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Feel like im slipping backwards

Posted , 7 users are following.

nigel45109
nigel45109

Hello, has anyone thought they had thought they were recovering after 4 months being on ven, only then to relapse? I started on ven in a really bad state of depression, it took 9 weeks to notice the first improvements, it was around the time i increased to 225mg. Then improvements snowballed for 8 weeks, and it turned me around. The hopelessness and despair went, and i felt okay, and happy at times. My worries and anxiety were still in the background, but they didnt matter as much. Up to 3 weeks ago, it felt like i was still improving. Since then my mood has dropped, amd for the last 2 weeks, ive just felt very sad. Its a sort of calm, consistant sadness. I had blips during the improvements, but this feels different, and has lasted longer. People around me havent noticed yet. I am worried about where this going. Any experiences of this, good and bad would be appreciated. Thanks.

0 likes, 20 replies

20 Replies

  • lynn67615
    lynn67615 nigel45109

    Posted

    I am sorry to hear it Nigel maybe it’s a blip. I have been on Nortriptyline for 3 weeks. Tomorrow I will get the results of a blood test to see if I am in the therapeutic window. You were on Paxil did you go through blips on that.
    • nigel45109
      nigel45109 lynn67615

      Posted

      Hello lynn, thanks. I started paxil such a long time ago. I was also younger and would go out drinking, so didnt notice blips when i started. Thinking back, did, even after a while on it. They were normally stress and anxiety blips, not mood ones. How are you finding the nortryptolene?
    • lynn67615
      lynn67615 nigel45109

      Posted

      I still need to take one Klonipin to keep the anxiety in check only 22 days on it. Are you taking the diazepam to get you through the blip I was able to go to a big wedding yeasterday 
    • nigel45109
      nigel45109 lynn67615

      Posted

      You are definately doing better on the new one. I think the older ones work more quickly. Think thats why doctors still say 6 to 8 weeks, to feel better. Its 6 to 8 weeks to feel first small improvements on the newer ones. Still taking 2.5mg diazepam morning and night. Its a very low dose, but i need it. Realised that i although sad, im quite calm about it. Perhaps its acceptance and part of the recovery. Booking a pysc appointment to check. All the best.
    • lynn67615
      lynn67615 nigel45109

      Posted

      Still to early to tell. Today I tried a real low dose of seroquel for the anxiety did not work as well as Klonopin will 
    • lynn67615
      lynn67615 nigel45109

      Posted

      It still takes a long time I am on 31 days. I still have to take a Klonopin in the am. I have been going out more. Still lots of anxiety. On trial for 12 weeks.
    • nigel45109
      nigel45109 lynn67615

      Posted

      Thanks. Been on ven for just over 4 months, so was a bit surprised, by going backwards. It is getting better slightly. Maybe a 3 week blip. Do you feel better on your new med? Hope so.
    • lynn67615
      lynn67615 nigel45109

      Posted

      Only one month on been going out more. Still have anxiety and take 1 Klonipin in the am
  • t21stapril
    t21stapril nigel45109

    Posted

    Hello Nigel,

    how are you feeling today? I've been on Venlafaxine for 6.5 weeks (2 weeks at 75mg, 2 weeks at 112.5 mg, now at 150mg since 2.5 weeks ago). I know it's early, but I've been experiencing something that looks like what you are going through. When I started I was in a bad state of depression with anxiety and panic attacks. The latter are almost resolved (some "tension" when I wake up and sometimes during the day, but manageable). As for the depressive symptoms they changed in nature: I am less confused and do not feel like I'm about to go crazy, but - exactly as you report - I have prolonged moments of deep, deep sadness. And I don't mean melancholy, I mean desperate sadness, even though I don't have obsessive/intrusive thoughts like I used to when I started the medication. But it's not manageable sadness. In the last week, I have been "almost" OK for a few days, then sad again. You describe it perfectly: it's not agitated, panicky depression, but a calm, consistent sadness.

    I am due to see my psychiatrist and therapist this week and the next. On the phone, they said these are overall signs of improvement and they told me therapy is better suited than increasing medication to dealing away with these feelings.

    Let me know how things are going for you! Best of luck!

    • nigel45109
      nigel45109 t21stapril

      Posted

      Hello, sorry i missed your post. Im feeling slightly better, but sort of the same. Seeing my pysc this week. Reading your post, it looks very good for you, i dont think you have anything to worry about, nor do you need an increase. You are actually responding to ven very quickly. It may not seem like it, but yours is the quickest response to ven ive come accross. Ssris and snris take ages to work, much longer than the 6 to 8 weeks doctors come out with. Took 10 weeks for me to notice first improvements, you are about 5 weeks ahead of me at the same time, and on a lower dose. Think you are going to be very pleased with your eventual outcome, by another 8 to 10 weeks. Stick with it. Youll still get bad periods, but you are well ahead of most people.
    • t21stapril
      t21stapril nigel45109

      Posted

      Hi Nigel,

      thank you for your reply. How are you doing today? I'm not OK, in fact I think I am losing hope that this medication is going to work. Until sunday, it seemed it had at least removed panic and anxiety, which were the symptoms I have gone back to medication for. Unfortunately I had a bad day yesterday and yesterday night I plunged back into anxiety, although it feels slightly different that in did before. I had regained some trust that Venlafaxine would at least work for anxiety and that therapy could help me cope with the depressive side, but today I feel like I am completely detached from the world and that nothing is going to really help me out of this place I'm in. Sorry to be so negative.

