Effexor Side Effects-please Tell Me It Goes Away

[falling]

I'm having the following side effects from Effexor that is making it very hard to get through the "transition" phase.
1. Dizzness
2. Drowsyness
3. Muscle weakness
4. sweating
5. Anxiety/Panic
6. Dry mouth
7. Headaches
8. Unable to concentrate
9. Feeling unable to talk freely/slurring words
10. feeling short of breath
11. Forgetfulness
12. Vertigo
13. Hot flashes

Mix those with the symptoms of PTSD and it makes for a very long day at the office and then a very long evening being Mom, friend, gf, etc....

Effexor helped me tremendously once before so I'm giving it more time but I'm so EXHAUSTED.
Anyone else go through similar issues?Found relief?

 

[ashdawn8287]

I had similar effects and told my doctor. They took me of it. I felt like I was not in control of my body at all. Every time I hear Effexor I cringe a little bit. It was the worst experience on a medication in my life. Everyone reacts differently to medications.

A lot of things happen and can change the way you tolerate medicine. Yes, it could have worked really well for you before, but your body and whatnot changes and so does tolerance for medicine. Kind of like how some people have no allergies to a certain kind of food and then years after eating the food they have an allergic reaction to it. Chemistry is weird.

 

[ashdawn8287]

NOT saying you are having an allergic reaction!

This is just my experience with it, so don't freak out.

I remember I couldn't even leave my house and my senses felt like they were amplified. Embarrassingly enough I peed myself too lol. I had to call in sick to work and called my doctor immediately freaking out on it.

 

[falling]

Yes, chemisrty is weird and life is weirder. Thanks for your input-maybe I'll talk to my doc. I have a demanding job and I am struggling to keep everything under control with all these messed up symptoms. I'm just so desperate to have what worked for me before work again. I'm so tired of dealing with PTSD. I wish more than anything in the world that I could go back and fight more during my rape or do anything different to change it from having such an effect on me. I have missed out on who I could have been.

 

[ashdawn8287]

I have thought about that with my abuse as well. Especially the domestic violence in my adulthood because I should have left sooner instead of hurting myself. I use to struggle with the sexual abuse and blame myself (I was 4 years old) for not saying anything.

I said those same things to my therapist. She said, "With trauma there is a before and after. Before the trauma you were this and after the trauma your that. You will never be the person you were before the traumas because you have experienced it, but you can be even better than you were before the traumas." I cringed when she said that I thought, "WAIT WHAT!!! I THOUGHT I WAS IN THERAPY TO GO BACK AND BE THE PERSON I USE TO BE!!!." I freaked out a lot about that and thought long and hard. It took me a long time to see what she meant.

Yeah I didn't leave the domestic violence situations when I was capable and in control. Yeah I didn't tell anyone about my sexual abuse and didn't say anything while it happened, BUT blaming myself is not an answer. If you blame yourself and go into this vicious cycle of negative thinking and being stuck in the past you miss out on the present and working on who you are suppose to be. Who you want to be. I got the opportunity to change and become something great. Someone with compassion, a kind heart, confident because I have witnessed the hands of hell, someone who can be there for others, someone that is the helping hand in times of crisis, someone to encourage people, someone who is relaxed in the most intense situations, and someone who got lost and found herself after hell.

I wrote down a list of the qualities I was envious or jealous of in other women and I slowly became that.

 

[falling]

Wow...your very inspiring. I'm sorry you've been through those things and I very much get what you said about wanting to go back and be who you were before. I'm still there. I don't feel as though I'm in control and that is scary. But your post makes me hope I will get through this. I just miss being me, you know. anyways, thank you for telling me how you deal.

 

[ashdawn8287]

You are very welcome. Don't rush yourself, take your time healing you have been through a lot and you deserve to feel better and that takes time sometimes and you know what? That is okay!

 

[scott_1971_h]

I found Effexor to be ...ummm... problematic.

Of the SSRIs, I've really only found sertraline to be helpful.

Just what I've experienced.

Scott

 

[Chincho]

Effexor was a life saver for me. Except for the weight I gained, I don't remember suffering side effects.

My doctor told me it's really tough getting off it, that you have to taper down very slowly. I guess it's true because I forgot to take my lunch-time pill last Thursday, and at night I was a mess, depressed big time, had flashbacks, etc. I took it at 9 pm, but the next morning I woke up feeling a bit down still.

 

[cherryblossom]

@falling I just wondered if your side effects are improving?

When I was prescribed effexor, I took one dose, and was literally climbing the walls and back at my Doctors within a few hours of taking just one tablet. I had an horrendous migraine, I was pouring sweat, visibly shaking from head to toe, and incredibly anxious. He told me not to take any more, gave me diazepam, and painkillers, and kept me in the surgery for several hours until I began to feel a bit better.

It just shows how differently we all react to the same medication. I hope things have improved for you.

 

[falling]

Wow I'm sorry you had such a bad reaction. I had all the shitty symptoms I listed above but they are slowly getting more manageable. However I also took a leave from work so my days are not as demanding as before so that is helping. But I have noticed a definite improvement in how my body reacts to them. I'm still waiting for my mood to improve tho as I am still struggling with depression and am still having anxiety, etc.

I hope you can find something that works for you. let me know how you are doing.

 

[Didn't It Rain]

I just switched off of this for Viibryd. I had a long list of side effects from the Effexor- sexual dysfunction, irritability, stomach aches, trouble staying asleep, etc. I had been on Effexor for a month and I just felt that I didn't see any good things coming out of it.