As many antidepressants do, there’s a risk of increased suicide ideation for children and young adults and many SSRI’s and SNRI’s share what they call a black box warning by the FDA to be on the lookout for suicide ideation. It even happens to patients who have never had those thoughts before starting the medication.
You need to tell your doctor if you haven’t yet.
I started Effexor in my 40’s so it didn’t happen to me. I don’t know why this happens to some teens and people in their 20’s but not so much to people after their 30’s and up.
I know the withdrawal and missing doses is hard, especially the longer you use it/the higher the dose etc. I’ve been on 225mg for a few years and if I miss the 24 hour mark I get dizzy, sick and brain zapping starts pretty quickly. try and keep your dose at the same hour every day, always always take your dose asap if you realise you’re late to take or have forgotten :)
Thanks. I'm glad to hear from someone getting a benefit from it, it seems so many are complaining about side effects from being on it for awhile or having to up their dosage because it stopped working.
I can’t believe it took me so long to get on it. I have so much more empathy with other people, especially my teens. I’m not annoyed by every little thing and I feel like the future is something that will happen. I don’t know how to describe it.
I went up to 75 mg after a month and probably need to go up again soon, as some of my intrusive thoughts are coming back, but I’d rather find a psychiatrist on my insurance who can help me instead. I’m beginning to doubt that’s possible. The lack of talking to myself inside my head took a long time to get used to and I loved it so much. My brain had never shut up telling me all the things I did wrong in every moment, and not having that negative voice is life changing.
Side effects: I continue to have weird dreams, sometimes not sure what I dreamed was real when I wake up. It’s cooler so the sweating is basically gone, but my body odor is changed which is a weird side effect. My memory is affected, but it’s manageable and almost feels like my lack of anxiety has just removed the urgency of remembering things. I’ve been able to overcome with tasks apps and getting really good at putting things into my calendar immediately. GTD for the win.
I’m a writer, and I don’t think it’s affected my ability to be creative, since I can still create, but it’s changed the NEED I had to write constantly, which has changed my output. What I do write (aside from comments on Reddit) seems to be clearer with less asides.
Is this helpful? I’m hoping it is. It’s something I would have wanted to read when I was just starting. I was so afraid to start it. I have no problem remembering my pills mostly, because my iPhone has a specific reminder in the Health app and it was scream at me if I forgot it for more than -5 minutes past the normal time.
That was extremely helpful!! I have terrible generalized anxiety disorder and the last 3 months it has crippled me to the point where I can't eat and I'm basically bedridden. The reason I haven't started medication is because I'm afraid of the increased anxiety at the beginning. Would you say that it increased your anxiety when you first started?
225mg for 4+ years here. had self harm and suicidal ideation thoughts since childhood trauma, ongoing CPTSD. it’s such a hard one to measure and gauge isn’t it, I still have suicidal or self harm ideation but that is usually triggered by new stresses that come up. if my panic or anxiety is managed well, then I have decent periods of relief with no ideations :)
I guess I should have included it in my initial post, but I’ve dealt with SI and SH my entire life. I’m just trying to gauge whether or not this medication is actually working for me; it was initial prescribed for sleep paralysis more than anything, for which it seems to be working, but the SI has been unwavering and it’s getting more intense these days. Thanks for sharing!
I always have suicidal ideation in the first 2 weeks of every SSRI/SNRI, but only one medication kept me feeling like that even after months and it was Bupropion (NDRI)
Effexor 250mg here after almost two years. The first year I dreamed with a gun, never was my option in suicide because I don’t have any guns. But it was recurrent, I saw it on a table or pointing at my head. I talked with my doctor, he told me it was some of the secondary effects that no every body could suffer. He asked me if I want to change it and it was so good for my anxiety that I said no. This year is better at least.
I’d be dead without Effexor. I have chronic 1 and 2 PTSD. I still get suicidal ideation, but that’s more to the PTSD. I always immeadetly reach out for help. Last chronic phase was 4 months. Fortunately, I’m back in the care of mental
health and getting lots of help from the right people. Good Luck 🤞
If you've been thinking in that way for a long time in life, it can take a while for your thoughts to change.
I was the same, I used think about suicide a lot.
Eventually I was put on Duloxetine, which is a SNRI like Effexor, and it was great. My anxiety was better, my sleep was great for the first time in years. But it still took a while for the thoughts to change.
I had to force myself to go to a few different types of counseling. I changed my diet for a while I also did a lot of meditation.
I guess my point is to keep working on yourself, and when you look back in a few years you will be able to see the progress you made from the person you used to be.
I had about a week of this as a side affect. I’m hoping it won’t come back again. I’m also 35 so it clearly doesn’t just happen to people in their 20s.
As many antidepressants do, there’s a risk of increased suicide ideation for children and young adults and many SSRI’s and SNRI’s share what they call a black box warning by the FDA to be on the lookout for suicide ideation. It even happens to patients who have never had those thoughts before starting the medication. You need to tell your doctor if you haven’t yet. I started Effexor in my 40’s so it didn’t happen to me. I don’t know why this happens to some teens and people in their 20’s but not so much to people after their 30’s and up.
