deppression effexor 150xr

soon30

been on effexor 150 for two years now taking it for depression and anxiety reasons there is a long history of depression and mental problems in my family the effexor has helped a little but im costantly fatigued from it was no where near this tired or uninterested in work before i went on them but that said i was depressed i didnt end up on them for no reason ive had my bloods checked and was told everything is fine so not sure what to do now would like to quit the effexor but not at the expence of slipping into a bad depression when i started them i had hoped that i would get an increase in energy as i thought if my feelings improved so would my energy anyone else on these meds or similar ones any advice is welcome hope someone who has been in the same place as me replys with some good news as id like to here from people who managed to get out of the hole that is deppresion but all replies are welcome and any advice thanks in advance

Morf

I don't think medical advice is allowed. I suggest you talk to your psychiatrist and explain your situation to him/her.

CDfm

I agree with Morf - if your medication isn't doing what its supposed to you should talk to your GP/Psychiatrist.

trout

soon30 ... it's great that you're getting help, and that you are facing the problem head on.

No one here can give you specific advice, you'll only get that from direct contact with a professional.

If you think the medication is not suitable, or you're not happy for whatever reason ... your GP is best placed to help. That's the best advice you can get.

Normally, I'd lock a thread like this ... but I really think your question is genuine, and you could benefit from sharing experiences with people in the same boat as you; there are lots of people who battle with depression.

If people respond here, well and good. If not, or if you prefer, we could look at moving the thread to a more suitable forum (not quite sure what that forum would be yet)

Best of luck

deadhead13

Hi soon3, if you google "Effexer side affects" you will find a good few sites where people who have taken or are taking Effexer have posted their experiences - both good and bad. But as everyone else has said you should really speak to your doctor about this.

soon30

i have spoke to my doctor and he is happy to keep me on the effexor and i would always go back to him before changing anything but i would like to hear what people on here that have been on effexor think or any anti-d if you listened to whats written on other sites about side effects you wouldnt take any tablets so they arnt much help i would like to know if there has been anyone in my possition who either came out of the deppression and got off meds or who found the wright balance of meds to live a content life i hope this doesnt get locked as personal experiences are valuable info to me and can help me in the future its hard for GP's to know exactly whats best for you if you cant give some of your own input and i think they are stretched too thin accross all the different problems they have to deal with but they are the frontline in treating depression
specialised help is out of reach for a lot of people especially in a resession

CDfm

OP I think you can only compare it to your life before and now.

What improvements have you seen and disadvantages?

deadhead13

soon30 wrote: »

i have spoke to my doctor and he is happy to keep me on the effexor and i would always go back to him before changing anything but i would like to hear what people on here that have been on effexor think or any anti-d if you listened to whats written on other sites about side effects you wouldnt take any tablets so they arnt much help i would like to know if there has been anyone in my possition who either came out of the deppression and got off meds or who found the wright balance of meds to live a content life i hope this doesnt get locked as personal experiences are valuable info to me and can help me in the future its hard for GP's to know exactly whats best for you if you cant give some of your own input and i think they are stretched too thin accross all the different problems they have to deal with but they are the frontline in treating depression
specialised help is out of reach for a lot of people especially in a resession

I may be wrong, but I don't think there is enough traffic coming through this forum for you to get many replies form people taking that particular drug. Aware have support groups throughout the country where depression suffers share their experiences. The link below has an interactive map giving the location and contact details of the different groups. There may be one near you..... its an option.

http://www.aware.ie/support.htm

Morf

I've been on effexor, it wasn't right for me but i was lead to believe that this family of medications increased levels of metabolism and didn't have a sedative effect.

