bethsheba

I think it's your meds, despite your doctors comments. I had a similar problem--I was sleeping 16-20 hours per day, couldn't work, didn't pay my bills, lost contact with my friends, gained about 40 pounds, and felt absolutely horrible. It took me 3 years before I figured out it was a little pill I was taking for blood pressure. My sleep specialist and my primary denied meds were causing the problems. But I stopped taking the meds, and my problems disappeared.

Whatever you do, DO NOT TAKE THE WORD OF YOUR PHYSICIANS WITHOUT CHECKING THEIR INFO OUT FIRST. I took the advice of my physicians and it cost me my career, my life savings, my self esteem, and my reputation (yes, even my friends were thinking I was lazy).

Now, your medication may not be the problem....but it's the first place I would start. I quickly reviewed some data about effexor XR and found cases where people experienced problems similar to yours. Your pharmacist may have more info, but also check the package insert that comes with your meds....if you are only given the pharmacy insert, go back to the pharmacy and get the manufacturer's insert as it will contain more info. Also, check these boards.

And yes, in the past I've always slept too much, too, and had difficulty waking up. I also experienced periods of depression though I had nothing really to be depressed about. I've since learned I have a sleeping disorder, and sleeping disorders can cause/aggravate depression. I haven't been depressed since being treated for sleep apnea (except for the time I experienced as a side effect of my bp med). Given your history, you may want to learn more about sleep disorders. Sleeping long and having a hard time waking up is sometimes a symptom of depression but it may be that in your case the depression is caused the sleeping disorder.

Bethsheba