Sundance - I wish that I had more time to answer this, but we are heading out the door for 3 weeks vacation.

Don't let the product monographs of Effexor™ (venlafaxine) and Prozac™ (fluoxetine) scare you. These mongraphs include everything that ever happened to someone while taking that particular drug, whether the drug caused it or not. A psychiatrist friend defines a drug monograph as, "A lawyer's document written by lawyers, for lawyers."

Remember, any drug that is absorbed into the body can kill a person, if they are susceptible. It is really no different than life, in general; a falling lunchpail can kill you if you are in the wrong place at the wrong time.

As for seizures with Effexor, I have never personally seen one, although I here it has happened. what I don't know are the circumstances surrounding the seizures. There is always more to the story than is initially apparent.

Effexor is a good drug that works well for many, many people. As drugs go, it does need to be respected for it's actions more so than some other drugs. When starting this drug, the dose needs to be titrated upwards, sometimes more slowly than other antidepressants. The big difference from other ADs is when you are stopping the the drug. It is very important .... no, vital, .... that one is weaned from this medication. Effexor has a relatively short half-life, and because of this missing even one dose can cause a person to experience serotonergic withdrawl. When weaned slowly, I have seen very few people have any significant discomfort coming off of the Effexor.

Effexor was the saving grace for me. I took it for about 3 years before finally coming off of it this last May. I was on doses as high as 450mg/day, but was maintained for most of the time between 225 mg/day and 300mg/day. I really experienced nothing but relief.

One must be cautious with drugs, any drugs. The must not be feared, but respected for what they can potentially do to the body. The word "potentially" must be emphasized, there are few absolutes (eg. speed of light in a vacuum .... maybe). Perhaps give the Effexor a try, but talk it out with your doctor first. You have to be comfortable with your decision.

I hope that this is of some help. - Cam