Effexor (RX question)

[LilRalphieRoosmama]

Wow - I didn't realize those meds could cause weight gain. I'm not sure which kind DBF is taking but he has really packed it on and we didn't know why. He hasn't been eating any more than usual or doing anything else different. We just chalked it up to turning the big 50! I'll have to mention this to him.

 

[kdcrws]

Quote:
I lost at first then gained it ALLLLL back!

 

[luvarabhorses]

I've taken Effexor for about 10 years now. Effexor, like Lexapro, effects both brain receptors, Paxil only effects one. I moved from Paxil to Effexor. I like it a lot but over time I kept asking the doctor to up the dose. I finished out taking the maximum dose and started to notice some side effects, a lot of weight gain, memory problems etc... I didn't want to give it up though so I went through self imposed withdrawl- which is really really hard and I am back down to 1 1/2 per day versus 3. I feel much better.

Just wondering where you got it for $4? I pay $81 per month as a generic.


thanks much!!!

 

[sundance]

My DD and DGD are both on that. DD told me thaat it takes about 2 weeks for it to get fully into your system, and if you stop taking it it takes about the same to get out of your system.So we usually know when DGD has stopped taking her meds. I keep telling her its dangerous to cold turkey stop ANY meds. but grandma's don't know aNYTHING i GUESS.New keboard, and not really sure i l' like it. guess it takes geting used to it to. marrie

 

[Camelot Farms]

Rite Aid was where I got mine. They are near a WalMart and comp them. If WalMart charges 4$, then so will Rite Aid.

Thankgoodness!

 

[luvarabhorses]

Camelot,

Sorry to be a pest about this, but i can't find venlafaxine hcl on walmarts $4 list. Are you saying it is $4 after your insurance covers part of it? My insurance doesn't cover prescrips.


http://i.walmart.com/i/if/hmp/fusion/genericdruglist.pdf


thanks!!

 

[Camelot Farms]

Whoops. Yes, after RX coverage. I am sorry that I wasnt clear on that. I forget that my insurance happens to have a $4 tier.

 

[gritsar]

The way our nurse practioner explained the prestiq/effexor difference to me - the patent on effexor ran out, so generic forms could be manufactured. This meant that the maker of effexor (wyeth) could no longer charge a king's ransom for it. So, they changed the formulation of it just a tad and re-named it prestiq. It's how they keep making the big bucks on their drugs after the patent runs out.

My internist insists that no anti-depressant can cause weight gain. He says the only thing that causes weight gain while taking them is the action of moving the fork to your mouth too often.

My response to him is always the same. If the medication causes you such extreme hunger that you feel forced to eat to ease the hunger pains, what are you suppose to do?

 

[seminolewind]

It's common to feel loopy the first few days. My mom was on effexor for a few years before she spoke up about feeling tired all the time. She's been on zoloft for 15 years.
Antidepressants-some give you unwanted side effects, and sometimes you have to try a few before you find the right one. I hope you find that this one is going to be the right one.

 

[clport]

Camelot Farms: please, Please, PLEASE do a google search for "Effexor side effects" and read the millions of posts by people who have had nothing but trouble with this drug. I was on Effexor XR 150mg once daily for about 13 years. I felt really good after starting the medication for about 4 years (switched to that from Nortryptillne) . Then the weight gain, memorgy lapses, hot flashes, head zaps (felt like electrical shock when I turned my head too fast), irregular heartbeat, dizziness, drowsiness, etc. started. The side effects are horrible, but when you decide you want to stop taking Effexor, you will have withdrawls which must be as bad as getting off heroin. After figuring out that Effexor was the culprit for the absolutely horrible way I felt for years, I told my doc I wanted to switch to Welbutrin. While gradually increasing my dosage of Welbutrin, I started very gradually decreasing the dosage of Effexor. I was catatonic without the high dosage of Effexor that my body had become used to. I held out with the lower dose for three days. On the fourth day when my husband came home from work and I, sitting in my chair in the living room, sobbed as he came in the door "I'm so glad you're home!" and proceeded to completely have a meltdown, he immediately took me to my doctor and she raised the Effexor dosage again. There is no way to put into words how awful this drug is when you want to get off of it. AND THE DOCTORS AND THE DRUG COMPANY DON'T TELL YOU THIS WHEN IT IS FIRST PRESCRIBED FOR YOU! I don't know what kind of kick back the medical community gets from Wyeth Pharmaceutical, but it must be a whopper. After trying three more times to get off Effexor (even going so far as to count the number of little balls in the capsule and take one fewer each day...took me months to get to a lower dosage capsule!), I am finally down to the very lowest capsule Effexor XR comes in (15mg.). However, and this is big, when I have tried to stop taking the Effexor completely, even with such a small amount in my body, I still can't get past the withdrawl symptoms.

Do yourself a favor. Run really fast in the opposite direction from this drug. Tell your doctor you don't want it, please. I'd hate for someone else to go through what I have gone through with Effexor. I'd be happy to answer questions if you have any.

Take care,
Carol