Swapping Prozac for Effexor.

Good or bad idea ? Dr says my 'dead' feeling will be down to the prozac and if I change to effexor then I may be back to how I normally feel.

Any one agree ? Disagree ?

Thoughts on this would be great.

I was on Prozac till it stopped working. I think I was on it about 10 years. Then I did switch to Effexor. I have read a lot of posts here that Effexor is hard to get off of. I don't know. For me I will never get off the drug unless it stops working. I know I have a chemical imbalance and must stay on meds to be stable. Effexor, and when I took Prozac, were life savers for me. I would not be functioning at all without the two drugs. I am blessed, and I mean extremely blessed, that they both worked so well for me and they did not have to fool around with different drugs to get one to work for me. I have been on Effexor for 10 years now as well and I continue to be quite stable and most of all happy!!!
Good Luck!!!!!!

I don't know...I myself had a bad experience switching from Prozac to Effexor, but that of course doesn't mean anyone else will.

I was on Prozac for about 10 years and not really doing so great, so on my sister's (a pharmacist's) advice switched to Effexor. I did not notice any difference at all for about
12 months.

And then, worst of all, I got fed up and tapered myself off the Effexor against my shrink's advice, and I did it 'way too fast (10 days). I got "brain zaps" and that Effexor rage I've read about.

But who knows -- it may work out GREAT for you! Just don't make the mistake I did

Good luck with whatever you decide!

Thank you both ! I am starting to taper off prozac tomorrow (Monday) and have two weeks to come off it then will be on effexor.

effexor is a ***** to get off of

effexor has a short "half-life" - my doc didn't really explain what that meant at the time. please ask your doc about it and look at people's experiences - if you are not consistent with your meds (same time each day, every day) you will feel the effects. i have add, and find it hard to keep on schedule - i hated the effexor, had horrible nightmares, cried constantly... couldn't bare to have it in me anymore, so i stopped cold turkey... winding up attempting suicide. it was years ago, and there were contributing factors, but needless to say, i'm not a big fan. please research for yourself to make the best decision.
thanks -

I wouldn't wish Effexor on my worst enemy. Was on Effexor 3 years with a top dosage of 225mg. I'm now on Cymbalta -SOOO much better. I can't believe Effexor is still prescribed with all of the lousy side effects it causes. Read what patients have to say about it; believe me, it's as bad as they say.

I have been on effexor about one month, after giving up on paxil, which caused weight gain and lack of energy.
I am very happy with the effexor....no side effects and do feel more energetic and focused. Everyone is wired differently, so do what your body tells you, and don't focus on others experiences so much...good or bad.

And a p.s. I am on Effexor XR. That is simply that it releases the drug slowly as opposed to all at once...
Dee
Oh and taking 300 mg. daily divided with one 75 mg. in the morning and the rest early evening.

Effexor IS hard to get off of, but like Miss Belle, it has been a lifesaver for me. It's the only med I've tried that really works. I'll be on it the rest of my life unless it stops working, which, thankfully, so far, it hasn't.

I've tried Cymbalta, Wellbutrin, Lexapro, and Prozac and had no luck at all. Got really sick on Prozac, had a reaction to it. The Lexapro never did really work.

I think Effexor XR is a good med for people with persistent major depression combined with an anxiety disorder. I can't function without it. I think it's still prescribed because it serves that specific niche very well, even though it isn't for everyone.

Another thing to remember is that every time you go off a med that is working, there's less of a chance that it will work again if you ever need to go back to it. So many people go off their meds because they feel like they don't want to depend on meds or they are all better or whatever, but it's not a good idea.

Really, all these meds need to be monitored fairly closely by a competent psychiatrist. I think in general they are regarded too casually. They're major drugs with major effects and if you need them, you REALLY need them. I also think GPs should not be prescribing them because they often think they understand them better than they really do.

Just my two cents.

I agree effexor make me feel a lot better than I was on zoloft and prozac