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took my first dose of effexor 37.5mg this morning...

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Posted 9/8/2012 3:41 PM (GMT 0)
and boy, do i feel nauseous, groggy, and jittery. i have made myself not read the leaflet with the side effects because my health anxiety will create them all if i know what they are! hoping that what i'm experiencing just happens in the beginning and goes away after a couple weeks so that i can start to feel better. i know many meds are like that.
Posted 9/8/2012 4:02 PM (GMT 0)
Hi

I used to take Effexor 225mg a day. As with all antidepressants they do cause side effects to begin with and the majority of them should ease after a week or so. If things don't improve I would go and speak with your doctor.

Hibee
Posted 9/8/2012 4:21 PM (GMT 0)
frizzbee,

Hey there, I am with Hibee on this one.  Effexor XR is my drug of choice for depression and anxiety too.  I take 112.5 mg daily and it has been a good medication for me.  I have lots of room to increase my dose should my Dr and I decided I need to be on higher dose.  Do give it a try and know that you will have side effects getting onto the med but for most people the side effects will decrease after a couple of weeks.

Good luck,

Kitt

 

Posted 9/8/2012 4:50 PM (GMT 0)
Hi hibee, I am too in effexor 37.5...I first  began taking it when I strated taking takind meds and like you, I experienced those side effects but, they went away within a week...then I up my dose to 75mg and the side effects were not as bad...that dosage worked for me...then I went completely off the meds and I am back ont hem again at 37.5, altought I think I will need to go up again...you will feel better

Posted 9/8/2012 6:28 PM (GMT 0)
thanks for the encouragement, everyone! a few hours after taking it, i am feeling much better...still a little sleepy and a bit jittery, but the nausea has passed. i am supposed to take one 37.5 mg tablet each morning for a week, then increase to twice a day. i am going to hang in there!
Posted 9/8/2012 9:25 PM (GMT 0)
Hello Frizzbee! I was on Effexor for over 20 years and it worked very well for my anxiety and depression. You will feel jittery at first and it looks like you have a sleepy nervous feeling? I noticed more armpit perspiration throughout the years I was on it. It tends to raise blood pressure so ask the doc about that.
Posted 9/9/2012 1:15 AM (GMT 0)
hi, greetingz. thank you for the encouragement that it worked well for you! yes, i feel have felt jittery/tremor-y a bit. sleepy nervous is exactly the way to describe it...i'm drowsy, but ramped up at the same time. i was able to take a 2 hour nap, but didn't sleep very deeply. i have clonazepam to take with it at night to help me sleep, but i don't want to take it during the day because i know it could make me extra drowsy, and i don't want to become dependent on it. i have had some mild nausea off and on all day, but about 2 hours after i took the pill, the worst of the nausea passed.

i am concerned that it will be hard for me to function at work if i feel like this on monday still, so maybe i can call my doctor and ask about taking half a tablet for a week or so to increase the dose a little more slowly. i am VERY sensitive to every medication i take, so this is nothing i haven't managed to get through before! :)
Posted 9/10/2012 11:13 AM (GMT 0)
hi, everyone. i've taken 2 doses of effexor now, and i'm not having an easy time with it. after i take it, i'm really groggy/nervous for about 6 hours...i slept most of the day yesterday because i couldn't stay awake. i felt really tired still at my usual bedtime, so i went to bed, but woke up startled at least once an hour all night until i woke up about 3:30am and couldn't seem to shut off my brain to go back to sleep. i tried all my relaxation techniques that usually work -- visualization, progressive relaxation, even counting sheep, but i was awake until about 5am. every time i'd wake up, i'd have a warn, tingly feeling through my chest and down my arms, and my heart was racing, like a panic attack.

those of you with experience with effexor, it this still just part of the start-up anxiety that will go away? i have a big work project that i have to finish up in the next two weeks, and i don't think i'll be able to function if i feel like this much longer.

i hate to spazz out and call my psychiatrist after just two doses if this is normal to experience in the beginning. my health anxiety always makes me afraid to call or see the doctor unless i know something's really off because they always dismiss me as just being anxious. :(
Posted 9/10/2012 11:40 AM (GMT 0)
We al have different side effects, I personally didnt have the problem with sleep however my anxiety was way worse at the beginning and after a month it started to get better. Do not hesitate to call your dr if you have any questions though.
Posted 9/10/2012 1:18 PM (GMT 0)
cln, yes, i'd say my anxiety is WAY worse. i feel like i'm in a fog, and if i stop moving, i'll fall asleep. struggling at work to get my brain in gear. i think i will give my doctor a call...it's not like he doesn't already KNOW i get overly anxious about these things, i suppose! ;) thanks for replying!
Posted 9/11/2012 12:16 AM (GMT 0)
As for me personally, I felt The same way as you but that subsided within a week. As you know it lubricates the synapses so they fire better. I must have needed 37.5 at first. But as time went on I functioned very well indeed on half dosage and eventually weaned off completely. Do you at any time feel like it is working like you want it to?

