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do you think antidepressants work? i feel like i really need help.

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Posted 4/21/2009 10:58 PM (GMT 0)
Hi all,

my doctor perscribed venlafaxine today because he says i'm depressed....im certain that my anxiety has led to this...but at this point im willing to try anything to shake this miserable/scary feeling.

has anyone ever tried venlafaxine before? i have been reading up about it and it says its for depression but also helps with anxiety.....im already taking .5 clonazepam every night do you know if this is going to give me some major side effects?

I had surgery 9 weeks ago and i still have a lingering headache that im starting to think is more from stress than it is the surgery..... i find that i want to cry all the time and i feel helpless and scared constantly. my mom wants me to take them but my dad says "if you can do it without them then you should." which makes me very apprehensive about taking them.

have you had any experience with this type of antidepressant? or others? im scared they'll give me a worse headache or some crazy sideeffect...but im also so desperate to feel better.

is it irrational to be scared that taking one will give me an anxiety attack? i have such bad panic attacks when i take pain killers, but this isnt like that right?? ever heard of an antidepressant causing panic attacks???

Posted 4/22/2009 3:50 AM (GMT 0)

i am hysterically crying.

can venlafaxine make you more anxious? has anyone experinced this???  my depression has been caused my by anxiety...today i was going for a walk with my mom and i just started crying and literally couldnt stop. I'm on the clonazepam which is supposed to calm you down but is the venlafaxine going to counteract that???? ahhhhhhhhhh i don't know what to do anymore :( :( i took one venlafaxine today but it's the first one and i looked it up after and read that it can make you anxious?!?! i hope not!!1 im anxious just thinking about it :(

Posted 4/22/2009 3:58 AM (GMT 0)
Hi AlwaysLove,

I'm so sorry you're suffering like this. (((hugs))) When you get up in the morning, give your doctor's office a call and ask them about this new med and see what they have to say. I know you've had a rough go of it since your surgery, and I wish things were going better for you. You're always so supportive and caring when you post to others - I see that when I read through the threads. I will say a prayer for you tonight that you are able to get some much-needed rest.
Posted 4/22/2009 4:18 AM (GMT 0)
thank you raniah you are very kind.

I'm so scared. I have read that venlafaxine and other antidepressants can cause people (especailly people under the age of 24 - im 20) to have suicidal thoughts...i do not have suicidal thoughts. in fact i have major anxiety over the idea that i could ever have those kinds of thoughts. im just so afraid that im doing more harm than good by taking them!!! ican't stand this feeling anymore but should i wait it out without the meds?!?! im so scared all the time. i also read on here in somebodys post that they get "brain jolts" years and years after getting off of this drug? i hate this so much im basically devastated.
Posted 4/22/2009 1:11 PM (GMT 0)
Hi, alwayslove!

I hope you're feeling a little better with the new day. Raniah's got great advice about calling your doctor's office for information.

Regarding antidepressants, I take Paxil and have for years. It really was a life-saver in dealing with my depression. Paxil does not heighten my anxiety; in fact, quite the opposite: it stabilizes my anxiety better than any benzo I've taken. Of course, I have been on Paxil long-term, so that likely has something to do with my body being used to functioning well on it, and the anti-anxiety meds I've tried have only been extremely short-term.

The choice to take medication at all is a very personal one, with people feeling very strongly in both directions and all over the spectrum in between. Getting more information from your doctor may allow you to make this choice based less on fear of meds in general and more on the specific pros and cons for you. My choice was to take antidepressants, and I've definitely benefitted from having done that.

Big hugs to you, and let us know what you find out,
percycat
Posted 4/22/2009 1:11 PM (GMT 0)
I think you really need some type of medication, period. You are having constant anxiety attacks, and when your post is not responded to quickly you seem to get alot more anxious. Why live your life feeling sad, why not take the medication your doctor prescribed and give it a chance to get your life back to a more calming state. And quit searching the internet, it will only cause more anxiety. Hang in there, I think if you give the medication a chance, you will start feeling better.

