I have been on some form of anti-anxiety and/or anti-depressant medication since I was 18 (I’m 40 now). I’ve had some very good experiences, a few hellish nightmare experiences but most often, a medication change has negligible benefits.
I’ve been on Effexor XR (150mg) for over three years (this time around, was on it for a few years when it was brand new also). Any benefit or effectiveness had definitely fizzled out. When I was younger, anxiety was by far my biggest issue (routine panic and anxiety attacks). But over the last few years, I’ve grown more and more depressed.
I have started seeing a therapist because I believe that the combination of meds and cognitive therapy is the most effective treatment. But my doctor is currently weaning me off of Effexor XR and has started me on a fairly new medication called Brintellix. It’s actually the first time that I’ve been given a drug whose name I didn’t recognize!
I’m just curious if anyone here has taken it? Or perhaps known someone who has/is taking it? Any observations or advice you care to offer?
I’ve read quite a bit about it. The drug targets more pathways so it’s most useful in people that are not helped by your more common drugs, like Paxil or Prozac. It’s been very helpful for people with major depression.
The research I’ve read seems to indicate it is not very effective for anxiety issues, like panic attacks and generalized anxiety disorder.
One of the most problematic problems with antidepressants is their dosage needs to monitored by the patient closely. You will often find a person will do fine on the lowest possible dosage then, for no reason, need more. Some later can adjust dosage down and other cannot. Some need a “break” from a particular type.
There is a lot of trial and error among antidepressants, especially with side effects.
Sounds like your doctor is more concerned at this point about your depression and less about anxiety issues. This sounds pretty much like your post, so it may well we worth the try.
Thanks very much for your input. The ‘trial-and-error’ nature of anti-depressants is probably the most frustrating thing about them…other than the side effects of certain ones.
My doctor and I discussed prioritizing treatment of depression over my anxiety issues. Over the last 20 or so years, I have learned to recognize when I am heading for an anxiety attack AND minimize or avoid them altogether (most of the time). I also have Valium on-hand just in case I do get hit by one, but haven’t taken one in months.