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Does Effexor XR really work for anybody???

I have read many, many posts about Effexor XR and the hellish experience people have on this medication.  My doctor just put me on it after several months of so-so performance by Lexapro.  Here is the question...is there anybody out there, any one, who would say "Effexor XR is awesome, it has been a great medication and I am grateful to be on it?"  If so, I would love to hear what you have to say, what your experience has been, dosage, etc.  My script has been for GAD/depression.  I have been in therapy (cognitive with a psychologist) since June.  Some progress, but the feelings still remain.  I am trying to find some way to turn the volume down on emotions.  I take Lorazepam (Ativan) - 1mg - occassionally when anxiety is unbearable.  I take Ambien CR to sleep.  So...any cocktail stories out there?
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Avatar universal
Yes and no as to does it work.  One, don't miss a dose.  It's 1/2 life is short, you'll feel the depression creeping back within 2 days and then it's like day one again.  I don't mean you start all over again waiting about 2-4 weeks for it to have some effect, but in cases such as mine, I'll be balled up in that fetal position as close to being back in the womb as I can get. It's one of the best, but it doesn't waste any time leaving your system.  I'm on it with bupoprion, or Welbutrin by it's brand name.  Been on it with many other anti's, I'm not advised nor would I ask to be taken off it. World wide it shares an excellent efficiency opinion.  BTW, I'm bipolar.  I take only Lamictal as a mood stabilizer. Xanax for anxiety.  I won't get into the HIV or chronic pain meds.  I'm surprised I haven't run out of space yet.
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Avatar universal
Yes!  It literally has saved me.
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Well, the truth is and I can say this with certainty that effexor xr and the others of the same family like prestiqe, cymbalta, are very different than your experience with lexapro, prozac, zoloft etc.. and that effexor is a drug that is intense and will help most people get thru their personal battles but coming from someone who has been diagnosed with major and severe depression and anxiety disorders it did its job.  I know that there is no magic pill that will make life and our head feel like we are "normal" or even just always happy.  I have tried every short cut in the book of "how to self medicate" i don't know if there is a book but maybe i should write one..lol.
but back to effexor xr or its sister drug prestiq the part that people say is a nightmare is when or if you decide to stop taking it or even miss a dose.  I have first hand knowledge of the entire journey from lexapro->cymbals-> effexor -> prestiq and then totally not take anything but xanax for my anxiety.  if  anyone wants any specifics on what to expect please lml, i am happy to help.  After 20 yrs of different meds to hel[p me cope and live without those dark and hopless thoughts of despair i am now facing other crisis's that by all means would warrant heavy meds but for the first time in 20 yrs i am able to feel again, able to cry again and able to access all the highs and lows that the pills masked.  I am happier without the meds, i believe its because certain things in life that happen and are so dramatic and life changing must be dealt with rather than ignored with the help of these antipsychotic and psychotropic meds.
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Avatar universal
I was on Effexor XR for 2 years for GAD. I started at 37.5 and went to 75 after a month. Before 3 months I was able to stop all bentos. At the end of 2 years, I went back to 37.5 for 3 weeks, then 37.5 every other day for 2 weeks. I had np problems whatsoever coming off. I hope this lends encouragement to those who worry about withdrawal.

  Fred
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Avatar universal
What dose did you switch to? 10 years ago I had a very severe depression, and nothing worked, until I was put on Effexor and it literally saved my life. I felt like my old self again in just one week! i eventually went off of it years later and was taking well butrin and doing fine. well 2 months ago, a new even worse depression set in. My doctor immediately added Effexor since it had worked so well for me before. I am on 150 mg and it has not helped AT ALL. He has suggested upping it to 225 and then 300. Does changing the dosage make that big of a difference? i'm wondering if i should try upping the dose or just switch to a new AD in the hopes that it will work better?
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Avatar universal
Effexor has saved my life.  At one point when I had taken it for a long time, I became severely depressed.  I told the doctor that it was situational and that no drug could help me.  I was so so surprised when a month later after increasing the dose, I was back to normal.  My mother and a several friends have also had positive experiences with it.  I withdrew from Effexor very gradually for months with no problem.  Then I became severely depressed.  I need to be on this medication for my life.  And I went on Pristiq, an upgraded version of Effexor which does not affect the sex drive. Hope that you will not be mislead by people who have had trouble getting off of it.  In every case, I have noted that they went off of it very fast.
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