I think you should for sure let your doc know whats happening. Ask about lowering the dosage too. At least at first to see if there is any positive effects plus you said you are very sensitive to meds. And drink a lot of water. We need 7glasses of it a day.
Posted 9/11/2012 10:48 AM (GMT 0)
thanks, greetingz...i tried taking it at night last night instead of in the morning since it has been making me sleepy. i fell asleep really quickly, but woke up about 3 hours later feeling very panicky with racing thoughts and the warm, tingly feeling in my chest. i had to get up and take a klonopin. i slept okay after that, but i feel on-edge this morning. i can't say it's working like i want it to yet, but i have only been taking it for 4 days, so it's probably too early to tell. at least the nausea isn't happening anymore!

i didn't call my doc yesterday like i said i would, but i will today. i had a very hard time at work yesterday. i really wanted to try to tough this out, but maybe you're right about a lower dose...maybe half of a 37.5 mg tablet would be an option. i will drink more water, too -- haven't been drinking as much as i should the last few days. thank you so much for your advice! :)
Posted 9/11/2012 8:06 PM (GMT 0)
well, i called and left a message for my psychiatrist, but i didn't hear back from him today...it's now about the time his office closes. :( i guess overall, i felt better when i took the effexor at night, so i think i'll try that with a klonopin at bedtime tonight and see how i feel thru the night and tomorrow. i was able to get through most of the day without feeling groggy or too anxious...maybe still a little loopy, but i think things are better a bit better!
Posted 9/11/2012 9:00 PM (GMT 0)
Well, so far so good I guess,.... sorta. My worst experience on it was that crazy rush about 1.5 hours after taking it. My very first dose hit me hard. A nervous rush that almost made me pass out and my right eye lost vision for a few seconds. That put some fear into me!

I assume yours is timed release? It used to come in a capsule with little beads of it. last I took was a tiny pill which was crazy hard to split. I learned to eat before taking it also. I do hope this turns out well for you if it is indeed the right med at this time.
Posted 9/11/2012 10:56 PM (GMT 0)
greetingz, thank you so much for keeping up with my effexor saga. :) i also feel the effexor hit me after about a hour...a sudden drowsy nervousness that lasts for about 4-5 hours. the severe nervousness wears off, but i'm still left feeling on-edge for the rest of the day.

i am not taking the extended release. i am taking the regular effexor, and when i saw the psychiatrist last week, he said to start with one a day for a week or so, then increase to one twice a day. the tablets are small, but not so small that i couldn't split them...they are bigger than my klonopin tablets, and i can split those easily. i am sure my psychiatrist will call me back tomorrow, but i'll give the medication one more try tonight! i just can't imagine going through these feelings twice a day... :\
Posted 9/12/2012 10:15 PM (GMT 0)
If its not timed release then I understand better how much surge you are getting. Giving advice scares me cause your not me if you get my message :) As do you, I hate to have to medicate myself to be normal, but the right med at the right dosage works wonders. Hang in there!
Posted 9/13/2012 12:22 AM (GMT 0)
greetingz, my psychiatrist actually called me at about 8:30 last night, which surprised me...one that he called so late, and two that he called himself. i appreciated it. he said that what i was experiencing was pretty common for start-up side effects, like everyone here has said. he said it would be fine to try it at night with my klonopin, and that i might not even need to increase to two a day...just to see how it goes and call him back if i don't adjust. i took both the effexor and klonopin at the same time and slept ok compared to the previous few nights. woke up about 3 or 4 times, but with just a mild uncomfortable anxious feeling rather than in sheer panic. i felt really groggy until about 1:00 this afternoon, but overall, i think that i am adjusting. once i come out of the grogginess, i feel more energetic, and i've even been able to cook dinner after work all this week -- haven't done that in months because my depression and anxiety leaves me with no energy at the end of my work day. i am hopeful that this is going to work, so i am hanging tight!! :)
Posted 9/13/2012 4:11 PM (GMT 0)
Now THAT is great news! The very first time I noticed a change while on Effexor way back when, was as I opened a cabinet door in the kitchen for lunch I think, I realized i was smiling! For no reason I was smiling!? This after such a long period of fear and depression. That was my epiphany. May yours be just as grand.

