Resperdol and effexor?????
Resperdol and effexor?????
- Thread startermichaelb
- Start date
Hi Michael,
I started taking Effexor several months ago when Prozac began to be less effective after a few years use. While taking Effexor at 150 mg I started to notice myself feeling strange, oddly disconnected from my body. Having no other reasonable explanation for this I did a little research on the drug and discovered that depersonalization is a potential side effect, one which is not listed for many other antidepressants. To test my theory that this was the cause I increased the dose to 225 mg. and sure enough, the symptoms worsened. I tapered myself off the drug and felt much better. My psychiatrist has since prescribed a new drug, Lexapro, which seems to be working great with no noticeable side effects. Good luck with everything, I hope you have good results.
I started taking Effexor several months ago when Prozac began to be less effective after a few years use. While taking Effexor at 150 mg I started to notice myself feeling strange, oddly disconnected from my body. Having no other reasonable explanation for this I did a little research on the drug and discovered that depersonalization is a potential side effect, one which is not listed for many other antidepressants. To test my theory that this was the cause I increased the dose to 225 mg. and sure enough, the symptoms worsened. I tapered myself off the drug and felt much better. My psychiatrist has since prescribed a new drug, Lexapro, which seems to be working great with no noticeable side effects. Good luck with everything, I hope you have good results.
Michaelb:
It's been many years ago, but when I was first diagnosed with severe clinical depression, several medications were tried with me, Effexor among them. None of them helped & most of them had weird side effects. Don't remember what particular effects the Effexor had. But I've been taking Zoloft for the last 10 years or so. The help it gives is limited, but attempts to go off it, cut it back, or try anything else have been disaster. Of course we're all different, so our meds will be different too. Take care Michaelb.
Wuame
It's been many years ago, but when I was first diagnosed with severe clinical depression, several medications were tried with me, Effexor among them. None of them helped & most of them had weird side effects. Don't remember what particular effects the Effexor had. But I've been taking Zoloft for the last 10 years or so. The help it gives is limited, but attempts to go off it, cut it back, or try anything else have been disaster. Of course we're all different, so our meds will be different too. Take care Michaelb.
Wuame
I did effexor for a while (3mos) and found i was so horny...and i would twitch like hell and had anxiety attacks. I did zoloft for a while after that, and had no interest in anything, sex, food, sports, kids, wife, nuthin, even life. Then went on celexa. Horny again, but could not come. Now on lexapro, no apparent side effex. Be well stay well.
michael
Interesting the wide range of reactions to the various meds. I've been on many different antidepressents over the years, most just haven't helped or had major side effects for me.
I've been on Effexor at 225 mg. for about 16 months now, with Paxil and Neurontin added in just for fun, I also take Trazadone to help with sleeping.
No problems so far with Effexor, in fact it's been really good for me, not so much as an antidepressent, but as an anti-anxiety med. I had no idea, literally, how much generalized non specific fear/anxiety I was living with. The Effexor seems to have lifted that for me. When I first noticed the change, the contrast was simply unbelievable. No side effects that I know of.
Many times in the past I've gone off my meds. The outcome has always been the same, things go to hell and I end up in a crisis, usually in a hospital. So, as much as I hate taking this crap with all of the unknown long term consequences, I'll take them. I just do better (better? I can at least see the day through) with them.
Help this helps michael.
Roy, interesting comment about theh depersonalization side effect possibility. I had forgotten that. Could you explain some how it manifested for you?
-jer
Interesting the wide range of reactions to the various meds. I've been on many different antidepressents over the years, most just haven't helped or had major side effects for me.
I've been on Effexor at 225 mg. for about 16 months now, with Paxil and Neurontin added in just for fun, I also take Trazadone to help with sleeping.
No problems so far with Effexor, in fact it's been really good for me, not so much as an antidepressent, but as an anti-anxiety med. I had no idea, literally, how much generalized non specific fear/anxiety I was living with. The Effexor seems to have lifted that for me. When I first noticed the change, the contrast was simply unbelievable. No side effects that I know of.
Many times in the past I've gone off my meds. The outcome has always been the same, things go to hell and I end up in a crisis, usually in a hospital. So, as much as I hate taking this crap with all of the unknown long term consequences, I'll take them. I just do better (better? I can at least see the day through) with them.
