I am on Effexor XR for depression?

Question

I have been taking Effexor XR for 2 weeks now I started at 37.5 mg's for the first week and Then the following week to 75 mg's all I do is sleep and it scares me I have no energy at all. I don't even feel like leaving the house! Has anyone had these experiences with this medication and please tell me what the Doctor or whoever prescribed them did for you did? Thanks soo much!

Answer 1

The depression might be making you more tired than usual. However, it might be a side effect of the medication. Many times..medication has to be adjusted in dosage or changed all together if the side effects aren't tolerable for the patient. Please speak to your prescribing doctor about this.

I had a client taking Effexor, and she often complained that she would have frequent sweating.

Answer 2

I had the SAME thing happen to me. I was on 75 mg and when I first started I slept for damn near 3 days. It was really hard to even get up. I switched to taking it at night and that was the only thing that finally helped me to start getting used to it so I could function throughout the day. I was on it for about months, during which time I had an increase to 150 mg. That really made me a zombie so I went back down to 75mg, before stopping the medication altogether. I had entirely no energy while on the Effexor, and while I did stop going off on people as often, I was still very depressed. I actually felt better when I came off of the medicine. The only problem was I came off cold turkey which you are not supposed to do, and the first 3 days or so I had really horrible mood swings!!! But then my energy came back...some of it anyway! I am not on any meds right now because I feel like they have so many side effects without really helping you feel much better. I have tried Zoloft too, and I felt it did absolutely nothing.

Answer 3

Two weeks really isn't long enough to give an anti-depressant a chance to start working properly. If you can, give it another two weeks and see how you feel. There are four main types of anti-depressant that work in different ways. It may be that Effexor XR is not the best choice for you but that isn't the doctor's fault, there's no way of telling until you take them. You have to go back to the doctor and tell him/her how you feel. More than likely he/she will change you to a different type of antidepressant and the change will work for you.

Anti-depressants alone won't always help cure depression, sometimes a little 'self-help' is needed. I know it's very difficult but, if you can't actually talk and pour your heart out to someone then I suggest writing your feelings down. Get a new, clear notepad or book and start writing, in detail, about how you feel - firstly about yourself, then others. This is an immensely useful tool and works the same as talking to someone because as soon as the feeling is on the page, it is out of you. It doesn't matter if you never show it to anyone, you can even write nasty things about other people! Use it for YOU!

Take care, if I could, I'd hug you x

Answer 4

Over the last five years I had begun to have increasingly withdraw into a downward spiral of depression..

But now with the method I can fully focus my energy and thoughts into a decisive line on how to make my life better constantly. And it works like magic! I'm beginning to attract people to me once again and things have just been looking up since then.

Helping you eliminate depression?

Answer 5

Have you told your doctor about this? Many times patients are afraid to properly communicate with their doctors out of fear that they will ignore them or something. Doctors are not mind readers. They rely on their patients to tell them how they feel on certain drugs. Perhaps if you told your doctor how tired you are he or she will be able to adjust your dosage. Everybody's body is different and so is our chemistry. What drug may work for you may not work for me and vica versa. Sometimes a patient may think they are guinea pigs when it comes to psych drugs. In many cases we kinda are. But it is not meant to hurt you and or confuse you, doctors are trying to see what may work or not.

Medications alone may not be enough for you with your depression. Are you actively involved with a counselor or other therapist? Talking and venting your feelings and situations can help you to become more aware of what you are depressed about and together with your meds, this treatment can be more effective and help you feel better.

I took Effexor and I felt ok for a little while, but then my chemistry make up denied it's benefits in other words I became immuned to it. I later was placed on Cymbalta and now I am a happier more evened out person.

I hope you feel better soon!

Answer 6

Hi there. I am currently on this medication at the 112.5mg dose. My experience with this medication has been good. I have found that at times where my dose has been increased or decreased I become quite tired.
While depressed it certainly can be hard to wait on things, though it is at times necessary to do so when waiting for medications to kick in and be effective. If you are finding the side-effects and/or your depression to be intolerable be sure to contact your doctor about it and tell him/her that something needs to change.

Answer 7

I have tried everything for deppression. Effexor has various side effects. I use Zoloft and I feel alot better

Answer 8

I did not enjoy myself at all on that pill!!! Was basically a zombie, had hot flushes, got chilblain and thought aliens were after me! Also had a friend who didnt react well to them!

Answer 9

Ask your physcian for another drug their are ones that do not make you tired