[bbTofu]

Visited the psychiatrist again with blood results for Lithium, it's 0.5mg she said take 150mg, I said I'll take 300mg more (900mg total).

I then asked for antidepressant just until it passes..
She reluctantly prescribed SNRI; Venlafaxine xR 75mg.

She tries to convince me to take this Ariply all the time, I refuse, it seems like she's marketing their product and it's mainly for Schizophrenia .. nevermind.
She was reluctant because despite Lithium in the picture, she said I have to be aware so I don't fly UP suddenly. I said I wish I would!

She's very nice, I can speak my mind to her.. my suicidal thoughts and ideation, my low attentive control and clouded thinking.

The only thing I'm afraid of; is that these drugs take a lot of time to work. 2-3 weeks for the SNRI? 2-3 weeks for Li ? jesus...
I can't stop thinking about overdosing on all the pills I got, 30x10mg Ritalin, 30x75mg effexor xr, about 90x300mg Li..
I won't do it but these thoughts are torturing.

[Ocean Swimmer]

I have a hard time with being medication paranoid too.
It is a blessing when the meds do bring a certain relief. When there's less anxiety.

When the guilty thoughts about the past episodes lessen.
I'm glad you can speak your mind with your Pdoc. I never could take lithium.

Do you have a pet? My animals are great for getting me to feel love.

[bbTofu]

Yes, I do have my friend Astra:

[bbTofu]

so I took the first Venlafaxine and few hours later I felt weird, not dizzy but like something happened to my head.. 1.5 hour later I noticed especially when I yawn, it's hard to close the jaw, to swallow and the breathing feels harder. also weird tickling-like sensations in the upper body.

what is this drug :\

[Ocean Swimmer]

My gosh. I read about those side effects but didn't experience them.
I've been on the Effexor since May of last year. I just notice a loss of my regular sex drive.

Call your Pdoc. Maybe this med isn't right for you. He can call in another script.

[pirilin]

Do you have any adverse reactions with the Lithium?
I was taking 600mg to start and when started @ 900mg
all heck broke loose. Had to come down on my own again.
I feel it works for me, but maybe it was too much.
Please, let me know.

[Wattsherfayce]

Effexor is an evil drug for me. It was the very first antidepressant I tried about 7 years ago before being diagnosed BP. It sent me into a delusional and paranoid psychotic mixed episode. I didn't leave my apartment for 4 months, and I never opened the blinds- I lived in total darkness. When I did go out I heard people calling my name, if I was getting food at the grocery store (at night) I would hear my name being called on the intercom type thing.

Coming off it was the worst for me- the brain zaps! It took over two years for them to completely go away. And my lady bits went numb, it took 5 looooong years to be able to orgasm again.

I would advise you keep a journal in the meantime of how you're feeling if anything just to be able to monitor your mood to see if it's going up, because it can come quickly but subtly.

Oh, and Effexor comes up as PCP on a piss test. Just a warning, make sure you disclose what meds you're on if you'll be taking one anytime.

Lithium is generally pretty good and works quickly once the dose gets at the right levels, it's one of the only meds that actually helps with suicidal ideations/thoughts/compulsions. Hopefully it kicks in soon for you.

[gina_re]

I'm not a fan of Effexor either. It doesn't seem to be doing anything for me. But no one can get me off of it so far.

[Wattsherfayce]

Originally Posted by gina_re

I'm not a fan of Effexor either. It doesn't seem to be doing anything for me. But no one can get me off of it so far.

I hate to go on prozac and slowly wean off effexor by 37.5mg at a time. It took about a 8 months for me.

[OctobersBlackRose]

[QUOTE=Wattsherfayce;4933870]Effexor is an evil drug for me. It was the very first antidepressant I tried about 7 years ago before being diagnosed BP. It sent me into a delusional and paranoid psychotic mixed episode. I didn't leave my apartment for 4 months, and I never opened the blinds- I lived in total darkness. When I did go out I heard people calling my name, if I was getting food at the grocery store (at night) I would hear my name being called on the intercom type thing.

Coming off it was the worst for me- the brain zaps! It took over two years for them to completely go away. And my lady bits went numb, it took 5 looooong years to be able to orgasm again./QUOTE]

Oh man, something similar happened to me when I took Effexor. I took it from 2010-2012, and in 2012 was when I had what I believe to be a mixed/manic episode and probably psychosis as well. I thought I was a space alien sent to earth to bring world piece by Dec 21st, 2012 (when the world was supposed to end lol), I could barely leave my dorm due to paranoia, and lack of sleep, I was seeing and hearing things, it was bad. I'm not trying to hijack this thread, but that was my experience on Effexor.