Help this helps michael.
Roy, interesting comment about theh depersonalization side effect possibility. I had forgotten that. Could you explain some how it manifested for you?
-jer
Jer,
Depersonalization is difficult to describe, and it should be noted that it is different from dissociation. It was like whatever it is that constitutes my selfhood, the essence of "me", was just outside the physical boundary of my body. It was as though "I" were sitting on my shoulder or on top of my head, which is not exactly right but the best way our language can describe it. My body seemed like the physical representation of "me", so in order to do something like getting clothes out of the dryer "I" (from my perch on my body's shoulder or wherever) had to instruct my body to get up and go downstairs to the laundry room and the "I" part of me went along for the ride. That may all sound a little crazy, which is how it felt at the time, but that is the best explanation I can come up with. It was definitely something I had never experienced before taking this medication.
As revolutionary as these drugs are they are still very clumsy in that they tend to have impact on more than just the part of the brain they were intended to remedy. It is expected that as they are further refined over time, new drugs will be much cleaner and have fewer side effects. Sort of like performing surgery with a scalpel as opposed to using a very sharp knife. All of that being said I wouldn't trade them for the world, they have made such a difference in the quality of my life. I am finally able to be who I think I was intended to be from the very beginning. I rank these among the worlds great inventions, right up there with the wheel, penicillin, the modern toilet, and air conditioning!
Depersonalization is difficult to describe, and it should be noted that it is different from dissociation. It was like whatever it is that constitutes my selfhood, the essence of "me", was just outside the physical boundary of my body. It was as though "I" were sitting on my shoulder or on top of my head, which is not exactly right but the best way our language can describe it. My body seemed like the physical representation of "me", so in order to do something like getting clothes out of the dryer "I" (from my perch on my body's shoulder or wherever) had to instruct my body to get up and go downstairs to the laundry room and the "I" part of me went along for the ride. That may all sound a little crazy, which is how it felt at the time, but that is the best explanation I can come up with. It was definitely something I had never experienced before taking this medication.
As revolutionary as these drugs are they are still very clumsy in that they tend to have impact on more than just the part of the brain they were intended to remedy. It is expected that as they are further refined over time, new drugs will be much cleaner and have fewer side effects. Sort of like performing surgery with a scalpel as opposed to using a very sharp knife. All of that being said I wouldn't trade them for the world, they have made such a difference in the quality of my life. I am finally able to be who I think I was intended to be from the very beginning. I rank these among the worlds great inventions, right up there with the wheel, penicillin, the modern toilet, and air conditioning!
Thanks for responding Roy!
Never had that depersonalized effect happen for me, thank the pharmacopia gods.
I had asked because I was wondering if you were talking about disociative effects. Hmmm, takes me awhile to get to my point sometimes (I should have said that up front in my first post, oh well).
Given that I can make a free choice (more or less) I'll continue my meds as perscribed. It works for me.
-jer
Never had that depersonalized effect happen for me, thank the pharmacopia gods.
I had asked because I was wondering if you were talking about disociative effects. Hmmm, takes me awhile to get to my point sometimes (I should have said that up front in my first post, oh well).
Given that I can make a free choice (more or less) I'll continue my meds as perscribed. It works for me.
-jer
Hi Michael,
Meds and me don't seem to mix well....
I was on effexor for six months last year. Think I got up to 150 mg a day, or was it twice a day, sorry can't remember..
Basically it made me incredibily tired and lethargic the whole time, and I felt like a zombie. I was even more depressed, and had increased anxiety. The shrink didn't listen and told me to keep taking it, which I did.
Finally after six months my friends became so concerned that they talked me out of taking it. I listened and stopped taking it. Once I got it out of my system I stopped feeling lethargic and tired and started feeling okay again, or at least back to the way I was before I commenced taking the drug. It had no affect on my depression, just made it worse because I was less able to function.
Anyway, that was my experience... I realise that everyone reacts differently to medication, and for some it works great and for others like me it has more of a negative affect.
regards
blaidd
Meds and me don't seem to mix well....
I was on effexor for six months last year. Think I got up to 150 mg a day, or was it twice a day, sorry can't remember..
Basically it made me incredibily tired and lethargic the whole time, and I felt like a zombie. I was even more depressed, and had increased anxiety. The shrink didn't listen and told me to keep taking it, which I did.