I'd be far more comfortable talking to a psychiatrist than a GP but then that's my personal experience.

soon30

ya i gained weight on it too and the weird thing is i was skinny and couldnt gain any weight before but im over weight now.I didnt really get any increase in energy either but i do feel better than i used to

Fiend-Foe

I used to take effexor for depression. I stopped because I was losing interest in everything, I was no longer depressed, but I wasn't happy. Everything was just indifferent and neutral and bland. I would prefer to be depressed than be living feeling nothing, at least its real. Go back to your doc and they will change your prescription. Sometimes with anti-depressants you need to try a few to find the right ones to work for you, they usually seem to start with effexor. I then took lexapro which had terrible side effects (google it) and made everything worse. Then zispin which worked brilliantly. This was all a while ago, don't need anything now.

Morf

Fiend-Foe wrote: »

I used to take effexor for depression. I stopped because I was losing interest in everything, I was no longer depressed, but I wasn't happy. Everything was just indifferent and neutral and bland. I would prefer to be depressed than be living feeling nothing, at least its real. Go back to your doc and they will change your prescription. Sometimes with anti-depressants you need to try a few to find the right ones to work for you, they usually seem to start with effexor. I then took lexapro which had terrible side effects (google it) and made everything worse. Then zispin which worked brilliantly. This was all a while ago, don't need anything now.

I was on lexapro too. It didn't do much for me either. The one i'm on now is much better and i'm quite happy with it now.

soon30

never heard of that one and i thought i had read up on nearly all over the last two years or is it known as some other name ill google it

Fiend-Foe

soon30 wrote: »

never heard of that one and i thought i had read up on nearly all over the last two years or is it known as some other name ill google it

According to the wiki its only called Zispin here and the UK

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirtazapine

http://emc.medicines.org.uk/document.aspx?documentId=13982

I found it was the most effective of anything I have been prescribed in the past. I don't need anything now.

When I took Effexor I was neither happy or sad, indifferent to everything. Just numb. And I hated that more than the depression. I'd prefer to feel depressed than not feel anything. It also made me quite tired and fatigued.

Lexapro was horrible stuff, it made the depression and everything so much worse. It depersonalised me and I became suicidal and irrational. Acting crazy. I hate that stuff, I think it should be taken off the market because if you google "lexapro side effects" there are 1000's of cases. I lost my job at the time, and my relationship. My behaviour was just too unpredictable. I was taking that stuff trying to get better and it just made me worse and worse.

So glad all thats behind me!

You should speak to your doctor and see if they can find something that works better for you.

soon30

I had forgoton about zispin until i went to a pschiatrist today for my first time it had been a gp i was visiting all along.I actually prefer my gp i think he seems to listen to what im trying to get accross the psych didnt really seem to get my problems with effexor.Anyway he added 15mg zispin to my 150mg effexor and will see me in 6 weeks i did not get the prescription yet but i will during the week the funny thing is i googled zispin and found my way onto my own post here i had forgoten what i had read here only a few weeks ago weird

Fiend-Foe

soon30 wrote: »

I had forgoton about zispin until i went to a pschiatrist today for my first time it had been a gp i was visiting all along.I actually prefer my gp i think he seems to listen to what im trying to get accross the psych didnt really seem to get my problems with effexor.Anyway he added 15mg zispin to my 150mg effexor and will see me in 6 weeks i did not get the prescription yet but i will during the week the funny thing is i googled zispin and found my way onto my own post here i had forgoten what i had read here only a few weeks ago weird

Well, out of everything I took for depression I found this to be the best by far. Hopefully you will have good results.

Remember it will probably take the 6 weeks before you notice any difference, and go straight back to your GP if you notice any adverse effects.

Best of luck with it OP, I really hope it helps you feel better.

