goofycow Posted November 21, 2007 Share Posted November 21, 2007 I had an appointment with my "shrink" yesterday. My depression just seems to keep getting worse & worse so now she is putting me on effexor. Anyone else had any experience with this medication. Thanks Liz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HadIt.com Elder john999 Posted November 21, 2007 HadIt.com Elder Share Posted November 21, 2007 Yes, it is another SSRI inhibitor like prozac. It is in that family. The only one that is really different is welbutrin. You have to play with these drugs and get the one that works for you. It is hit and miss and the shrinks just experiment until they get it right for you. Are you taking any narcotics or drugs like valium? These things can depress you as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goofycow Posted November 22, 2007 Author Share Posted November 22, 2007 No, I'm not taking any narcotics or anything like that. I only take valium when I have to go to primary care cause doctors creep me out so much. And I can't get any pain meds because VA doesn't consider my pain bad enough. Liz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HadIt.com Elder john999 Posted November 23, 2007 HadIt.com Elder Share Posted November 23, 2007 Liz Get a referral to the pain clinic. You are entitled to get treatment for pain. When you get the self-rating pain form rate yourself a ten. The VA is BSing you. They hand out narcotics like candy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USACID Posted November 23, 2007 Share Posted November 23, 2007 I was on Effexor for over a year. It had some really bad side effects for me and I eventually made a decision along with the NP at VA to come off it. The withdrawal symptoms are killer. If you miss a dose of this med, you will start to feel electric like shocks in your brain. And it can make you want to eat your gun that is how bad those withdrawal symptoms are. You cant quit cold turkey, you have to reduce the dose gradually over a period of time and then still you will suffer some pretty severe effects. If I had it to do over again, I never would have started on this med. Just my personal opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torvald Posted November 26, 2007 Share Posted November 26, 2007 I've been taking Effexor XR (extended release) for the past two years for depression. It works much better than the previous meds they had me on (Luvox & Cymbalta), but sometimes causes side effects. In my case, the side effects were big mood swings, but after they added a second med, Abilify, my mood swings went away. Wish there was a clear path to follow on which anti-depression meds to take, but it sounds like most folks have to try 2 or 3 before fiinding what works best. If your doctor recommends Effexor, try to at least get the XR variety, as it is supposed to have less severe side effects, since it releases more slowly over a longer period of time. >> Torvald << Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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