Finally after six months my friends became so concerned that they talked me out of taking it. I listened and stopped taking it. Once I got it out of my system I stopped feeling lethargic and tired and started feeling okay again, or at least back to the way I was before I commenced taking the drug. It had no affect on my depression, just made it worse because I was less able to function.
Anyway, that was my experience... I realise that everyone reacts differently to medication, and for some it works great and for others like me it has more of a negative affect.
regards
blaidd
When the doc wanted me to sign a a form saying he had explained to me some possible permanent side effects of resperdol, I was really scared. I took it for two days and couldn't get the fact that I had to sign something before I got the meds. Felt like the doc was covering his ass, so to speak, and I quit taking it after two days. I had started feeling a slight twitch in the corners of my eyes, and while it was very likely the power of suggestion (kind of a negative placebo) since that was precisely what the doc warned could happen, so I quit it immediately. Besides, I just can't get comfortable with the idea of a doc "trying" a med with me to "see" if it works. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against meds...I hear they work wonders for many people. But, I am concerned about the long term effects that are really unknown...hell, they really don't know why most meds work in the first place.
I took effexor for several months a couple of years ago. Horny as hell, but couldn't get off. That seemed more of a curse than not getting it up in the first place. So I dropped it and started serzone. That sent me to the moon on a manic ride that landed me in the hospital. So, I ended my days as a guinea pig and haven't taken any meds since.
A beer or two a day seems to work, and may just prove itself to be healthy in the long run.
My own experiences here, nothing more....
I wish you luck.
I took effexor for several months a couple of years ago. Horny as hell, but couldn't get off. That seemed more of a curse than not getting it up in the first place. So I dropped it and started serzone. That sent me to the moon on a manic ride that landed me in the hospital. So, I ended my days as a guinea pig and haven't taken any meds since.
A beer or two a day seems to work, and may just prove itself to be healthy in the long run.
My own experiences here, nothing more....
I wish you luck.
Huck:
Hi, fellow Carolinian!
Your experience is just as valid as anybody's, and maybe only somewhat unusual in the sense that you've had the courage to try & to do what many others want to, some of whom who knows might be better off.
I've often wondered about that for myself. I take a lot of medications for Complex PTSD, OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder), DD (Dissociative Disorder), FM (Fibromyalgia) and severe clinical depression, among other things--all rooted in a childhood of being sexually & otherwise abused.
Part of my problem is that I seem to be so "drug resistant." I should have known this becuz tho raised from a young age in a drug culture, any addiction I might have had to drugs was more social than anything, and when I was ready to quit I did so quite easily & never looked back.
I always have to take the higher dosages of virtually any medicene for it to have any effect, and then it's limited.
Meanwhile I wonder like you what bad effects even in the longterm all this is having on me, considering as you said that they don't even know how or why most meds work. Pretty high risk stuff in some ways. Yet, as you said, helpful & sometimes even necessary for some.
Recently I finally seem to have found the right doctors & a "balanced diet" of medicenes sufficient to keep me going. So far trying to get off any of them has made things far worse. Still my primary care doctor believes that as I deal with things thru further therapy & support, exercise & relaxation, I'll be able to get off or cut way back on most if not all of them. That is his goal & mine.
This took a long time. For many years I felt like that guinea pig! My first psychiatrist--briefly--about 10 years ago, tried over half a dozen meds on me in a very short span of time, no more than a few months. Don't remember resperdol or serzone (unless they had different names), but I do remember Effexor.
When you mentioned the side effect of eye twitching, I remembered having that, tho I'm not sure if it was effexor or one of the other ones.
Right now as an antidepressant I'm on Zoloft, which is also prescribed for PTSD & for sexual abuse trauma. It's the only one that's worked for me. But like you said we're all different.
Take care Huck
Wuame
Hi, fellow Carolinian!
Your experience is just as valid as anybody's, and maybe only somewhat unusual in the sense that you've had the courage to try & to do what many others want to, some of whom who knows might be better off.
I've often wondered about that for myself. I take a lot of medications for Complex PTSD, OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder), DD (Dissociative Disorder), FM (Fibromyalgia) and severe clinical depression, among other things--all rooted in a childhood of being sexually & otherwise abused.
