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ddman
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does anyone know if there are adverse effects of taking effexor for several years? And do you know if there are alternative drugs that don't effect sex as much?
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noserotonin
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ddman wrote: does anyone know if there are adverse effects of taking effexor for several years? And do you know if there are alternative drugs that don't effect sex as much? There's always alternatives that don't affect sex as much. Side effects are individual, although the more people experience certain side effects, the higher up in the list of side effects that effect is. I've had negative sexual side effects on zoloft, and on effexor. But on wellbutrin, I would say the sexual side effects were positive (too bad it made me suicidal). I'd like to see some f'n answers to the sexual side effect problem. I don't have a choice--I need to be on medication--but I can't live with these sexual side effects. What are doctors doing to fix this? If you google "abnormal ejaculation treatment" or "managing abnormal ejaculation" you get nothing helpful at all. They say "speak to your doctor about other treatment options," but it's just bullshit. "Other treatment options" just means another drug to mess with your head and dick. There are no other treatment options.
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Gayel
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ddman wrote: does anyone know if there are adverse effects of taking effexor for several years? And do you know if there are alternative drugs that don't effect sex as much? Effexor is known in most individuals as putting a hault on your sex life. This is a wonderful medication for panic attacks, etc., but I agree, the lack of a desire for sex is a bit disturbing. I have taken this drug for several years also and trust it 100%. However, it puts you in the middle of, what do I do about the side effects? Apparently, NOTHIN'!!!
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STEPHANIE
AOL
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I HAVE BEEN ON EFFEXOR-150MG FOR TWO YEARS NOW. IT WORKED GREAT WITH MY SEVERE ANXIETY BUT I HAVE GAINED 60 POUNDS FROM IT. I NEVER HAD A SWEET TOOTH OR EVEN CRAVED FAST FOOD BEFORE BEING ON THE EFFEXOR. I AM NOW GETTING MY DOSAGE LOWERED SO THAT I CAN FINALLY GET OFF OF IT.
HAS ANYONE ELSE WHO PUT WEIGHT ON FROM EFFEXOR,LOOSE THE WEIGHT AFTER GETTING OFF OF THIS DRUG?
I ALSO NOTICE MY ENERGY LEVEL HAS GONE WAY DOWN. I ALWAYS WANT TO TAKE A NAP.SOMETIMES I GET SO TIRED, I CAN BARELY KEEP MY EYES OPEN.
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Georgette
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I have been on Effexor for about two years and it has helped my anxiety and IBS tremendously. I have, however,gained about 25 pounds. I also have slowly developed severe muscle pains which the doctors cannot explain other than fibromyalgia. I am wondering if anyone else has developed muscle pains while on Effexor. I hope to wean off in a few months but I am very concerned due to the problems others have experienced.
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Sara
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Yes, I've gained a few pounds and it would probably be more than a few if I wasn't on wellbutrin & adderall. However, it's amazing how it totally takes care of my anxiety. But I hate all the side effects like loss of libido, dizziness, nausea, very tired and unmotivated, can't concentrate. So may pros and cons..I don't know what to do! STEPHANIE wrote: I HAVE BEEN ON EFFEXOR-150MG FOR TWO YEARS NOW. IT WORKED GREAT WITH MY SEVERE ANXIETY BUT I HAVE GAINED 60 POUNDS FROM IT. I NEVER HAD A SWEET TOOTH OR EVEN CRAVED FAST FOOD BEFORE BEING ON THE EFFEXOR. I AM NOW GETTING MY DOSAGE LOWERED SO THAT I CAN FINALLY GET OFF OF IT.
HAS ANYONE ELSE WHO PUT WEIGHT ON FROM EFFEXOR,LOOSE THE WEIGHT AFTER GETTING OFF OF THIS DRUG?
I ALSO NOTICE MY ENERGY LEVEL HAS GONE WAY DOWN. I ALWAYS WANT TO TAKE A NAP.SOMETIMES I GET SO TIRED, I CAN BARELY KEEP MY EYES OPEN.
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Trinity
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Actually Effexor has made me lose some wieght. but it has made my gym class harder to partisipate in. it did make me suicidal but that was because my dossage was to low. but since then i've been ok although i'm afraid of it because i'm a jr. in high school and don't know the long term effects
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Kelli
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Judged:
2
let me tell you my effexor story. I suffered severe post pardum depression which it completely worked great for me, 60 pounds later and no sex drive and no emotions to show for anything I thought it was time to "be normal" again so I have stopped taking my effexor xr 75mg. What a freakin nightmare, this drug is so complete addictive and the withdrawals are horrendious! Never again will I put myself thru this poision, there are so many Class Action Suits against the makers of this drug Wyethe because of lack of information they tell you about the withdrawal process. I beg anyone not to take this poision and find something better than any type of SSRI med. I will continue with a list of side effects: My first symptom has been these crazy brain zaps that go from my head to my teeth and out my fingertips. It feels almost as though I have put my tongue into an outlet and been shocked. its a very unsetteling feeling. I have very vivid dreams that feel angry. Today my head is spinning so bad that i feel as if I could fall off the world, I could puke at any moment and I am so aggitated I could kill. I am pissed off at the way the grass is growing today!I cant eat, sleep well, and from everything I have read from others this is only the beginning! I can expect to feel this way for at least a month or more, some have for up to six months. Try it, skip 2-3 doses and see how bad this shit is for you! Not addictive though....good luck, cant say you have not been warned.
