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Post by Big BosskMan on Dec 12, 2009 19:34:22 GMT -5
Today I took my first 37.5 mg pill Effexor, prescribed by my doctor to address some of the anxiety and depression issues I have been experiencing. I lost my Mom and adopted grandma within 2 weeks of each other, sold/bought a house, had a daughter (which I've said elsewhere in OT how difficult her arrival was), and a bunch other stuff.
I took the pill this a.m. after I fed my 11-week-old daughter and have been yawning nonstop all day, felt groggy/foggy, and have had some vision issues with clarity. The pill I got was the lowest dose available via script; I'd hate to see what a high dose might do to me.
My wife, who is on her own meds, says I need to give this a week to work; however, I have read more negative stuff about coming off Effexor than positive and I don't want to become dependent on a treatment that does not make me feel like me. She also thinks that since I got up at 5 to take care of the baby, I have been running nonstop all day and I am just tired. But I swear it has to be the med.
I will take another one tomorrow but if I have the same issues I am going to stop treatment altogether, call my doc, and figure out some alternative methods/coping mechanisms. The main reason I went to the doc in the first place was because my issues were starting to affect the home life and I only want the best for my kid as she gets older.
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AFN: Judge Shred
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Post by AFN: Judge Shred on Dec 12, 2009 19:36:36 GMT -5
Call him, and here is the thing, he will likely tell you to take 2 weeks to see if the side affects abate, and often times, they do.
Getting off it will suck, but f the side effects lessen or go away and it helps you, it is probably worth the shot that you will have to stop taking it.
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4TheGlory
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Post by 4TheGlory on Dec 12, 2009 19:39:18 GMT -5
Good news is, those symptoms seem like they aren't actually from the medicine, as it can take up to two weeks for pills to show any type of result in your system.
You just gotta relax and go with the flow, as it is possible the paranoia of trying a new pill is causing you create your own symptoms
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Post by Error on Dec 12, 2009 19:49:48 GMT -5
Did your Dr. say to take it in the morning? I was always told to take mine at the end of the day before bed so the potential grogginess wouldn't effect me as much.
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Post by Big BosskMan on Dec 12, 2009 20:20:26 GMT -5
Did your Dr. say to take it in the morning? I was always told to take mine at the end of the day before bed so the potential grogginess wouldn't effect me as much. No advice given as to time of day to take it but if I decide to stick with it, then end of day may be better - given the grogginess. It has a warning for that effect on the bottle. |
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H-Fist
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Post by H-Fist on Dec 12, 2009 23:29:06 GMT -5
Did your Dr. say to take it in the morning? I was always told to take mine at the end of the day before bed so the potential grogginess wouldn't effect me as much. No advice given as to time of day to take it but if I decide to stick with it, then end of day may be better - given the grogginess. It has a warning for that effect on the bottle. You need to call/email the doc about it. Unless the side effects are very serious - breathing problem, suicidal thoughts, etc. - stay on it and with it as prescribed for now. You have legit concerns, but you can't address them until you get specifics from the doc. In terms of grogginess, your wife is probably right. You DO need to give yourself a full night's sleep with a lot of depression/anxiety/mood stabilizer meds. Also, low and high dose can have different effects on people. The pill is adjusting brain chemistry. Imagine a number line from 0 to 9, and 5 is where you want to be. You're at 0. The small pill takes you to 3. The big-ass pill might take you to 9. Either way, they are significant changes from your accustomed level, yet neither are right. So they can throw things off even more. It's a lot easier to figure out how much insulin a diabetic needs than how to dose someone who presents with a mood disorder. Be patient. That's the important thing. |
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Albino Heat
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Post by Albino Heat on Dec 12, 2009 23:46:03 GMT -5
Just to play devil's advocate, if you had those problems on a day you hadn't take the pill, would you be as worried? Might just be a coincidence.
Like said before, it does take a while to take effect, and anywhere from 2-6 weeks to hit full effect. Also, in regards to the time of day, antidepressants can have a paradoxical effect on wakefulness/sleepiness. Effexor generally has the effect of perking people up but in some people, it can make them more sedate and mellow. It doesn't matter what time of the day it is taken at, AS LONG AS YOU ARE CONSISTENT ABOUT IT.