Part of my problem is that I seem to be so "drug resistant." I should have known this becuz tho raised from a young age in a drug culture, any addiction I might have had to drugs was more social than anything, and when I was ready to quit I did so quite easily & never looked back.
I always have to take the higher dosages of virtually any medicene for it to have any effect, and then it's limited.
Meanwhile I wonder like you what bad effects even in the longterm all this is having on me, considering as you said that they don't even know how or why most meds work. Pretty high risk stuff in some ways. Yet, as you said, helpful & sometimes even necessary for some.
Recently I finally seem to have found the right doctors & a "balanced diet" of medicenes sufficient to keep me going. So far trying to get off any of them has made things far worse. Still my primary care doctor believes that as I deal with things thru further therapy & support, exercise & relaxation, I'll be able to get off or cut way back on most if not all of them. That is his goal & mine.
This took a long time. For many years I felt like that guinea pig! My first psychiatrist--briefly--about 10 years ago, tried over half a dozen meds on me in a very short span of time, no more than a few months. Don't remember resperdol or serzone (unless they had different names), but I do remember Effexor.
When you mentioned the side effect of eye twitching, I remembered having that, tho I'm not sure if it was effexor or one of the other ones.
Right now as an antidepressant I'm on Zoloft, which is also prescribed for PTSD & for sexual abuse trauma. It's the only one that's worked for me. But like you said we're all different.
Take care Huck
Wuame
I was on effexor about a yeat and a half ago. I had been on it for about a year. I broke out in hives with it. We ( my psychiatrist and I ) attributed it to the fact that I was under a trememdous amount of stress at work ..... my boss was the definition of "BITCH FROM HELL. Finally, When I had my breakdown ..... I saw a different doctor in the E. R. I had called the after hours number for the clinic where I was going ... and the on call therapist had said that "she didn't think I had an emergency .......... DUHHHHHHHHH..... the police took me into the Emergency room three hours later .... but it wasn't an emergency.
Back to the effexor. I started seeing a new therapist and doctor .... at a different clinic. The new psychiatrist immediately thought that I was allergic to the Effexor ..... I had been to dermatologist ... my regular doctor ... everywhere. The only bad thing was that I could not "Quit cold turkey" I was gradually taken off the effexor ... however it took 6 months all of it to get out of my system.
All I can say is that if you have an allergic reaction ...... you will itch like hell .... and none of the potions, ointments, salves, or antihistamines that the dermatologist will give you will help.
John
Back to the effexor. I started seeing a new therapist and doctor .... at a different clinic. The new psychiatrist immediately thought that I was allergic to the Effexor ..... I had been to dermatologist ... my regular doctor ... everywhere. The only bad thing was that I could not "Quit cold turkey" I was gradually taken off the effexor ... however it took 6 months all of it to get out of my system.
All I can say is that if you have an allergic reaction ...... you will itch like hell .... and none of the potions, ointments, salves, or antihistamines that the dermatologist will give you will help.
John
Harry
Registrant
Michael,
I take both effexor and resperdol. Ive been taking 300mg a day and i just last week started taking 1mg of resperdol twice a day. it made me sleepy at first - i couldnt wake up in the day. i'm over that now. overall, its helped. i havent been suicidal for a long time. which is really weird. how's it treatin you?
Peace,
John___
I take both effexor and resperdol. Ive been taking 300mg a day and i just last week started taking 1mg of resperdol twice a day. it made me sleepy at first - i couldnt wake up in the day. i'm over that now. overall, its helped. i havent been suicidal for a long time. which is really weird. how's it treatin you?
Peace,
John___
JamesMichael
Registrant
I take 75 mg. of Effexor (time released). It's wonderful! I've become so productive. It has really reduced overall anxiety and ocd symptoms. I'm watching movies with the kids, doing home repairs, not isolating myself. I don't experience the depersonalization side effects Roy describes (that I can tell), not preoccupied with sex, but do experience delayed ejaculation. The pros far outweigh the cons.
