effexor...... - Interstitial Cystitis Network Support Forum

Bea · 03-31-2004, 08:43 AM

Anyone try this.. does it help.. what are the side effects....

please help... I am so confused.. I would love something that works...

hugs

Dixiefireball · 03-31-2004, 02:37 PM

sorry i dont know your answers i have never tried it but hopefully someone will be by shortly with some answer for you.
sending you hugs and prayers
Rhonda

Julie Smith · 03-31-2004, 05:56 PM

Yes, I was on for a few years before ic and it helped a lot. I DIDn't gain wt. on it. I'm now on paxil bc pain dr. said good results without weight gain. I've gained 30 pounds this yr.(since diagnosis) and am miserable. Am sure lack of exercise which I did 4-6x wk. doesn't help.

I know I must eat healthy to loose and it's just not happenning. I guess that's the least of my problems now. Although, I am vain, single and pretty miserable about this weight.

Teri · 04-01-2004, 02:13 AM

Julie~the paxil packs on the pounds. I didn't realize it until I went off of it and dropped 20lbs in a very short amount of time. So, don't be so hard on yourself.....it's the dang pills

Teri · 04-01-2004, 02:15 AM

Bea~effexor made me massively hyper. Everyone has their own way of handling the SSRI's so you can't go by just me.....hopefully you will get other replies

ICchell · 04-01-2004, 03:09 AM

for me the paxil worked good and didnt cause me to gain weight.at the time tho,i was a health finatic and working out daily.i felt that the paxil did help to lift my depression .i h ave heard of "paxil CR' that is supposed to stay in your system longer or something
good luck in finding the right medicine for you
P.S. I know people that have been on effexor and wellbutrin and they say that it works well for them.
Who knows,everyone respnds different
Hugs,Michelle

I hope you do feel better soon!

MakinIT · 04-12-2004, 06:11 PM

Hi!

I was on Effexor for 2 years. I gained 30 pounds, (Can't entirely blame the drug...oink oink) and was "ok" on it. When I decided to go off, I was soooo miserable. I got very sick. It took me 6 mos to finally get off it. I was vomiting and had these wierd "brain jump or tingle" things...(Do a google search on Effexor side effects.) They (docs and the comp) say it's easy to get off of but I've heard of more than one person having a terrible time with it. I also started getting horrible daily migraines once I completely stopped. I stopped because I didn't like the feelings (above) I got when I forgot a dose. I also didn't realize what an impact on my wieght it had.

Have you considered Lexapro...? It's very nice because it has the same stuff but it is concentrated so you don't have the side effects, don't need to take as much. I only take 10mgs/day vs. 150 mgs on Effexor.

Good luck...Tracey

calmkiwi21 · 04-12-2004, 06:37 PM

I was on effexor for a short amount of time, but the side effects were really bad with me. I expierenced, extreme nervousness, insomnia, weakness, slowed thinking,mild anorexia and the feeling like I was on a different planet. The first week that I went off of it I had vomitting and also had brain tingles/jumps for the longest time. The other antidepressant I have been on before was Imipramine, which didn't have as bad side effects for me.
Take Care

From
Amy

ICchell · 04-13-2004, 09:28 AM

Oh yes,
Now after reading about the side effects of effexor...I knew someone that was on it,they did say that it made their brain feel weird...if they forgot to take a dose they felt sick...nauseous and dizzy.

"brain tingles",I know what you mean,I did experience this while on prozac long time ago.

janelle77362 · 04-13-2004, 11:37 AM

Bea,
I took Effexor for about a year before I was even diagnosed with IC and I refuse to even think about taking it again. Effexor made me crazy to say the least. I constantly felt like I was out of it and my memory was shot. I felt like I wasn't even myself anymore and demanded that my doctor take me off of the medicine. I feel like I even lost that year of my life because I was so spaced out I can't even remember that time in my life. Because of my experience with Effexor I was extremely nervous about taking antidepressants after I found out I had IC. But Elavil has worked fairly well for me and is not nearly as bad as Effexor.
Good luck to you and best wishes.

Janelle

MakinIT · 04-13-2004, 04:01 PM

Yes...I was discussing this with my counselor today...they want to put my Lexapro dosage up to 20mg perday...which is not such a big deal, that's the actual recommended dosage. The key difference in Effexor is that it also effects your norepinephrine uptake, as well as serotonin. Lexapro is an SSRI, while Effexor (and some others) are not...they are in a different class. Maybe that was the difference for me, and why I got so sick.

Bea, whatever you decide, remember that mostly people with bad experiences are going to respond to this thread. Do your research and don't just read the Effexor info page (The company Shtick) and WebMD...read what other people think, or medical journal pages say. I think I said once to do a Google search on Effexor and side effects....That's where I learned that my experience was not that unusual. I am doing much better on Lexapro, although I do still have my downs and anger. At least I can feel, and am not suffering those terrible side effects.

Tracey