Generalized anxiety

Posted by ddscal1958 @ddscal1958, Mar 18 9:57am

I am a 67 year-old female with generalized anxiety. I am currently taking Effexor as I was on Lexapro for 24 years and it wasn’t working as well as it should have. I also take Ativan as a back up. Unfortunately Effexor is making me more anxious and jumpy and irritable. Is anybody else experiencing this? I did much better on Lexapro was wondering if I should go back on it I have a lot of big things coming up retiring moving and the son who is getting divorced. I just feel like everything is piling on me all at once causing me more more anxiety I do a lot of treatments psychotherapy, spiritual healing, and Acupuncture would love some of your thoughts thank you so much.

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Effexor pooped out on me too after 15 years. Currently weaning. Will be back on the med carousel. Going back to ssri. If I survive the effexor withdrawals
.

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@ddscal1958
How long have you been on Effexor and Ativan? Ativan caused me bad side effects so I stopped taking it (increased my chronic pain and made it harder to walk). I took Effexor a long time ago and can’t recall it causing me any problems. It may not be a good medication for you.

It takes time to adjust to a new medication but if you do not feel improvement in symptoms after 2-3 weeks, it may not be a good medication for you. Bad side effects in the first few weeks don’t usually improve after a month.

I tried several medication combinations and landed on Zoloft/sertraline and Wellbutrin/bupropion. It seems to be working for me. Don’t give up trying new medications and stopping those that cause too many side effects. There is hope on the road to feeling better. Hang in there and keep advocating for yourself for a better quality of life during the challenges that lie ahead for you.

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@dlydailyhope

@ddscal1958
How long have you been on Effexor and Ativan? Ativan caused me bad side effects so I stopped taking it (increased my chronic pain and made it harder to walk). I took Effexor a long time ago and can’t recall it causing me any problems. It may not be a good medication for you.

It takes time to adjust to a new medication but if you do not feel improvement in symptoms after 2-3 weeks, it may not be a good medication for you. Bad side effects in the first few weeks don’t usually improve after a month.

I tried several medication combinations and landed on Zoloft/sertraline and Wellbutrin/bupropion. It seems to be working for me. Don’t give up trying new medications and stopping those that cause too many side effects. There is hope on the road to feeling better. Hang in there and keep advocating for yourself for a better quality of life during the challenges that lie ahead for you.

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I have too many side effects from Effexor I have an appointment with my psychiatrist finally live been seeing an NP she’s lovely but lacks the experience of a psychiatrist I pray I can get back to where I was so many decisions ahead🙏🏻🩷

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@larrypains

Effexor pooped out on me too after 15 years. Currently weaning. Will be back on the med carousel. Going back to ssri. If I survive the effexor withdrawals
.

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Did you try genetic testing for drugs it’s helpful to find a drug that will work for you

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@ddscal1958

Did you try genetic testing for drugs it’s helpful to find a drug that will work for you

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Has anyone else heard that Pristiq (desvenlafaxine) will show up in the green column for EVERYONE on a genetic test, due to the way it's metabolized?
I listened to a podcast by three psychiatrists and that is what they said. So, maybe it will work for you, but maybe it won't. I haven't verified if it's true.

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I took lexapro for 15 years and it stopped working so I went to propranolol. I take 1 pill a day but some days add another pill and it works. I’m 77 years old and my sister and brother also use propranolol so it’s in our family tree.

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@ddscal1958

Did you try genetic testing for drugs it’s helpful to find a drug that will work for you

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Yes

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@stsopoci

I took lexapro for 15 years and it stopped working so I went to propranolol. I take 1 pill a day but some days add another pill and it works. I’m 77 years old and my sister and brother also use propranolol so it’s in our family tree.

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How many milligrams of propranolol do you take?

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I think it’s 20mg for 1 and 40mg for 2. I’m on vacation over seas with the pills in 7 day plastic carriers so I don’t have the pill tides to check the mg. My sister who takes it sometimes takes 100mg. But she has MS. Brother Tom has nerve shakes in both hands and takes 20mg.

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@stsopoci

I think it’s 20mg for 1 and 40mg for 2. I’m on vacation over seas with the pills in 7 day plastic carriers so I don’t have the pill tides to check the mg. My sister who takes it sometimes takes 100mg. But she has MS. Brother Tom has nerve shakes in both hands and takes 20mg.

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Not sure what drug you are talking about

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