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Venlafaxine start up

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davhill
davhill

Hello. I've just gone on to 37.5 mg Venlafaxine MR. This is for chronic (40 year) health anxiety that started after I witnessed My dad's death. It's been triggered again by massive stressors including a spell of atrial fibrillation and a collapse caused by Sertraline. On top, my lease car failed and crashed, while my divorce case comes up the first week in September.

I was given Buspirone and then Risperidone but both failed to offer anything but side effects.

I took the first ven last night...got a headache, palpitations and a couple of hot flushes. Not a great sleep.

I had ven for 6 months in 2014...no problems going on or coming off it.

Now, the stress makes me look for problems, this is since the stressors combined.

I've a divorce case conference on Friday...hope I'm more accustomed to the ven effects by then.

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  • sara20313
    sara20313 davhill

    Posted

    You take it day by day... And come Friday if you feel poorly you postpone your case, or maybe it could go on without you being there?

    You will most likely feel mentally stronger ready by then.

    With love and luck

    Sara

    • davhill
      davhill sara20313

      Posted

      Thanks Sara,

      It's a meeting with my lawyer on Friday...the first hearing of the actual case is a fortnight after this.

  • 1Warbonnet
    1Warbonnet davhill

    Posted

    You would be better on Clonazapam or some other anxiety med. Venlafaxine only added problems for me (and many others that have posted here). I constantly sweated (lots of people have this side effect). This is a drug that you shouldn't take unless you are already having good results. It's a nightmare to stop taking as well. Have you tried some Homeopathic meds from someone who specializes in that area? Check the yellow pages. I just read an article about acupuncture and PTSD, and it supposedly is an amazing treatment for severe anxiety. Good luck!

    • davhill
      davhill 1Warbonnet

      Posted

      Thanks. I have Diazepam but you can't use it to excess. I've tried various ADPS over the years and use ven before with some success..I cold turkeyed off it with no problems.

      Homeopathy and a/puncture didn't help, nor did hypnotherapy.

    • 1Warbonnet
      1Warbonnet davhill

      Posted

      Oh bummer. Seems you left no rock unturned. Glad to know the Ven has helped you and if need be, you can stop taking without problems. I say if something helps, go for it. We are all so chemically different. As for clonazapam, my Dr prescribed only 20 a month to keep me out of the dependency stage. Prayer helps me a lot.
    • Purpledobermann
      Purpledobermann 1Warbonnet

      Posted

      Clonazepam is not therapeutic. Ven can and very often does give excellent results for major anxiety disorders. It is a good medicine. Taken properly, at the correct dosage, and for long enough duration there are no major issues tapering off. Issues crop up when weaning prematurely or too fast. And anything faster than a quarter dose down every 3 months at least, is too fast.
  • aimlesswanderer
    aimlesswanderer davhill

    Posted

    Hi

    I'm on day nine if 37.5. I've been taking it after breakfast and my main side effects have been increased anxiety and decreased appetite as well as some sweatiness. It might be worth taking in the morning to see if that improves your sleep?

    I'm presently also on Mirtazapine which is a good sleep aid, though it does hit you for six for the first few days, so probably not the best thing to take in the build up to your case.

  • Purpledobermann
    Purpledobermann davhill

    Posted

    Hi. Yup you are under a lot of stress at once. It should help you to remind yourself that it is so very normal for you to feel shaky given so much stress. The bulk of it is situational and coupled with predisposition that you have it makes you feel on edge. You will gather strength for this over time once you see that you are managing to cope, however whichway smile day by day. As for Ven, yes, increased anxiety, headaches and often nausea. Palpitations should be a result of a combination of ven's action and your stress. If they get worse (longer lasting spells increasing in frequency) check in with your doctor and possibly also check your BP, your magnesium/sodium etc levels. Other than this, it should take you a couple of weeks tops for the worst of the side-effects and 4-6 weeks to start getting more notable relief. Ven takes a while to act as it is. You will be better once you get to a more optimal dosage of at least 75mg. Let us know how you get on.

    • Purpledobermann
      Purpledobermann

      Posted

      Forgot to mention, difficulty sleeping/staying asleep will also wear off after the first 10-14 days max. If it persists you may need a short course of diazepam or alprazolam until adjustment is done. Take ven no later than midday to minimize nighttime issues. All the best.
    • davhill
      davhill Purpledobermann

      Posted

      Thanks to all for the replies. It's day 3 on Ven. I woke at 7.30am and made myself stay in bed. Went back to sleep for a while and then dozed on until 2pm.

      Fewer palps so far but for me, reading they're a possible side effect is enough. Diazepam can help tame them.

