I went to see my family doc. about a week ago to see how I am doing on Effexor. I told him I feel a little bit better (I have only been on it for 3 weeks today). I am feeling very depressed again. Should I call him and ask to up my doseage? I am on 75mg daily. Or should I just give it more time since I have only been on it for 3 weeks? I can't afford to see a shrink right now. I am lucky to pay for my medications. please help!!!!!!!!!
Angel
2006-09-06 06:41:11 · 7 answers · asked by Angel G 2 in Health ➔ Mental Health
hay i hope your ok i know how you feel as i have suffered from depression and still am i self harm when i cant cope for 5 yeasr which is bad so plase dont try that i am a med student (not a doc yet) i have wrote you some imformation on effexor and hope it helps.How does EFFEXOR XR work?
EFFEXOR XR is thought to work by affecting 2 naturally occurring brain chemicals, serotonin and norepinephrine. This helps relieve your symptoms. It may take several weeks for your symptoms to get better with EFFEXOR XR. to feel the full benefits. try to be patient it takes time to feel better and for the medication to start to work.
even when you start feeling better dont stop taking them because it is the tablets that make you feel your not depressed and you will think you dont need them and as soon as you stop taking them u will fall back into dpession. i have done that tinking i dont need to take my medication now because i feel better when its the tablets that making me feel better.it also is dangers to just stop taking them you need to slowly come off them because your boby becomes depentant on them and if you just stop you will start to feel bably depessed when your doc feels its best for you to come off the he will decreasing your dose bit by bituntill your body can cope without the drug.
it is important to tell all your symptoms to your doc. what wold be best is to monitor your progress in a dairy write down symtoms,side effects and how you feel day to day.
taking this medication
i hope your not a teenager as this medication is not approved fro them.you should be watched closely for sings that your condition is getting worst or that you ae becoming suicidal. esecialy when dose is increased or decreased. symotoms should be reported such as agitated,irritable,hostile, impulsive or retless. avioid drinking and driving
your doc should be monitering your blood presure as effexer may raise blood pressure.
if you dont see any chage in how you feel in 8 weeks tell your doc and he should put you on 150mg that is the highe dose 75mg what your on is the standard dose.
like i said give it time but if you feel that you cant cope and you start feeling worst see your doc stright away thats what i done because i could not cope wile wating for my medication to work and my doc told me other ways i can cope like going out with your friend and not staying in i know its hard to go out and have fun and all you want to do is stay in bed but just try and keep busy. the doc would not put you on a higher dose untill you have give it 8 weeks.
if you need to talk as i have been through it and still am e maile me at mrbluesheep@yahoo.com
i hope things work out for you and you need to talk about how you feel to some one becasue it helps.
from lisa
ps. sorry about any bad spelling and if i ahve gone on a bit am just tired
2006-09-06 09:12:03 · answer #1 · answered by help 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Effexor is a very good anti-depressent. After 3 weeks time you should not feel depressed. However 75mg a day is a relatively small dose of Effexor. You should tell your doctor exactly how you are feeling and ask him if he could up the dosage to 150mg daily. I guarentee you will feel better with 150mg. Also, if you ever go off Effexor, do NOT do it cold turkey, you must ween off this med.
2006-09-06 13:46:30 · answer #2 · answered by ROSS K 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I was on Effexor for a few months and like you, I felt a little bit better at first but then started feeling really depressed, suicidal, and just shitty. My doctor decided to wean me off of Effexor slowly and boy did I have withdrawl!!!! I was out of work for a week and felt like I was floating most of the time. I hate this drug and think it's very dangerous. Be careful.
2006-09-06 13:45:26 · answer #3 · answered by italiana2683 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
U know, antidepressant take atleast six weeks to work, because of something called blood brain barriers, that act as security gates to prevent any foriegn bodies to enter the brain.
So just hang on, join some social groups and exercise alone, this will help the neurons to release neurotransmitters to help u become active again. It will take some time but i guess at this point u can cry its a part of the conditon and be with a friend u can confide in and just hold tight.
2006-09-06 13:51:33 · answer #4 · answered by weirdoonee 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You really have to see or at least talk to a dr to regulate your meds. It can be dangerous to take something that is not working for you. It may need to be changed. I'm speaking from personal experience. I had a traumatic event in my life, & was in therapy for a while. She tried about 3 before I found one that worked for me.
2006-09-06 13:46:57 · answer #5 · answered by shermynewstart 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Give it a couple of more weeks and you should know for sure how you feel...I would call him and voice my concerns, he should be able to tell you exactly how long it takes to work..or you could even call your pharmacist.
2006-09-06 13:49:37 · answer #6 · answered by MotherKittyKat 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
go to mall and spend money
2006-09-06 13:43:30 · answer #7 · answered by jamietogood 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