Venlafaxine generic for Effexor

Hi,

I am new to site,but not to Fibromyalgia, my dr. wants me to start taking Venlafaxine (brand name is Effexor) was wondering if anyone has taken this drug. I am not one to tolerate many drugs, very sensitive to all. Would like some feed back before I actually try . I was reading a post today regarding the combo of malic acid and magnesium, I would be more apt to try this first. So if you have tried the combo please let me know as well. I am looking for some relief from all of this pain. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks,

Raelee

Hi, Raelee, and welcome!  I take the malic acid/magnesium supplements and they do help me.  But they don't help everyone.  You would have to try them to see but you should talk to your doctor or pharmacist first.  My doctor thought I was wasting my money but did say it wouldn't hurt me when I pressed him for an answer.  Well, he was wrong about them not helping me. 

 

I am assuming you found the link on malic acid in the Fibro 101 thread.  If not, be sure to check that thread out.  There is a lot of good info about fibromyalgia in there.  It's the second thread on the forum.

 

I'm sure others will be on to help you with both Effexor and malic acid information.  I'm so glad you found us and joined in.  I hope to hear more from you soon.

 

Sherrine

I take the generic.. I'm up to 150 mg's a day... but I think they want to increase my dose.

:) we are all pretty friendly, if you need any advice or have any questions don't be afraid to ask... :P These guys have helped me out plenty of times :)

Thanks to all of you who responded, I will be talking to my pharmacist about taking the  Malic combo, and think I will hold off on the Venlafaxine. I don't want to start taking something that is going to be hard to get off of. Does fibro usually get worse as we age?  I was told many years ago that this is what I had, I don't know when it started getting worse, as I always wake up with some kind of pain or stiffness.  I am able to cope pretty well without drugs at this point, but on the other hand I don't know what it would be like to go through a day without discomfort. As with most of us, a typical day is living with pain and discomfort.  I am so glad I have found all of you, I am sure I will be visiting you alot. It helps to be able to talk to people that know what you are going through.

 

Have a good day and stay warm!

 

It is -2 here in the Buckeye State, so ready for Spring.

 

Raelee

AVOID EFFEXOR UNLESS THERE IS NO OTHER CHOICE!!!!!

Do a google search on Effexor side effects and Effexor withdrawal.

At low levels effexor effects the seritonin in your brain, but at higher levels it also effects the norepinephrin. It can give some very very nasty side effects while taking it. I became afraid to leave my house, afraid to be in a group of people, afraid of many things. I also had "brain shivers" where my brain literally felt like it kept moving when I turned my head after my skull had stopped. My husband said I became a very different person.

While taking effexor it is VERY important to know that you can have withdrawal if you are even 30 minutes late with the next dose. 30 MINUTES. It has such a short half-life that your body goes into withdrawal that quickly.

And the withdrawal is U.G.L.Y. . Look it up online, you will find more there than I can tell you.

If you are taking effexor and want to stop, there is a way to reduce the withdrawal symptoms. Very few docs know about it, but it WORKS. Prozac (fluoxetine) is a similar medicine. If you are not going on to another SSRI/SNRI med, then take 1 prozac tablet or capsule of just 20 mgs once a week. It substantially reduces the withdrawal symptoms. Prozac stays in your body for a much longer time, so you can take a small dose and have it offset the withdrawal symptoms.

Both my son and I were VERY suicidal when stopping effexor, until I read about htis. I asked my doc, who had no clue but said that since both my son and I had taken prozac before it wasn't any big deal. My son's doc actually sent me to the site about withdrawal and when I suggested the prozac he said OK. He was surprised at how much it helped. He started using it with other patients.

There are a LOT of other meds in this category. I highly recommen trying several of them before you try effexor. To me, it was a very scary drug.

Effexor is a seratonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor.  A couple of years ago I took effexor for depression and it was fine unless I forgot to take a pill.  Then I felt like I was breathing carbon monoxide while driving on a winding road.   I decided that it is dumb for me to take a med that makes me feel so horrible when I forget.  I could not get off of it alone - I had to take prozac in small doses and decrease the effexor slowly in order to get off it without feeling rotten.   If you don't think you will forget and you don't plan to go off of it, I guess it is ok.  I prefer prozac if something is needed.  Now I don't take anything (except mobic and zanaflex).   For me, that is better.

Sue