Please please please help

For my history on effexor please see a recent discussion "Venlafaxine - too many side effects" by Stephen85422. Maybe it clarifies how long it can take to see real improvements. Hope it helps. I love this medicine for what it did for me. But it is different for anyone. If in doubt, after 3 months or so, have a word with your doctor. Sometimes a combo works better. Sometimes the dosage may need a boost. Sometimes it just doesn't work. But do give it a bit of time. You made it this far and you are still standing all the best.

 

Thank u so much for replying.. I feel so alone thru this all.. I feel like I'm going crazy or fear that I'm gonna die .. I need this med to work so much you have no idea I've been thru hell for 9 months trying to find the right doseage or the right drug . I can't take the fear of everything anymore.. I'm scared to be alone by myself.. I'm lightheaded most of the time which turns into panic because I have a fear of fainting.. it's a constant struggle everyday.. you are giving me so much hope right now.. even though it's been 5 weeks I guess I still need to give it time.. n I am sick on antibotics n lost a very very close relative last Tuesday so I'm grieving as well.. little depressed of course.. I just want to be normal again not scared of everything around me.. thank u so much for replying it means the world to me..

I remember everythingrather notable reactions to this so we concurred that 150 you are describing all too vividly. Exactly as you describe it! I I had 4 years of daily hell until i found a doctor who figured out that all i needed was a proper dosage adjustment. Meanwhile i tried various things and stuck on 75mg effexor which barely took th eedge off. Once 150mg kicked in he even tried upping the dose but i had rather notable reactions and we agreed 150mg seems to be ok for now. and it was ok eventually. more than ok. I remember the first day i woke up and felt truly ok without a hint of any tension. It was about 4-5 months into therapy. I thought...wow! It takes some time to reboot. And then takes time to make sure the brain is rewired well. During this time your confidence will grow and little triumphs start to add up until you feel more capable. Some things are never as before. Some others will be better than before. I don't regret any of this and i do not feel sorry i had to go through it. Learned so much about myself and feel more in control and not so afraid of everything all the time! Truly wish you to feel better soon. Hang in there.

sorry about the mistakes- one sentce in the middle jumped to the top LOL

You won't go crazy or die of this. I think everyone here can confirm. Untreated it may escalate somewhat (in my case to psychosis which was not fun at all). But with treatment not so much. The real risk is exhaustion. Constant tension can deplete you. All you need is to get back to daily life slowly and regroup, rest and trust yourself. x

Did you have the dizziness? I find that to be the worst side effect for me thru this.. I feel like if my head was clearer I could deal with the anxiety more.. but I always feel faint.. it sucks.. I don't know if it's coming from the anxiety itself or the medicine

I did have constant dizziness (more like vertigo) and feeling faint. I was advised to up the water intake, have something salty when my blood pressure was low and told to take medication for dizziness. Which i refused to take. Instead I had a few deep tissue massages and a chiropractic realignment and the dizziness withdrew (the massages were painful and made me feel sick for 3 days but then the dizziness lifted). I figured it was from the tension build-up in the muscles surrounding the spine and base of skull. And it worked for me this way and then i was home free. However everyone is different. One thing is for sure - anxiety can mess you up way more than medication is likely to. So first deal with tension and then when you are in a better place you will be able to tune in and see how well the medicine is working or not. That was my philosophy anyway.