effexor decreases klonopin dosage and other s.e

[fraidycat]

I noticed since starting effexor (75mg) a month plus ago ive been using a lower dosage of klonopin, from 1.5mg to .75mg. At .75 i get a tired, slightly blunted feeling, anything above i'm ready to sleep. The only bad thing is I don't feel as friendly or at ease. Usually klonopin does the trick, now on this combo I'm less anxious in general (being in crowds, shopping), but feeling more socially blunted and even nervous, if that makes sense. Has anyone experienced that on this combo?

I'm not crazy about increasing the dosage of effexor, due to dry mouth, nausea and what I'm already currently experiencing.

[fraidycat]

i guess the other strange side effect would be alcohol use. hits me faster, but doesn't stay as long. odd

[arth98]

when and if the effexor works, you need less or no benzos, this is normal
you may need to up the effexor later to keep it working

meanwhile, get out there and socialise

[jim_morrison]

It makes sence, I had a similar experience with lexapro, it allowed me to take a lower dose of klonopin than usual, and it helped me to feel less anxious in crowds and general, but in actual social interactions I would still get incredibly nervous.

[Arisa1536]

Originally Posted by fraidycat

I noticed since starting effexor (75mg) a month plus ago ive been using a lower dosage of klonopin, from 1.5mg to .75mg. At .75 i get a tired, slightly blunted feeling, anything above i'm ready to sleep. The only bad thing is I don't feel as friendly or at ease. Usually klonopin does the trick, now on this combo I'm less anxious in general (being in crowds, shopping), but feeling more socially blunted and even nervous, if that makes sense. Has anyone experienced that on this combo?

I'm not crazy about increasing the dosage of effexor, due to dry mouth, nausea and what I'm already currently experiencing.

hey there
i have been on effexor 4X75mg (300MG) for almost four years, i would not have any other anti depressant, as i have been on all the SSRI's yeah they suck
and i have been given Clonazepam (klonopin) three times a day which is what you are on 1.5mg to 2mg and i feel so much more calm

i have had the lack of excitement but that fades with time, with the effexor i mean, i find the clonazepam are a god send, and so much more potent than the likes of valium which i was given first off and you need a good 10-20mg to feel the same way you do on 2mg of Klonopin

give it time and the social desires will honestly improve
you will still have bad days but go with them, let yourself have some alone time

i know from experience

[Arisa1536]

Originally Posted by jim_morrison

Hey Arisa1536, what dosage of effexor do you find works the best?

hey there OMG you are a jim morrison fan
i adore him to bits

i am on 300MG but originally i found 3x75mg pills worked best however my depression has increased since 2006
but yeah three is a good mix, and five or six which i have tried does nothing as they are not like benzo's, if you increase on effexor above 375-425mg you will feel the same as you do on 300mg

[jim_morrison]

Thats good to hear, I have been on most of the SSRI's and mirtazapine with little to no success. So far Klonopin is the only drug that has really worked for me. And so I am wondering wether it's worth my while to try out effexor as one last attempt at an antidpressant or wether to give up on antidepressants completely :S
The effexor withdrawls scare me a bit, would hate to be stuck on something which didn't work.

[Arisa1536]

Originally Posted by jim_morrison

Thats good to hear, I have been on most of the SSRI's and mirtazapine with little to no success. So far Klonopin is the only drug that has really worked for me. And so I am wondering wether it's worth my while to try out effexor as one last attempt at an antidpressant or wether to give up on antidepressants completely :S
The effexor withdrawls scare me a bit, would hate to be stuck on something which didn't work.

YES the effexor withdrawals are said to be as bad as the paroxotine, which is Aropax i was on them for three years and coming off them was not so good but the shrink gradually changed me from them to Venlafaxine (effexor) which is a stronger form of SSRI but it combats the social anxiety much better

[jim_morrison]

Originally Posted by Arisa1536

YES the effexor withdrawals are said to be as bad as the paroxotine, which is Aropax i was on them for three years and coming off them was not so good but the shrink gradually changed me from them to Venlafaxine (effexor) which is a stronger form of SSRI but it combats the social anxiety much better

I took paroxetine for one year and came off it cold turkey with no withdrawls whatsoever oddly enough, I actually felt really good in the withdrawl process, perhaps the relief that I was finally off it was greater.

It's good to hear that effexor combats SA better than SSRI's though, as right now I'm suffering from deep depression, SA and OCD.

[Arisa1536]

Originally Posted by jim_morrison

I took paroxetine for one year and came off it cold turkey with no withdrawls whatsoever oddly enough, I actually felt really good in the withdrawl process as in relief that I was finally off it was greater.

It's good to hear that effexor combats SA better than SSRI's though, as right now I'm suffering from deep depression, SA and OCD.

poor thing, i have been there and its NOT fun
i personally find the anxiety worse than the depression but for me its a very lonely place because you feel that no one cares and you see people who seem to have it all together and that annoys me

it does pass and i suggest sticking to your clonazepam and try the Venlafaxine, it takes a good month to work but it combats the depression so well

[jim_morrison]

Originally Posted by Arisa1536

poor thing, i have been there and its NOT fun
i personally find the anxiety worse than the depression but for me its a very lonely place because you feel that no one cares and you see people who seem to have it all together and that annoys me

it does pass and i suggest sticking to your clonazepam and try the Venlafaxine, it takes a good month to work but it combats the depression so well

Thanks for the encouraging words, I find that my SA isolates me and in prolonged periods of being alone I become deeply depressed. So I guess it's a vicious cycle.

