to 300 mg last summer........good luck...
e
Posted by ed_uk on November 15, 2004, at 10:27:20
In reply to Re: Effexor XR and orgasmTamara, posted by invisiblemanpa on November 15, 2004, at 10:21:19
Does anyone think we should crown Effexor and Paxil the King and Queen of withdrawal syndromes?
.....as far as ADs are concerned.Ed!
Posted by dancingstar on November 15, 2004, at 11:17:33
In reply to Re: King and Queen, posted by ed_uk on November 15, 2004, at 10:27:20
From what I have read, yes.
Now let's do another informal "study."
Which comes first, taking antidepressants (particularly Paxil and Effexor) or the diagnosis of fibromyalgia?
Mine is gone since I've stopped taking Effexor....as is all semblance of chronic fatigue. My thyroid meds are finally working, too. It's 9:15 in the a.m. and I'm up and about to go work out before I start working. Maybe it's getting better????
Posted by ed_uk on November 15, 2004, at 11:28:12
In reply to Re: King and Queen, posted by dancingstar on November 15, 2004, at 11:17:33
.......effexor and paxil both made me drowsy. Getting out of bed became very hard work, the temptation to stay in bed was irresistable.
Ed
Posted by dancingstar on November 15, 2004, at 11:37:47
In reply to Re: Effexor XR and orgasmTamara, posted by invisiblemanpa on November 15, 2004, at 10:21:19
Invisiblemanpa,
If you are -- or were doing everything else right, I am now convinced that it has got to be some med that has taken control of your metabolism when it comes to your weight. It has me so freaked out for an entire three years. Well, it would. I taught others and couldn't help myself. I was pretty ashamed that I couldn't fix my own weight drama. Now it doesn't stop dropping. Sooner or later I will stop it myself, but I am eating completely healthy foods, just got out of the habit of eating sugar and flour and stuff.
It had to be some med or a metabolic thing if you were eating properly, just had to be :-). (I feel vindicated.)
Posted by MKB on November 15, 2004, at 14:20:35
In reply to Re: King and Queen, posted by ed_uk on November 15, 2004, at 11:28:12
Me too. Both of them. Debilitating.
Posted by dancingstar on November 15, 2004, at 14:49:03
In reply to Re: King and Queen, posted by ed_uk on November 15, 2004, at 10:27:20
Can I also take a tummy check? Two months into withdrawal and I am still having stomach problems. Is it from something else???? Or is it still the Effexor?
Thanks.
Posted by Shyla on November 15, 2004, at 14:53:53
In reply to Re: Effexor XR and orgasmTamara, posted by Kimbersaur on November 15, 2004, at 8:59:58
I take 75 mgs. of Effexor XR, and have worked closely with my doc. to try to find a way to combat the sexual dysfunction. Currently, I'm on 300 mgs. of time release Wellbutrin. I also have been using a testosterone cream on my wrists 2x a day. I can finally, happily report that since on the T, I have actually felt desire. Yay! My doc's next step is to maybe decrease my Effexor down to 37.5 mgs. Don't give up. Keep talking with your doc. If you express dissatisfaction, it's your doc's responsibility to work with you to try to eliminate these unwanted side affects. Good luck!
Posted by MKB on November 15, 2004, at 17:00:18
In reply to Symptom check...., posted by dancingstar on November 15, 2004, at 14:49:03
I was only on it for 5-6 weeks, probably not long enough for lasting effects. Sorry I can't be more help.
Posted by corafree on November 15, 2004, at 17:06:06
In reply to Re: King and Queen, posted by dancingstar on November 15, 2004, at 11:17:33
Just a note to say I had fibromyalgia before Eff-XR,...and now don't. And, different than others, I have not gained at all. As far as withdrawal goes, it sounds like the King to me. Could someone babblemail me re: overwhelmed w/ dr appts, female preferably, tks, cf
Posted by S.Bartel on November 15, 2004, at 20:25:15
In reply to Re: King and Queen, posted by dancingstar on November 15, 2004, at 11:17:33
I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia in 1996 and started taking Effexor in 1997. I had also noticed that a lot of people here has been diagnosed with fibromyalgia and wondered what kind of conection there might be, but since mine came first I don't know what it could be.
Posted by S.Bartel on November 15, 2004, at 20:36:26
In reply to Re: King and Queen » dancingstar, posted by corafree on November 15, 2004, at 17:06:06
It could be you are in remission with your fibromyalgia. I had symptoms just as bad while on the Effexor and nothing has changed since I stopped taking it.
I go to a Rhuematoligist for fibromyalgia and she gives me shots of Depo-medrol every 3 to 4 months. I could'nt keep going without it. I sincerely hope it has gone away for you. Sammi B.
Posted by dancingstar on November 15, 2004, at 22:12:11
In reply to Re: King and Queen » dancingstar, posted by S.Bartel on November 15, 2004, at 20:25:15
I was just wondering. It seems like I had a few symptoms, but the chronic fatigue part was really only after the Effexor. Maybe it was just the beginning, I don't know.
Posted by dancingstar on November 15, 2004, at 22:18:50
In reply to Re: King and Queen » corafree, posted by S.Bartel on November 15, 2004, at 20:36:26
After what I've been through, I think that I will stick with Bayer on a full stomach when this is all said and done. My body obviously doesn't tolerate these meds very well at all, even if I don't notice any problems while I am receiving relief from my symptoms. I know that it feels like I have a hole in my stomach already from whatever it's been through, and that's more than I can handle. I don't want to take anything to complicate things any further. Taking it easy has always helped me; so if I'm in pain again, maybe that, too, is an option. I didn't even realize that Aleve is the same as Vioxx, and I had been taking that as well.
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