Question about a drug

LegacyUser

I was at the docter today with what he said was depression, he prescribe a drug call Efexor*xl, I have to take one 75mg table a day I don't like taken tablets at the the best of times and to have to take these for at least 6 months is a be upsetting for me.

I was wondering if anyone has taken the table and what did they think of it.

I have been a little down lately but wouldn't have thought I needed anti depressens

[Jackass]

If you dont think you need them then don't take them.

I mean if you're reasonably happy (or only a little bit down at times - everyone gets that) you shouldn't take them...get a second opinion anyway.

Also 75mg is quite a lot.

Victor

I'm on it and have been for a while. I find it quite useful.

I'm wondering are you wary about the diagnosis or wary about taking medication in the medium term? If you had a cholesterol problem or diabetes, would you have the same resistance to taking medication?

How come your doctor put you on medication for a diagnosis that you appear not to agree with? Take a look at some websites like www.vhihealth.com which have articles on depression and list the symptoms. For depression you need to have been suffering from a certain number of primary and secondary symptoms for an extended period to be diagnosed.

DubGuy wrote:

Also 75mg is quite a lot.

Not particularly. Efexor isn't as potent as other drugs and dosage ranges from 37.5mg to 300mg. By comparison, the maximum for Seroxat is 20-40mg (previously higher), depending on condition.

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Can I ask people (not necessarily directed at anyone in particular) to not comment on medication they haven't experienced? john345, please make your decisions about medication with your medical professionals, not based on comments here. The comments we make here may be useful in giving you other people's experiences and allowing you raise informed questions, but are no substitute for professional medical advice.

ssh

Are you getting counselling as well?

Drugs only do so much against depression - they just keep you stable while the counsellor/shrink sorts the problem out.

Sarah**

anit depressants can be usefull as a quick fix but in th long run if your problems r still there your body will become imune to the 75mg...and soon enough the doc will be prescribing more anti depressants with a higher mg! just becarefull and maybe see a phsychiatrist before resorting to drugs.....sometimes your problems can be resolved just by talking aboput them to an outsider!

g'em

anit depressants can be usefull as a quick fix

antidepressants are anything but a quick fix- they take anything from 2-6 weeks to kick in, and you be taking them for a minmum of 5-6 months to see any real effects. AD's work by altering serotonin levels in your system so that you can get back to a level where you're emotionally strong enough to deal with teh underlying factors causing the depression in the first place.

But its true that medication alone will rarely fix the problem. Try a cognitive behavioural psychotherapist as opposed to a psychiatrist (they can prescribe medication too and usually do so). Cog Beh Therapy will encourage you to talk about why you feel the way you do, what's behind it, and teaches you coping strategies.

And maybe you don't need to be on medication at all. But leave that diagnosis for the doctor- go get a second opinion in you need to. Effexor is a relatively new drug on teh market, 75mg is the normal starting dose. Its an SSRI, a sort of combination drug thats deemed to be relatively safe with minimal side effects.

However, depending on how (un)lucky you are, the side effects can be a bit nasty- dizziness, loss of appetite and weight changes, dry mouth, and probably msot upsetting, loss of libido and impotence. AD's aren't somthing you can just take on and off, or start taking and then decide not to. Find out as much as you can and make an informed decision on it. PM me if you want to, having tried Effexor 75mg, Effexor 150mg and Lexapro 10mg I can, at least, give you first hand experience stories!

Sarah**

my sister and myself have both suffered from depression and my experience i think that AD's are often prescribed to just keep the patient happy in that depression is curable with an anti biotic!!!

if my experience is anything to go by....... i think counselling is very effective but then it all depends on the counsellor!! it just happens that i got an excellent one!!

LegacyUser

Thanks for all the comments,

I have been out of work for a while and with hanging around the house, it's got me down. My wife pushed me to go to the Doctor and with him it seem, as one of you said, "the pill is just a quick fix".
I honestly don't think I need them I just need a break in the work front to get the wife off my back.

Reading up on some of the side affects of the tablets a person would want to be very sure it was the way to go before they started .


thanks again.

*a*

my brother was put on something like that today but i think they are more a sedative than an AD. He has just been down a lot lately but his GP also organised for him to see someone to talk to and to only take the drugs if he felt he really needed to. Talk to someone about why you feel down and make sure you dont get into a rut by sitting at home all day. My sister went through the same thing and was on the same stuff as my brother - she said they were great but could be addictive and made sure she got out of the house and had somethign to do - she got a pet in the end just so there was something depending on her.

Basically dont take them if you dont want to - find someone to talk to and see if that makes you any better.

Good Luck!

Neuro

john345 wrote:

I was at the docter today with what he said was depression, he prescribe a drug call Efexor*xl, I have to take one 75mg table a day I don't like taken tablets at the the best of times and to have to take these for at least 6 months is a be upsetting for me.

I was wondering if anyone has taken the table and what did they think of it.

I have been a little down lately but wouldn't have thought I needed anti depressens

My advice to you is to ignore everything in this thread, which contains a number of serious factual errors, and to limit discussion of your treatment, whether via medication or psychotherapy, with your GP and/or other trained professionals.

Gordon

Neuro wrote:

My advice to you is to ignore everything in this thread, which contains a number of serious factual errors, and to limit discussion of your treatment, whether via medication or psychotherapy, with your GP and/or other trained professionals.

Indeed.