Bunk prescription?

[remote_swimmer]

Does anyone ever get the feeling that sometimes your pharmacy is selling you bunk meds? I'm trying to sort out why I've felt this slow decline of efficacy with Effexor over the last month even though I've not changed my dose at all. I refilled my prescription yesterday and took my evening pills and felt it kick in very hard (felt wired, had trouble falling asleep), similar to how it feels after I increase the dose.

Perhaps this is my hypervigilance interpreting signs that aren't there? Anyone else have this experience?

[Zippy]

I take Effexor. After you adjust to the medication, you shouldn't feel much except less anxiety and depression. When I started Effexor I felt a bit of stimulation, so I think I know what you mean by "kick", especially if you haven't been on it long. Maybe you are adjusting. You also have plenty of room to up the dose. I take 225 mg. I found it became a completely different drug at that dose and it works miracles on anxiety for me.

If your pharmacy is a small generic one, maybe you could switch to a larger one to ensure the meds are fresher. You never know. Old meds would be less effective. It's unlikely, but maybe they kept the last batch a bit longer than they legally should have?

Open the capsule and swallow the beads without the capsule. If it tastes like shit, it should be the real deal. If you stop taking Effexor cold turkey you should feel vertigo, headache and nausea to say the least.

I often have paranoid thoughts about certain meds, like benzos or my pain killers (any of my "good" meds). I wonder if the doctor would prescribe me a placebo. Would a pdoc do that do you think? Anyone have thoughts on that? Are there laws preventing them from doing that? I mean you ARE paying for "x" drug, not a sugar pill.

[remote_swimmer]

I take Effexor. After you adjust to the medication, you shouldn't feel much except less anxiety and depression. When I started Effexor I felt a bit of stimulation, so I think I know what you mean by "kick", especially if you haven't been on it long. Maybe you are adjusting. You also have plenty of room to up the dose. I take 225 mg. I found it became a completely different drug at that dose and it works miracles on anxiety for me.

If your pharmacy is a small generic one, maybe you could switch to a larger one to ensure the meds are fresher. You never know. Old meds would be less effective. It's unlikely, but maybe they kept the last batch a bit longer than they legally should have?

Open the capsule and swallow the beads without the capsule. If it tastes like shit, it should be the real deal. If you stop taking Effexor cold turkey you should feel vertigo, headache and nausea to say the least.

I often have paranoid thoughts about certain meds, like benzos or my pain killers (any of my "good" meds). I wonder if the doctor would prescribe me a placebo. Would a pdoc do that do you think? Anyone have thoughts on that? Are there laws preventing them from doing that? I mean you ARE paying for "x" drug, not a sugar pill.

I've been taking it since December of last year and I took it previously for several years. It's a weird drug for me because I recall from when I previously took it that its efficacy waxed and waned during the first six months and then eventually stabilized. The difference is that this last month, it really seemed to have waned more than I anticipated.

Yeah, the "kick" I'm referring to is feeling wired (like drinking a lot of coffee) and having a trouble falling asleep (no, there are no other symptoms that might be construed as bipolar and my pdoc definitely believes I have unipolar depression and GAD). It usually goes away after a couple of days. I have talked to my pdoc about increasing the dose, but I'm slightly reluctant because I tend to be med sensitive and higher doses usually make me feel drugged out.

I do use a big pharmacy chain. I have no idea where they source their meds. I suppose it's possible they may have let them sit around longer than they should have. I honestly have no idea what happened, but that the last few weeks have seen a minor return in my anxiety.

[AnneMarie]

Check to see if your pharmacy mistakenly switched you from extended release (XR) to immediate release (IR). That would cause the type of reaction you describe. Another reason could be a change in manufacturers (name to generic, visa versa, or generic to different generic). There shouldn't be, but sometimes there is. If none of those are it, then it's probably regular ol' flluctuating you. That said, if the med makes you feel unwell, call your doctor.

[Zippy]

Have you tried taking it all in the morning? It would keep me up all night if I took it at night!

Myself I am BP1/GAD, but a strange one because this is my third time back on Effexor, having tried all the "safer" ADs for BP, even TCIs. NOTHING hits anxiety for me like my beloved Effexor (the evil).

Why don't you ask your doc if you could try going up to 150 mg but have a script of benzos handy in case of emergency (perhaps clonazepam instead of lorazepam for the long half life)? If it's too much, drop back down. Can't hurt. It sounds like the dose may just be pooping out. It happens.

Good luck.

[remote_swimmer]

Have you tried taking it all in the morning? It would keep me up all night if I took it at night!

Myself I am BP1/GAD, but a strange one because this is my third time back on Effexor, having tried all the "safer" ADs for BP, even TCIs. NOTHING hits anxiety for me like my beloved Effexor (the evil).

Why don't you ask your doc if you could try going up to 150 mg but have a script of benzos handy in case of emergency (perhaps clonazepam instead of lorazepam for the long half life)? If it's too much, drop back down. Can't hurt. It sounds like the dose may just be pooping out. It happens.

Good luck.

Thanks for your replies. Actually, I am taking the immediate release. I tried the XR version the first time I took Effexor and it made me feel a bit drugged out. I am considering trying it again because I think I never gave it a proper chance and I think if I just suffer through a few days of wonkiness, it will be fine. Also, I have taken generic immediate release venlafaxine and I can tell you with complete certainty that it is NOT the same animal as the branded version, so I'm very careful about getting the branded version.

Yeah, this is all just weird because I took Effexor for seven years and after a rough start, it was very reliable for me. It didn't hit the anxiety quite like Paxil (which made me a little too mellow) and so was subsequently more motivating--plus, it didn't cause weight gain. Last year, I got off meds (with the approval of my pdoc) to try it out and I sunk into the worst depression and anxiety I've ever experienced. The Effexor has given me a good deal of relief. On the whole, my depression has abated, but I still have episodes of anxiety. The lack of consistency on this front has been a great source of frustration.

I do have some lorazepam handy and have taken it a couple of times this week. I'd rather not have to take it simply because ADs have always been able to cover the anxiety part for me. As an aside, I don't like clonazepam much because I find it makes me groggy and somewhat depressive.