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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Brenn on July 31, 1999, at 21:06:05
I have been in and out of here all day reading all the past posts on Effexor. The more I read the hotter I get.
How dare any doctor give this to patients without taking it and then stopping it themselves? When I call Monday to "check in" with my psychiatrist I am going to give him a piece of my mind.
Now if I could just find anyone who works in any way with a drug manufacturing company I could let go of some of this anger with a few swift kicks.
I hope every cent they earned making so many people feel so bad racks up a point on their "going to hell meter".
It is nice to see that I won't die from feeling so rotten since you all are still around to post.
Posted by saintjames on July 31, 1999, at 22:13:19
In reply to Oh! I'm madder than ...., posted by Brenn on July 31, 1999, at 21:06:05
> I have been in and out of here all day reading all the past posts on Effexor. The more I read the hotter I get.
>
> How dare any doctor give this to patients without taking it and then stopping it themselves? When I call Monday to "check in" with my psychiatrist I am going to give him a piece of my mind.
>
> Now if I could just find anyone who works in any way with a drug manufacturing company I could let go of some of this anger with a few swift kicks.
>
> I hope every cent they earned making so many people feel so bad racks up a point on their "going to hell meter".
>
> It is nice to see that I won't die from feeling so rotten since you all are still around to post.
James here....Pls remember that on this list you are seeing a a lot of problems but you are not seeing a true sampling. Yes Effexor doses need to be small to start with with slow build up or taper off. Some really have a bad time on Effexor. This holds true for all AD's...take it from someone who has been on them since 85. I have tried many as AD's pooped out, Imiprimine (Tofranil) caused me to loose feeling in my left hand. These kind of problems are often dose related, so a lower dose may not cause a problem, or another med can be tried.
I am sorry you had such a bad time....the electric shock/eye thing stops in me after 3-5 day of abruptly stopping Effexor ($%%^ HMO !) I take 1 mg atavin for this, also for these 3-5 days i will cry if something sad comes on TV, no big boo hoo, just a little water, atavin stops this. I would expect in other people it will take a while longer, I take 300-400 mgs with few problems and can restart at this dose if i have been off Effexor, but these problems will go away.
Ask your doc about a dose of Prozac, print out the info about this from Dr Dobs Tips and Tricks
section.
james
Posted by Susan on August 1, 1999, at 14:57:48
In reply to Re: Oh! I'm madder than ...., posted by saintjames on July 31, 1999, at 22:13:19
> > I have been in and out of here all day reading all the past posts on Effexor. The more I read the hotter I get.
I also read a lot of posts here and it caused a little anxiety when I first read about Effexor. But now it is time for me to give a positive viewpoint on this AD.
You need to know that, for me, this medication has been an answer to prayer and has brought back the person I used to be before depression set in years ago.
Sometimes I have to adjust the dosage and sometimes I need something else to help me sleep. But I have had mostly positive results with this med and will speak highly for it.
Yes, I would prefer to not need any medication at all and maybe someday that dream will come true. In the meantime I will be grateful for Effexor and when the time comes to discontinue I will do so ever so carefully and keep in touch with my caring pdoc. He really does care and sees things clearly when I cannot. It is good to have a dr. that you trust.
Saintjames,
Thank you for sharing your experiences with this med. The insight you give on many posts has been very helpful to me. I just wanted to confirm your comments on the positive results from Effexor. It is kind of you to take the time to answer so many questions. Thanks.
Posted by Dr. Bob on August 2, 1999, at 2:35:07
In reply to Oh! I'm madder than ...., posted by Brenn on July 31, 1999, at 21:06:05
> It is nice to see that I won't die from feeling so rotten since you all are still around to post.
I don't mean to make light of your situation, but I have to say, you really made me LOL. :-)
Bob
Posted by Deb on August 9, 1999, at 4:38:34
In reply to Re: :-), posted by Dr. Bob on August 2, 1999, at 2:35:07
> > It is nice to see that I won't die from feeling so rotten since you all are still around to post.
>
> I don't mean to make light of your situation, but I have to say, you really made me LOL. :-)
>
> BobBrenn,
Your anger is not completely unfounded. I worked in a hospital pharmacy for 13 years. I was the liason with the drug reps and the docs. The drug reps routinely give out expensive gifts, not just pens and mugs!, to docs to prescribe their drugs. And low and behold, the day after a drug rep had been around with his new drug, we would get multiple orders from the docs for the inpatients. I also had close friends in a lot of the docs' offices, and the system was the same there. Maybe some of them do their research, but as the system stands now, a lot of your drug dollars are going to provide docs with material incentives to prescribe the meds from the drug rep that treats them the best. That puts the burden of research on us, and we don't have the education or resources, for the most part, that they do. Go on and be mad, then use that anger to motivate you to educate yourself as best you can. You can bet that's more than most of the docs are doing. From one who knows!
Posted by Lane on August 11, 1999, at 10:37:47
In reply to Re: :-)Oh! I'm madder than..., posted by Deb on August 9, 1999, at 4:38:34
I am an Effexor success story and though it scared me to read the
horror stories here when I first began on the medication, Effexor has
made such a huge difference in my life that I have to defend it.Prior to taking Effexor, I had been fired from jobs for "non-cooperation" -
which really meant that my depression made me unable to deal with people,
I was anxious all the time, and combative and unable to control what I said,
(couldn't walk with both feet in my mouth most of the time!). Since I was
a teenager, I have acted way too impulsively for my own good, never
having the resources to take time to think things through and make decisions
that would make my life better.Effexor has enabled me to become the (relatively)type of relaxed, thoughtful
person I have always admired, able to laugh at life's absurdities and control
my depression and anxiety. So many people in my life have commented on the
change that I know that Effexor has not only brought relief to me, but
to them as well. (I try not to dwell on the person I was, and what
my family and friends had to put up with.)Please remember that, like any other forum, most responses here are about
problems. Sure Effexor has caused some side effects - yawning, cold nose
(wierd!), stomach upset if I don't take it with food, and spectacular
dream memories (They are spectacular and I remember them - which has not
happened since I was a child). But the good effects far outweigh the bad,
and I only hope the med does not "wear off" over time.MHO - hope you all can feel as good as I do, whatever your method.
Cheers - Lane
I
If Effexor had existed 30 years ago my entire life might have been very
different.
This is the end of the thread.
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