HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

new here.... effexor?

Support Forums
>
Anxiety & Panic Disorders
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 2/6/2009 10:58 PM (GMT 0)
hi everybody -
i have been suffering from panic attacks for about two years now, and have actually had great improvement with the help of propranolol.
i am curious, however, if anyone has had a bad reaction to effexor? my doctor and i thought about switching over because the propranolol causes quite a bit of brain fog, but i had the worst reaction to effexor. the first time i took it, just the small introductory dose, i had what felt like a six hour, seven hour panic attack. my heart rate and blood pressure were through the roof. i was in the greatest state of sheer panic that i have ever experienced.
i totally blame effexor. has anyone else had this?
my doctors and i are trying to find out what is going on here, as panic attacks are not the only symptom i suffer from. we believe the effexor reaction may be a key, unless it is something that many others have experienced as well....
Posted 2/6/2009 11:14 PM (GMT 0)

Hey there,

I use the Inderal too and have been on it for years.........never used Effexor but I know many have.

I hope you find out what is causing your problem.

Kitt :-)

Posted 2/7/2009 2:21 AM (GMT 0)
Hi, I have been on Effexor in the past although i didn't have the same reaction as you.  Mostly at night I would wake myself up twitching and not just little twitches, I would usually end up punching my boyfriend in the face.  Not on purpose of course  ;)  My Dr. said it was a reaction from Effexor and she took me off it immediately and put me on zoloft which seemed to work good for me.  I hope you can figure it out and start to feel better.

Posted 2/7/2009 8:50 AM (GMT 0)
Hi gracietiger

Welcome to the anxiety/panic forum nice to meet you. I have been on Effexor now for a while and I did get a lot of side effects when I first started taking it but after a couple of weeks they got less but did not seem to get the reaction that you did but have heard off other people who have had the same reaction. I now take 150mg of Effexor and still get one or two side effects mainly body jolts and constipation but I find that Effexor is not helping me and have had no luck with antidepressants, As far as i know Effexor is one of the stronger medications out there and it can raise your blood pressure so regular contact with doctor is required and it is one off the harder medication to stop. I would take advice from your doctor and go with what he/she says. Have you ever had any therapy for your anxiety? CBT as a therapy that gets good results with people who have anxiety/panic problems I am due to have my second lot of therapy in April and found that therapy really helped me personally and know that other members have had great success story's with CBT.

Keep posting here to tell us how you are getting on, Take Care
Posted 2/7/2009 3:28 PM (GMT 0)

Hi there,

I was on Effexor for a few years, it worked great for the most part.  HOWEVER, without warning it decided to poop-out on me and caused me worse problems then before I even started on the medication.  I only recently came off of it, and have felt much better since doing that.

Why some of these meds work for some and poop-out on others, they don't know.  You could go on it and have complete success, and never have the problems that I did.  Like I said, when it was working I did great on it!

Hugs,

Karen

✚ New Topic ✚ Reply