Shinyboots

soon30 wrote: »

I had forgoton about zispin until i went to a pschiatrist today for my first time it had been a gp i was visiting all along.I actually prefer my gp i think he seems to listen to what im trying to get accross the psych didnt really seem to get my problems with effexor.Anyway he added 15mg zispin to my 150mg effexor and will see me in 6 weeks i did not get the prescription yet but i will during the week the funny thing is i googled zispin and found my way onto my own post here i had forgoten what i had read here only a few weeks ago weird

hey, just to advise that I have been through all this also, I spent weeks not getting out of bed, was on all the pills, spoke to doc's psch's etc.....but keep going and one day ( it happened to me ) you will come out of it!!!

panda100

I was on Efexor 75 mg for around two years. It certainly gave me a lift up when I needed one.
If Efexor is making you tired then I would say its not the right medication for you. It should be having the opposite effect and making you feel a bit more lively.
I also had bad experiences with psychiatrists both as a patient and training under them as a medical student. Its definatly a lot easier to talk to GP's as they seem to listen a bit more. However, when it comes to pharmacological treatment for depression its only a psychiatrist that can direct you as GP'S ony have scant training in mental health.
Anti-depressants on there own will not make you feel better. They are an aid for while you get psychological help such as cognitive behavioural counselling. So If you are not seeing a psychologist as well as taking mediciation,I would strongly reccomend it.

soon30 wrote: »

its hard for GP's to know exactly whats best for you if you cant give some of your own input and i think they are stretched too thin accross all the different problems they have to deal with but they are the frontline in treating depression
specialised help is out of reach for a lot of people especially in a resession

Completely agree, and this is something that is meant to be altered with the 'Vision for change' document on mental health, but its not really being implemented.

sam34

panda100 wrote: »

I also had bad experiences with psychiatrists both as a patient and training under them as a medical student..

thats unfortunate, but dont let experiences with a small number of people tarnish your opinion of everyone in teh profession.

as with people in any job, there will be good and bad psychiatrists. there are good and bad shop assistants too.

panda100 wrote: »

However, when it comes to pharmacological treatment for depression its only a psychiatrist that can direct you as GP'S ony have scant training in mental health.

.

Gps currently have to do as much training in mental health as they do in paediatrics and a&e or obstetrics. they are not specialists obviously, but they have experience in teh area are are well able to treat depressiona nd some other illnesses in primary care. it woudl be completely unnecessary and not feasible to refer everyone to the psych services.

panda100 wrote: »

Anti-depressants on there own will not make you feel better. They are an aid for while you get psychological help such as cognitive behavioural counselling. So If you are not seeing a psychologist as well as taking mediciation,I would strongly reccomend it

yes, actually, anti-depressants on their own do make people feel better. plenty of people respond to meds without any additional input - just as well, given teh appalling lack of psychological services. of course, ideally you would use both in ocnjunction, but this is very often simply not possible.

Gillo

Going from my own experience of depression, I was put on Lexipro and didn't think it made much difference until I stupidly came off without any supervision a week later I was trying to hang myself- so I figure yeah while it numbed me out to a certain degree it was definetly holding me together. I've recently started something else sorry cant think of the name but I'll post it up as soon as I can.

OP, if you don't find it's working with your psych. then find yourself another one, in the last twelve months I've seen three different counsellors and have to say it's a case of finding one you can relate to, my current one is amazing; compare her to the first who I felt just talked down to me. Again if you find your GP is better stick with them.

I've been in St Patricks the last five weeks now and as well as treatment for the depression I've leant a lot about depression, remember tiredness can be sympytomatic of depression itself and may not be a side effect of the medication. The tiredness may also be a completely different factor for example are you eating properly, I know if I have a bad day my appetite goes out the window and I have to force myself to eat.

One thing I did become away of in hospital is an over-dependancey on medication, I'm not saying addiction but I've met a few people who were really into their medication and overcoming / curing depression was a simple pill or two a day. I'm not saying you're anything like that but rememeber there are different types of depression so maybe it's not just the medication. I know it's gonna sound like a stupid question but you said you've no energy, I take it you mean more than just a build up of tiredness, I've been there too where even though you've slept ok you can't be bothered to get out of bed(sorry that sounds mild, but anyone who's been there will know what I mean).

At the end of the day like everyone else here I'm only talking from my (luckily) limited experience of depression, but you do need to go with professional advice, by all means listen to people here but we can't tell you what you need to do.

