despite my qualms, i have recently started effexor. today is my 5th day. my shrink is being very conservative. only taking 25 mg a day to start. i see her again on 6/30. march of '04, i had tried zoloft, but had very bad side effects........terrible tremors from it., and stopped it after less than a week on it.
i'm doing better with the effexor, but i am also taking xanax 0.25 twice a day along with the effexor.
i have already noticed that i'm a little more restless than usual. it's not the anxiety i had before, but kind of a restless/nervous feeling. having trouble sleeping too. not intolerable, but kind of worrisome just the same. i know that this is a low dose, and i know that it will take a while for my body to adjust. i'm just looking for some support here. i truly hesitated posting about this simply because i know there are such and pro's and cons regarding meds, and everyone has their own opinions and horror stories.
one of the things my shrink told me, was to try not to go into anticipatory anxiety mode over the effexor and it's effects. easier said than done, when you feel kind of weird.
ok, that's off my chest.
everyone think good thoughts for me, wouldja please?

Hi Darlene,

I was on Effexor SR about 6 years ago for a very short period, about a month or so. It started out working great for me then after 11 days nothing. It never worked for me after that. There are side effects to meds unfortunately and their seriousness or discomfort level are all over the map from not bothersome to can't stay on the med. I've been on meds for 27 years so my experience may not be the typical one with meds. In desperation in 1999 I changed docs after 15 years in order to try new meds. He wanted to hospitalize me to do so. I went through about 7 meds in a year and a half, found one which worked fairly well but nothing worked any better than the meds I had been on for years. So I went back to my old meds. I was exhausted. Doing this and not finding something that works very well drains you after a while. Eventually I found the program began exercising and thankfully have gotten much better while still being on meds.

All I know to say is that this is an individual thing and everyone's experience is unique. This can also be a trial if you don't find something which helps you. Having to put up with uncomfortable side effects gets very tiring after a while. My doc thought I was bi-polar and put me on depakote for 10 days or so. I had to go out to my car in the middle of the night to groan and moan because of the suffering I was going through while on this med. I couldn't stay or lay still, rocking back and forth, etc. I eventually called him and said it wasn't doing anything for me, just the opposite, and that was that with that med.

If you do try other meds, you might ask the doc for two weeks to a months's worth of samples so you don't have to pay for an expensive prescription that may not benefit you anyway. I had to pay very little for most of the meds I tried. Most of them were samples.

I didn't have a lot of anxiety so I got through the discomfort of side effects pretty well without thinking much about it except wishing they would clear up or looking forward to the time I had given the med sufficient time to work and then being off of it. My bottom line I have always thought and still do is: a med is supposed to help, not hurt. If it doesn't and I can't stand the side effects, I don't give it a month to six weeks to continue to cause me suffering. It's supposed to help and it's not my problem if it doesn't.

Sometimes the dosage can make a big difference, but other times not. It is trial and error. We are here to support you. Take care and let us know how you are doing.

I have been on Effexor for about 4 years now...no side effects except for some memory problems and some sexual side effects.

Stay focused on your compassionate dialog. Do not let a little pill cause you to scare yourself unnecessarily. Support your decision to try this method of help. You are brave to get yourself the care you need and deserve.

Tammy

thanks everyone for your response. i'm doing pretty well on the effexor.........day 24.
i felt wired days 2, 3, 4 and 5........but after that felt fine..........i have another few days on the 25 mg, and then my shrink has increased the dose to the XR 37.5 daily. conservative, slow and easy. i actually am beginning to feel better, and for that......i am thankful.....because i'm able to focus better on everything else. and am NOT having to drag myself out of bed. time will tell. finally tho, i feel optimistic. proof that not one of us has the same response to meds.,........as don said..everyones experience is unique and baked pears thanks for the pep talk about not letting a little pill scare me unnecessarily.

I have pretty much taken every drug in the book for anxiety or panic. My first somewhat success was with Effexor. But, at least for the first week I almost felt like I had the flu. But, after that it treated me very well unless I happen forget to take it one day and then for that day I felt horrible. All of them have a side effect it's a matter of what you can live with and what works for you. But, I am one of those people where my ultimate goal is to be without medication and deal with it on my own. More and more I think that is possible. I hope you can reach that place too.

Ramping up is not fun. I've done it twice on Zoloft. The first month is pretty miserable, but after the ramp up period it is alot better. Now I don't really have any side effects. In fact I feel better on the medication than when I'm off of it. I have more energy, I'm more positive, I'm less anxious, less depressed, etc. So pushing through the miserable month is worth it in the long run.

Here are some tips from the Mayo Clinic: http://www.mayoclinic.com/invoke.cfm?objectid=0096FAE5-...473E342&MOTT=HQ01069 .

Hang in there.

I am not a big fan of Effexor XR I have tried it twice and both times I felt more anxious then when I was off of it. The first time I was on for three months and it drove me up the wall. the second time which was recent,I had dilated pupils twenty four hours after and felt anxious as hell.
I hope and pray you have better luck. It all depends on the person's body chemistry.
Best of Luck

I tried effexor recently I thought it was working pretty good. But my heart rate was fast so they took me off it. I'm on celexa and My heart is still fast. I wore a heart monitor for 24 hours and it showed I have tacacardia which I guess is normal with the sri's But I need my meds for anxiety so they started me on a betablocker to regulate my heart. Its only been a couple days hopefully all will be good.( My heart would be normal then go fast )Hopefully effexor will work for you.

Conner,
I know you are smarter than this. The fDA requires that if even ONE person has a particular side effect, they have to list it. Doesnt mean you will get that side effect,you may not get ANY! My daughter in law was just prescribed effexor three weeks ago. She is the same way, so she gave her husband the information packet, and told him to read it, and not tell her, if she asked or complained of some thing unusal, then tell her if thats a side effect. To date, she hasnt had ONE side effect. And she is already feeling better. Conner, its your decision , but i wish you would at least give it a fair test.You have been under so much stress for so long, at least give it a try. Love youNelly

Hi Conner,
I have been on effexor xr 75 mg for about 15 months now and it is the ONLY thing that has helped me with the panic in 13 years! I feel 90% better, most days totally normal. The first week or two, i did have the "jitters", felt wired, but that went away and now I have no side effects. Everyone reacts differently, you cant read every single side effect, you do NOT have to live with this, there is help and hope out there!! Good luck sweetie.

I've been on Effexor XL 350mg since November. It seems to have done the trick with the depression but hasn't done a thing for anxiety, in all honesty I don't believe anything does, besides xanax etc but even they're touch & go as you keep having to increase the dose. I don't usually take Xanax but am on it at the moment 3 times a day as I'm on steroids for bronchitis & they're a nightmare for anxiety & panic attacks. Last time I was on them from Jan to April & ended up in the mental hospital for a few days as the steroids played such havoc with my anxiety & panic that I attempted suicide. Now I'm using the Xanax while I'm on the steroids & will see how the next week goes. Personally I think the only thing for anxiety is the program. No pill is gonna fix it.

Regards
Richard