SNRI Experiences

I've written in another post how I am struggling with exhaustion from Prozac, and how I have tried all the other SSRI's with varying success, Elavil, Tofranil, MAOI's, Wellbutrin, Buspar, Lamictal, etc...

The only AD class I haven't tried to date are the SNRI's. Interestingly my pdoc has never even mentioned them in the 5 years I've seen him, which makes me think he's not a fan. He tries to avoid meds with lots of SE's if possible and avoids meds that cause weight gain for me. I've heard they can be difficult to come off as well.

Has anyone had experience with them, positive or negative? I am sensitive to side effects, with weight gain being the most distressful for me. Fatigue and panic can be an issue (my problem with Wellbutrin, Zoloft and possibly Prozac). I did take Lamictal which I did like, but the cognitive effects were too much for me. It was affecting work and school performance so I stopped.

My main diagnosis is Generalized Anxiety, Social Phobia and ADD (for which I take Adderall). I do take benzo's for the anxiety. Right now it's Klonopin .5-1mg daily. Any input about Effexor or any of the others would be appreciated. I feel like Im looking for the perfect med cocktail that cures all, but of course doesn't exist. But to come close would be nice.

I've had really good success with Effexor XR - pulled me out of a really nasty depression about a decade ago, and I'm still on it. I have recurrent depression and the Effexor at least keeps it manageable. But I'm on a really high dose 375 mg. 225 is therapeutic for most people.

splitimage

Cymbalta is an snri and I Lost weight on it. It takes away cravings and I just didn't feel like eating. When I first tried it I loved it. I had a sense of well being but last time around I just felt zoned out, numb to my surroundings. Maybe it was circumstance but I'd try it again.
I tried Effexor many years ago with little success and I believe Pristiq is just a new formulation of Effexor, in case you hear about that one.

I had a very terrible experience with Effexor. It made me numb and unmotivated, and trying to get off it has been half a year and counting of horrendous withdrawal. And I never got above a dose of 112.5mg because it made me so jittery and anxious. I have a bad reaction to most of this medication, though, so I'm not exactly the best example.

Thank you all for your honest and helpful responses. I have heard other similar experienced with Effexor. With my doc never having offered it, my guess is it's not his choice to prescribe. What I wish for is an maoi like Nardil or Parnate but with out the side effects. IMHO, nothing can match them ineffectiveness.

I'm on venlafaxine (Effexor). If I miss taking it by only a few hours I start getting all strokey and if I miss 1 day entirely I'm one sick puppy. Weight gain has always been a problem for me on any AD (I put on 5 pounds doing Nutrisystem). I do have some anorgasmic symptoms, but they aren't as bad as any of the other AD's I've tried and I'm not so disconnected that I don't care about anything. I still have emotions.

So it's not the best, but it's better than anything I've tried yet.

you have tried a lot of meds, EFFEXOR is a crap withdraw , your doc is maybe shielding you from a bad detox if it don't work.

Wellbutrin is an NDRI.

Wellbutrin had a terrible effect on me. Anxiety was awful and the exhaustion was much worse than it is on Prozac. I was always and yawning and couldn't get a full breath, almost like how you can feel at high altitudes.

Yes I think you're right. He avoids the meds with bad withdrawals. He said no to Paxil for me because of that, that's why we went with Prozac.

Since depression isn't your main dx, then I'd stay away from an AD! The only weight neutral SNRI is Duloxetine, but typically it's activating and can cause anxiety. For GAD, SNRIs are not approved. The best AD for GAD, is an SARI, Nefazodone...it's also weight neutral! For ADD, the only non stimulating one is Strattera, which is almost identical to Cymbalta and is approved for ADHD not ADD. Best of luck and keep us posted!!

My doctor put me on Effexor for GAD, SAD and mild OCD. I'm actually functioning much better, the anxiety (both) has lessened, but my mild OCD hasn't changed.

Neither has my weight in the last few days. It was going down due to anxiety before I went on Effexor and the fact that anxiety makes me disinterested in eating. I'm at a healthy (for me) range at the moment and stabilised. I'm careful what I eat and hopefully the Effexor won't change that.

Insomnia has been the biggest side effect, but I was a poor sleeper to begin with. Others I know taking Effexor still sleep like babies. I'm just predisposed to being a night owl

Sorry, depression is a main part of my diagnosis. I just tend to view depression as a result of the other conditions (which is often the case), most notably social anxiety (GAD officially but exacerbated by social situations) and ADD. I suspect Aspergers too, but all the clinicians I've seen say no, its more likely the ADD. The Adderall I take for ADD, if taken at the right dose, does not make me anxious.

Isn't nefazodone generic Serzone? I thought that caused liver damage and wasn't used in the US much anymore?

Hey amee, it is...1 out of 300,000 could get liver problems if you're taking 600mg +, but it is an incredible AD, especially for GAD!

Hey rose, glad to hear...there's only 2 meds that are approved for OCD, and Luvox CR is the most effective, it's an SSRI and helps with depression and is weight neutral.

Prozac, Wellbutrin, Effexor and cymbalta were horror stories for me, but others have had great success with them.

Effexor did zilch for me other than cause heavy sweating. I'm trying to get off the last of it now...

Effexor is awful. One of the very few meds that I would never ever go on again and never ever recommend to anyone. Many people have strange reactions to it and coming off it is a hell I never ever want to go through again. When it doesnt work DO NOT let them up the dose. I was on a very very large dose (higher than recommended) in the end, and that just made the withdrawls even more brutal. You'd want to have tried at least 10 SSRI's before even turning to this medication.

there aint 10 but I no what you mean

I've never heard of a drug that's so different for everybody. The only consistant problem I've had is insomnia, but as I said, I was never a great sleeper anyway.

Mind you, it's definitely taken the edge off my anxiety!
Rose.

Thanks yeah, I should have written "trying the other classes of meds before turning to this one", not just SSRIs (NRIs, NDRI's at least if tricycic or MAOIs seem too scary.)

I take 50mg of Pristiq and have been on it for almost three years. It's been good except I think it caused weight gain. Yuck. Anyway, I tried Zoloft before Pristiq and it gave me terrible panic attacks. Then one time I tried Effexor XR and that was the most horrible experience ever. I didn't taper Pristiq off then take Effexor, I didn't know if I was supposed to. Dumb military doctors... I cried every day and felt so bad that whole week. I begged them to give me Pristiq back. Now I'm not sure if Pristiq is working anymore and I only have a regular GP...

I had a really bad experience on Effexor. Went completely manic (I'm not Bipolar), hacked off chunks of my hair with a pair of scissors because I thought I needed a hair cut, decided to do laundry by opening the back door and throwing the basket out into our backyard, ran around the house like a mad thing, and started prattling on about birds and giraffes and wasn't really making much sense. Then I went into a complete meltdown (think collapsed and screaming on the floor), had some really weird physical side effects start to hit me, got rushed off to hospital - hey presto I have serotonin syndrome.

My experience was caused by the GP who prescribed me Effexor not realising that it can be dangerous when used in conjunction with Tramadol. So before starting on Effexor, make sure you tell your Pdoc all the other medications you're on, so they can make a determination whether or not drug interactions are going to be an issue.

TRAMADOL AND LEXAPRO did the same to me when I was in general hospital for Pancritis , they took me off morphine and gave TAMADOL without checking my med records. I pulled all the lines out my body and walked down the hospital main corridor stark naked. its on me files now allergic tramadol , but I had to go through serotonin syndrome to find out.