Guest montyface Posted May 2, 2006 Share Posted May 2, 2006 Anyone got advice, starting effexor for anxiety as well as some obsessive and attention issues, no real diagnosis though. I have avoided this for a looooong time, oh well. basic q's are: this drug is prescribed to millions of people, so I am not suprised to see postings everywhere about the worst discontinuation shit ever, but does everyone get it that bad? anyone have luck with this working for ocd adhd and anxiety all together? Granted no real diagnosis of adhd, but just have the symptoms of wandering mind, trouble focusing, but also obsess and worry all the time so that could be it. probably a little ptsd to from some crap. how/when do the pdocs start monitoring the blood pressure, how big of an issue is that? how about weight gain/loss? What is more common and what can I do? when does this hit the N because all ssri's have left me tired and apathetic sort of. anything else to know? does anyone have good luck with it or is it all a shit storm? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest Posted May 2, 2006 Share Posted May 2, 2006 don't let the stories scare you. for me it cut my anxiety by 3/4ths. Xanax takes care of the remaining. starting up was easy and my only discontinuation effect is headache, but i would keep it going forever if i hadn't discovered i was bipolar and that AD's can make me worse. it's not a shit storm, i know a bunch of people from these boards for whom effexor was a life saver. try it. if you don't dig it after a few months, switch to another. what is the harm in that?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tallulah Posted May 2, 2006 Share Posted May 2, 2006 hi montyface, my brother takes effexor xr for extreme GAD/SAD and it has given him his life back. it was terrible - to the point of not leaving his room (which also means not able to work), not able to pick up the phone, and never able to have a conversation with someone without a pair of sunglasses on as he couldnt stand anyone looking at him. ...anyway. side effects for him arent bad - bad night sweats every once in a while, vivid dreams, and he'll get a major hunger on ever so often. i dont think he's gained more than 5lbs. aaaand, his blood work has all been fine - blood pressure included. so there's a good effexor story for you! have you started yet? tal edit: I'm moving this topic to the anti-depressant board as you'll probably get better feedback there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dee Posted May 2, 2006 Share Posted May 2, 2006 It's a great AD, pulled me out of a depression and helped GAD immensly. Unfortunately I am bipolar, so it didn't work out in the end. I had no issues because of Effexor with weight and my blood pressure was fine. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lily Posted May 2, 2006 Share Posted May 2, 2006 Howdy, I'm on Effexor now (150mg/day). It doesn't help my ADD specifically, but it does temper the depression, so I'm better able to handle the ADD stuff. I had a teeny bit of nausea and headache when I first started. I have absolutely no side effects now. I'm moving from 75mg to 150mg, and if I forget to take the extra pill at night, sometimes I get a headache. lily Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zelda Posted May 3, 2006 Share Posted May 3, 2006 I have been on Effexor XR for 6 1/2 years and I love it!!! Although I currently take a rather high dose of 600 mg. daily, it has been the AD that I have been able to stay on the longest with continued positive results. And believe me...........I have tried them all!!!! I hope you have good luck with it also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revlow Posted May 4, 2006 Share Posted May 4, 2006 It's a great AD, pulled me out of a depression and helped GAD immensly. Unfortunately I am bipolar, so it didn't work out in the end. I had no issues because of Effexor with weight and my blood pressure was fine. This was true for me as well. Initially worked pretty damn well. Pooped out several years later, but like Dee I was actually an undiagnosed BPII. Only diff for me was that my blood pressure did go up to borderline...BUT, that could have been in part from 1) genetics; 2) getting older; and 3) having turned into a computer nerd who barely got off my ass. Lastly, for me discontinuing Effexor wasn't much of a problem. (I know it is for many others though.) Think this was because I titrated down extremely slowly and was titrating up on Cymbalta at the same time. Cymbalta didn't help me, but again I had yet to be dx'd as BPII -- now on Lamictal, doing better. Good luck. I hope whatever you choose helps! revlow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bernard Posted May 4, 2006 Share Posted May 4, 2006 Hi, I'm new here so I