started low dose of Effexor XR, feeling like crap

[TonyL1]

hi all, doc started me on a very low dose of Effexor XR  (37.5 mg) not sure when the best time of day
to take it, ( doesn't specify, just says once daily) however after the 4th pill which i take in the morning
with my 0.5 xanax ) my energy levels are very low, I'm shaky a bit, have insomnia at night, and the general
feeling of weakness and feeling rundown , so I'm lying down a lot . not sure what's going on here lol
but is it better to take Effexor at night ya think?

[sillyava]

I just started it too.  Two weeks ago.  I have been having the same issues, so I have been trying to take it later and later so eventually I am taking it late evening.  I take mine now around 3 in the afternoon, and the tiredness really hits me around 6 or so.  My doctor said to start it in the morning too, but she says she knew of patients that took it at night.

[Carryon]

hi all, doc started me on a very low dose of Effexor XR  (37.5 mg) not sure when the best time of day
to take it, ( doesn't specify, just says once daily) however after the 4th pill which i take in the morning
with my 0.5 xanax ) my energy levels are very low, I'm shaky a bit, have insomnia at night, and the general
feeling of weakness and feeling rundown , so I'm lying down a lot . not sure what's going on here lol
but is it better to take Effexor at night ya think?

Thake the XR in the AM with food. You'll feel weird and maybe queasy a few hours after and a bit pissed that you don't feel right until you start to get use to will be slow. Don't fret. Don't rush uping the dose until you get used to the lower dose. You'll feel the same for just a couple of days when you up the dose. Use the Xanax if the XR makes you morea anxious, which it is apt to do for a few weeks, but less and less. Once the XR kicks in you'll need less Xanax, only for peak stress times, if at all -- fine tuning so to speak. Hope you are getting the discount with Effexor XR brand.

[TonyL1]

it's now been 12 hours since I've taken it (I did with food) and I still feel crappy, yeah i got the discounted effexor
cause it's a generic brand I guess, so all is good there, the weakness is hard to explain , it's like a fatigue
you get when you have the flu. since I have dental work coming up on Monday, ( and I don't want to go to
the dentist in this shape) I've only had 4 pills, do you  think I should stop taking them until after the dentist
also I see psych on Thurs the 11th,

[29sillygirl]

From my experience with this drug, which I  did take in morning, I believe your side effects are typical.  In my case, I had such nausia that I almost quit. My doc said to stop drinking coffee, so I did....the nausea calmed down...and within a month I was feeling better. After a couple of months I could enjoy coffee again.....so side effects dwindled with time.   I also take clonazapam.

Cancer treatment messed up my gastric system, so after a year I had to discontinue.  While it worked it was a good antidepressant.....got me thru a wicked cancer in a  positive frame of mind.

If you are worried about your dental appt....no problem skipping it in am.  Not recommended but I do understand you are in early days and side effects more prominent.

[Carryon]

it's now been 12 hours since I've taken it (I did with food) and I still feel crappy, yeah i got the discounted effexor
cause it's a generic brand I guess, so all is good there, the weakness is hard to explain , it's like a fatigue
you get when you have the flu. since I have dental work coming up on Monday, ( and I don't want to go to
the dentist in this shape) I've only had 4 pills, do you  think I should stop taking them until after the dentist
also I see psych on Thurs the 11th,

By the way the Efflexor XR is the "brand" name, and it's cheaper than the generic for some reason.

Hang in there, you sound mainly uncomfortable. Don't stop taking them, least of all for the dentist. XR is not that type of medication, not to siwtch and/off. Tell the dentsist you started it, as he should now what meds you are on of any type. H"e probably on an AD himself. LOL

Maybe you can delay the appointment just so that you don't have too many balls in the air at one time. More than likely, it would take your mind off how you feel for the time you are with the dentist, but I personally would rather read a book and chow down a bagel in a coffee shop for that.

If appointments are hard to get, go through with it. Take a Xanax of something. I take an Ativan anyway when I go to the dentist, not because I am afraind; I get "wound up" that I need "service appointmens" like a car. Wiound up might not be your problem right about now, I suspect.

Honestly, you'll do find. You are getting used to a good friend.   

[dancer67]

Venlaxifine is tghe generic which is way cheaper then Effexor XR.

I was on Effexor XR 75mg for 4 years.

I always took my dose in the mroning on an empty stomach. It worked better for me. I slept alot the first two weeks.  That was the only side effect I had. Then I had the ginomous weight gain.

I have since come off of it. It did the job for a while.

I am now of 20mg of Prozac and I love it. This stuff is great.

[TonyL1]

K , this morning I talked to my psychiatrist  on the phone, she said to simply stop them for now , get the dental work done
then try again, which I will. I Didn't take one today, and I feel 400% better, got a bicycle ride in, did outdoor cleaning etc for a bit  least some of my energy has returned,

[Carryon]

Sound move. Good luck.