Waves,

1. Crazy meds hates Effexor becuause of the discontination syndrome, sayingMaybe I should guide pdoc to something else like

2. maybe low dose Trazodone or Prozac.


I was on Prozac with disastrous results but my pdoc at the time probably had me on a high dose. I like that Prozac is easy to discontinue and that it does not usually cause weight gain.

I know very little about Trazodone except that it seems to be considered a mild-ish antidpressant. . . . also that is causes sleepiness and weight gain.

I am inclined to try the prozac at very low dose.

M.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nB-xqDZbEVQ

For you, maybe prozac at a very low dose is the reasonable answer.
trazadone, I have heard being used for sleep....
I too have heard that about effexor.....
prozac made me manic, though I don't remember the dose, maybe 20 mg????
I am so glad that you feel some relief from the meeting....
bizi

tradazone did nothing for me...not even helped me to sleep
bobby

Trazodone helps me sleep, unless I'm manic.

I've heard that effexor is very hard to d/c, but there's no forseeable threat of that for me.

Definitely ask for other options if you're uneasy, Mari. It sounds like a good plan to me

yes, i too have read arduous tales regarding discontinuation of Effexor.

Discontinuation syndrome with Effexor is very much context-related. The degree to which it occurs depends on how long you've been on the med, and the dosage taken. So, if you tried it for a short while, and say it didn't work out, discontinuation is NOT going to be a big problem.

You've had a bad experience with Prozac, and it has a long half-life (not a med you can change levels of quickly). so, while trying it again at a low dose seems reasonable, it would not be my first choice. rather than re-trying it, i'd perhaps prefer to suggest you trying Zoloft - it being a total unknown but EASILY-pilotable SSRI, as opposed to Prozac - bad history with you, and long half-ilfe (not so easily pilotable.... gotta wait it out...)

i too cannot do all SSRIs... Paxil makes me MANIC - at BEST!!!...... i had HORRIFIC problems with it (manic once, EPS another time, psychomotor crisis at lower dose... nasty nasty...)

But Zoloft, in the right dose at the right time, i can do....... i mean i am taking a pretty hefty dose of it right now, without even a moodstabilizer. and i have another friend who is bipolar, who has also done that.

Have you ever tried Zoloft? The trick in investigating it is to start it slooooow. in your case, i'd actually recommend, if you try it, stepping it up by only 12.5 mg per week (half a 25mg pill) - this is what my first pdoc did with me, the first time i took it to evaluate my reaction.

the nice thing about Zoloft is it has a very convenient half life (~ a day) such that you can cut back on it quick if you have problems..... ie.... skipping a dose, you can halve blood level in 1 day.

Effexor did not agree with me, but that does not mean it won't agree with you. The problems i had with it were not so much activation, but specifically, night sweats, light sleep, sleep paralysis. we are all different and there is NO reason to think you'd have these same problems.

so you could try out the Effexor. again, the discontinuation nightmare is not something of anywhere near immediate concern.

~ waves ~

Thank you everyone.
Your input is helping me.

I called my sister to ask her about her history of anti-depressants:

1. Prozac caused Trichotillomania

2. a tricyclic

3. an maoi that she took for a year.

4. either Zoloft or Paxil in 1996 -- she can't remember which med.
I remember she had G I problems from whichever one it was.

5. 150 Wellbutrin for the past year. Doing fine.

Prozac stinks for both of us and Wellbutrin works for both of us.


Thanks, Waves,

I'm going to ask the pdoc about Effexor and Zoloft.

He spoke about Effexor the last time I saw him because he was talking about how the SNRIs work.
(I read that the NR effect of Effexor only works at high doses and I plan on taking a lose dose so I don't know how that works.)

Maybe he is willing to have a plan A and a plan B so that we can be ready to move on to B if A does not work.

But first I need to to start me at tiny doses. That requires him to write scripts differently . . . .
. . . . . whatever med he selects. . . . we will spend most of our time talking about titrating up.


M.

I am glad that you had your sister to discuss this with! very glad.
bizi

Hi, Bizi,
Pdoc talked a little about Celexa And Effexor.
Then he gave me Effexor.

He gave me 37.5 Effexor to start.


M.

hi Mari.

good luck with the Effexor.

is the 37.5 mg in a single daily dose, or divided?

i hope that is low enough...

i read it should be taken with food, and went to look up why. apparently food slows absorption, but does not cause you to absorb more or less of it.

Pharmacokinetics and effect of food on the bioavailability of orally administered venlafaxine

i hope this drug helps you.

~ waves ~