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C-Man
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I've been on Effexor XR 300md/day for about 3.5 years. I also consult with a number of companies in the pharma industry, specificlly in the area of Neuroscience. Effexor has a pretty darn good record for long term use. If it's going to effect you adversely you'll know it pretty quickly. Common effets are initial weight loss although I agree with the long term weight gain issue. The antidepresant with the recognised lowest sexual side effect is Wellbutrin. A note about sexual side effects. they can be all over the board and it would be nice for the "effects" to be more specific. Personally the sexual side effect I experience is the opposite of premature ejaculation. Only occasionally is this a problem and given the alternative I'm ok with it. Yes premature ejaculation, loss of libido, even priapism have been cited as potential side effects. My 2 cents is give an approved drug a try. Prescribing antidepresants still requires a bit of trial. The darn things just work in some people differently than others. But as I said, given the alternative, I'd give em a try. ddman wrote: does anyone know if there are adverse effects of taking effexor for several years? And do you know if there are alternative drugs that don't effect sex as much?
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C-Man
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Have you tried titrating off the dose? Slowly reducing the amount you're taking really seems to work. I have experienced what you're saying you're right it sucks BIG TIME. Try coming down slow rather than what I'm guessing is you're going cold turkey. Kelli wrote: let me tell you my effexor story. I suffered severe post pardum depression which it completely worked great for me, 60 pounds later and no sex drive and no emotions to show for anything I thought it was time to "be normal" again so I have stopped taking my effexor xr 75mg. What a freakin nightmare, this drug is so complete addictive and the withdrawals are horrendious! Never again will I put myself thru this poision, there are so many Class Action Suits against the makers of this drug Wyethe because of lack of information they tell you about the withdrawal process. I beg anyone not to take this poision and find something better than any type of SSRI med. I will continue with a list of side effects:
My first symptom has been these crazy brain zaps that go from my head to my teeth and out my fingertips. It feels almost as though I have put my tongue into an outlet and been shocked. its a very unsetteling feeling. I have very vivid dreams that feel angry. Today my head is spinning so bad that i feel as if I could fall off the world, I could puke at any moment and I am so aggitated I could kill. I am pissed off at the way the grass is growing today!I cant eat, sleep well, and from everything I have read from others this is only the beginning! I can expect to feel this way for at least a month or more, some have for up to six months. Try it, skip 2-3 doses and see how bad this shit is for you! Not addictive though....good luck, cant say you have not been warned.
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Kelli
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C-Man wrote: Have you tried titrating off the dose? Slowly reducing the amount you're taking really seems to work. I have experienced what you're saying you're right it sucks BIG TIME. Try coming down slow rather than what I'm guessing is you're going cold turkey.
<quoted text> C-Man, No other than going from the 150 back to my beginning dose of 75mg and then yes, cold turkey! I thought about tapering down as you mentioned but everyone that tapered vs cold turkey speaks of the exact same withdrawal symptoms. Now that I am on day 5 (I think)I just cannot fathom going back to just go through this 5 day hell all over again. This is an insane drug and it really helps to talk to someone who has been there, my kids think I am Sybil or some crazy bi@@#ch right now I'm sure, they are just smart enough not to voice it too loudly I guess,:) the funny thing is that right now other than having to part the fog just to read the computer screen I feel pretty good, who knows what the next hour holds though. Thanks for listening.
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pharmacist
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I'm a pharmacist who also is taking Effexor. If you're weaning off I'd suggest decreasing using the 37.5mg capsules. Once you get down to 37.5mg daily you can even open the caps and mix the contents in something (applesauce) and take and even smaller dosage that way. Also it's been suggested that if you add Prozac 10mg. for the last week (or two) of your Effexor taper it'll help with withdrawal effects as well. ANY anti-depressant should be tapered gently so that you limit the "shock" to your system. I hope this may help some of you. Cheers
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Anonymousd
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I'm in the Effexor nightmare right now. I have been taking 112.5mg a day since November 2003. I have 50 pounds, no sex drive, no attention span, and no energy or motivation. After 5 days off, I have the brain zaps, headaches, dizziness, and I ejaculate now in about 15 seconds. I would not wish this on my worst enemy. Some say I can expect this for a month, some say 6 months. We will have to see.
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Tim
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Holy moley.....comments on this site scare the hell out of me. Just out of curiosity, I thought I'd look into others comments regarding long term exposure.(37.5mcg daily for a year now) It would seem this is not the wonder drug some say it's cracked up to be.
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Anne9012
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I haven't experienced the same type of side effects as everyone else has.. but i recently got off of effexor from 150 mg went down to 75 mg for a week or so then to 37.5 for 5 or so days...now it's about 3 weeks later and i feel very emotional and down..i cry all the time... i never thought there would be an after effect to this drug since i didnt have any bad side effects (vivid dreams was as far as my side effects went).
now i have these nervous butterflies in my stomach all the time for no reason, they won't go away, and sometimes my stomach muscles feel literally sore from being so nervous all the time! i don't know if this is because i came off anti depressants and anti anxiety and i still suffer from one or both... or because of the dangers of this drug... any suggestions? please. after reading this message board i am really worried.
