I have been on Effexor for a week, I understand it takes a couple of weeks to kick in but I must say I am not encouraged by all the posts I have found on this drug.
Has anyone had great success with Effexor? It seems like all the posts are people trying to get off of it.
I have gone down the Paxil route a few years ago and the withdrawals were horrible, I swore I would never do that again. Since then I have been on Prozac 3 times but it stopped working.
I went to a Psychiatrist (first time ever) for drug advice and he suggested Zoloft with Wellbutrin. The Zoloft did nothing (except make me lose hair), the Wellbutrin seemed scary as there are too many stories about psychotic incidents when mixing Wellbutrin with alcohol (something the doctor should have mentioned).
I went to a second psychiatrist and he suggested Effexor. I need something desperately, which is why I am willing to undergo another Paxil nightmare if I eventually decide to go off of it, but no one seems to say anything positive about it.
My brother is on it for sleep. A light dose half of a pill 15 mg (?) It works for him, He does report wil dreams If he isses a dose for three days he is very high strung/ Hope that helps. a bit.
Note to self: ask God what His plans are, for me, for the day. .
Sonya. Even though most the posts on here are about withdrawals, it is mostly found that Effexor actually works, really well infact. I have been on citolopram and effexor, and effexor worked so much better. Be careful about skipping a dose though, it has an extrememly short half life and withdrawal symptoms are quick to kick in. That is one of the main problems with it. That and the fact it is very easy to depend on it. I personally decided to come off it because I didn't want chemicals controlling my life anymore. That is not to say you are weak, I just wanted to try it on my own for a while. I would advise against effexor personally because of the bad withdrawals and the lasting effects it can have, but the truth is it works well when taken properly.
Reffexor and Stigmastomper, thanks for the comments.
After two weeks I stopped Effexor because it was obviously causing pretty severe alcohol cravings. That appears to be a problem with quite a few that have taken effexor. Not feeling so hot from the withdrawls (was on zoloft before) but it is not too bad, not after 2 weeks.
I think I will give Citalopram a shot next, I haven't read anything bad about it and I am seeking a generic, just have to motivate myself to find a gp and get the script.
But thanks for the feedback, and if you hear about people drinking more on Effexor it seems to be quite common, in a few years maybe studies will be published on it and then it will be public knowledge.
Effexor has turned me into an alcoholic. I have been on it for two years and I crave alcohol daily. I am also on a very low dose, but it doesn't seem to matter. I crave the alcohol anyway. It was not until today that I read about Effexor causing the alcohol cravings. All this time I thought I was an alcoholic. Plus, Effexor is difficult to get off of, but I did it in May this year, was off of it for a month and DID NOT crave alcohol!!! But I still had a lot of anxiety so I went back on Effexor. I made a doctor's appointment today to find something to help me that is NOT effexor. Acutally, I will research on this website what drug I should get prescribed because it's true...doctor's don't know about these side effects. Thanks to this website for saving me from my alcohol problem...being EFFEXOR!!!
Hi tuki, I went through the same thing. As soon as I was prescribed effexor, my alchohol consumption went through the ceiling...I never put two and two together until just now. My mother takes effexor and it helps her tremendously...but she has major depression and is not bipolar. Effexor was not good for me. I've just started wellbutrin, again, and am being very cautious. Thanks for that post...I will never even look at effexor again let alone take it. Best of luck, and I hope you keep posting. Linda
HI I have just gone back onto Exfor after a 2 year break, prior to that I was on It for 7 years with out much trouble, I did not like coming of It lousy withdrawals did that bit In hospital. I guess different pills for different people, It can take a while to find the right mix but once you do life can have a better meaning. good luck Richard
Effexor has wonderful medicine and has amazing results for some patients but it creates alcohol craving in some people. We should always take medicine on our doctor advise https://www.toppaperwritingservice.com/review-essayhave-com/ is a place where you easily know the side effect of any medicine.
Effexor -- Does anyone have anything good to say?
Posted - 09/11/2009 : 11:39:48
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