venlafaxine/Effexor
Replies
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GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »nutmegoreo wrote: »0somuchbetter0 wrote: »I’ve been on it for over a year. Not only does it help with hot flashes, it also got my anxiety and emotional ups and downs under control. I forgot my pills on a long weekend we went out of town and going cold turkey was a total nightmare. I couldn’t get back on it fast enough. I’m afraid to try and get off it now...but I feel fine and I have plenty of other health issues to worry about, so I’m staying on it for the foreseeable future.
It's advisable to wean down, not suddenly stop.
Even weaning down, coming off Effexor was really awful for me. I weaned over months with a doctor's supervision and still had brain zaps and other symptoms. It was hideous.
I'd never go on it just for hot flashes and think there are other medications that can handle anxiety and emotional ups and downs without the problems involved with Effexor.
The problem is that while there are tens of psychotropic drugs on the market, it can often take a lot of trial and error to find one that works and for some people, myself included, there aren't any meds (or combinations) that work. I know a number of people in person who have tried 4 plus meds, sometimes in combination, to find something that was effective to treat their mental illness(es). I know even more people online who have similar experiences.
I personally tried 14 medications and five different combinations of medications (from 2-4 meds at a time) over the course of five years before deciding that enough was enough (I have a fairly detailed spreadsheet with my psych med history). Yes I've taken effexor and yes I had side effects titrating down from it. It wasn't great but it also wasn't as bad some of the meds and the titration didn't have to be as long, for safety, as some of the others I've taken (I'm looking at you lamotrigine).
That said, this could also be me having been really used to titrating on and off of psych meds.0 -
It’s cool that we can share our experiences and learn from and help each other. We all have different bodies and needs and therefore what works for each of us will vary. I’m glad to be off of this med and beyond the withdrawal symptoms. Im also glad it is available for those that find it beneficial. 😊2
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GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »nutmegoreo wrote: »0somuchbetter0 wrote: »I’ve been on it for over a year. Not only does it help with hot flashes, it also got my anxiety and emotional ups and downs under control. I forgot my pills on a long weekend we went out of town and going cold turkey was a total nightmare. I couldn’t get back on it fast enough. I’m afraid to try and get off it now...but I feel fine and I have plenty of other health issues to worry about, so I’m staying on it for the foreseeable future.
It's advisable to wean down, not suddenly stop.
Even weaning down, coming off Effexor was really awful for me. I weaned over months with a doctor's supervision and still had brain zaps and other symptoms. It was hideous.
I'd never go on it just for hot flashes and think there are other medications that can handle anxiety and emotional ups and downs without the problems involved with Effexor.
The problem is that while there are tens of psychotropic drugs on the market, it can often take a lot of trial and error to find one that works and for some people, myself included, there aren't any meds (or combinations) that work. I know a number of people in person who have tried 4 plus meds, sometimes in combination, to find something that was effective to treat their mental illness(es). I know even more people online who have similar experiences.
I personally tried 14 medications and five different combinations of medications (from 2-4 meds at a time) over the course of five years before deciding that enough was enough (I have a fairly detailed spreadsheet with my psych med history). Yes I've taken effexor and yes I had side effects titrating down from it. It wasn't great but it also wasn't as bad some of the meds and the titration didn't have to be as long, for safety, as some of the others I've taken (I'm looking at you lamotrigine).
That said, this could also be me having been really used to titrating on and off of psych meds.
I think anyone who has had experience taking these medicines is aware that it's a process of trial and error to find one that works.
Saying that, I still think there are better ways of managing menopause and the emotional side effects that come with it than going on a psychotopic med unless you already have a preexisting depressive/anxiety condition.5 -
My thoughts go to those of amongst us, who have lost both ovaries surgically because of the "risk" of cancers returning. Then when their personal hormone train hits the buffers within hours if not days of surgery, destruction of liveable level of natural hormone balance, which causes the essence of a woman being radically restricted by their surgical menopause. Then their being told "get on with it", "what do you expect" or even being put on pills of the kind mentioned without more consideration, when it should all be avoidable with proper consideration. I agree with GottoBurnEm so whole heartedly.