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jeric
AOL
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For all of you: Especially Noserotonin.\
I'm having all the side effects you all mention. I don't even know if my Effexor is working. Anyway, my Dr. who is pretty good, says she gives people with sexual side effects an antihistamine they can take hours before you know what. I don't need it as no partner anyway, why waste the drug, right? Anyway, even if you don't want to try another medication, you could try this antihistamine a few times and see if you are still a good lover. JERIC
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Cindy
AOL
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Hi, I think it's time to share my story with the rest of you...I've been taking 225 ml of Effexor since 8-05 and the only thing it has done for me is add on pounds that I don't need! My doctor has added 10 ml of Lexapro to the mix and I need to take Rozerem to sleep. I made a decision a few days ago to just STOP the pills. I feel like I'm trying to recover from a weekend drunk, and my heart feels like it's missing beats. I'm only 5'2 and have no room for anymore weight, not to mention a closet full of clothes that no longer fit. If anyone has a suggestion about what my next move should be please share.
Funny, I went to see the doc because of fatigue, I was and still am VERY tired, so because I'm tired they decided I must be depressed. I guess if you hear it long enough you believe it and now I have more pills on hand then my pharmacy!
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cdp
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I just found this page...I've been slowly weaning myself from effexor xr: 2 x 75mg/day. I began weaning very slowly--dropped one pill a week; then a couple less per week; then every other day; then 1 x 75mg a day; then reduced that slowly...and I'm in the middle of one horrible two week period. Even slowly reducing the amount taken, with my last pill taken a week ago, my side effects are horrendous: headache, dizziness, vertigo (literally spinning), nausea, electric shocks, insomnia, sweats, etc. The good side to the drug was that it leveled me out--got me through the two years of marital separation and soon divorce. No weight gain (actually helped me lose the 25-30lbs. gained on paxil--from back in mid-90s). The sexual side effects were there, but I'm beginning to feel "sexy" again. It's been a long time.
Any suggestions, rcommendations, projections as to how long I can expect this sick feeling from withdrawal??? Sounds like these last three weeks may continue??? But I must agree with one of the comments, now that I'm in the middle of it, I will NOT take another effexor!!!
ALERT: I started Straterra last fall for a couple of weeks for AHADD, and became suicidal (that's when my doctor increased my effexor from 1x75mg to 2x75mg). So if any of you decide to try that drug, please be alert to suicidal thoughts. There were no residual withdrawal symptoms. My doctor told me to stop taking it, and by the next day, my mood was back to normal.
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cdp
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Kelli wrote: <quoted text>
C-Man, No other than going from the 150 back to my beginning dose of 75mg and then yes, cold turkey! I thought about tapering down as you mentioned but everyone that tapered vs cold turkey speaks of the exact same withdrawal symptoms. Now that I am on day 5 (I think)I just cannot fathom going back to just go through this 5 day hell all over again. This is an insane drug and it really helps to talk to someone who has been there, my kids think I am Sybil or some crazy bi@@#ch right now I'm sure, they are just smart enough not to voice it too loudly I guess,:) the funny thing is that right now other than having to part the fog just to read the computer screen I feel pretty good, who knows what the next hour holds though. Thanks for listening. Are you drug free yet? I'm trying to get off effexor too. Wondering if I can expect to feel "normal" anytime soon. Last pill taken about a week ago.
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jeff
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Kelli wrote: let me tell you my effexor story. I suffered severe post pardum depression which it completely worked great for me, 60 pounds later and no sex drive and no emotions to show for anything I thought it was time to "be normal" again so I have stopped taking my effexor xr 75mg. What a freakin nightmare, this drug is so complete addictive and the withdrawals are horrendious! Never again will I put myself thru this poision, there are so many Class Action Suits against the makers of this drug Wyethe because of lack of information they tell you about the withdrawal process. I beg anyone not to take this poision and find something better than any type of SSRI med. I will continue with a list of side effects:
My first symptom has been these crazy brain zaps that go from my head to my teeth and out my fingertips. It feels almost as though I have put my tongue into an outlet and been shocked. its a very unsetteling feeling. I have very vivid dreams that feel angry. Today my head is spinning so bad that i feel as if I could fall off the world, I could puke at any moment and I am so aggitated I could kill. I am pissed off at the way the grass is growing today!I cant eat, sleep well, and from everything I have read from others this is only the beginning! I can expect to feel this way for at least a month or more, some have for up to six months. Try it, skip 2-3 doses and see how bad this shit is for you! Not addictive though....good luck, cant say you have not been warned. my girlfriend is back on effexor, no sex drive, hates the world, tired all the time. are there any good side effects?? oh, and adderall, what a combo, the dr. that prescribed these ought to be put in jail. i forgot they get big kickbacks from drug comps....allll $$$$$$$ sadddddd...
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