Sandy Schultz

You're absolutely right, fiestynurse, and Thalidomide is still an excellent cure for morning sickness. Every single antipsychotic is still a cure for at least one person no matter how intense the side effects. Each time a doctor writes me a prescription, I see them carefully weighing what the drug will do for me and against me. When I was given morphine in the ER, the doctor considered it a very temporary solution because of the side effects of long term use and that I would fully recover after my heart attack. If I was a hospice patient, there would be few questions as whether the help was worse than the problem. I am telling my story so that other doctors can have the knowledge to know what's best for their patients. If I was critically ill with anxiety and depression, the side effects are not as important as the help Effexor can give. I only ask for the temperance, not exclusion of Effexor as a help for psychiatric disorders.

Thank you for believing me. My mother and I both are very sensitive to medication. We can often take a lower dose and get full benefits. My psychiatrist was concerned enough about the sensitivity to have a full liver panel done. It came up negative. As for the tapering, I was taking 10-12 grains daily from a capsule. I'm now completely off and cranky, but getting less dizzy each week. I chose cold turkey instead of 5 grains because I need to get the withdrawl done within 2 weeks. I can't be dragging this out. Thanks also for the respectful way you've responded. I work in a hospital and know really great doctors who are excellent with their patients. The majority of you want to alleviate pain and build your patients up. Some are just more type-A and don't realize how overbearing they can sound.

I've been reading the Effexor withdrawl symptoms with great gusto because I know EXACTLY what you all mean. It's like everything goes white for a microsecond and all you hear is static. I am trying not to drive right now because it interferes with my ability to see. Those microseconds are happening every 2-3 seconds at times. My doctor has stated I have a high sensitivity to medications. I've not been able to tolerate more than 75 mg. I was not in a critical place when I started taking Effexor. My dx is PTSD, and we were trying to relieve anxiety. I think Effexor should be used like morphine: with great caution and in the most dire of circumstances. I feel this way because I, a completely healthy woman w/o ANY history of circulatory/immune disorders, had a heart attack. It was due to virally induced pericarditis. One of the side effects of Effexor is a reduced immune system. There is NO way any of you can state that a reduced immune system is "all in my head." If you want, you can see the chest x-ray of my swollen heart. If Effexor caused this kind of problem in the short run, I'm concerned about the future: possible cancer. I understand you all want to help, but LISTEN to your patients. I was a very unusual case in the ER. The doctor didn't make snap judgements like "35's too young", or "this isn't typical for a female", or "the chest pain is psychosomatic." The tests he ran showed I had the enzymes of myocardial infarction. My blood pressure had dropped to 90 over 50. I have not been believed on more than one occasion simply because a doctor knows I have a history of anxiety. One even told me to see a psychiatrist regarding menstrual pain w/o running tests. It turned out I needed surgery for an ovarian cyst. I don't get hysterical. I am a very logical person when describing what's going on. I even came in with a calendar that tracked my symptoms to my gynecologist. He didn't shut up long enough to look at it to see the patterns. There is no excuse for being treated this way just because of a history of depression. Thank you for letting me vent.