QUESTION:
Dear Dr. Heller,
My 16 year old daughter has recently started suffering from depression and mood swings. She was put on Effexor/capsules and it has helped her with the depression. When we re-filled the prescription they gave us 75.mg tablets and she has thrown up and cried for days. Is there 2 different types of Effexor? Are the withdrawals from the Effexor as much trouble as reports say? I am very concerned about my daughter and need some answers.
Please help….
ANSWER:
Effexor can be a difficult medication for many people. Side effects limit their use, including blood pressure problems, profound fatigue, and withdrawal symptoms can be very difficult for lots of people. Ive found it most successful for chronic pain, although some patients do well with Serzone combined with Effexor, and high doses of Effexor (300-450mg daily) has been shown to work for the BPD.
There are two forms with multiple doses: the regular dose and the sustained release form (“XR”). It could be she was given the short acting form, and its also possible the symptoms are completely unrelated to the Effexor – for example a stomach virus. Those with the BPD often have break through dysphoria (anxiety, rage, depression and despair) which also needs to be treated, and this could be the case.