Effexor XR Mild Depression, Clean Slate, Bad Spell, Depressed State, Effexor
I am 32 yr old male who has battled mild depression off and on, that at it's worse causes me to basically not be able to function or focus, and spend the day in bed. I have taken Zoloft in the past, off and on, but then it seemed that it no longer has the same affect it first did (maybe because it got switched to generic since the first time) and so after stopping it in December '08, and after a recent very bad spell of depression recently, my doctor and I decided I should try something new. He prescribed Effexor. I started at 75mg and went up to 150mg which I've been on for the last 6 months or so. As far as being on the drug, it has been great with no noticeable side effects at all. I easily got myself out of that depressed state and back to "normal". So the drug does what it is supposed to do, for me, keeping me from getting those lows that may spiral into a prolonged depression spell. ... more »
I am 32 yr old male who has battled mild depression off and on, that at it's worse causes me to basically not be able to function or focus, and spend the day in bed. I have taken Zoloft in the past, off and on, but then it seemed that it no longer has the same affect it first did (maybe because it got switched to generic since the first time) and so after stopping it in December '08, and after a recent very bad spell of depression recently, my doctor and I decided I should try something new. He prescribed Effexor. I started at 75mg and went up to 150mg which I've been on for the last 6 months or so. As far as being on the drug, it has been great with no noticeable side effects at all. I easily got myself out of that depressed state and back to "normal". So the drug does what it is supposed to do, for me, keeping me from getting those lows that may spiral into a prolonged depression spell.
However, after having read the side effects that occur when coming off the drug, as well as my own experiences when simply missing a dosage by a few hours, I personally decided to get myself off the drug for hope that there is something better out there that won't mean a hellish period if I were to come off of it. This, coupled with exercising more, and discovering I have sleep apnea so that there may be a correlation between getting terrible sleep each night (which I can now fix) and my depression, lead me to want to get back to a "clean slate" with any drugs for depression. So I started by doing an every other day dosage of the 150mg. The first day off was pretty bad, as I got the dizzy, foggy brained, head spins that everyone has experienced, but also was wired that night and unable to sleep hardly at all. Within a few hours of taking the next day's dosage, it was gone. Then the next off-day, was again a mess, but a little bit less so.. and soon by the 3rd off day of the first week I was able to pretty much make it through the day without the spins. So that's where I am now, about to try to go 1 day dosage, 2 days off, so I'm fully expecting a terrible week. The thing that must be realized in this, is that not only do you have that off day hell, where you really can't do anything or be a normal person, you continue that until you actually take the next day's dosage. So really I've only had small blocks of time during this weening off procedure where I have been feeling good and close to my normal self. I wouldn't say that the depression is back or anything, but it is simply those side effects mentioned that have kept me pretty much grounded. I'm hoping that I can get myself off it before I would need to refill my prescription, but I'm going to be cautious to make sure I don't just jump off of it too quickly.
My recommendation for anyone looking to find something for their seasonal or mild depression, is to look elsewhere. The results of actually taking the medications are positive as they did what they are supposed to do, but I don't believe the side effects when missing a dose (if only for a few hours) or when having to come off the drug, are worth it. There are likely other, less severe, drugs or methods to deal with your depression. And trust me, this is coming from someone who has been in those down days or weeks where you can barely get yourself out of bed to eat, and knows he's needs "something" to right his ship.
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