[BeyondtheRainbow]

Lithium levels even out 4 days after a dose change. So that at least you may feel something sooner (and really usually I feel something sooner than 2 weeks with almost any drug; they generally reach level in the bloodstream 4-5 days out and then you can feel effects as everything is balancing out.

[bbTofu]

The thing with the jaw reminds of ecstasy-drug. I will take normal dosage tomorrow morning and see how it feels.

It sounds like effexor can be very destructive especially without Lithium.

Gina, is it that hard to come off from that?
I plan on taking it until depression lightens and I feel fine again.
Doc seemed to agree with me ..

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[BeyondtheRainbow]

It really varies how people tolerate it. Enough people have bad experiences that I think it has earned a bad reputation and for good reason. But it also can work really well and I've been on and off it a few times without more than a few days of brain zaps (without weaning b/c it was making my blood pressure go too high in combination with something else). I always liked how it made me feel but it never worked for long for me (I only was on it with mood stabilizers once, maybe twice. I think I tried it about 4 times over several years). I always was increasing the dosage and would feel better then need more of it until the dose maxed out. One of a number of drugs like that for me.

But I remember being afraid to come off it and then it was fine. I just got lucky but it's one of those weird drugs that people have vastly different experiences even with the same dosages, same time on the drug, etc.

I do know someone who takes a pretty high dosage (which extra mood stabilizers to compensate) and has done extremely well on it compared to years of difficulty before it. I just don't think she messes with the dose much if at all.

[gina_re]

Originally Posted by bbTofu

The thing with the jaw reminds of ecstasy-drug. I will take normal dosage tomorrow morning and see how it feels.

It sounds like effexor can be very destructive especially without Lithium.

Gina, is it that hard to come off from that?
I plan on taking it until depression lightens and I feel fine again.
Doc seemed to agree with me ..

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Well I brought it up with my last pdoc and he didn't want to touch it because I was in the middle of an acute episode. I ended up in PHP and the pdoc there had the same response. My current pdoc...well I've only met her once right out of PHP and I don't have an appointment with her until mid March. I'll be bringing it up again. But now I'm nervous after all I've heard on PC.

[bbTofu]

I took another 75mg this morning.
I slept for 2 -2.5 hours. Well went to sleep at 3:30am cuz I was with a girl. Woke up about 6:30-7:00. Can't fall asleep again, it's like something unpleasant is boiling inside of me..

* Do both Lithium and Viepax cause some sexual dysfunction? I'm bit worried.

It's really worrying with the effexor xr.. It sounds and even the pharmacist said so, that it is not ACTUALLY safer than SSRI for bipolars, and yet my pdoc prescribed it after long consideration and reluctance to give me any anti-depressants for obvious reasons, it would not be coincidental if I'd develop some symptoms and experience mixed episode. Confused.

[Ocean Swimmer]

I'm on Effexor too. Kills sex drive.
I don't know how much it's helping.
The only drug I feel is opioids. ( I'm off them) but when I took them everything was possible with minimum manic episodes.
I know it's not the real way pdocs want patients to weather the storms of bipolar.

It's kind of like some bipolars smoking weed or drinking to cope. Pdocs don't like that either.
I don't smoke weed. Drink only a little.
But...constantly worry about what my psych meds are doing to my nervous system, liver kidney thyroid blood pressure and on and on.

[bbTofu]

Today was a nightmare.
At one point friend asked me on what'sup how things are and I said Wonderful!!! Few minutes later I feel like hell afflicted curse upon me, just this annoying energy but..

It's like a bad trip on lsd or Mdma.
Horrible.
I go with my practicum residents and make jokes and laugh loudly. Then go hide and feel like dying and crying.
The drive was terrible I felt like I might crash the car n myself because my attention was lacking.
I feel like sudden energy goes through me making me shake, like shake my leg super fast or the jaw.

Couldn't reach pdoc and will have to wait until Sunday.

I don't know whether it is coincidental. Or its the effexor, should I keep drinkinf if I started?
Or should I stop til Sunday?

Im terrified :'( help me please

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[raspberrytorte]

I was only on effexor for three days. It made me really sick and drunk feeling and gave me very intense homicidal thoughts (that was when I went off of it!). I've never been homicidal feeling before or since! Good luck.

[bbTofu]

I consulted another psychiatrist (friend's girlfriend's mother)
She said it's side effects and if I'm worries, I can reduce the dosage to 37.5mg till I see my pdoc.
Hope I'll be able to tolerate this.

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[bbTofu]

37.5mg of venlafaxine is better.
Didn't get mixed yesterday, went out with a friend to the sea. And crashed at night badly.
Now I'm at work. It's hard. I hurt and am crying from inside.

I think I see the light in the dark but then it all darkens again.
It's confusing.

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