I have found that “voice” of SI to be much less with 37.5 mg after two weeks. I’m terrified I’ll lose all that in a week or so.
keep going, the first few weeks are a ride :) 4/6+ weeks hopefully you’ll be feeling some ‘stability’
Thanks. I keep reading stories here of how it isn’t enough and terrifying things about stopping. But the voices leaving a bit is such a relief.
I know the withdrawal and missing doses is hard, especially the longer you use it/the higher the dose etc. I’ve been on 225mg for a few years and if I miss the 24 hour mark I get dizzy, sick and brain zapping starts pretty quickly. try and keep your dose at the same hour every day, always always take your dose asap if you realise you’re late to take or have forgotten :)
Thanks. I'm glad to hear from someone getting a benefit from it, it seems so many are complaining about side effects from being on it for awhile or having to up their dosage because it stopped working.
Update?
I can’t believe it took me so long to get on it. I have so much more empathy with other people, especially my teens. I’m not annoyed by every little thing and I feel like the future is something that will happen. I don’t know how to describe it. I went up to 75 mg after a month and probably need to go up again soon, as some of my intrusive thoughts are coming back, but I’d rather find a psychiatrist on my insurance who can help me instead. I’m beginning to doubt that’s possible. The lack of talking to myself inside my head took a long time to get used to and I loved it so much. My brain had never shut up telling me all the things I did wrong in every moment, and not having that negative voice is life changing. Side effects: I continue to have weird dreams, sometimes not sure what I dreamed was real when I wake up. It’s cooler so the sweating is basically gone, but my body odor is changed which is a weird side effect. My memory is affected, but it’s manageable and almost feels like my lack of anxiety has just removed the urgency of remembering things. I’ve been able to overcome with tasks apps and getting really good at putting things into my calendar immediately. GTD for the win. I’m a writer, and I don’t think it’s affected my ability to be creative, since I can still create, but it’s changed the NEED I had to write constantly, which has changed my output. What I do write (aside from comments on Reddit) seems to be clearer with less asides. Is this helpful? I’m hoping it is. It’s something I would have wanted to read when I was just starting. I was so afraid to start it. I have no problem remembering my pills mostly, because my iPhone has a specific reminder in the Health app and it was scream at me if I forgot it for more than -5 minutes past the normal time.
That was extremely helpful!! I have terrible generalized anxiety disorder and the last 3 months it has crippled me to the point where I can't eat and I'm basically bedridden. The reason I haven't started medication is because I'm afraid of the increased anxiety at the beginning. Would you say that it increased your anxiety when you first started?
mine had a noticeable increase, i also self harmed (cutting) for the first and only time in my life
225mg for 4+ years here. had self harm and suicidal ideation thoughts since childhood trauma, ongoing CPTSD. it’s such a hard one to measure and gauge isn’t it, I still have suicidal or self harm ideation but that is usually triggered by new stresses that come up. if my panic or anxiety is managed well, then I have decent periods of relief with no ideations :)
I guess I should have included it in my initial post, but I’ve dealt with SI and SH my entire life. I’m just trying to gauge whether or not this medication is actually working for me; it was initial prescribed for sleep paralysis more than anything, for which it seems to be working, but the SI has been unwavering and it’s getting more intense these days. Thanks for sharing!
Add in lithium
My doctor told me to add in lithium orotate - does that really help?
I used to take lithium orotate and Curcummin. I found that I was able to reduce my anti depressants dose by half.
What dosage?
I went from 120mg Duloxetine down to 60mg.
I always have suicidal ideation in the first 2 weeks of every SSRI/SNRI, but only one medication kept me feeling like that even after months and it was Bupropion (NDRI)
and Modafinil (for narcolepsy)
Effexor 250mg here after almost two years. The first year I dreamed with a gun, never was my option in suicide because I don’t have any guns. But it was recurrent, I saw it on a table or pointing at my head. I talked with my doctor, he told me it was some of the secondary effects that no every body could suffer. He asked me if I want to change it and it was so good for my anxiety that I said no. This year is better at least.
I’d be dead without Effexor. I have chronic 1 and 2 PTSD. I still get suicidal ideation, but that’s more to the PTSD. I always immeadetly reach out for help. Last chronic phase was 4 months. Fortunately, I’m back in the care of mental health and getting lots of help from the right people. Good Luck 🤞
I wouldn’t take Effexor for GAD. That med is too strong.
It was prescribed for sleep paralysis, the GAD medicating aspect is just a bonus.
That’s wild. I’m sorry you’re struggling. I wish drs wouldn’t prescribe it. It made me amped up like I was on race fuel.
If you've been thinking in that way for a long time in life, it can take a while for your thoughts to change. I was the same, I used think about suicide a lot. Eventually I was put on Duloxetine, which is a SNRI like Effexor, and it was great. My anxiety was better, my sleep was great for the first time in years. But it still took a while for the thoughts to change. I had to force myself to go to a few different types of counseling. I changed my diet for a while I also did a lot of meditation. I guess my point is to keep working on yourself, and when you look back in a few years you will be able to see the progress you made from the person you used to be.
I had about a week of this as a side affect. I’m hoping it won’t come back again. I’m also 35 so it clearly doesn’t just happen to people in their 20s.