Good luck,
Gail *Nanners*
Posted 4/22/2009 1:22 PM (GMT 0)

Dear Love,

I am so sorry you are feeling so down and out.  I have had great results with one of the AD's and not so great with others but I have not used this medication.

Venlafaxine, like most anti-depressants, can cause nausea, headaches, anxiety, insomnia, drowsiness, and loss of appetite. It is often difficult to get onto an AD because of the side effects which sometimes do cause anxiety to increase at first.

I can feel your pain as your post sounded so much like how I have felt many times over the past 27 years but trust me there is good mixed in with not so good.  Do keep working with your physician and try a low dose of the medication easing on gently to an AD.  That has worked best for me.  Please remember I am not a professional but I do care my sweet lady.

Keep talking to us and let us help you.  You give so much to others now let us help you.

Hugs
Kitt

Posted 4/22/2009 3:12 PM (GMT 0)
Hi everyone,

I am new to this forum. I want to share my experience with Effexor XR (velafaxine). I began taking Effexor for anxiety and depression in early 2003. I took it for over a year (112mg on the XR version). This drug helped me alot in dealing with these problems. I have stopped taking it a couple of times after having a long period of feeling well and in control of my emotions. However, my anxiety always returns after couple of months of stopping the medication. I am now back on Effexor XR (150 mg) along with Klonopin (clonazepam) and lamotrigine (lamictal, even though I am not bipolar). It is common for me to feel more anxious, nervous, and more depressed everytime I start an antidepressive med. Clonazepam has helped in keeping those anxiety symptoms away. I dont know if lamictal is really doing anything to me, the only good side of it is that I dont get pronounced mood swings when I start any antidepressant. Has anyone has some experience with lamictal and depression?
Posted 4/22/2009 3:19 PM (GMT 0)
welcome ganolivos,

last night at 7:30 i took the velafaxine and I was fine...until at 12 i took a clonazepam as well and about 5 minutes later i felt so nautious and my skin felt like it was on fire and tingleing. I have made an appointment with my doctor for today but im so scared!!!!!!!! thank you for your advice stkitt nanners and percy....im so lost right now. I want to do whatever it takes to feel better but it seems like nothing i do works.....this nautious/buring feeling is really making me panic and there's no way i can see it helping if its going to make me feel like that all the time.
i want to feel better so badly that it's making me depressed/

should i suffer through the severe nausia?? will it go away? i want to feel like myself, i really miss myself :(

Posted 4/22/2009 3:47 PM (GMT 0)
I don't think that taking the clonazepam would cause you to have nausea five minutes after you took it. They don't work that fast. I think if it was the anti-d medication, I have heard that after a few days the side effects go away. I think with so much anxiety and panic going on, its hard to tell with you if its the medication or the a/p causing the nausea. I would give it a few days and see how you do. Remember that nausea is not going to hurt you, just make you feel a little crappy.

Also, remember that it can take 4-6 weeks for anti depressants to kick in fully, so keep taking the clonazepam as the doctor directed to help in the meantime. Good luck!!
Posted 4/22/2009 4:39 PM (GMT 0)
Hi alwayslove

Sorry to hear you are having a rough time of it at the moment. I take Venlafaxine 150mg but take mine in the morning, when you first start to take an AD you will suffer with some side effects but these do tend to pass after a couple of weeks once your body has got used to the new medication and then it will take about six weeks before you feel any positive effect from the medication. The thing is with AD that every one is different and what works well for one person may not work for someone else, So i would say give it a go and see how you feel after a few weeks and keep in close contact with your doctor who should be monitoring your progress. I have tried 5 different types of AD and still have not found one that works and in talks with my pdoc about my medication, what does help me is talk therapy and hopefully im due to start some CBT soon this maybe something you could look into? I hope things start to get better for you soon.