Do men have complaints which required the loss of testicles? I expect they would be treated so much better, medics would do all they could to save them.4 -
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »nutmegoreo wrote: »0somuchbetter0 wrote: »I’ve been on it for over a year. Not only does it help with hot flashes, it also got my anxiety and emotional ups and downs under control. I forgot my pills on a long weekend we went out of town and going cold turkey was a total nightmare. I couldn’t get back on it fast enough. I’m afraid to try and get off it now...but I feel fine and I have plenty of other health issues to worry about, so I’m staying on it for the foreseeable future.
It's advisable to wean down, not suddenly stop.
Even weaning down, coming off Effexor was really awful for me. I weaned over months with a doctor's supervision and still had brain zaps and other symptoms. It was hideous.
I'd never go on it just for hot flashes and think there are other medications that can handle anxiety and emotional ups and downs without the problems involved with Effexor.
The problem is that while there are tens of psychotropic drugs on the market, it can often take a lot of trial and error to find one that works and for some people, myself included, there aren't any meds (or combinations) that work. I know a number of people in person who have tried 4 plus meds, sometimes in combination, to find something that was effective to treat their mental illness(es). I know even more people online who have similar experiences.
I personally tried 14 medications and five different combinations of medications (from 2-4 meds at a time) over the course of five years before deciding that enough was enough (I have a fairly detailed spreadsheet with my psych med history). Yes I've taken effexor and yes I had side effects titrating down from it. It wasn't great but it also wasn't as bad some of the meds and the titration didn't have to be as long, for safety, as some of the others I've taken (I'm looking at you lamotrigine).
That said, this could also be me having been really used to titrating on and off of psych meds.
I think anyone who has had experience taking these medicines is aware that it's a process of trial and error to find one that works.
Saying that, I still think there are better ways of managing menopause and the emotional side effects that come with it than going on a psychotopic med unless you already have a preexisting depressive/anxiety condition.
I agree that there are likely better ways of managing menopause. What I was addressing was, "(I) think there are other medications that can handle anxiety and emotional ups and downs without the problems involved with Effexor." It wasn't clear whether or not you were talking about that solely in the context of menopause given the first post of this thread which didn't actually mention anxiety or depression (outside of noting what effexor typically is used to treat).
edited for formatting1 -
I've been on 15+ psychotropic medications, and Effexor was by far the hardest to wean off of. The withdrawal symptoms were just awful.0
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GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »nutmegoreo wrote: »0somuchbetter0 wrote: »I’ve been on it for over a year. Not only does it help with hot flashes, it also got my anxiety and emotional ups and downs under control. I forgot my pills on a long weekend we went out of town and going cold turkey was a total nightmare. I couldn’t get back on it fast enough. I’m afraid to try and get off it now...but I feel fine and I have plenty of other health issues to worry about, so I’m staying on it for the foreseeable future.
It's advisable to wean down, not suddenly stop.
Even weaning down, coming off Effexor was really awful for me. I weaned over months with a doctor's supervision and still had brain zaps and other symptoms. It was hideous.
I'd never go on it just for hot flashes and think there are other medications that can handle anxiety and emotional ups and downs without the problems involved with Effexor.
The problem is that while there are tens of psychotropic drugs on the market, it can often take a lot of trial and error to find one that works and for some people, myself included, there aren't any meds (or combinations) that work. I know a number of people in person who have tried 4 plus meds, sometimes in combination, to find something that was effective to treat their mental illness(es). I know even more people online who have similar experiences.
I personally tried 14 medications and five different combinations of medications (from 2-4 meds at a time) over the course of five years before deciding that enough was enough (I have a fairly detailed spreadsheet with my psych med history). Yes I've taken effexor and yes I had side effects titrating down from it. It wasn't great but it also wasn't as bad some of the meds and the titration didn't have to be as long, for safety, as some of the others I've taken (I'm looking at you lamotrigine).
That said, this could also be me having been really used to titrating on and off of psych meds.
Yes, my poor brother spent a year incarcerated after one cocktail of drugs stopped being effective before his team finally found something that worked again. He's living with Mom now, who can and has intervened sooner if/when the current cocktail stops working again.