    • nigel45109
      nigel45109 t21stapril

      Posted

      Hello, i think i over estimated your improvements last time. For me, i had no improvements for 9 to 10 weeks.

      You should definately not give up hope on ven. Its way too soon to experience consistant improvements. The 2 lower doses you took were just getting you used to the med.

      You felt improvements in your amxiety, but its worsened since. This happens to most people. A constant see sawing from good to bad spells. It completely shatters your confidence, and belief.in the med. If you look at posts under other anti depressants you will see most people experience this.

      Meds are changing your brain chemistry for the better, but the changes are extremely small, and they are constantly working against your current chemical in balances, which are being fueled by your anxiety and depression.

      As time goes on, the positive changes ven is making, will balance your brain chemistry, which will strengthen your good spells, and they will become more frequent, and the opposite for the bad spells.

      Ven will deal with your depression, as much as it will your anxiety. It has for me. I could hardly function 4 months ago, now i have periods of sadness at worse.

      Based on what most people experience, you are looking at another 3 weeks, for the mood swings and anxiety changes, to become less extreme, and another 3 weeks, until you start to feel consistantly better.

      These meds generally take much longer to work, than most people think.

      Stick with it.

  • sarah24378
    sarah24378 nigel45109

    Posted

    I too am on ven 150 xr and have been since dec 16. I am alot better but still get dips.

    In my opinion it is ok to feel saddness. Tgese meds do not remove emotions and we still need to work through hard feelings. Especially after a depressive episode in recovery saddness seems reasonable.

    I am trying to slowely get off my meds as i feel they are a necessary band aid and whilst on them we need to learn how to sit with feelings....manageable ones.....not the suicidal non functioning ones.

    I would go with it. Feel it. Cry. It will pass. Be grateful. Take each day at a time. Don t try and fix it. I ended up on 4 neds trying to fix my feeling. Bad idea. Now trying to get down too 2.

    Just my opinion

  • leanne96735
    leanne96735 nigel45109

    Posted

    Hi nigel, I recently went through what you describe. I was doing well on 225mg of venlafaxine for a while then suddenly the depression crept back in. I'm on 8th day of increase to 300mg of venlafaxine and feeling much better the sadness has gone. Increasing Meds isn't the answer for everyone but it sure did work for me.

    Leanne

  • karen_57593
    karen_57593 nigel45109

    Posted

    Nigel I was doing great then had a blip thought oh no it's all coming back cried my eyes out contacted the crisis team got myself in a right state. I hadn't been sleeping though either which didn't help. Mental health told me too take a sleeping tablet n get a good sleep.i did that then they told me the next morning I was too contact my go. I did and my gp upped my venlafaxine but strangely enough I waited a little longer too see if it was just a little blip and I'm glad too say it was and it passed. So I didn't take the upped dose of venlafaxine obv the doctor thought I needed it because I got myself into such a state. But after a few days it calmed right down but I must admit my not sleeping didn't help xxx

    • nigel45109
      nigel45109 karen_57593

      Posted

      Thanks. Im coming around to the same idea. My sleep has been particularly bad in the last 3 weeks, doing too much physical yoga at night. Have reined it back at night, sleeps a little better, and today i felt very calm. Also, its sadness not depression. It does frighten the life out of you though. This website is so good for this sort of thing. Its priceless.
    • barbara79178
      barbara79178 nigel45109

      Posted

      Hi Nigel.  I notice too that if I don’t get enough good sleep-the next day I don’t feel that great. 

      Go easy on yourself.  One day at a time. And it’s ok to feel sadness. That’s just a natural emotion.  We’ve all been thru a lot.   Hang in there my friend.  

    • karen_57593
      karen_57593 nigel45109

      Posted

      Defo that's what I was getting sadness but wasn't as bad as the depression. Mines is defo worse if I don't sleep then 1 night turns into 4 or 5 nights. Try n get your sleep n see how u feel monitor it for a few days . X

    • nigel45109
      nigel45109 karen_57593

      Posted

      Hello karen, feeling better thanks. Really weird. Ive felt different since the more consistant sadness started 3 weeks ago. Although sad, i felt much calmer. The sadness has improved over the last few days. I cant quite tell whether this change is a backward step, or an improvement. Seeing pysc on weds, see what he thinks. Your increase should sort you out. Found each dose increase of ven ive had has helped me. All the best.
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