Effexor anyone ?

[TraciG]

Anyone on this or have tried it ? I got a prescription for it yesterday. I am a worrier, which most of you must know by now !! I have a little bit of OCD too.

Wondering if people have had good luck with it, side effect's ???

[pinkmomagain]

My FIL is on it for depression. He has many other medical issues so I can't say what is a side effect and what is completely unrelated. I will say, as with any of these types of meds, follow dr's dosing instructions, and keep in mind that often you don't hit the "right" dosage at first...often times your dr has to adjust dosage or/change meds until you find what is working best for you. I will say that various loved ones have been on Xanax, Zoloft, Prozac, Klonopin, and Focalin....all with no significant side effects. GL!

[veronica]

I was on it and don't have anything positive to say. I suffer from anxiety as well as OCPD, best way to describe is that I am very tightly wound and my way is the only way......plus my mind never takes a rest.

I had great results with paxil about 6 years ago and went off to start our family. After my DS was born last summer, a lot of my issues came back to the surface but I didn not have a good start with paxil this time around and Dr. prescribed efforxo (the lowest possible amount). After several weeks , we upped the dose a bit since I felt no change, however, during that time I also forgot to take it once. Well, missing a dose felt like worse pain the childbirth , for me. My head was pounding, I had severe nausea. I normally took it before bed so we didn't realize what my symptoms were from until about lunch the following day. I decided then , that I would not take a med. that had such severe withdrawal especially since it wasn't helping me.

again, all of these meds work so differently that it is hard to say this will be the right one for you. Start dosing small, follow what your doctor says and you will find something right for you. Good luck

[TraciG]

Wow Vercnica that's scary ! I was on Zoloft year's ago, I was on the highest does, had EVERY side effect, had to also take sleeping pill's, because I couldn't sleep, side effect & I took Ativan, wow a lot of stuff I took then ! I also stopped as soon as I got home from my honeymoon to start my family. It wasn't painful to stop but I was very anxious !!!

I hope I'm not making a mistake starting antidepressant's again. I have been taking Klonopin lately, not my prescription, my mother gave me a whole bunch. I have to say I like them, they take the edge off, but make me tired, I got into a bad habit of taking them every night, HELP'S BIGTIME after I feed my 9 month old to go back to sleep otherwise I'd be up the rest of the night ! Also nice to NOT worry while going to sleep !! Doc think's they're addictive & the Effexor would be better in the long run, we'll see.

BAD thing is my insurance doesn't cover meds, I bet it will be expensive !

[pinkmomagain]

[QUOTE=TraciG] I have been taking Klonopin lately, not my prescription, my mother gave me a whole bunch. I have to say I like them, they take the edge off, but make me tired, I got into a bad habit of taking them every night, HELP'S BIGTIME after I feed my 9 month old to go back to sleep otherwise I'd be up the rest of the night ! Also nice to NOT worry while going to sleep !! Doc think's they're addictive & the Effexor would be better in the long run, we'll see.[QUOTE]

Well, I am certainly no doctor (although I play one in my own mind), but I am in the process of weaning my oldest dd off of Klonopin and it's going very well (knock wood). She's been on it for a couple of years and we don't think she needs it anymore. We are going VERY slowly -- making small decreases, each time over several months, and so far so good. It's so hard to make these decisions and find something that works. I thought that I would also mention that I was once advised by a psychologist to only have brand behavioral meds prescribed, not generic, due to ineffectiveness and/or side effects...and so I'm pretty vigilant with that, making sure the dr writes in "DAW" on the prescription. I pay more, but I don't want to play around with that stuff.

[TraciG]

wow I thought generic was the same, WISH I could just be easy going & not care about thing's so much !
HATE when people say don't worry, like I WANT TO !

[lorinick]

I have anxiety issues at different times in my life but wouldn't take meds. I'm so afraid to take them. I'm so glad I didn't because reading peoples side effects is scary. I had anxiety bad in 02-03. I have learned to cope on my own much better than the first time around. I wouldn't wish anxiety issues on anyone. It sucks! Talking with someone you like is key. Relaxation was another great outlet for me. Slowing down alot. I started working part time at a no stress job. I know I could never at this time in my life work anywhere with alot of stress. Family, kids, part time work, house and bills is enough stress. I know for me having went through a rough patch with anxiety it has only made stronger.

[TraciG]

If I don't take anything I sometimes get a bad headache, always on the left side, right above my eye or I get what I call my nerve's pain, again left side of my body but in my side, waist. I didn't have this for a very long time but it's been bad again, I am tired of living this way, I am tired of dreading thing's, I am tired of worrying over my baby's lack of sleep !

BUT the medicine is over $ 200 & we're not covered for meds so I don't know what I am doing now !

That's great that you are able to manage your stress on your own !

[noodle]

Have you told your doctor that you're not covered for meds? A few years ago, after DH was laid off and we had NO insurance) my doc put me on celexa (and then lexapro), and enrolled me in a program with the pharmaceutical company (Forrest) that covered the whole cost of the meds. I was on ativan as well on an as-needed basis (this was not covered, but it was not expensive, IIRC).

Other pharm. companies may have similar programs, but I don't know. The only reason I stopped taking lexapro was pregnancy. When I started, it made me SO sleepy, but that vanished after a few weeks.

I'm on effexor now, and it's ok, but if I'm late on a dose, look out.

I try to help manage my mood issues with yoga and other relaxation techniques, but frankly, my anxiety/OCD issues need chemical help.

Best of luck!

[Tondi G]

No experience with Effexor but I did take Lexapro for anxiety/panic attacks after my 2nd DS was born. It was great! I know a few other who had similar issue that I did and they too were happy with Lexapro. Any chance you could ask your doctor for Lexapro instead of Effexor? When I took it, it was new so we had to pay for it as a brand name... it was something like 80 bucks a month then.