sagacitynell's AD 'trial' continues

[SagacityNell]

I have no home internet at the moment and its really hard to mumsnet from a blackberry! If it even loads at all!

I started on Venlafaxine today. 37.5 mg twice a day. I am already laid up on the settee with the debilitating nausea that I tend to instantly get with ADs.

Can u share your experiences of Venlafaxine pls? Already tied citalopram, mirtazapine, sertraline and now this. Had prozac a l o n g time ago too. This is the last med that they will prescribe before referringh me to hospital !

It worked for me the first time I took it, it made me more chatty but my sleep and sex life went right down the pan. The second time I took it I was taking it with another med at the same time. I felt like shit totaly blank and disconnected, night sweats so two different experiences.
Hope it works for you.

I was moved to venlafaxine from citalopram and it made me really sick the first time i took it, then I was left with just a general 'yuck' feeling. So I switched to taking it before I went to bed, which made things much better.

I am on one in the morning and one at night

Hi - there is two types of venlaflaxine - the tablets and the capsules. The capsules start at 75mg, there is no 37.5mg and go up in dose to 225mg usually, tablets start at 37.5mg and go much higher

I tried the tablest, got nausea, sickness etc and got moved to the capsules that are slow release so worked much better. My dose was all in one go, at night, better tolerated and are great ;-) Shame they worrying you about referral to hospital - as there are other medicaitons they can try adn combinations.

Could you ask for slow release venlaflaxine - it costs them more, perhaps why not offered if people tolerate the tablet version?

I was on venlaflaxine for a couple of years and was on a very high dose. I still got after effects from them a few years after, weird palpitations

but it doesn't really matter what effects I had, it's how you find them that counts. I really hope these ones work out for you

I'm still on sertraline and they seem to be working thankfully.

There aren't many others that they are allowed to give me without a referral. I struggle with EDs and even when I am "normal" it doesn't take much to knock me back. I also a slightly random heart thing. I occasionally get one beat less. It happens about 3 times a year so not severe at all but obviously a worry wrt side effects.

I wonder if she meant to give me the extended release ones (xr) as she did say to take at night.

I must admit that I didn"t take my 2nd one last night.

oh I'm quite surprised they're giving you an SSNRI then, as opposed to an SSRI, with your heartbeat thing.

why aren't they allowed to try many others, may I ask?

Is Citalopram not an SSRI? That had no effect. IIRC Mirtazapine is an SNRI which made me unable to stop self harming whereas before I could use distraction a lot of the time.

I don't properly know why she can't prescribe more. She said that there are some that a psychiatrist can prescribe. I wonder if it's more to do with the fact that I don't want counselling?

Am getting the feeling of being a junkie again that I got with the Mirt. I wonder if this is just my normal and its not an imbalance at all?

I'm not really sure about the mental effects of individual ADs as it depends on the person I guess.

what I meant was the effect on your heart because of the norepinephrine - that's what caused my palpitation-style side effects on venlaflaxine

Oh I see what you mean.

Not sure. It's not a huge problem, has never needed intervention, nor have I ever had to stop exercise because of it.

Hoping they know what they are doing!

I would not advise "missing" doses of venlaflaxine once you are on them, as it can make you physically quite ill (to come off them it is recommended, under dr's advice, to cut down over a period of time, not just stop) - I missed a few doses due to lack of organisation, never again!!!

Could you go and ask about the extended release ones? Being referred to a psychiatrist sounds like a usual move, as psychiatrists deal with diagnosis and medication and hopefully find one/combination that works better for you.

I think you absolutely need a referral to a consultant psychiatrist to get the best help with medication that will help. This is the thing that psychiatrists are good at, prescribing drugs to suit an individual because what suits one doesn't suit another. To be honest I don't think the majority of GPs knows great deal about anti depressants and will only know if it suits by trial and error. They also usually start with a low dose which can sometimes make things worse.

After a psychiatrist has assessed you he/she may change the drug again or change the dose or if you are really struggling may suggest you go into hospital for a time. There is nothing at all to be afraid of as I have been hospitalised twice for anxiety and depression - one 15 years ago and one very recent episode. I found hospital helped me because you live in a kind of cocoon with nothing to worry about and are usually well supported by the nursing staff. The main problem is boredom, but when you are really poorly you don't notice that.

I appreciate you probably have children but some king of alternative care would need to be arranged for them as the most important thing is for you to get better.

