[poptardqueen]

Hey there,
I have a rather important question in relation to the Effexor that I started taking roughly 7 weeks ago. Ever since I began taking the medication I have been having a constant period. I was on my period when I started taking it, but all the way until my next period I continued to menstrate (although it was not as much as normal, but a significant amount nonetheless). It is enough that I can tell the difference from it and my actual period. As you can imagine this is quite annoying and probably very bad for me in the long run. I have been wanting to talk to my Pdoc about this, but Ive been putting it off because I had not read about it being a rare symptom until a few days ago, and my Pdoc is in Peru at the moment. Please give my some advice on what to do and as to whether this a serious sign of something wrong with me and the medication. I am very afraid that I will have to stop taking it because although I cannot tell an extreme difference in my mood, I can tell some, and therefore would be dissapointed if I had to quit. Also, if any other women have experienced this while taking it I would much appreciate your experiences. Thanks!

[CamW]

PTQ - I have seen several women have changes in their menstrual cycle after they started taking serotonergic antidepressants (eg. SNRIs. Most commonly I hear from women who are taking these ADs that have, up until that time they had been extremely regular in "having a visit from Mommy's special friend". Common descriptions of the changes were things like: heavier flow &/or erratic flow &/or changes in interval between &/or during, etc.

Seven weeks of flow is not normal. Are we talking a constant, regular flow, or is it more like spotting, off and on. I guess that what I am concerned with in your case is the total amount of blood loss over the past seven weeks. I am assuming that your flow is nearer the lighter flow end of the "flow spectrum".

If this is the case, then there is probably no harm done. I would suggest mentioning to your doctor, though. This is one of those side effects that should not be tolerated. You may have to try another AD in this situation, but do talk over the pros and cons of switching ADs, and the likelihood of this side effect fading away as your body further adjusts to the drug's effects. Many women do have their cycles return to normal (or near-normal) after being taking the drug for several months (ie 5 to 6). Not all women have a return to pre-AD function, but most are willing to live with milder versions of menstrual irregularities if the drug relieves their depressive symptoms. In these cases the option is evidently clear to anyone who has experienced a major depressive episode.

In your situation, I'd have the doc see if he/she can figure out the cause. It can be as simple as a mild interaction of the Effexor™ (venlafaxine) with certain birth control pills; all that would be required is to change to a different BCP formulation.

I hope that this is of some help. - Cam

To fully understand a concept is to be unable to convey it's intricacies verbally; only when one can sense it emotionally, does one understand.

[poptardqueen]

Thank-you so much Cam!
I feel better knowing this now. You are correct in that inbetween my regularly scheduled periods the flow has been lighter, but I too have been concerned about my loss of so much blood. I will definately talk to my doctor about this next time I meet with him. I'm hoping that it is something that will diminish with time, because it is certainly not a side-effect I can deal with indefinately. Thank you so much for your speedy input! You are quite a wonderful addition to this forum indeed! : )

-Kelly-