I just started taking effexor on Thursday for depression, anxiety, muscle pain, and migraines. Before I started taking it I would always wake up early in the morning (6 to 7 am) and not be able to fall asleep but now I also am waking up about 4 times throughout the night and having a hard time falling back asleep. My question is will this go away after the 1st couple weeks of taking this drug or will I continue having insomnia the whole time?
I have always avoided taking pills but my depression/anxiety got so bad I just lay on the couch and watch tv day from the physical pain it causes me.

Chosen Answer:

I had that too when I first started taking Effexor. After about 10 days my sleeping patterns were back to normal, and after a month the benefits of taking it far outweighed the first couple of weeks of insomnia. If you’re still sleeping badly in a couple of weeks you should see your doctor, as with any other side effects that haven’t gone away by then. God luck!
by: Rain Dogs
on: 20th February 09

I notice that I have insomnia which is something that I have never dealt with before and it is making it hard for me to go to sleep. I have heard that Sleeping pills are bad because they make the body dependent on them later on but I feel like I have a hard time going to sleep.

Chosen Answer:

benadryl (diphenhydramine) is a great drug to help you sleep. It is sold over the counter (OTC) in most pharmacies. The best part is that it is non-habit forming, so your body will not get dependent on it.

Another drug to try is melatonin. Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone in the body. Taking it medicinally can help with insomnia. Do not take melatonin if you have high blood pressure (can raise BP), diabetes (can raise blood sugar), depression (can make symptoms worse), or a seizure disorder (can potentiate seizures)

One more option could be Valerian root extract. This has been shown to help treat insomnia. Do not drink alcohol with this drug, or other CNS depressants because they could increase each others effect in the body
by:
on: 24th October 11

I’m one of those people that have a really hard time dealing with stress and anxiety. How do you deal with stress and anxiety?

Chosen Answer:

Negative emotions (like sadness, stress, anger, etc.) causes your Serotonin production to be low; when your Serotonin level is low, you are more prone to getting Anxiety, Panic Attacks, Depression, etc.

Medication like Antidepressants (SSRI – Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor) helps to boost Serotonin level.
But there are natural ways to do it without medication. There’s this strange herb called “St John’s Wort” – it is said to be more effective than Prozac. No, it is not for mild depression only and ignore those sayings. In fact, it does help anxiety and panic-attacks as St John’s Wort works like prozac. Other natural ways will be exercise, diet, more exposure to light, etc.

The problem is that, even if your Serotonin is balanced… you have that “learned behavior” in your mind. You need to break that initial cycle to destroy that learned behavior – Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) does this. A technique that you can use without CBT will be Distraction… There are several other techniques to help cope them!
Ok, to use Distraction: Firstly, try to….

Extracted from Source.
by: Piper G
on: 5th October 08

Please describe the severity of your insomnia, and how regularly you take the drug.
@ I do care: Are you in Australia too?

Chosen Answer:

I suffer severe insomnia.
I had a sleep study done a few weeks ago.

It is currently 4:30am here and I’m still wide awake.
I sometimes won’t fall asleep until 6:00am.

I DON’T sleep my day away either.

I have had insomnia for 5 or 6 years. It’s hard to tell. It ‘feels’ as if it’s gone on forever.

At night, I try my hardest NOT to take ethe meds unless I need to. I have been prescribed Seroquol 200mg XR. Initially it was 200mg immediate release. But I got so hungry and couldn’t stop eating. Gaining 15kg’s although I am still active.

I am also prescribed Temazepam 20mg.

My Endep, an antidepressant that works on neuropathic pain, makes you tired.

With my hey-fever and head cold I have now, I take 2 to 3 Phernergan.

I have now been started on 100mcg of Catapress. So far that’s working. But I have no idea why I am so awake tonight.

I will ONLY take this if I try and get to sleep doing relaxation and still can’t go to sleep.

Insomnia sucks!

EDIT: Yep I am.
In Victoria.
by: I do care!
on: 10th August 10

At school, my teacher told us depression is one of the leading disorders in humans, it’s greater in number than people getting cancer!

After hearing this, I feel the want to make sure my friends and family never get into this state, because it’s hard to get out of right?
What are some ways that I can help my friends feel good about themselves every day, to help prevent depression?

Chosen Answer:

It’s great that you’re concerned and care about your loved ones enough to make sure they never become depressed; depression is a natural occurence, and sometimes, no matter how hard we try, cannot be prevented because of an individual’s experiences.
However, simply being there will be a great source of inspiration and encouragement for many people. Talking and getting them to think through decisions will also help.
by: kswescoat
on: 20th April 10

I have to rely on taking 2 pills a day to keep my anxiety under control and it’s starting to pi55 me off! I really want to get better naturally, but i am finding it hard. If i don’t take the pills i end up getting anxiety symptoms again and again, so please tell me how i control anxiety naturally? I hate the symptoms of anxiety as well and it’s horrible that i have to suffer with this.

Chosen Answer:

You can control anxiety attacks without drugs. Try the simple 4 step (Observe, Label, Watch and Move On) method. Watch the video in the source box below to see how it is applied.
by: Chiam
on: 3rd July 10

Like symptoms other than the obvious ones like feeling down.

When does someone get the point where help from medication is needed. I know someone who is suffering from a form of depression but is worried that the antidepression tablets will have worse side effects. Its hard to know if its severe depression or even depression at all.

Chosen Answer:

According to the diagnostic and statistical manual IV, “Major depression” is classified as at least 5 out of the 9 symptoms, one of which must be:

1/ Feeling depressed/down
or
2/ Feeling like nothing interests you anymore – even things that you used to like doing

for most of the day, for most days of the week

The other 7 symptoms are:
Fatigue
Poor attention
Change in appetite/weight
Sleep changes (sleeping more or sleeping less with or without early morning wakening)
Everything slows down (the person moves slower, speaks slower, etc.)
Feeling excessively guilty / at fault / worthless
Suicidal thoughts/thoughts that life isn’t worth living

Yes it is true that there are side effects to the medications, but if the person is quite depressed that it’s affecting their life substantially, medications might be needed – if only to help them pick themselves up again.

This is especially the case if suicidal thoughts are involved as their safety is of significant importance.

However, one thing you need to keep in mind is that these medications take a long time to work.. at least 6 weeks for them to start to feel better. They may even feel worse after a week or 2. They also need to continue the medications for 12 months for it to be effective.

Counseling might be an option initially if the person you’re talking about is wary about taking drugs and worried about their side effects, but if there is any indication of suicidal ideation, it could be quite serious and counseling might not be enough. All the best!
by: John L
on: 25th August 08