For him it's worth the effort because he is a completely different (and much happier) person when properly medicated vs over, under, or ineffectively medicated.0 -
GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »nutmegoreo wrote: »0somuchbetter0 wrote: »I’ve been on it for over a year. Not only does it help with hot flashes, it also got my anxiety and emotional ups and downs under control. I forgot my pills on a long weekend we went out of town and going cold turkey was a total nightmare. I couldn’t get back on it fast enough. I’m afraid to try and get off it now...but I feel fine and I have plenty of other health issues to worry about, so I’m staying on it for the foreseeable future.
It's advisable to wean down, not suddenly stop.
Even weaning down, coming off Effexor was really awful for me. I weaned over months with a doctor's supervision and still had brain zaps and other symptoms. It was hideous.
I'd never go on it just for hot flashes and think there are other medications that can handle anxiety and emotional ups and downs without the problems involved with Effexor.
The problem is that while there are tens of psychotropic drugs on the market, it can often take a lot of trial and error to find one that works and for some people, myself included, there aren't any meds (or combinations) that work. I know a number of people in person who have tried 4 plus meds, sometimes in combination, to find something that was effective to treat their mental illness(es). I know even more people online who have similar experiences.
I personally tried 14 medications and five different combinations of medications (from 2-4 meds at a time) over the course of five years before deciding that enough was enough (I have a fairly detailed spreadsheet with my psych med history). Yes I've taken effexor and yes I had side effects titrating down from it. It wasn't great but it also wasn't as bad some of the meds and the titration didn't have to be as long, for safety, as some of the others I've taken (I'm looking at you lamotrigine).
That said, this could also be me having been really used to titrating on and off of psych meds.
I think anyone who has had experience taking these medicines is aware that it's a process of trial and error to find one that works.
Saying that, I still think there are better ways of managing menopause and the emotional side effects that come with it than going on a psychotopic med unless you already have a preexisting depressive/anxiety condition.
I agree that there are likely better ways of managing menopause. What I was addressing was, "(I) think there are other medications that can handle anxiety and emotional ups and downs without the problems involved with Effexor." It wasn't clear whether or not you were talking about that solely in the context of menopause given the first post of this thread which didn't actually mention anxiety or depression (outside of noting what effexor typically is used to treat).
edited for formatting
No, sorry I wasn't clear in my post and that's entirely my fault. I meant only the temporary ups and downs of menopause.
I don't mean ongoing management of a chronic issue. I realize that's something different.0 -
I ended up on Effexor for depression, and it was by far the worst time of my life. I would’ve rather had the depression at that point. It made me so sick that they ended up listing it as an allergy for me. If I wasn’t sick, I was completely foggy.
It’s crazy/interesting how a medication can affect folks differently.1 -
Another example of a doctor trying to solve one problem and creating another problem. Glad you are doing better and hot flashes have not come back.1
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I ended up on Effexor for depression, and it was by far the worst time of my life. I would’ve rather had the depression at that point. It made me so sick that they ended up listing it as an allergy for me. If I wasn’t sick, I was completely foggy.
It’s crazy/interesting how a medication can affect folks differently.
For me it was like a sugar pill. Other meds have done pretty unfortunate things, but Effexor did nothing. It wasn't fun to get off of but it also was just pointless to be on.0 -
I've been on Effexor for almost a year and a half now after trying Zoloft and Prozac. Effexor has been great for me but I also take it with Wellbutrin. I feel like this combination has really helped me turn my life around now that I no longer have long months of depression and frequent anxiety attacks that kept me from being my best self. Only downside to Effexor is that I gained a bunch of weight because of how it affects my appetite, but I started losing weight ever since my psychiatrist suggested I take Wellbutrin, too, about 6 months ago.
I'm sorry Effexor isn't working for a lot of you and I hope that you find something that works for you!0 -
Hannahhime wrote: »I've been on Effexor for almost a year and a half now after trying Zoloft and Prozac. Effexor has been great for me but I also take it with Wellbutrin. I feel like this combination has really helped me turn my life around now that I no longer have long months of depression and frequent anxiety attacks that kept me from being my best self. Only downside to Effexor is that I gained a bunch of weight because of how it affects my appetite, but I started losing weight ever since my psychiatrist suggested I take Wellbutrin, too, about 6 months ago.
I'm sorry Effexor isn't working for a lot of you and I hope that you find something that works for you!
Thanks! I actually am off all meds now and feeling way better. I was only taking it for hot flashes. It’s interesting how it impacts each of us differently.
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