I think it's worth noting that many, if not all, of us are diagnosable as either Complex or Prolonged PTSD as a result of our abuses and concomitant traumatic life experiences. A more accurate dx described as Diagnosis of Extreme Stress Not Otherwise Specified PTSD will likely make it into the next Diagnostic and Statistic Manual V (DSMV). The point is that the organ that is employed in the processing of memory, feelings, thinking (i.e. the brain) is actually and physically impaired as a result of prolonged and repeated trauma and abuse. We are fortunate that there are drugs out there to help this organ function better by greasing the pathways. Think of it as insulin for the brain. It's a matter of getting the right prescription for one's particular pathways that's the challenge.
The MaleSurvivor community is the hub of my recovery. I'm so grateful to everyone here.
JM
I think it's worth noting that many, if not all, of us are diagnosable as either Complex or Prolonged PTSD as a result of our abuses and concomitant traumatic life experiences. A more accurate dx described as Diagnosis of Extreme Stress Not Otherwise Specified PTSD will likely make it into the next Diagnostic and Statistic Manual V (DSMV). The point is that the organ that is employed in the processing of memory, feelings, thinking (i.e. the brain) is actually and physically impaired as a result of prolonged and repeated trauma and abuse. We are fortunate that there are drugs out there to help this organ function better by greasing the pathways. Think of it as insulin for the brain. It's a matter of getting the right prescription for one's particular pathways that's the challenge.
The MaleSurvivor community is the hub of my recovery. I'm so grateful to everyone here.
JM
The effexor time release pills seem to be helping...I know i have felt a little better the past few days, though i'm kind of dragging this afternoon, that may be because i had a tough time sleeping last night because i did not my resperdal. Resperdal has to be taken with contagen???? to prevent developing muscle ticks. The hospital gave me the resperdal, but no contagen (not sure of name or spelling), so i've not taken that until i get the prescription filled. I see my psychiatrist tomorrow, so i'll start doing it after then.
Although i'm feeling better, i know the resperdal caused me to sleep for about 4 hours. I'm on 3 milligrams. The psychiatrist told me in the hospital that you still have the bad dreams, but you cannot remember them. One morning i fell asleep after waking up and the bad dreams were back.. So now, once i'm awake, I'M AWAKE for good.....
The effexor is doing ok, i guess, but i'm forgetting alot of stuff. For example i was talking to a friend on the phone the other night and could not remember her name for the life of me....I'm also a little disoriented some of the time...additionally, i've noticed in a long conversation, i'm loosing my train of thought...IF THAT IS HAPPENING HERE, I'M BLAMING THE DRUGS!!!!.....
One of the psychiatrists i spoke to in the hospital told me that i need to stay on these drugs for 2 years and continue therapy and i should see results....Another 2 years?????? if only i could believe she is right...........
My therapist has decided we need to concentrate now on coping skills and put the abuse on the back burner....but she also said i need to leave the abuse things in her office....How do you not think about what has happened to you when your dreams become so disturbing?????....I just always thought what happened to me was out of love, but i've had dreams of being forceably raped and i've felt so vulnerable from those dreams...In fact if i slept at all i was wearing jeans to bed so i could not be raped again.....it DID NOT WORK!!!!!
I guess it is going to take longer than i expected or wanted to find some sense of peace with things.....accepting the facts of abuse occurring and forgiving myself are the next steps i have to try to acheive....I'm not certain i'll be able to accomplish either goal, but guess i have to try.....what other choices do i have??????
Although i'm feeling better, i know the resperdal caused me to sleep for about 4 hours. I'm on 3 milligrams. The psychiatrist told me in the hospital that you still have the bad dreams, but you cannot remember them. One morning i fell asleep after waking up and the bad dreams were back.. So now, once i'm awake, I'M AWAKE for good.....
The effexor is doing ok, i guess, but i'm forgetting alot of stuff. For example i was talking to a friend on the phone the other night and could not remember her name for the life of me....I'm also a little disoriented some of the time...additionally, i've noticed in a long conversation, i'm loosing my train of thought...IF THAT IS HAPPENING HERE, I'M BLAMING THE DRUGS!!!!.....
One of the psychiatrists i spoke to in the hospital told me that i need to stay on these drugs for 2 years and continue therapy and i should see results....Another 2 years?????? if only i could believe she is right...........
My therapist has decided we need to concentrate now on coping skills and put the abuse on the back burner....but she also said i need to leave the abuse things in her office....How do you not think about what has happened to you when your dreams become so disturbing?????....I just always thought what happened to me was out of love, but i've had dreams of being forceably raped and i've felt so vulnerable from those dreams...In fact if i slept at all i was wearing jeans to bed so i could not be raped again.....it DID NOT WORK!!!!!
