Effexor - Milwaukee,WI

It works on everyone differently. I would probably wait until the camp is over and then start it.

Read all of the side affects on the web for this drug as there are more there than on the paper that comes with the prescription. Know first about the hollucinations and vivid dreams and the fast heart beats and sweats.

My experience with this drug after three weeks was not pretty. I went off of it cold turkey which is not good but I could not see me weaning off of it. I talked with my doctor and told him I was doing the cold turkey.

Good luck to you.

The other S.

PS I lost a job over taking this drug.

I had a friend take this drug for depression after losing her husband suddenly and she said it helped her very much and she was able to get through that rough time in her life. But then I had another friend that it did not help at all and so I agree with Suzanne who posted that it works differently for everyone and it sounds like it very well may be true. I hope this helps

Wait until after the trip. It WILL have side effects depending on the dose and make you feel a little "out of it." I wish I never started it but have heard so many horror stories about going off that I am afraid to stop taking it. I will admit, it does help, once you get the dose right. BUT I have gained so much weight and it's like 5x as hard to get it off. THAT is depressing in itself!

I take generic Effexor.When I first started on it, I had some dizziness for the first couple of days, but that went away pretty quickly. Remember that everyone is different and you could have very different experiences than others. The effexor does help with my anxiety, but sometimes I wonder if I need a higher dose...I do take the lowest dose available.

Good luck!

Hi M.!

I have lots of experience with this drug (and many other SSRI's). I strongly STRONGLY encourage you to do some internet research on this drug and how it has affected people if you have not already.

The thing about Effexor for me, is that it worked great at taking care of my major depression symptoms. I never felt depressed. The horrible, intolerable thing about this drug, however, is that it has an incredibly short half-life, which means that when you take it, you can 'feel' it start to work, and if you happen to miss a dose or take it late, you can feel the withdrawal symptoms almost immediately.

The withdrawal symptoms are heinous. Profuse sweating, headaches, body tremors, fever, extreme vertigo, blurry vision. Weaning off of this drug is not only difficult, but dangerous, and takes many months, sometimes over a year, to fully wean off. People have been hospitalized from Effexor withdrawal.

I took it for over a year, and I loved the control it gave me over my symptoms, but absolutely hated the side effects. It also caused insomnia. The insomnia worsened over the course of my treatment and eventually affected my life so much that it led to my switch to Prozac.

I would NOT recommend this drug to anyone, because it is notorious for its side effects. Make sure you read & research before taking it. And please, do not take it while you aren't at home. Wait til you get back.

I hope that helps!

In my opinion I would never start a med when not at home and safely within the medical support system's easy reach. But I am terribly neurotic about medications.

I have a friend who takes Effexor in the time released form. It is an older medication and has been around for years. It has passed a lot of time without any recalls or serious issues so I feel it's pretty safe.

If your doc is switching you to this older med instead of the newer ones it may be because they feel it is a better fit for you. I think talking to the pharmacist about the details of this med is a good idea. But do wait until you get back if you have enough of the other meds to last until then. Don't just stop and not take anything.