Problems with friend taking EFFEXOR XR helppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp?

Question

Hi there

We are foreigners working in Mexico on a show, our best friend is on 1 tablet of EFFEXOR XR per day.

She eats only one bowl of poridge per day and one yogurt, then dances in one to three shows per day (Alot of excersize) and lives on eating huge amounts of sweets. She was also taking Nicorette 15mg for 1 week, and also taking Dulcolax (Natural constipation laxative)

The last week or so she has been comkplaining about not sleeping and heart pulpitating, she told us this medication was to control her heart from not getting anxiety attacks and for her split personality and depression disorders.. After reading here it seems that this isn't really for the heart, and more for anti depression (These medications normally raise blood pressue making heart beat faster??????)

Anyway now she is causing a big drama with her family, and everyone is scared thinking she is going to have a heart attack, is this possible... And also if so would this be because she is not eating, she

Answer 1

Efexor can cause the symptoms you describe, that is heart palpatations, increased blood pressure, decreased appetite. It can also cause convulsions and death in overdose.

Efexor can also cause "mania" in a small percentage of patients. It sounds like your friend could be suffering from this. It would explain her reduced need to sleep and reduced appetite. Although, you would obviously need a professional consult to confirm this.

I would suggest switching her over to an SSRI like sertaline, if she hasnt tried this before. It has relatively fewer major complications such as those found with SNARIs like efexor, and is generally quite good in treating depression and anxiety.

I must stress that if you do decide to change her medication, that it is done under medical supervision. Antidepressants have to be gradually reduced, they cannot be stopped suddenly, as sometimes they can cause terrible symptoms worse than the side effects experienced whilst actually on the medication.

Good Luck

Answer 2

I would be worried about her diet and her regular dulcolax more than the Effexor. Does she have an eating disorder, like Bulemia? By "Split Personality" you mean Dissociative Identity Disorder, right? Many people, one body? DID is what it is called here in the US. If she is regularly taking a laxative (no matter how natural), and her diet is off, she is probably malnurished, not enough vitamins and minerals, and she will pass out or have a heart attack if she does not get help.

Answer 3

Hi! You don't have to worry as much as you are. I've been taking Effexor for quite a while and I'll tell you as much as I know. First, it comes in many different dosages so taking "l" doesn't really tell us what strength it is. I take it three times a day - 175 mg for each one. See what I mean. I take it for ANXIETY issues as does your friend. That does not mean there is something the matter with her heart. She has panic attacks which makes you feel like your heart is racing, she could sweat, feel like she's not breathing...tons of different things but her heart is fine.
It does causes constipation as well as does sweets. So, that is probably why she is having those problems. She certainly is not eating enough for nutritional reasons and with all that exercise that could really mess up her system. That could influence the anti-depressant's effectiveness. She should be treating her body as well as her mind.
I think she really needs to be re-evaluated by a physician. It doesn't sound like the anxiety is anywhere near being under control. She might need to add a medication, like Buspar, that is mainly for anxiety problems. In any case, she is not helping herself by the way she is treating her body. Talk her into seeking additional help but don't worry it shouldn't be her heart.

Answer 4

Well, this is a lot of information to take in. First of all, her lack of appetite could be due to the medication itself. They often cause weight gain or weight loss. I honestly do not believe that she is on the correct medication at all. If she has more problems than depression, this one drug alone with not help all of her other symptoms/problems. This medication is not for split personality as far as I know. I use to take it for depression and it is actually pretty mild and some people react to medicines differently. I suggest she see a psychiatrist and be complete honest about all of her issues. If she has seen one and he/she only prescribed her this and knew about her other issues, then she needs to find a different doctor. She really should be evaluated again very soon to get the help she really needs. Stress and anxiety can cause a lot of physical problems. So she may need a specific nerve medicine to help with that. More than likely she will put on more than one medication and effexor with not treat all of these problems. I hope she sees a doctor soon. Good luck.

Answer 5

She has mental illness, that is what the effexor is for. Mental illness can affect peoples way of handling and dealing with things, her heart palipatations can be from anxiety which is a form of mental illness, but it can also be from poor eating habits. The body is a machine that needs to be fueled properly to function, it doesn't sound like she is eating the proper things to perform the way she does. Her problems with her family sounds pretty typical, she is under stress, causing sleeping problems, eating problems, anxiety, her mental health issues need to be addressed as soon as possible. Please encourage her in a loving way to get help now.

Answer 6

Ignore the idiot who claims to be trained above,
If she's taking Effexor then she won't have much appetite,
It causes vast energy spurts and heart palpitations,
She must avoid huge amounts of activity ie exercise and caffeine
Yes it's for depression and it's a form of prozac
It has the same affect as speed ie racing heart, dry mouth, restfulness,excessive energy, lack of appetite and grinding of teeth. { I was told this by a nurse }

Answer 7

Get her to see a physician

Answer 8

with that diet and those drugs, she's killing herself. tell her to smarten up before she dies.