Post Edited (greetingz) : 9/13/2012 10:17:04 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 9/13/2012 6:00 PM (GMT 0)
it IS great news! :) and even better news is that i slept MUCH better last night, woke up feeling only a bit groggy, and i'm having a very good day today...i notice that my thoughts are not racing, and whereas before, any thought that popped into my head was a panicked thought, i have had NONE of that today! it has been so long since i've been able to think clearly without having a panicked and overwhelmed feeling at everything i think. i am so glad i'm hanging in there because i think this will be the right med for me! :D

greetingz, i want to give you my most heartfelt thanks for continuing to check in on me in this thread and for giving me your encouragement...it has meant so much to me!!
Posted 9/13/2012 6:41 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Frizzbee...been reading your saga through the start up of Effexor. I have recently weened off Zoloft and started with Citalopram due to cost of Zoloft (I can't take the generic due to an allergic reaction to something in it). I've been on Zoloft for the past 8 years, so I was very apprehensive to ween and switch. So far the weening was fine, but for the past couple days I've been on just the Citalopram and I'm having some breakthrough anxiety during the day as well. Makes my head feel very "full" and I do feel a bit "buzzy". Even though the Zoloft and Citalopram are in the same family of drugs, I guess I expected to have a bit of an adjustment when I finally got to just the citalopram.

I used to have the same problem when I began taking Zoloft back when with the grogginess, anxiety breakthrough and such. I started taking it at bedtime since I was going to sleep anyway and the grogginess didn't bother me then. With the citalopram, I found that taking it a few hours before bed takes the waking up during the night out of the equation for me. I'm hoping that after hitting a week or two on it alone all will be good again. If need be doctor said we could up it from 20 to 30 mg. I will have to wait and see if that needs to happen, but in the meantime I just do the best I can with dealing with everything while at work. I of course cannot wait for the end of the work day so I can just go home. I tend to be a bit agoraphobic when I feel like this.

Good Luck and I hope things continue to improve. It is no fun having to take medication to live a "normal" daily life, but we all must do what works in order to make it through right?

Hugs
Posted 9/13/2012 9:21 PM (GMT 0)
hi, renee. thank you for your encouraging story...it's good to come here and be reminded that i am not alone in my feelings. :)

i actually don't mind taking medication to be "normal"...i would gladly take meds if i had a heart condition or diabetes or some other physical condition, so i just kind of look at my mental illness in the same way. if it's going to help me function and live a fulfilling life, then i'm grateful to have it and take it every day!

i hope things continue to improve for you, too, and i again appreciate your words of support!
Posted 9/14/2012 2:46 PM (GMT 0)
slept well last night and feeling pretty good today! i have quite a few tasks i need to accomplish at work, and i know i won't get them all done today...this would ordinarily stress me out, and i'd start to panic and think that i am probably going to get so sick that i'll lose my job and become disabled. BUT, today, i actually feel okay with doing what i can accomplish...it doesn't feel overwhelming, and i know that what i don't get done can be finished next week.

i have so much hope that i am on the right path with the effexor now! thanks so much to all of you who encouraged me to hang in there...i probably would have stopped it after two doses without your support and help!
Posted 9/14/2012 3:23 PM (GMT 0)
Oh Frizzbee, I'm so happy to hear things are adjusting for you on the Effexor! That is fabulous news. I'm starting to have less breakthrough on the citalopram as well after 4 days of just the citalopram. I'm really hoping this will be a good dose for me. I did speak with my boss (who is a psychologist) about the switch and he said not to be too hasty upping the citalopram since it can cause fibrulation (sp?) of the heart. He told me it is a stimulant and at higher doses can cause this problem. He said it is not dangerous, but unpleasant side effect. So I'm going to try to stick with the 20 mg.

I hope everyone has a healthy and happy well adjusted weekend turn
Posted 9/14/2012 3:37 PM (GMT 0)
frizzbee,

I find whenever I change meds that not overthinking the side effects and just knowing that they will lessen as time goes by helps me. I am glad to read you are getting to the stage where you are adjusting to the med.  I have found this drug to be good for me and suspect I could tolerate a dose increase but due to other health problems it is not something I choose to do right now.

Good Luck,

Kitt

Posted 9/14/2012 4:52 PM (GMT 0)
Great news indeed! Now to get on with the rest of our lives!
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