hope this is appropriate - I have been on Efexor-XR for several months now to treat my GAD /OCD / depression and I have to say that the beginning was very rough: nightmares, shaking, no appetite, bouts of mania, but now that I've settled into it I think that I feel the best I ever felt. Seriously, ever. I am more focussed. I sleep. I have more stable eating habits. I have less anxiety in social situations, and I feel more in control. I am still a bit obsessive but it is not to the point of interference. For me, it is good. I will risk the coming down effects for this small oasis from myself. I feel good. So good luck with it. Bernard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest montyface Posted May 5, 2006 Share Posted May 5, 2006 Hey Bernard Thanks for the info, it is much appreciated. I am really hoping this will do it, a few people nurses/pdocs have offered it to me but I never felt comfortable taking it because of all the risk, however I am just saying F it and going for it. I am not gonna worry about the coming down effects either because if it works and I can stay settled for a while hopefully by the time I may have to switch then something else will be there. day 4 of 37.5 and I feel nothing good or bad really, taking 20mg prozac as well for a week to taper off. Basically 37.5 of effex for a week with 20mg prozac, then 75mg of effex and no more prozac. I skipped the prozac yesterday, don't think I need it really as I feel fine missing a dose here or there. How much effexor are you on and how quick did you increase doses? Thx all for some positive stories, they are hard to find on effexor. Hi, I'm new here so I hope this is appropriate - I have been on Efexor-XR for several months now to treat my GAD /OCD / depression and I have to say that the beginning was very rough: nightmares, shaking, no appetite, bouts of mania, but now that I've settled into it I think that I feel the best I ever felt. Seriously, ever. I am more focussed. I sleep. I have more stable eating habits. I have less anxiety in social situations, and I feel more in control. I am still a bit obsessive but it is not to the point of interference. For me, it is good. I will risk the coming down effects for this small oasis from myself. I feel good. So good luck with it. Bernard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bernard Posted May 7, 2006 Share Posted May 7, 2006 Hi Monty, I started on a week of 37.5mg, then was upped to a month of 75mg then it was doubled for a while - currently still on it. I know it helps but I still have very down days (like today) and still have moments of utter anxiousness but my Doc wants to take it slowly. Bernard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robotlove29 Posted May 7, 2006 Share Posted May 7, 2006 don't let the stories scare you. for me it cut my anxiety by 3/4ths. Xanax takes care of the remaining. starting up was easy and my only discontinuation effect is headache, but i would keep it going forever if i hadn't discovered i was bipolar and that AD's can make me worse. it's not a shit storm, i know a bunch of people from these boards for whom effexor was a life saver. try it. if you don't dig it after a few months, switch to another. what is the harm in that?? welp you sound exactly like me. no start up effects and loved it until i got the bipolar dx and realized it might be making me more crazy. my only tapering effect so far are headaches, i guess i'm saying i would not let the discontinuation stuff deter you. go for a few months and quit it if it's not for you, no big deal.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMF Posted May 7, 2006 Share Posted May 7, 2006 When dd was put in the hospital last year, Effexor was the drug of choice for teens with several doctors (and, believe me, I've since made a lot of inquiries through friends who are in health care) telling me that it is one of the most effective, well tolerated AD's with minimal suicidal tendancies (huge for teens). She has done amazingly well on it - and she is bipolar. As with everything else, you need drugs that will properly balance each other. For bipolar, AD's can send you into a hypo or manic mood if the balance is wrong but, also, some bipolars tend to sway in one direction more than the other which also influences the medication. DD has had about 20 lbs. weight gain in the last year but she is also on Geodon and Trileptal. Personally, I think it's inactivity because she used to be extremely athletic and can't participate in sports any longer due to too many concussions and a growth in her brain. DD now takes 225 mg. and I would imagine if we ever have to change meds then it will be a very slow titration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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