My doctor prescribed Effexor for me today, but before taking my first tablet I've been trying to find out as much as possible about the medication.

The following statement on one of the websites has me quite concerned. Could somebody please clarify this for me?

...one very rare side effect, which Effexor's manufacturer calls "withdrawal syndrome", is that the patient, once acclimatized to Effexor, is unable to discontinue taking the drug. With this discontinuation effect apparently permanent, the patient is "hooked for life".

Hello again. (Posted on one of your other threads.)

Hadn't heard of this side-effect. But I can tell you my expirience.

Was diagnosed with depression about a year before the MS showed up. Was put on Paxil by my PCP.
Neuro switched me to Prozac. Bad idea. Had to go back to Paxil.

Fast forward to the car wreck. Quizzed my doc at the time about OCD and what I felt was OCD. He puts me on the Effexor. BUT! Small dose gradually increased and I was weaned off the Paxil over a week or two. So I was taking both for a short time. Transition period, I guess.

Only took Effexor for maybe a month or so because I saw no difference in it from the Paxil. So I talk to my PCP again, transition back to Paxil.

My point? I'm getting to it.

ADs are tricky business. Many ADs can actually give you suicidal thoughts and actions as a side effect. And here they're supposed to fix that specific issue! The very popular Prozac that I mentioned earlier did just that to me. Suicidal thoughts/tendencies.

But as far as being "hooked" on Effexor? I've never heard of it. But that's just me. I do feel that listing ALL POSSIBLE side effects on drugs is more a chance for the company to cover their butt from lawsuits than sincere concern for our health. But again, that's just me.

---FYI, Moose is not a doctor nor ever played one on the TV.

*One thing I've noticed about ex drunks and drug addicts... we can NOT give a short answer to a simple question. Sorry.

Hooked for life is rather extreme...

It can be hard to discontinue it...many but not all have problems in that regard (it is like Cymbalta only Cymbalta has liver toxicity as well).

It typically takes months (around 6months) to get to the difficulty stage for discontinuance.

Some people sweat alot on Effexor, and quit. Others get nausea/diarrhea etc and quit. But some people do well on it.

Discontinuing may take months, and involves a careful taper.

All of the drugs we have today which have effects on receptors have trade offs. None of them work the same way in everyone, because everyone differs in the ratios of neurotransmitters genetically given. That makes using these new drugs a complex deal, and hard to predict for individuals.

Hi Koala....I am on effexor and have been for about 4 years or so maybe 5.
I went on it to help me stay sober. I was having alot of anxiety and was afraid I would handle it by drinking if I did not get it under control so I went to see my doctor.
He did not tell me about the difficulties I could have if I ever wanted to go off of it. He did not tell me I could also gain alot of weight(something that creats anxiety in me!)
I have to admit the effexor has worked...it sort of flatlined me....anxiety was nil. HOWEVER....
It has been over a year...I have struggled to get off of the meds...I have went from 112 mg a day down to 371/2mg per day. It has been very very difficult.
The side effects of withdrawl from effexor have been tremendous....in my head...confusion....noises and alot of anxiety.
If I could go back and try something different I would in a heartbeat. It has been a very difficult road the last year while tapering off of it.
I would not go on it Koala...that is just my personal opinion from my own experience. Apparantly some people it works for but I would do more research.
I would hate to see you have to go thru the suffering of withdrawl.

Thank you Mrsd, Moose and Dorrie.

I haven't taken that first dose yet because I'm still reading up on the medication, and I'm not overly impressed with all those nasty side effects.

I have found lots of sites to check into. Even the company that makes the pills has their own website with a secret password ("recovery") just for people who take the tablets. Let me know if you want this website and it's all your's!

It's hard enough being given a diagnosis of depression out of the blue without all this extra stuff with the medication as well.

I just want to say thank you for replying to my question, but after reading your replies, I think I'll hold off....at least for now.

.........

There are other avenues you can explore that are easier on your body, and you can save the big guns like Effexor for last.

Recently there has been data coming out that LOW VIT D causes depression. Studies were done with people using light therapy. Those doing light therapy + D did much better than those doing light therapy alone.
more here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...051603349.html

Speaking of light therapy... I have been using this myself in the winters with great success now for 2 winters. I don't seem to need it in summer. I have a visor and only need 1/2 hour per day.

The amino acid l-tryptophan and Vit B6 are involved with serotonin synthesis too...you can try those.
500mg-1000mg of l-tryptophan at night and up to 50mg of B6 might be helpful for you.

That's interesting about the Vit D Mrsd and I thank you for that.

My neuro checked my Vit D level last year and found it quite low so I've been taking oral supplements ever since. I also started Actonel a few month ago for osteoporosis and that came with Vit D, so even if I wasn't already on it before I'd have to take it now with the bone meds.

I haven't taken Vit B in any form for a number years, but that's something else I could look into.

I'll look at the site you suggested but I'll hold off on the Efexor for now. I really appreciate you taking the time to reply to my question, and I thank you very much.

I was on Effexor a few years ago. My doctor put me on it because it not only was designed to work on depression but on anxiety as well. I have to say that it did work on both just fine. I had never been calmer in all my life.

However, the one side effect that I had was that I virtually lost my short term memory. I would do things at work and not remember doing them. I would put things places (like my boss's paycheck) and not remember where I put them. I would not remember whole conversations. The list is endless.

I had no trouble quitting. In fact, one day, I just quit. No taper, no nothing. In a matter of days my short memory came back and all was good. It was then I moved onto Prozac.

Please Anne, if you do not want to take Effexor, that is fine but please look into an alternative. There are so many ADs out there that I am sure you can find to your liking. Clinical depression is not something that should be handled alone. It usually does not get better and it can get mighty hard to get yourself back to a good place without help.

Please do not wait too long. I am worried for you.