I guess it is going to take longer than i expected or wanted to find some sense of peace with things.....accepting the facts of abuse occurring and forgiving myself are the next steps i have to try to acheive....I'm not certain i'll be able to accomplish either goal, but guess i have to try.....what other choices do i have??????
I ramped into 300 MG Effexor time release. The effect has been nothing short of a miracle for me.
There were significant side effects for a couple of weeks. Night sweats and anxiety were hard for me, but ironically, once I got over that hump, the meds helped me IMMENSELY to cope with the hours-long anxiety attacks I was having. I used Ativan to get over that early anxiety. I have been on the Effexor for 3 years, and I have been productive, I have been myself, perhaps myself for the first time in many many years. I am certainly doing better in almost any measurable sense.
There were significant side effects for a couple of weeks. Night sweats and anxiety were hard for me, but ironically, once I got over that hump, the meds helped me IMMENSELY to cope with the hours-long anxiety attacks I was having. I used Ativan to get over that early anxiety. I have been on the Effexor for 3 years, and I have been productive, I have been myself, perhaps myself for the first time in many many years. I am certainly doing better in almost any measurable sense.
For approximately 9 months I have been taking Effexor XR. I am being treated for Generalized Anxiety Disorder, PTSD and a host of other shit not otherwise specified!(LOL). I am OK in my head most days, particularly when I get my own way, but my body became so depleted chemically that I crashed into a number of intense physical reactions due to the various stresses in my life such as work, marriage, life issues etc. Doc said the process was best described as a type of General Adaption Syndrome rising and crashing.
Great I'll have some GAD, a little GAS and a side order of PTSD for dinner; Oh bless me Doctor it has been several years since my last prostrate exam shall I now assume the position for desert?!!
A few years ago the AMA published research that indicated that Effexor, although primarily used to treat depression, also seemed to reduce the symptoms associated with anxiety disorders when used in an extended release dosage from 37 - 300 mg daily.
Effexor and me:
Please Mr. Pharmocological man don't take my efflexorator away from me!
I began with 75 mg's per day. It reduced anxiety attacks and other physical symptoms, particularly with back up emergency doses of 1 mg Ativan PRN(as needed). As time went on I needed less PRN Ativan. Overall, Effexor took about 4 weeks to really kick in.
I had side effects such as headache, trouble sleeping, moderate loss of appetite, twitching in my feet and legs. I just told people I was tapping along to a tune in my head I couldn't get rid of.( LOL) Eventually symptoms abated, except for trouble sleeping. Doc gave me a very low dose of Amitriptyline(25mg) to take. I use it occasionally but not too much. The Amitrip gets me to sleep, particularly if taken 3 hrs before bed, but the next day I feel dragged out for a few hours after rising.
After a few months I began dealing with very intense issues at work as the government was reducing funding levels in the program I am responsible for. As a result, my body crashed again and I began having high anxiety stress related symptoms. Doc increased dose to 150 mg's per day. This dose seems right for me at this time.
Overall I have had a positive experience with this medication. It was a bitch at times to get used to taking but the side effects decreased steadily and are now managable. Obviously Effexor is not for every one but it has brought a benefit to me.
Medications that mitigate seritonin (sp) reuptake inhibition,(as well as working with other endorphin like chemicals),are kind of strange at times, at least for me. A few times when I lie down or close my eyes at certain times I can see light trails and little squiggles that move patternistically. I believe at times that perhaps they indicate that my neurological system is firing a little too well under the effect of Effexor. These interludes became noticable to me a few weeks after I started taking effexor. These occurances are not too distressing and are not like a "high" or a "trip".(!tarnation! [joke]).
Interestingly some research claims that the actual method of Effexor's chemical targeting process and over all functionality are not completely understood at this time. Who knows what else may happen. Perhaps I'll be "off" to see the wizard one day after taking Effexor for a long time. Well I sure hope the wiz also has a cure for abuse ! HaHa!
