Venlafaxine, and my worries about me

Have you been to your doc to tell them how you are feeling? I would strongly encourage you to do so

Hi Cherie

I have taken Venlafaxine off and on for over 10 years and I have never had the side effects you are suffering.   The only one I have now I have been upped to 150 is night sweats.

I would certainly see my GP as although I  have been on this Forum for asbout six months I have never heard of anyone losing the hair or having spots.

Good luck.

Pat

Hi Cherie I urge u to see ur doctor don't be ashamed if u want to chat send me a private message xx

When i was on prozac for a couple months i found i got spots too, all to do with changes in your body's chemistry.

Hello Cherie

I am so sorry that you are feeling so dreadful.

I used to take Venlafaxine for years, and it certainly helped me at the time.

Please don't just stop taking it - it gives you all the symptoms that you describe - brain zaps being the worst, in my experience, and the rebound depression is awful, too. If you want to stop it, I think you should think about tailing it off very gradually, preferably with some medical supervision. However, although it worked at the beginning, and doesn't seem to be working so well now, maybe you actually need a higher dose, or perhaps the slow release version, at a higher dose.

I also find that trying to hide it all is so utterly exhausting ... putting on a normal face is such hard work, and even doing simple things, such as washing your hair, putting on some lipstick, doing the washing, putting out the trash, is so wearing that it is almost beyond consideration.

May I offer some suggestions?

Write dowm a short list each day, of what you hope to achieve, and then cut it in half.  Try to do those tasks, and don't beat yourself up if you can't get there.  If you just manage one thing, then tell yourself that you have done well.  You have.

However much you love your boyfriend, and however supportive he is in other ways, from what you wrote it seems that he doesn't necessarily understand very much about your depression.

That doesn't meant that he isn't right for you, or that there is anything wrong with him, or with your relationship with him, it is just that people who have never experienced depression often find it difficult to empathise with people that suffer from it;

It might be a good idea to find a professional counsellor, if you can afford one, or can bear to wait long enough to see one on the NHS, or whatever health system operates where you live. 

I think writing to this site can be a great help, in the same sort of way.  So many of the replies to posts are written by people who seem to have a deep understanding of the illness, and there is so much empathy and compassion that comes through in their words.

I don't know much about it, but do you think the skin picking may be due to the same feelings that caused you to cut yourself? 

You don't say how old you are, but I suspect quite young ... the spots and hair loss might be hormonal, or endocrine, and this might be worth discussing with your doctor.  it could be that you have an underlying health problem - it just sounds a little strange to me that you should have spots and unusual hair growth or loss, without an underlying reason.  I would definitely approach your doctor with this at the forefront, and then perhaps go on to discuss your increased depression.

As for your hair loss - if you have the money to pay for it, or can ask for it as an un- birthday present from a friend, perhaps think about getting some Vitamin E pills, and also some really good quality shampoo and conditioner. 

I had breast cancer last year, and as a result of the treatment my hair and skin became very dry and sparse. Most of my hair fell out, but having taken Vitamin E, and having used Aussie hair products, what has grown back is pretty good in terms of condition and springiness!

Having good skin and healthy hair is really good for your confidence - which is clearly at a low ebb for you at the moment. 

Don't forget to try to eat properly, and to drink plenty of water.  If you can face going for a walk, for example, the exercise increases your endorphin levels, making you feel heaps better, if only for a little while, and the change of scene and fresh air will help too. 

I find that sometimes it is so difficult to overcome the inertia and fears that the illness creates, that it is difficult to go out at all, but if you can overcome this, the benefits are really noticable.  I am very fortunate to have an understanding man, and also a particular girlfriend who is very practical, and tends to lure me out on little expeditions when I am feeling really low, and it helps so very much. 

It may be that you might benefit from changing to a different antidepressant, although clearly on this matter you musr be guided by your doctor.

For the last six months I have been taking  Sertraline - which is an SSRI, quite similar to Venlafaxine - and now I have become used to it, I don't really have any significant side effects.  I have found it to be really effective at reducing anxiety, as well as improving mood.  As with you, if I forget to take it for a couple of days, I feel dreadful, though I get better again pretty quickly once I start to take it again.

I am so sorry that you feel that nobody listens to you, and also that you are sufferng so much, especially during the night.  The night  can be such a lonely, frightening place, and you can feel so terribly alone with your thoughts. 

I hope so much that my reply to your letter makes you feel a little better, and more positive.

No-one deserves to feel as miserable as you do, and you must always bear in mind that under the depression is a lovely girl, just needing a bit of a boost to escape from the trap of depression, and that girl is YOU.

Take care; it WILL get better eventually, and in the meantime I shall be thinking of you, and sending you positive thoughts.  xxx

 

I endorse the detailed advice just given by 2amanda25873. In my long bitter experience, living with depression involves not only finding the right medication but also trying to think about things in a positive way (and believe me I do know how hard that is) with help from your doctor, friends and possibly a CBT therapist - that helped me a lot but it took ages to work. I encourage you to go back to your doctor. When I started getting worse while on venlafaxine, my psychiatrist added mirtazapine which helped and I've been on the two together for several years now. I'm not in any hurry to get off them while they are enabling me to enjoy life again. The only side effects I get are increased sweating and difficulty achieving an orgasm - but we work round that! You may need to see a psychiatrist to get the venlafaxine and mirtazapine - my GP and the local pharmacist were unaware of the combined treatment.

I hope that helps a bit - and you can get what you need to improve matters.

best thing you could have done write it down, no need to apologise. We have all been there at some time perhaps not in exactly the same place obviously but when you need to talk and there is no one you feel is able to listen then just let it flow onto the keyboard...added advantage its a lot less messy than cutting and picking !! Be kind to yourself, I know it sounds cheesy, and I have read my share of self help books but it is the only truth there is. Treat yourself as you would like to be treated by others..they are all probably too busy doing just that for themselves. Find the little one inside yourself and take them by the hand. We all need love.

After alot of years struggling with depression I have realised I need to love me and like myself. i am not going to be the perfect anything but neither am I likely to be the worst person in the world. heres a hug, for general use when ever needed.

Hi thank you for your replies, I am overwhelmed. Thank you for your kind words. I have been to my GP a lot of times and i just went today but was a nurse so told me to come back, going tomorrow. I will let you know what he says reagrding changing tablets, I am very gratefull for your replies and I thank each of you and hope you all know i am thinking of you too xx

Hi Cherie

Yes, please do let us know how you get on with the doctor, if you feel able to.

The people who have written to you on this forum are all batting for you, and care about how you feel.  We have all been pretty much where you are, if in different ways, and it may seem impossible now, but it really does get better.  It will for you!

Going back to your doctor is a very positive step, and I am proud of you! 

LOL xx