DOSE:

225 mg

oral

Pharms - Venlafaxine

(daily)

BODY WEIGHT:

80 kg

Around one year ago, after a serious suicide attempt which left me in hospital for a week, I decided to finally bite the bullet and go to my Doctor to tell him about my depression. I had been drinking fairly heavily, had quit my job, and had started to have dizzy spells which I later found out were actually panic attacks. I was initially prescribed Fluoxetine (Prozac), but that didn't seem to agree with me... making me feel very uncomfortable and restless... so I was put on Effexor, which didn't seem so bad at first. Having read the notes in the packet I was aware of the possible side effects, but since I was quickly feeling much less depressed I reckoned that a little nausea and a decreased sex drive was a reasonable price to pay. Things were looking up, but not for long.

After a short time on this medication I began to have very vivid dreams. Every night these dreams seemed to last for ever, becoming more and more complex and disturbing. I would often wake up in the morning in a state of utter confusion, sometimes in a panic, sometimes downright terrified. It has now become difficult to distinguish my dreams from events in everyday life, and I am scared to go to sleep at night.

Of course, I have spoken to my doctor and my counsellor about this, but since I am less depressed than before, they aren't keen for me to stop taking Effexor for the foreseeable future. I also have a feeling that Effexor will present more problems for me when I eventually stop taking it, since I get some very strange sensations if I happen to miss a dose. This seems to be something to do with the central nervous system, since it feels like my brain and spine are being electrocuted.

All in all, I think Effexor certainly helps fight depression, but maybe the side effects are too big a price to pay.

Exp Year: 2003	ExpID: 26996
Gender: Male
Age at time of experience: Not Given
Published: Jul 12, 2010	Views: 5,504
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Pharms - Venlafaxine (191) : Depression (15), Medical Use (47), Not Applicable (38)