The best way I can describe the squiggles sensation is that it is like my computer. Sometimes the drive is quiet when it is working and sometimes it just chatters away to itself as internal stuff is going on. (I was hoping to get beamed up during one of these incidents but I am still here at home surrounded by a crew of very tricky Romulans; A wife, two daughters and a couple of female dogs who all see me as a hobby farm to be worked on regularly.)
Hope this helps!
Great I'll have some GAD, a little GAS and a side order of PTSD for dinner; Oh bless me Doctor it has been several years since my last prostrate exam shall I now assume the position for desert?!!
A few years ago the AMA published research that indicated that Effexor, although primarily used to treat depression, also seemed to reduce the symptoms associated with anxiety disorders when used in an extended release dosage from 37 - 300 mg daily.
Effexor and me:
Please Mr. Pharmocological man don't take my efflexorator away from me!
I began with 75 mg's per day. It reduced anxiety attacks and other physical symptoms, particularly with back up emergency doses of 1 mg Ativan PRN(as needed). As time went on I needed less PRN Ativan. Overall, Effexor took about 4 weeks to really kick in.
I had side effects such as headache, trouble sleeping, moderate loss of appetite, twitching in my feet and legs. I just told people I was tapping along to a tune in my head I couldn't get rid of.( LOL) Eventually symptoms abated, except for trouble sleeping. Doc gave me a very low dose of Amitriptyline(25mg) to take. I use it occasionally but not too much. The Amitrip gets me to sleep, particularly if taken 3 hrs before bed, but the next day I feel dragged out for a few hours after rising.
After a few months I began dealing with very intense issues at work as the government was reducing funding levels in the program I am responsible for. As a result, my body crashed again and I began having high anxiety stress related symptoms. Doc increased dose to 150 mg's per day. This dose seems right for me at this time.
Overall I have had a positive experience with this medication. It was a bitch at times to get used to taking but the side effects decreased steadily and are now managable. Obviously Effexor is not for every one but it has brought a benefit to me.
Medications that mitigate seritonin (sp) reuptake inhibition,(as well as working with other endorphin like chemicals),are kind of strange at times, at least for me. A few times when I lie down or close my eyes at certain times I can see light trails and little squiggles that move patternistically. I believe at times that perhaps they indicate that my neurological system is firing a little too well under the effect of Effexor. These interludes became noticable to me a few weeks after I started taking effexor. These occurances are not too distressing and are not like a "high" or a "trip".(!tarnation! [joke]).
Interestingly some research claims that the actual method of Effexor's chemical targeting process and over all functionality are not completely understood at this time. Who knows what else may happen. Perhaps I'll be "off" to see the wizard one day after taking Effexor for a long time. Well I sure hope the wiz also has a cure for abuse ! HaHa!
The best way I can describe the squiggles sensation is that it is like my computer. Sometimes the drive is quiet when it is working and sometimes it just chatters away to itself as internal stuff is going on. (I was hoping to get beamed up during one of these incidents but I am still here at home surrounded by a crew of very tricky Romulans; A wife, two daughters and a couple of female dogs who all see me as a hobby farm to be worked on regularly.)
Hope this helps!
I have been on 300mg of effexor xr for about 9 months now. Everything is going well. I had been on Zoloft, but it seemed to lose its effect. Before I started the Effexor, I was mostly scared to get out of bed and wanted to just stay there and hide. Now, I'm doing great (also going to counseling, though).
Hdan
Hdan
I've been on the effexor now for several weeks and think i am seeing some positive effects....like you hdan, getting out of bed was almost impossible for me at times....much of the time, i still long for hiding under the covers all day, but realize that is not good for me....
The risperdol has helped too by blocking those horrible dreams from my conscious memory, but if i fall back asleep after waking up once, they come back....so i guess waking up forces me to get out of bed or face the consequences...
i guess my counseling sessions have helped too by focusing on coping skills and life skills rather than dwelling on the abuse right now....but i know at some point, i'm going to have to face the abuse issues....well, i've always been very good at procrastinating......
michael
The risperdol has helped too by blocking those horrible dreams from my conscious memory, but if i fall back asleep after waking up once, they come back....so i guess waking up forces me to get out of bed or face the consequences...
i guess my counseling sessions have helped too by focusing on coping skills and life skills rather than dwelling on the abuse right now....but i know at some point, i'm going to have to face the abuse issues....well, i've always been very good at procrastinating......
michael