Take Care

Ben
Posted 4/22/2009 5:50 PM (GMT 0)
Hey! I have been taking Prozac for years. I understand how you feel reluctant in beginning any new medication. This is normal for people with anxiety disorder. I suffered for years until I decided to start the Prozac.

Discuss every concern you have with the doctor. You may also ask him about Compazine. I have this for nausea. I have never had a side effect with it. It works wonderfully. Of course, you need to make sure you can take it with all the other meds you're taking.

Your crying bouts may be from the Clonazepam. How long have you been taking it? When I was weaned off of Xanax in a psych ward, I cried for hours non-stop. These medications mask your emotions so when you finally go off of them, the emotions come out. It may be you need to increase your dosage of the Clonazepam or ask your doctor how to go off of it safely.

Hang in there with the side effects of anti-depressants. They are well worth the side effects you may feel for a few weeks. Good luck!
Posted 4/22/2009 7:34 PM (GMT 0)
i've been on the clonazepam for probably about 5 weeks...i was only taking half of a 0.5 though....i just recently went up to a whole 0.5

im going crazy i cant stand this.
Posted 4/22/2009 8:29 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Ganolivos,

 

Welcome!

 

I can't advise you on the meds, but you may have better luck getting your question about lamictal answered if you start a separate thread on that topic.  I wish you the very best.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi Always Love,

 

You've had such great advice here.  I know it's hard to hang in there and wait for things to even out, but please keep posting and talk to your doctor about all of this at your appointment today.  Please let us know how it goes, okay?  We're here for you!

Posted 4/23/2009 8:27 AM (GMT 0)
I used to be against taking anti-depressants, after all, one of the side effects is having suicidal thoughts.

After much deliberation, I decided to give it a try. Lexapro has been my savior. I have severe social anxieties, and I used to have these awful physical reactions when meeting people or talking to people I didn't know very well. It was so horrible that I couldn't even talk on the phone.

I've been on Lexapro for about a year and a half. I no longer have those physical reactions. I now talk too much.

I can't imagine going back to life without Lexapro. I tried tapering off the medicine once. The depression and social anxieties returned.

I would say to give it a try. You can stop taking it or try something else if it doesn't work.
Posted 4/23/2009 12:53 PM (GMT 0)
hi everyone,

I have a question about clonazepam........
i started taking a whole .5 dose at night and i wake up in a cold sweat and very anxious...i hate that i can't tell if it's a side effect of the drug or if it's just me being anxious or if im addicted to it or what...

any advice?
Posted 4/23/2009 1:00 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Always,

 

(((big hugs))) to you!  I know you're suffering a lot with anxiety right now, and I am sending you lots of peaceful, relaxing thoughts.  I can't advise you on the clonazepam, but I'm wondering if you were able to talk to the doc about it at your appointment yesterday, and if so, was there any helpful advice or info?

Posted 4/23/2009 5:25 PM (GMT 0)
Alwayslove, you have a lot of questions regarding your medications. Put in a call to your doctor right now. Let him/her know what's going on and about your concerns. They will ease your mind. I'm not sure why you would wake up in a cold sweat and anxious. I mean, it could be any number of things. You will feel much better when the doctor talks to you and all possibilities of side effects are gone. Let us know how you're feeling!
Posted 4/25/2009 2:27 PM (GMT 0)

Alwayslove,

I agree with Aries, you do have a lot of questions that should be addressed with your physician as we are not professionals and can only share are experiences.

As each person is different what works for one person will not always works for another and that comes to all aspects of medication use. 

Please do contact you physician.

Kitt

Posted 4/25/2009 2:29 PM (GMT 0)
ganolivos

Welcome to HealingWell and we are glad to have you with us.

We do have a new members welcome and intro thread that I will bring to the top for you.

We would love for you to start your own thread if you are comfortable and looking for support.

Again glad to have you with us.

Kitt

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