Hope things improve soon

I was on venlafaxine last year 225mg, slow release but had to come off them when I got pregnant.
Once the side effects ended, nausea etc I found them really good, better than any other a'd i've been on.
Only negative was a reduced loss of sex drive but considering I got pregnant on them could'nt have been that bad.
Hope all works well for you.

Sorry for delay. I am struggling to post from blackberry browser. The screen keeps going white

Kezia- I haven't officially missed a dose. They are new so I wasn't going to get a 'come down' anyway.

Having said that I have not taken it again. I can't function and need DH home to look after 2 yo. If he doesn't work, he doesn't get paid which means we don't eat/have electricity etc.

I have also decided that there is no way I am going to be reffered which I guess means that I don't go back to GP. I may be a shit parent but they are MY children and I just need to change so that everyone is happy.

Thanks for replies.

If it was just side effects I would persevere but it's really debillitating. Even breathing was making me retch and was starting with the chills.

SagacityNell - would you consider going to Gp, saying these make you retch so you can't keep them in and ask for the slow release capsules? That is what I did, got them no problem (it was true!) and they have been great since then.

what if she refuses? and then refers me on?

The thing is SN is that no one can insist that you go into hospital, unless a patient is sectioned under the Mental Health Act, as being a danger to themselves or others, and you are certainly not in that category. Only 1 in 10 patients seen by a GP are referred to a psychiatrist and even then it is not a given that you would be offered a period in hospital. Again I would stress that there is absolutely no compulsion to accept the offer of a period in hospital. Indeed most psychiatrists will always attempt to treat a patient in their home environment.

It may be that you would be allocated a community psychiatric nurse who will visit you at home to offer support and liaise with the GP about your drugs to make sure that your dosage is effective. I have one who is absolutely brilliant and has helped me so much. Also there are groups associated with in patient care where you can go for a half day. These groups aren't for everyone as many people don't like groups but I am trying to say that there are alternatives to inpatient care.

You are suffering at the moment and need medical help or help from a therapist maybe, or both medication and counselling. You are obviously a very caring mom and want to get better for your children, as well as you and your DH. The only way to do this is to get the help you need and being afraid to go to the GP in case you are "referred on" is NOT going to help you or your loved ones in the long term.

Sorry I don't mean to be preaching to you but I am wondering if this business of hospital is making you more anxious and you are in a vicious circle, so easy when we are anxious and depressed.

Wishing you well.

The thing is SN is that no one can insist that you go into hospital, unless a patient is sectioned under the Mental Health Act, as being a danger to themselves or others, and you are certainly not in that category. Only 1 in 10 patients seen by a GP are referred to a psychiatrist and even then it is not a given that you would be offered a period in hospital. Again I would stress that there is absolutely no compulsion to accept the offer of a period in hospital. Indeed most psychiatrists will always attempt to treat a patient in their home environment.

It may be that you would be allocated a community psychiatric nurse who will visit you at home to offer support and liaise with the GP about your drugs to make sure that your dosage is effective. I have one who is absolutely brilliant and has helped me so much. Also there are groups associated with in patient care where you can go for a half day. These groups aren't for everyone as many people don't like groups but I am trying to say that there are alternatives to inpatient care.

You are suffering at the moment and need medical help or help from a therapist maybe, or both medication and counselling. You are obviously a very caring mom and want to get better for your children, as well as you and your DH. The only way to do this is to get the help you need and being afraid to go to the GP in case you are "referred on" is NOT going to help you or your loved ones in the long term.

Sorry I don't mean to be preaching to you but I am wondering if this business of hospital is making you more anxious and you are in a vicious circle, so easy when we are anxious and depressed.

Wishing you well.

Sorry didn't mean to post twice!

Hi - do you mean dr will send you into hospital, as an inpatient and that is your fear - or that your gp will refer you as an outpatient to see a psychiatrist to deal with your medication, as they are two very different things. As NanaNina says it is expensive to send patients into hospital and there are many things that can be done before that is ever an option.

If you don't ask about the slow release venlaflaxine you will never know... asking for this type to me suggests a mature apporach of someone who wants to get better.

Its the fear of hospital that is stopping me admitting how I feel properly. Avoided a call from DR today. Despite her being wonderful I just feel so guilty that yet more meds have not helped and that all the time she has invested in me has been wasted.

Sorry. Just feeling a bit ..... Meh at mo.