((((((Lisa)))))),

You're taking Effexor -- that's chemically the same as Cymbalta.

Sounds like it works that same for you as it did for me. *NOT*!! I actually got kicked out of the clinical trials a couple of years ago 'cause it didn't do a darn thing for the depression. But, it worked fantastically on my pain.

I wanted to take prozac in addition to the effexor -- I was told by the researchers that it was OK to do that.

I went to a new shrink a couple of months ago. This Fall was particularly bad for me because last month was the 40th anniversary of my Brother's suicide. Those "even" years hit hard for some reason. I didn't even realize that was why I was slipping into depression again.

I went to a new shrink. She upped my Effexor -- even though I didn't want to; I wanted the prozac "in addition to". The high dose of Effexor was like taking speed. I couldn't sleep at all. I was up all night and only took naps in the daytime. That was bad for my fibromyalgia -- because you HAVE TO sleep well or the pain gets worse.

So ... for one month of taking the maximum dose of Effexor XR, it took me about 6 weeks to ramp down to the lower dosage and get all my "insides" back to "normal"

If you've got good pain relief from the Effexor, you might want to talk with one of your doctors about adding one prozac per day. The Effexor has two chemicals in it -- one is the same as the prozac -- so you're getting a lower dosage of that particular drug. If you take the high dosage of Effexor, you're getting a lot of adrenaline -- which is not great for mood leveling or for sleeping.

Talk to your doctor about ramping down the Effexor **SLOWLY** to the dose that you were taking before -- you can get horrendous withdrawal symptoms for months if you ramp down too fast. And ask to be put on one prozac in addition to the Effexor to see if that drug combination will work on your depression.

In the meantime, take care of yourself. Less *SHOULD DO* and less *MUST DO*. More *WANT TO DO*. Tea in china cups. Soup and sandwiches for dinner. Forget the housework. Grow some flowers or visit a flower shop. Treat yourself **SUPER SPECIAL** 'til you get a handle on this. Then you can ramp down to just treating yourself *SPECIAL*

Hugs.

Barb