Side effect wise, the only things I'd really be concerned about that you've mentioned is the vision issues. That more than likely is you being tired, but something to keep an eye on. The big thing to watch out for with antidepressants is a sharp increase in depression/suicidal ideation. If either of these occurs, please, let someone know immediately.
Get a good night's rest. Best of luck to you, mate.
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Jay Peas 42
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Post by Jay Peas 42 on Dec 12, 2009 23:59:29 GMT -5
I belive this forum has a rule, don't solicit medical or legal advice on the forum. Contact your doctor for further advice.
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Post by Kash Flagg on Dec 13, 2009 0:02:31 GMT -5
I belive this forum has a rule, don't solicit medical or legal advice on the forum. Contact your doctor for further advice. A good idea, although you should stay on the medicine unless serious side effects occur. But when I was on anti-depressants it took a week or so to get used to it. Of course I was taking Celexa. |
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polexia
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Post by polexia on Dec 13, 2009 10:34:46 GMT -5
i had to take 60 mg of prozac a day. I liked the groggy feeling, it made me focus on something other then my soul killing job.
but after 2 weeks my body got used to it and the pills started to not work.
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Post by hmbnimbus on Dec 13, 2009 15:00:19 GMT -5
I hated been on anti-depressants, personally. I felt worse in the long run and after a few weeks and consultations with my GP, I came off them. This was about five years ago and since then, I made some changes to my lifestyle which worked wonders - these last few years have been the best of my life.
Of course, everyone is different - what i'm trying to say is that they aren't the answer for some people.
Hang in there a few weeks then re-evaluate, is my advice.
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Post by Alexander The So-so on Dec 13, 2009 19:03:11 GMT -5
Besides medication, have you tried other methods of treatment? Counseling and the like? If not, you could consider giving it a shot.
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Post by Cyno on Dec 13, 2009 19:47:12 GMT -5
There's like a hundred different antidepressant on there. I just started a regiment on Zoloft and I'm feeling a couple of side effects but nothing really serious yet. If Effexor isn't working for you, then you can try another.
Also try taking half doses of the pill per day and move onto the full pill in a week or so, if possible. Not sure how big these pills are.
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sryans
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Post by sryans on Dec 14, 2009 0:54:04 GMT -5
I don't know how it works in Parts Unknown, but in America we get our anti-depressants in helpful containers instead of having to mine for them.
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Post by Throwback on Dec 14, 2009 5:38:13 GMT -5
I spent years and years trying different medications for depression trying to find the right one for me. After a literal decade of tests and questions. Turns out I had O.C.D and social anxiety disorder the whole time. I'm now being treated for that and I feel awesome.
Never rule out that it may be a totally different problem.
Oh yeah, back to YOUR problem. after so many years of taking medication I have learned a few things. One being. It takes about 2 weeks for medication to get fully into your blood stream and do what it's "supposed to do"
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Mozenrath
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Post by Mozenrath on Dec 14, 2009 8:39:55 GMT -5
I don't know how it works in Parts Unknown, but in America we get our anti-depressants in helpful containers instead of having to mine for them. I sent a burro into a cave to fetch some. He hasn't come back yet, so maybe he got enough self esteem to run away. |
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Post by Madman Szalinski on Dec 14, 2009 8:56:55 GMT -5
Effexor = ineffexor. You think day one sucks? Wait until day twenty, when you're the only person who doesn't feel better about themselves. When a doctor hands me the prescription and says, "Now you won't feel a difference for a few weeks, but she (pointing to my mother) will notice a big difference." So I'm taking a pill that makes everybody else feel better? Why don't you take the pill? I took it for the better part of six months, and NOBODY noticed a difference in me. I didn't feel better, my mom said I still yelled as much, my friends still didn't know why I was throwing glasses across the room, and the girlfriend I didn't have wasn't worried about my emotional well-being.
Oh, here's some more advice: don't bring it up that this stuff isn't helping. They'll get this wonderful idea to mix your anti depressants with seizure medication such as Tegretol or Topamax. And then you'll REALLY start to hate your life, at least until you flush the crap down the toilet.
Ending note: when I had told my doctor the Effexor wasn't helping me and actually kind of made me feel worse, before he wrote me a Tegretol prescription he tells me and I quote, "Maybe you just need more."
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