[Arisa1536]

yes its a vicious cycle but it does get better
i think its been a hell of year worldwide with the recession and all
and the natural disasters occurring with earthquakes and floods, it sort of can increase the anxiety

there has been a high amount of suicide this year in my country
and its sad cuz so many will not go to a doctor and ask for help

i think a decent medication and benzo is surely better than a pain killer overdose or slashing your wrists

[fraidycat]

"So far Klonopin is the only drug that has really worked for me. And so I am wondering wether it's worth my while to try out effexor as one last attempt at an antidpressant or wether to give up on antidepressants completely :S
The effexor withdrawls scare me a bit, would hate to be stuck on something which didn't work. "

you took the words right out of my mouth! only difference is I'm on it, and I'm wondering if it's worth it to go any further to see if Effexor works any better especially at the rate I'm going on (increased social awkwardness, dry mouth, weird effects w/alcohol..I couldn't get a good buzz for the life of me..lol.. yes that's a bad thing). I might try to get off it in a couple of days. I have finals so can't deal with any strong withdrawal effects

Hi Arisa, thanks for the encouraging post but I'm really worried about the potential discountiation effects, especially since I'm not seeing the best response right now. It's awesome that Effexor works for you though btw, did you experience an increase in nervousness socially at first, if so, did it go away? I definitely agree with you...Klonopin is a godsent

[jim_morrison]

Originally Posted by fraidycat

"

you took the words right out of my mouth! only difference is I'm on it, and I'm wondering if it's worth it to go any further to see if Effexor works any better especially at the rate I'm going on (increased social awkwardness, dry mouth, weird effects w/alcohol..I couldn't get a good buzz for the life of me..lol.. yes that's a bad thing). I might try to get off it in a couple of days. I have finals so can't deal with any strong withdrawal effects

Well as we know effexor can be a very different drug at different doses, which is probly why you hear of more of its success storys when people are using higher doses. Obviously with SRI's it's best to start as low as possible to let your body adjust and see how it reacts to the drug for an initial period. But if it was me personally, as soon as the initial period was over I think I may consider pumping it straight up to a highish dose (150-300 mg range) and seeing what it can do for me, rather than gradually tapering up slowly over a period of months, which could possibly make the withdrawl even worse if you decide to come off it since your bodys had longer to adapt to recognising the medication in your system.

With that said, if you do decide to come of it, taper down slowly. SS/NRIs can cause adaptions in neural pathways and how they fire off signals, quitting too quickly will cause the nervous system confusion, which is why people get brain zaps and the likes, the mind is so confused because it's adaptive signal has just vanished, so taper off slowly and let your body readapt to baseline normally, and you will avoid withdrwals as best possible.

[BusterBluth]

In my experience (paxil, zoloft, wellbutrin, mirtazapine, and others), nothing was better at keeping depression away than effexor. As you know, I was on 300mg for the majority of that time.

If you want to give another SS(N)RI-type a shot, I'd say it's worth it. I think I had the withdrawal experience with it that I did because I was on it for several years. I doubt it would have been the same if I was on it for a few months and decided it wasn't for me.

[jim_morrison]

Originally Posted by BusterBluth

In my experience (paxil, zoloft, wellbutrin, mirtazapine, and others), nothing was better at keeping depression away than effexor. As you know, I was on 300mg for the majority of that time.

Cool, that's positive to hear man, if anything out there could take out my black depression then I'd be jumping for joy.

Btw blusterbluth I'm curious, what made you decide to give up effexor if it was working so well for you?

[BusterBluth]

The main reason I stopped was that I didn't want to always be taking something, and I thought I would do fine without it. I tapered down to a fraction of the dose I had been on and was off it for the better part of a year without much issue. Then the fall/winter rolled around and combined with a couple personal issues and, surprise!, I was ready to get back on something.

Just fyi, I still had a decent bit of anxiety while taking effexor, and I was always taking effexor by itself. I also would say I was relatively side effect free. The only possible issues were the slightest difficulty in 'finishing' during sex (but libido was unaffected) and maybe contributed to bad interactions/events with alcohol (but that very well could have been alcohol and unrelated to effexor).

[jim_morrison]

Thanks for replying dude, how was it in terms of insomnia btw?

Btw I've stopped taking mirtazapine now, been off it for about a week and feeling alot more energy/motivation again, I know what you mean though, the underlying depression still remains.

[BusterBluth]

I was in college for most of the time I was on it, and college, for me, was a lot of keeping myself distracted (from work) by hanging out with anyone who was still up. So, again (like the alcohol) I can't really say if it was good or bad for those issues. I will say that I could sleep/oversleep with the best of them though.

After I graduated, I stayed on it for a bit over a year and with a better sleep 'hygiene' I kept much more normal hours. College isn't exactly the best environment to give a reliable answer to someone not similarly situated.

How's going to sleep and appetite now that you're off mirtazapine and what are you taking at the moment? Though, IIRC, you didn't have a lack of appetite to begin with... any discernible difference with sex(drive)/etc?

[jim_morrison]

Originally Posted by BusterBluth

How's going to sleep and appetite now that you're off mirtazapine and what are you taking at the moment? Though, IIRC, you didn't have a lack of appetite to begin with... any discernible difference with sex(drive)/etc?

Well I've been off it for 7 days now and I've already lost 2.5 kg's (5 pounds). My appetite is low, probably moreso than baseline, which is probly mirt withdrawl, but I've been force feeding + protein shakes so its all good. My energy and motivation has went through the roof since stopping and I no longer overlseep, I feel alive again, and not so apathetic/lazy like I was on mirt, sleep is fine, but I take clonazepam daily (for epilepsy) so that may help in that department. As for sex drive, mirtazapine never affected it, so theres no real difference from baseline on or off it.

I still feel pretty depressed though, so I'll probly have to add effexor soon before I crash into the black abyss.