      The recurrent nausea began after I stopped the Risperidone and I'd had it on that. 33 days on it ( up to 4mg), 14th day off it now. The doc thinks it's stress...he's probably right.

      I've a second assessment for CBT on Thursday so I've three days to develop some 'normality'.

      Headache/hot spells less so far. Tired though.

  • kaboom
    kaboom davhill

    Posted

    My dear u need to talk to ur doc asap ur in a bit of trouble and u need his or hers help here

    Keep me informed

    Boom

    • davhill
      davhill kaboom

      Posted

      Thanks.I saw him on Friday when I got the Ven. I've had a cardiology work up and been signed off as OK for now. I've to see the doc in about a month. Meanwhile, it's about getting used to the Ven. I've plenty of Diazepam.I think it's about hanging in there.

    • davhill
      davhill

      Posted

      I had my fifth dose of Ven last night. I know it'll be placebo effect but I felt cheerful briefly yesterday.

      On the downside, I then got a bit of nausea. It was warm and muggy yesterday evening so a bit of sweating followed.

      Fortunately, the pre-dawn waking seems to have stopped.

      I've a second assessment for CBT tomorrow.

    • davhill
      davhill Purpledobermann

      Posted

      Seemingly a little bit fewer, thank you for asking.

      I took pill No.6 last night and the side effects are lessening so far today.

      I just discovered I'm being offered CBT for my anxiety...apparently, the waiting list isn't too long.

      It's my divorce case conference tomorrow. At least things are progressing, slowly but surely.

    • Purpledobermann
      Purpledobermann davhill

      Posted

      Sounds good! I remember feeling some normality after 7 days and felt relieved. I was also under a lot of stress at the time. Expect ups and downs since obviously life won't wait for you to settle smile but it sounds pretty regular right now. Let me know how it goes. Feel better.

    • davhill
      davhill Purpledobermann

      Posted

      A down not an up - it turned out to be a horrible afternoon. I had a very important meeting at noon, about my divorce. Despite 1mg of Valium, I had a huge panic attack outside. The meet took an hour, with me suffering palps and a fast pulse throughout.

      After doing two errands I came home and went to bed...palps still and heart rate up to 116.

      I slept after 2mg Valium but things didn't calm down until after 6pm.

      Not new for me but very nasty. Hope the Ven kicks in soon.

    • Purpledobermann
      Purpledobermann davhill

      Posted

      ...116 heart rate...i remember the feeling. But 1mg valium before a divorce meeting? way too gentle smile 1mg...I couldn't calm the adrenalin down without 2.5 on a good day. On a bad day it was 5mg to vegetable state smile As advise dby doctor of course. I hated him for drugging me but when he did not, i just wasn't functioning. And i am not keen on drugs at all so it was so much harder for me to swallow. I found xanax worked much better over time at regular doses. it took about 2 months in total for xanax in parallel to ven. It helped the adjustment and i was then weaned off gently. Never needed it again. The ups and downs can take a few months but you should start to get better progressively over the next couple of weeks for sure. Though probably not as much better as you wish. It is a slow process. A brain geared up to overreact will take a while to be subdued and convinced that not everything is a deadly danger smile. I do feel for you. But at least youknow it was all caused or worsened by something specific. Mine came out of nowhere for no apparent reason. It felt so crazy. And the wait until the drugs kicked in, coupled with a gnawing sense of doubt that a pill can ever really help ...was awful. I thought i will always feel like that and go crazy or die. It took me a while to realize, after some months, that i was getting better. It happened so slowly i hardly noticed. Until i looked back one day and realized i had made so much progress. Then some confidence started to build and than slowly but steadily i was free. I wish a faster response for you as your condition is very much situational, regardless of whether you were predisposed etc. x

    • davhill
      davhill Purpledobermann

      Posted

      Wise words there, thank you.

      I'm naturally feeling rather wrung out after yesterday though I had a good sleep.

      I would normally take a milligram of Valium before something stressful...it normally helps. However, yesterday's meeting was very important and I wanted my brain to be as sharp as possible. I managed but will never know how.

      I'm allowed up to 4x2mg Valium in a day but rarely,if ever, take that much.

      You're right, it is 100% situational. Precedent doesn't help one bit. I think what also hasn't helped is trying Buspirone and Risperidone. They gave me nasty start up side effects (including increased anxiety) and did nothing positive. My Half Beta Prograne (80mg/day) had minimal calming effect yesterday.

      It's Venlafaxine day 8 as of last night. No change of any significance yet. Many learned papers on the 'net refer to rapid onset but most cite week 2 as a benchmark.

      The next major hurdle is the divorce hearing, which is in two weeks. Hopefully, my best friend and sponsor will be there for moral support.

      Meanwhile, the waiting game continue...

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