I'm done. I'd rather be depressed than have these side effects.

My depression was mostly triggered from being so lonely with having no friends and from issues stemming from being so tired and having no time to myself.

I've been taking 37.5 mg of effexor for five days. Ever since I started I have had the worst headache I've ever had, really bad burning in my stomach, dizziness, nausea, insomnia. I can't go on like this. Last night I slept for maybe 2 hours. Of course hubby was on night shift so I can't sleep today. I'm a walking zombie. I wake up in the mornings and I am sooo shaky but cannot eat because I'm so nauseated.

Crappy thing is, I just spent $58.00 on this stupid medicine, so there's no way I can afford to try another one. Grrrr.

I called the doctors office and I can get in on feb 18th. Explained what was going on and they said feb 18th still. I cannot keep taking this. So I'm hoping that I don't experience any withdrawl symptoms from only taking it for 5 days.

Hey hon,

I don't have too many friends myself, but I consider my family and boyfriend my closest friends. Do you have family nearby? Sometimes visiting once a week helps.

If not, can you take a class? What about at work? Can you ask a coworker to go to lunch with you?

For me, i started feeling better about myself when I started going to the gym, because it was something i did "Just for me!"

I wonder if your doctor has samples of different meds in his office, maybe you could get some? WOW, Feb 18th? would it be worth looking into getting a different doctor?

good luck !!

I have lots of family nearby, but it's a 1/2 hour drive and I SUCK at winter driving. During the months where we have no snow I go to my parents house at least twice a week. Now I haven't been there since Christmas because I can't drive there.

I am a stay at home mom with no friends. I work about once every 2 weeks or so at a nursing home, so there's no time to leave for lunch and I work with a lot of 40+ year old ladies, who are very nice...but I'm only 28 so totally different lives right now.

No free samples. I already asked! Strangely enough, my doctor has the shortest waiting list. We have a huge lack of doctors in BC. My kids have to wait 2 months to get in to their doc.

Can you talk to the dr. directly? Maybe ask him if you can cut the pill in half? Sorry you're feeling so crappy. I hope you find an answer really quick!

Ugh, I know how that goes. The old medication roulette game -- trying to find the right meds for you (if you even need them) is the worst. Have you tried yoga? Just the most basic program can make you feel so much better, body and mind. Even though I still need medication for my Bipolar, I take a lot less when I have a regular yoga practice. You can try some very basic stuff at Yogajournal.com without spending any money.

I hope you feel better soon! *hugs*

Hey babygrant! I was on Effexor for a few years......I know your probably having trouble adjusting to the medication but most often the starting side effects will taper off within one or two weeks. I was on a much higher dose than you but Effexor is known for quite horrible withdrawal symptoms, which I experienced when I came off of the medication. Be careful! It really stinks that your doctor can't see you sooner! It's never good to quite a medication cold turkey but if you've only been on it for such a short amount of time, and if its that low a dose than maybe it might be worth it if your really feeling like ****. Im currently taking generic Prozac, maybe your doctor can perscribe you a generic med, they're usually a lot cheaper than the brand name medications. Good Luck! I hope your feeling better soon!

I'm no expert, but from what I've read, depression medication is often over-perscribed to people who don't need it, by people who do not hold the sorts of medical degrees that you would think it would need-- I was on them and found they totally turned off most emotion almost as though I had become a sociopath. I simply did not care about anything. I was more mental on the drugs than I had been off them. I started to read about things that you could do for yourself that did not take pharmicueticals, like magnesium, b vitamins, taking long walks, and getting involved with causes like homeless puppies. I simply do not think that turning off emotion receptors is the treatment needed for what you speak of "being so lonely with having no friends and from issues stemming from being so tired and having no time to myself". To me, it seems like you need to re-schedual your life. Throw away things that are totally unnesessary. Don't do all the projects yourself, delegate authority to others in the family, and get yourself some friends and nights out. In other words you have to be able to draw some lines--Lots of women not only work full time but also do all the housework and chores while husbands and older children get away with laying around and having fun. You should be able to do that too. Using a drug to supress your reactions will not only not help you, it will probably make the situation worse. What do you say?

Babygrant,
I certainly feel your pain. Starting any anti depressant is hard because of the initial side effects and the time it takes for them to have any effect. If you want good information about Effexor or other ADs, go to crazymeds.us. they have an incredible amount of information about any AD drug you can imagine. They also have great forums. If you read the Effexor page it will tell you that you have to play around with the time you take it depending on whether it makes you tires or wakes you up. Perhaps that could be one of the issues you are having. And yes, Effexor withdrawals are supposed to be the worst. I was on Effexor several years ago and when I came off of it I had NO side effects. So there is no guarantee that you would have them. Check out this site and see what you can find. I love it.
I am often very lonely too an I know how hard it can be and it's hard to tell if the loneliness causes the depression or the depression causes the loneliness. Even though I'm pretty stable right now, I still have days of wishing I had someone to spend time with and hang around with. My husband and kids are great, but they don't fill the role of girlfriend.
I agree that sometimes ADs are over prescribed, but sometimes it can be what you need to pull you out of the depression and then other coping mechanisms can be used. It depends on who the doc is. Usually a pdoc will be more conservative in the beginning but more aggressive later on when they know you better. Regular docs just don't have the specific knowledge.
All of that said, I am bipolar, recently diagnosed. Yes, I am on medication. I feel so much better now that I did six months ago that I couldn't imagine not taking my meds. It's not for others to tell you whether or not you need meds. That is a decision for you and your doc. Are you able to talk to a nurse until you can see the doctor? Maybe they can help. Yes, it's bad right now but you can get through this, no matter what you decide. There are so many people here to help.

I can relate to how you feel. I tried effexor for a few days too and experienced similar side effects. I also stopped taking it. I remember waking up the second morning, looking in the mirror and actually not recognizing my reflection for a few seconds. I felt out of touch and had a headache as well. It scared me enough to stop taking the meds right away. I also don't have any friends..sigh. My husband and I have each other and our children but no outside friends. He is such a quiet guy and I love to chat so it is lonely just the same as not having anyone. I think that is why I like to post long posts and chat with all of you. It makes me feel like I have someone to talk to.
I just wanted to let you know you are not alone. Have faith that things will get better for you. You may consider trying the effexor once again if you feel you need some meds. It is a good medication in the long run but you will need to prepare yourself for one or two bad weeks if you do want to take it. By the third week, you should adjust and start feeling better. I am considering it again as well but I am waiting until the spring because when the weather becomes nicer I usually feel a little less depressed..but still lonely.