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Effexor - Anyone find it helps for anxiety (GAD)?
Depression & Anxiety | Last Active: Mar 13, 2019 | Replies (12)Comment receiving replies
Hi, @shermananski - thanks for your post. I can imagine it would be discouraging to try paroxetine (Paxil), no antidepressant, venlafaxine (Effexor) and then an increased dose of venlafaxine (Effexor), only to find that though it's much better, the depression is still present.
I'd like to invite @aces @kbmayo to return to this discussion to offer any input on their experiences with antidepressants as well as thoughts on where you might turn next. I'd also like to tag a few members to invite them into this discussion and offer their insights, like @parus @pearlbaby7 @karen00 @gingerw @peach414144.
I know that for me personally, on another antidepressant I started years ago, a pharmacist suggested it might take 2-3 months to stabilize and see the full effects of my medication. Has the prescriber for your venlafaxine (Effexor) offered any input on whether he or she expects you'd feel better at this point in taking the higher dosage? Did he or she have some suggestions for how to proceed at this point?
Replies to "Hi, @shermananski - thanks for your post. I can imagine it would be discouraging to try..."
@lisalucier Thank you for the invitation. I agree with @gingerw that dealing with depression requires a multi-prong approach. @shermananski It sounds to me from what you describe that the Effexor is having some benefit. It did nothing for me. I finally found a doctor who could help me. However, my impression is that most people, including me, aren't super happy all the time. My meds keep me from falling in those deep dark holes that were getting harder and harder to get out of. Now that I'm out I have to make an effort to do the things that help make my life good. I also have no life partner but if I follow the doctor's recommendations for additional support and do the things that make me enjoy my life I can feel OK to good some days. I have a brain chemical imbalance and this medicine will be with me the rest of my life. I look at it like eating or brushing my teeth. It's just one of those things that's part of my day. Not every day is good but if I do things I should I can increase the number of better days. Everyone's life story is different. It sounds like you have some good support for your journey.
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@lisalucier @shermananski Thank you for allowing me to give you my insight. I was on only one antidepressant many years ago, and that was citalopram. I did not take a high dose and it did take maybe a month or six weeks to establish a blood level in my system. Also remember to take the medication as prescribed with consistency, so you maintain a blood level. I also determined that just taking a medication is not enough. There are proactive things that you as a patient with depression have to step up to the plate to do. Medication is not a Panacea or the only thing to be done. There are efforts that each person has to do based on their particular situation to work with the depression they have and overcome the feelings so that things work out best for them as an individual. Everyone has their own experience and we can only offer our personal things that have happened to us.
Ginger