EFEXOR is anyone else on it ?

[sweetbean]

I have been on anti d's on and off since i was 16 i suffered from bulima and bad deppresion and DSH untill i was 20ish (im 26 now) and in that time i have taken lots of diffrent types of anti d's but the best one for me was always prozac.I have a daughter now and she is 9 months old i have been back on prozac since july but this time its not working.i went back to the doctor today because i realy can't take it anymore i hate myself so much i can't stand to see myself in the mirror.He has put me on efexor and seing as i have never even heard of it i just wondered if anyone else can say if its good or not? mind you anything would have to be an improvment on how i feel know !!!

a bump for Sweetbean.

Not much use to you I am afraid as I have just started on Efexor myself. GP reckoned it was the most fast acting. Bit of an icky tummy with it but that is all so far but have to say this is my first time on AD's and a bit apprehensive about them. Just to go and be able to admit that I neeeded help was great. I had put it for so long. Am on them for 3-6 months and then counselling.

But if there is anyone else out there with any knoweledge of Efexor I am sure Sweetbean and me will be very greatful.

BTW I am on 75mg. Is this a lot? Have read other threads about other ad's and people being 20mg and 40mgs?

sweetbean - different ADs have different starting doses - Prozac is 20 mg, Sertraline is 50 mg, for example - I don't think that you can read anything into the Efexor one being 75 mg. I don't think 75 mg is a lot - am sure have heard of people being on 225mg before now. Have never taken this one, so can't really comment.

Thanks for your comments
i am also on 75mg so at lest were the same let me know how you get on and i will do the same. in the mean time i would love to hear from anyone else that has been on it tahnks again

i was on efexor, and my DP too.
it was a good AD, better than our experiences with prozac and seroxat. it did make us both feel numb, sort of emotionless. but then that can be better than really down.
the only negative thing i can tell you about it is the withdrawal is hard. we both had these weird electric shock like sensations in our head when the dose was lowered or a tablet was taken a bit late. this is a common side effect, apparently. it continued for about 3 months after the dose was lowered and then about a month after i completely had stopped taking it.

Hi lilacBump
Ive been on seroxat to but it was rubbish for me !! i have to say i am slightly worried about this electric shock in your head stuff tell me more do's it hurt loads and do you get addicted to these anti d's ???

seroxat was terrible. it made me suicidal.
the shocks are weird. it doesn't hurt, just feels weird in your head. it's quite hard to explain, you might find better description if you google it. you have to think that ADs change the chemicals in your brain, so it's probably to do with that.
because of those shocks, i was tempted to keep taking the pills IYSWIM. coming off them was awful, but i don't regret having taken them. they really helped me get through an awful year.

Sweetbean, I don't have any experience of Efexor but just thought I'd link this for you - might have some useful info

Efexor

Hi Sweetbean, I just saw this - I took effexor for a couple of months when I was going through a hard time and very anxious (I can't compare it with anything else). The main side effects I found were a really dry mouth and associated with this, a loss of appetite - I love my food and have never felt this before - I lost 10lb in the first week and this actually boosted my self-esteem! It did settle down though and I never put on any weight as I've heard you do with other things. Quite quickly I wanted to get off them, things were better in my life and I wanted to know what my real emotions were like. Withdrawal was very hard, I broke the tablets into bits and cut down really gradually over about 3 weeks ( I think I was on your dose and then it was cut in half) I really should have done it under the supervision of the doctor. The 'electric shocks' described aren't painful just weird - like flashing lights/sensations? - It's amazing to think what a powerful effect on your brain the drug has. I hope things work out for you!

Well just to up date you i took my first anti d's this morning and an hour later i felt terrible, Very sick, dissy,shaching all over and then over the corse of va couple of hours my boby went all week and i satrted to get musle spasms !! i call my doctor who said that i sould cut down to half a tab and then increase again next week but i have to say that i am more than a littel un nerved about how quickly i felt bad, i am only just starting to feel ok now but on a postive note im not hungery at all and so will hopeful lose some weight !!!!!

please exscuse my spelling i have dyslexia and i can't spell to save my life !

Poor you SB. I am on the a couple of days but no major side effects so far just a bit of nausea and a little woozy towards evening.

Actualy don't feel that hungry myself either but don't need to lose weight.

GG I have just read through the link and the personal comments some people put up about this drug. I am now scared to take them. Think I will phone gp tomorrow I am only on them a few days but now don't want to take them.

ontheupihope
What did that gp say did he give you an encoraging advise ?

Sweetbean I didn't get a chance to phone gp. Since my last post I have read other posts where others found the effexor realy good. Am due back with gp this week and will let you know how i get on. How are you feeling. I am uterly exhausted all the time.

Do you take it in the morning or at night at cos i was told to take it in the morning but felt terrible so now i take it when i get in to bed at night so it has a chance to wear off before i get up! i have felt alot better since only taking half a tab and at night

Hi SB. I take mine in the morning. Have been very unwell the last few days but today not so bad so I am hoping that I am over the worst. Stil incredibly tired but am guessing that that is because I am still felling sorry for myself and need to start pulling myself togeter.

I'm incredibly resistant to the idea of taking antidepressantsI've had so many intolerable side effects from SSRIs (& no relief!) that I'm frankly scared!but I'm also resistant to being hospitalised, so I'm v. reluctantly taking efexor, a new drug for me, and one which is only part SSRI. The docs know to start me slowly, so I'm taking half a 37.5 pill and even that gives me pounding heart (I already have an irregular heart beat) no appetite, and a slightly "medicated" and tired feeling, while alsoparadoxicallymaking me insanely anxious. I'm reassured these feelings will pass, and I've been given a sedative to counteract the anxiety. I'm planning to try to stick with it. My doctor reassures me that he has LOADS patients who who didn't respond well to full-on SSRIs like prozac and sertraline but who do respond extremely well to Efexor.

Its bloody terrible that anyone should have to go through this whole deppression thing in the first place why oh why do we get it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
its not bloody fair !!