An other medication change.

Hi All

I had a meeting with my psychiatrist today and had a long chat with him. There has been a few things worrying me of late, I have been getting really bad nightmares which have been very frightening and I talked these over with him but he said there was no medication which would help with this issue but hopefully this will ease as I continue practicing my CBT. I also talked to him re my drug/drink abuse as this has been on my mind for a long time and has been causing me anxiety, He said that he was in no doubt that I have damaged the serotonin respirators in my brain and that is going to take a long time to sort this out years maybe and will involve me reprograming my brain by using the skills I learnt in CBT. He pointed out that I have a tendency to rely on medications to sort my problems out and what I should be doing is using them as a platform to assist with the therapy as it is that which will help me the most. It has been two weeks since I finished my CBT and he pointed out that for me the hard work starts and that I really need to work on getting better taking a small step at a time and I really hope I can do this?. We decided that a change of medication was needed and I am no going to come of the Effexor (Venlafaxine) over a period of six weeks and move over to Clomipramine 100mg starting at 10mg and working upto 100mg has any one here used Clomipramine?. I am not looking forward to this change as I have heard so many bad stories about coming off Effexor and hope I can continue to work on my state of mental health so that I can move forwards for a change rather than being stuck in a rut.

Ben

Good Morning Ben,

If the Effexor is not working it does make sense to choose another medication.

Clomipramine, brand name is Anafranil is used in the treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorders (OCD). It may take 2 to 3 weeks before the full effects of this medication are noticed. This medication has also been used to treat depression and anxiety/panic disorders.

I am glad to hear you have opened up and discuss your problems with your Doctor.  That is a huge step in the right direction.  Keep on working with what you have learned in CBT.

Health & Happiness,
Kitt