Gillo

sam34 wrote: »

yes, actually, anti-depressants on their own do make people feel better. plenty of people respond to meds without any additional input - just as well, given teh appalling lack of psychological services. of course, ideally you would use both in ocnjunction, but this is very often simply not possible.

They may make people feel better but generally it's more of a stablising effect than curing the depression. I'm quite sure I could stay on lexipro for the rest of my life and function grand without any other intervention, but I'd still have the route causes there. The like's of CBT etc IMHO will in the long term do more good.

sam34

Gillo wrote: »

They may make people feel better but generally it's more of a stablising effect than curing the depression. I'm quite sure I could stay on lexipro for the rest of my life and function grand without any other intervention, but I'd still have the route causes there. The like's of CBT etc IMHO will in the long term do more good.

it all depends if the depression is as a result of psycho-social stressors or not. obviously no meds will change those kind of circumstances.


an endogenous or biological depression though can be cured with meds

missboard

Hi there soon30,

Just want to let you know that I have been on Effexor XL 150 for the last 6 years.

I suffered for the first 4 of those years a side effect of constantly being up during the night to pee. I'd be up easily 4 / 5 times a night, and so for 4 straight years I suffered interrupted sleep. As a result every few months I'd be off sick from work just due to pure exhaustion.

2 years ago my psychaiatrist recommended adding Zispin to my meds to keep me asleep at night. He explained that unlike a sleeping tab Zispin is not addictive and should be alot easier to come off down the line should I decide to.

Now that I have been sleeping full nights sleep for the last 2 years I have been the best I've ever been. Sleep plays prob THE MOST important role in my mood on a daily basis and looking back I now see that it was the lack of sleep that had me out of work so much. My attendence record has been totally reformed now that I'm on both tabs!

Now though I'm planning on trying to become pregnant in July and I've been advised that I should try to come off ALL meds, at least prior to conception and for at least the 1st 3 months of the pregnancy.

I've tried numerous times before and have never managed to come off the Effexor. I just go totally psycho and start not sleeping again. I don't know how I'm going to do it - really worried.

Anybody ever been in the same boat??

Novella

Fiend-Foe wrote: »

I used to take effexor for depression. I stopped because I was losing interest in everything, I was no longer depressed, but I wasn't happy. Everything was just indifferent and neutral and bland. I would prefer to be depressed than be living feeling nothing, at least its real. Go back to your doc and they will change your prescription. Sometimes with anti-depressants you need to try a few to find the right ones to work for you, they usually seem to start with effexor. I then took lexapro which had terrible side effects (google it) and made everything worse. Then zispin which worked brilliantly. This was all a while ago, don't need anything now.

Lexapro made everything worse for me too. I became irritable and suicidal really quickly. It was awful.

Fiend-Foe wrote: »

According to the wiki its only called Zispin here and the UK

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirtazapine

http://emc.medicines.org.uk/document.aspx?documentId=13982

I found it was the most effective of anything I have been prescribed in the past. I don't need anything now.

When I took Effexor I was neither happy or sad, indifferent to everything. Just numb. And I hated that more than the depression. I'd prefer to feel depressed than not feel anything. It also made me quite tired and fatigued.

Lexapro was horrible stuff, it made the depression and everything so much worse. It depersonalised me and I became suicidal and irrational. Acting crazy. I hate that stuff, I think it should be taken off the market because if you google "lexapro side effects" there are 1000's of cases. I lost my job at the time, and my relationship. My behaviour was just too unpredictable. I was taking that stuff trying to get better and it just made me worse and worse.

So glad all thats behind me!

You should speak to your doctor and see if they can find something that works better for you.

I took Zispin and my doctor took me off it and put me on Lexapro. Days later I ended up hospital. It's pretty crazy how many bad experiences people have had with Lexapro.

soon30

hi missboard thanks for your reply ask your doc about upping the zispin while you cut back the effexor as i dont think its easy to get off effexor without subsidizing it with something else that will be easyer to get off