[angels4u]

Me again,

I am starting a new med this morning and of course wonder what it will be like.Took my last dose of Paxil yesterday... I am starting with a 1qtr. to a third of the dose of effexor I had to giggle as I opened the capsule and tried to figure out what that amount that would be ....tiny little dots just poured out. Anyway have any of you tried effexor???? I currently still take Klonopin and a small amount of beta blocker for the heart palps(since October I have experienced PAC's premature atrial contractions that freak me out ) I do not have them everyday but they will pop up out of the blue...have had my heart tested and all is okay.... Pretty soon I will have tried all the ssri's. Please give me hope to ride out the side effects of the new med...it is usually when I jump ship, especially if they are very bothersome.

Also I would like to ask if any of you have seen a Naturopath for anxiety or add supplements to help with this disorder.You all continue to be a source of strength and light for me. Please reply....!

[PlanningtoLive]

Hi angel - like you I have tried most of the SSRIs......but I found Effexor to be the most cooperative for me. I just recently had to switch over to Lexapro, but had good luck with it.

You know you will have to get used to the side effects at first, but I think it will help alot.

Best of luck and hang in there.

Mary Alice

[krzyk101]

Hello Angels4U,

I have been taking Effexor for over three years. I have been on so many in the past, prozac,anafranil,paxil,zoloft,celexa,serzone,luvox,elavil, anyway the Effexor at first helped some, then 2 years ago my pdoc put me on Effexor xr
which I have read about and it is supposed to help with depression as well as anxiety. I hope this is the one that will work for you.

The capsules, well it is difficult to split up the dose, because those little beeds are the time released part of the anti-depressant. And since it is time released I do not know the effects outside of the shell. If you can tolerate it, I would suggest taking the entire capsule to see how it works.

Have a good day

KRIS

As I sit in front of this computer screen, I meet and learn and am helped by those I have never seen.

If you think you have totally gave up, you haven't, because you are here!

[FearsomeAnna]

The way the time release formula of Effexor works has more to do with the coating around the beads than the capsules.

Honestly, in my opinion, it is a terrible idea to break up a time release capsule - at lot of those systems are based on the assumption that the capsule will remain intact until it hits your stomach. Disrupting that system can cause a LOT of horrible side effects no matter what medication it is.

If you have a problem with a dosage, have your doctor titrate your dose....but please for your own health definitely don't mess with the time release!!!

That said, I really hope it works well for you - I'm about to switch to Wellbutrin because 1) Paxil is crapping out on me and 2)Time to finally quit smoking. Eesh.


some of it's magic
some of it's tragic
but i had a good life all the way......
~jimmy buffett

[angels4u]

I know I thought it wasn't really a good idea and with how weird my system is no wonder I have felt really awful...lots of racing heart stuff and sweats in the middle of the night I did not take another dose. I am trying to keep hopeful that soon I will find something my body will tolerate....Today I am dealing with those sillyfleeting anxiety pains in my boob of all places( excuse my use of words ) and of course I think its my heart and whole thing freaks me out. I called my pdoc this morning left a message, she is so busy will not hear from her until tonight.....I took some xanax just to see if that would help. I am really confused !!!!

Good luck with the wellbutrin and with not smoking...you go girl....! Angel

[lorieann]

Effexor was the first med i tried over a year ago. I was very nervous taking this med because I felt exteremly dependant on it. If you miss a dose you will be rudely reminded by horrible electric BRAIN shocks. I didnt realize that paxil does the same...i am currently experiencing the same thing with Paxil. uuuuggggghhhhhhhhhh

[texasclown]

not everyone has the experience you do to missing a dose, so please be careful so that you don't scare others who may just be starting to take a specific med. my problems with effexor didn't happen until i had missed several doses, and the only result then was that i started feeling really depressed and anxious again, and had to find the cause of it. having some memory problems, i had to find a solution to forgetting to take my meds. thank goodness i have, because taking them on a regular basis really levels me out.

[texasclown]

are you taking effexor xr? i hope you are, because i found that to be more helpful than the regular effexor. as far as supplements, i've read (frequently) that being stressed/anxious uses up more b vitamins, so supplementing with a b vitamin complex may be helpful. i can only speak from experience, and my experience has been that taking b complex has helped me with the anxiety. i also take the medication that my doctor prescribes, but i have found that the addition of the b complex has been helpful--sort of boosting the effects of the regular meds. does that make sense?

[angels4u]

Dear Texasclown,
I apologize if I scared anyone....not my intention :-( Just trying to find the right meds to help my situation. I do take vitamin supplements and in the past they really helped with the meds I take..... I seem to be really sensitive to anti-depressants, they tend to stimualte me more than relax me.
Thank-you for replying I will be more careful when I post next time.

Have a great day, angel

[lorieann]

ummm angels...i think she was talking to me. But as for the poster who made that comment....I think the OP has the right to know one of the side effects of this medication. Everyone that I have spoken to who are taking or has taken the drug effexor has had the same unusual...uncomfortable side effect. I dont think that having them know about this potential side effect is SCAREY.
After all they were asking about it...so they wanted to know...the good the bad AND the ugly.