Only been on Ven for a week and my anxiety seems worse

Posted , 3 users are following.

Hi all, I’m really struggling here. I went to the dr a week ago because I’ve been suffering from some pretty bad anxiety and panic attacks where I feel like I’m going to lose all control. I was given 75mg xr plus a weeks worth of .25mg Xanax. I don’t know if I’m just losing my mind, but I haven’t slept a wink since I’ve gone on ven, I have no appetite, I’m constantly nauseous, and as of earlier today I felt like I was going to have one of the worst panic attacks of my life but I took 4 of the Xanax (I’m a big guy so .25mg does absolutely nothing for me) and it finally subsided a little bit. I think a large part of this increased anxiety is because I have not slept a wink. I get these really bad thoughts when I close my eyes at night and it keeps me up. Has anyone else experienced this? Am I supposed to get worse before i start feeling better?

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2 Replies

  • Posted

    Hey big Joe. The only advice I could possibly give you is speak with your phamacist. He can give you the lowdown on what to expect from these meds. I know nothing about Xanax and my experience with Effexor has not been the greatest. This is my second time on it and I’ve stopped taking it back in jun. so give them a call or better off just go see them. Lay it out on the line as far as how your feeling. Theyve studied this kind of stuff. Good luck ole boy and think positive. They do take awhile to work. 
  • Posted

    Hi, I wanted to reply if nothing but to give you some reassurance when it sounds like you are having quite a difficult time. I initially was taking ecitalopram and mirtazapine until I had put on over two stone and was changed to venlafaxine. I was anxious about the change as very sensitive to this type of medication. However the transfer was fine and I gradually increased to 187 mg extended release. People say that when taking this medication that it takes quite a time before feeling any benefit and you will feel worse before feeling better. When I first started on ecitalopram I felt yuk for the first three days and then turned a corner. However, I started on a tiny dose due to sensitivity. Ven is one of those that takes longer to adjust to having read different things written. With regards to the nausea you can ask your GP for tablets to help with that, you don't need to suffer. You may find your appetite improves if you have help with nausea. I would suggest you discuss with GP the side effects to see if they can assist you and make you more comfortable in the early days. With regards to sleep well, sometimes another side effect is insomnia. Mindful it's early days but I take amitriptyline 10 mg at night to help relax me to sleep. I can take more if I wish but I do ok on this. Not always needed but there if I do. Keep talking on here. It is a helpful community but just be mindful that we are all different when it comes to these type of drugs and all react in different ways. Hang in there and talk to GP.

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