switching from effexor to lexapro

janart

My personal opinion is no you will not have any problems. It's alot easier to do the switch vs not going to anything and coming off. Why are you wanting to change? Effexor is one of the only ones that I haven't tried. But I don't think I want to lol.

americandancer

After further research, I don't think I am going to switch. I think I'm just having early side effects. I am determined to stick this out at least 6-8 weeks. I am just so scared of the awful withdrawal effects I read about. I know lexapro is great for anxiety also. I've taken it before, but every time I try to start it back up, I get itching and hives. My doctor isn't sure if I am allergic to it or not. I'm happy with the effexor so far. I am a little jumpy, but like I said...it's probably just early side effects. Are you on any meds, janart?

janart

Not right now, just herbs and vitamins. I do need medicine I'm just tired of the side effects. Especially the sexual ones. I liked Lexapro in some ways but it made my jaws hurt too bad. I'm supposed to have surgery soon which will mean no sex for 6 weeks, guess thats a good time to start back taking something lol.

bushleaguer

I just started effexor for panic and social anxiety disorder. Like yourself, I was put off of starting it due to the horror stories of the withdrawal. My doctor told me that we would give it a try and if there was no improvement in 6 weeks that we would bail and avoid any withdrawal (he told me the withdrawal occurs when people have been on a moderate-high dose for an extended period). Good luck....hope it works out for you.

Just to say - I was on Lexapro and I had the whole jaw pain/teeth clenching thing the whole time I was on it as well. What the heck kind of side effect is that anyway?????

janart

Man I don't know but I would be willing to try it again if it wasn't for that, it was horrible!!

jinglebts

Normally, effexor withdrawal isn't a problem if you dump just a few granules from the capsule every day. They're a bit difficult to pull apart, but it can be done. I too had heard of the horror stories, and that's just what I did ...

jb

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yesmetoo

It's a seratonin thing...the (illegal) drug "ecstasy" does the same thing (in a brain damaging, serotonin-dumping sort of way), only to a much greater degree, hence the lollipop sucking and "pacifier" candy to help minimize that jaw clenching side effect.
Seratonin is a funny little neuro transmitter, eh?

jinglebts

Yes, and one can much too easily suffer from "seratonin syndrome", whose symptoms include euphoria, drowsiness, sustained rapid eye movement, overreaction of the reflexes, clumsiness, restlessness, feeling drunk and dizzy, sweating, muscle twitching, rigidity, high body temperature, frequent changes in mental state (including confusion and hypomania - a "happy drunk" state), shivering, diarrhoea, unconsciousness, and oh yeah - you can die from it.

How do I know this? My cousin had a "mild" case, while decreasing effexor/increasing lexapro -- clumsiness, confusion, she felt drunk and dizzy, and nearly became unconsciouness. It usually doesn't result in death, but it can ...

That's probably what Ecstasy does -- induce serotonin syndrome.

And quite a mixed bag of symptoms it is too ..

jb

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janart

I had the dizziness and headache coming off of Lexapro and had only been on for about 3 weeks.

americandancer

Well, that's good to know that staying on it 6 weeks or so is not too long for all the withdrawal problems to start. That makes me feel better about taking it. The effexor actually makes me clench my jaws too, but all ad's I have ever tried did that in the beginning. Bushleager, what mg are you taking?

bushleaguer

I'm still on 37.5mgs, but am struggling with it still. My doctor said we should be able to go up to 75mgs in another week and a half, but if not....then so be it. The main problem is that I'm experiencing increased anxiety, which is not an uncommon start-up side effect. That being said, if there's no improvement relatively soon, we are going to bail. I've been on numerous SSRIs and Wellbutrin, all with no success. We are giving Effexor a shot as there are not many other options available.

Personally, I think I'm getting the increased anxiety from the neropinephirine (sp?). I was on wellbutrin for 2 months and had a very similiar experience. When I was on the SSRIs, I had various side effects but no decrease with my anxiety (and we did give each 2 months at the theraputic dose).

janart

I know how you feel there. I have tried all SSRI'S and no go so today my doc started me on Buspar. The anxiety really is bad. I get upsat stomach and nervous even if we go out to eat.

jinglebts

janart, bushleager,

Has either of you tried the tricyclics (amytriptiline, desipramine, etc.)? They have some unpleasant side effects at first (dry mouth, constipation, low blood pressure upon getting up), but these are fairly easily dealt with (chew ice/drink water, fiber, don't get up so quickly) ... I nearly bailed the first week, but the effects seeem to be leveling out now, and I was told that the tricyclics might work better. The reason is that they hit all three receptors at the same time -- serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine -- whereas the SSRIs only hit one (seratonin). One reason that SSRIs are prescribed is that there are not supposed to be any side effects (hah!) -- that said, many people do not have side effects, or they are insignificant.

I've been on several ADs (manerix, plavix, remeron, celexa, effexor) ... the plavix worked a treat for several years, then stopped; the others either did not work adequately or had too many side effects. Now I'm trying desipramine, with klonapin added for anxiety. The theory is that my anxiety, and thus depression, will disappear with the desipramine (I doubt it, but anyhoo).

As I say, I'm not holding my breath, but nothing else has worked so far, and I began having major panic attacks/anxiety (I've now been DX'd with GAD) last March, and it's been worsening.

I began a course of desipramine two weeks ago. The side effects are not so bad now. We'll see.

Hope this helps.

jb

~~ I don't mean to put you off with my comment, "I'm not holding my breath". It's just that nothing else has worked, so I'm a bit pessimistic.

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janart

Jb I've tried so many AD'S. I always give up because of bad side effects. I don't know how the Buspar will do but it's funny how optmistic I am when I leave the doc office because I'm hoping this time will be better.