Doctor's appt.
Well, I'm off to see my GP now to talk more about my night sweats, my fatigue, and some other less palatable symptoms. The chances are that all my complaints can be explained by the Effexor, but in a weird way I'm hoping there's something physically wrong so I don't have to stop taking the drug. Last night I dreamt I gained 300 pounds from it, so obviously the anxiety is percolating.
After the doctor I'm off to Long Beach Island for a birthday weekend, so I'll be in transit and won't be blogging. I'll miss you all, but I need the break. So I'll see you all on Monday!
Comments
Have a great weekend!
Posted by: Masale.Wallah | June 24, 2006 04:20 AM
I am confused. Are you about mental illness or mental wellness? You sure do seem to worship psychiatry. I don't. Psychiatrists diagnosed me, incarcerated me, secluded me, drugged me, and shocked me. Psychiatrists dehumanized and disabled me and stigmatized me as mentally ill. You, however, seem to have found comfort in their industry, labels and treatments. Me, I am targeted as a notorious non-compliant paranoid schizophrenic. Take the cure! Goggle me, or check out recoveryisreal.org.
george ebert
Sterling, New York
Posted by: george ebert | June 25, 2006 09:06 AM
George,
While I'm sorry to hear about your experience with psychiatry, it would be grossly unfair to paint the entire profession in the same vein. There are countless people on the planet who have been helped tremendoulsy by the progress made in pyschopharmacology.
Posted by: Masale.Wallah | June 25, 2006 08:18 PM
A little late on this, sorry. I've mentioned this in a few posts before, in some detail as a response to your entry that started off with the chemical structure of Effexor (venlaflaxine).
The side effects that you describe became so severe, that I transitioned to Prozac, with virtually none of the worst 'WD' problems I previously experienced. In this respect, Prozac is one of the 'cleanest' SSRI's around. The major problem with Effexor, is that it is also a norepinephrine-reuptake inhibitor with a very short 'half-life' (ie, it is much more rapidly metabolized, and when its gone from your bloodstream, you get these 'WD' effects). As a 'NRI', it influences MANY other bodily functions (sleep, weight, etc). Ask your DR what he thinks about a switch.
Posted by: BJK | June 26, 2006 10:29 AM