Day 6 - Effexor

I'm sorry I didn't update or post over the weekend. I have been a little under the weather so to speak. The medication has given me a mild insomnia and I am feeling fatigued and crabby. My mood so far is slightly better.

Some other side effects that I am experiencing are dry mouth, vision trouble (I having a hard time reading things or seeing things up close), and loss of appetite.

Other than these side effects, I am hanging in there and I am determined to hang in. The side effects will diminish with time and I should be feeling better in a few weeks. I just have to put in the time and I will be fine.

Day Three: Effexor 75mg

I am working on some graphic design projects right now but I thought that I would check in and give you all on update on how I am feeling. Last night, I did have some trouble in the sleeping department. For some reason, my right leg was twitching. Not badly, just every so often my muscle seemed to get restless and twitch. I have never felt this before on any anti-depressant but I am not alarmed.

It seems when a patient starts an anti-depressant, they go through a set of start-up side effects from beginning the new medication. I only know this from experience. So far since starting Effexor, I feel the following:

Dry mouth
Minor Insomnia
Upset Stomach
Nausea

My mood is unchanged. I feel like my depressed self but just slightly more productive. I can really attribute this to the medicine.

Feeling a tad dizzy.

I feel a little dizzy but I thought I would mention another great augment to a mental health recovery plan: yoga. Now I am going to admit, I am a man but I am into yoga. Sure seeing women bend around in tight outfits is nice but the results of doing yoga are what I am into it for.

By practicing yoga, combined with seated meditation, I feel centered, focussed and balanced. Yoga increases awareness of the body and is said to massage internal organs. It is easy enough for a beginner to try and can be done in a short amount of time.

I won't claim to know much about the different poses of yoga but I did come across many excellent short videos on Youtube. These videos deal specifically with Yoga poses that are believed effective in helping relieve depression.

Yoga for Depression and Anxiety

Day Two: Effexor 75mg

Well, yesterday ended with a severe dry-mouth. I am quite certain this is a result of taking the effexor. I have had this dry-mouth before. Last night I probably drank a liter of water trying to get rid of it but my thirst could not be quenched. This morning I woke up to find it was still there. I hope this is the only major side effect that I feel but I know I could be in for it.

This morning my stomach does feel a tad upset and my head feels like I have a mild car sickness. Other than that, I feel pretty solid and well. I would say my mood is about the same.

In order to gauge my mood, I have developed a well-being scale to track my ups and downs. I hope this is of benefit to my readers as I hope this blog helps at least one person. I am not trying to dissuade a patient from taking medicine or promote it. Instead, I am trying to provide an account so a patient knows what to expect. If these writings are helping you out, then please leave me a comment. It would really help to know that I have some readership out there.

I will check back in during the next few hours with an update. Thanks for reading.

Scale
1/4-Depressed

Day One: Effexor 75mg

Today is my first day taking the anti-depressant medication known as Effexor. I will be documenting my intake and results the best I can. I can't really say I have noticed any change whatsoever or physical discomfort yet. However, when starting any anti-depressant medicine, I usually go through some start up side effects. Typically with an SSRI medication I get a dry mouth and stomach discomfort. It has only been a few hours and luckily I feel neither one. I will post as soon as I feel any side effect. I must go for now.

The Most Effective Treatments for Depression are Free

I have been through therapy, I have read the books, and I have tried all the anti-depressant medication. There are a few things that are free and natural that seemed to work best for my depression. I would like to share these things with you. I will publish these treatments and techniques separately, here is the first one:

Meditation
I have found meditation to be very helpful in keeping my mind balanced and calm. If you are interested in trying meditation I would recommend searching some websites on Buddhism or meditation. It is easy it learn but it can be hard to keep it up. All it takes is fifteen minutes a day but if you want to really get into it, meditate twice daily. That is what most meditation instructors would recommend.

The first time you meditate will be difficult. I can guarantee that. Many will sit down and as soon as they are alone with their thoughts, they will not be able to relax and will soon give up. To meditate is not to think deeply, it is to practice exercise of non-attachment to thought. Instead of dwelling on every trivial thought that pops up in your head, simply dismiss these thoughts as if they were nothing more than passing clouds in the sky. Release your stressful thoughts, release your happy thoughts and let everything slow down to the rhythm of your breath. Count each breath as it passes through your nose. Do not count past ten. Restart the count once you reach ten. This is a test of concentration, if you find yourself on the 13th breadth, don't get upset, just start over.

Give this a try for a few minutes the first time and if it interests you continue the practice. I know that when I meditate, I feel clearer, hopeful, and focused. These are all great traits to experience and feel. For more information on meditation please check out this website below.
Zen Meditation

The economy is not helping my blues.

Its one thing to be depressed but its even worse when you are jobless in a poor economy. I can't help but be a little scared going into the holiday season without a job. I doubt I can find a job within the next three weeks but that is what I am going to try for. I figure if I put in a massive effort emailing resumes and visiting temp work offices, something might come up, even with my spotty employment record thanks to chronic depression and anxiety.

Today I have yet to start my Effexor but I am likely to begin tomorrow. As always I am taking a script of clonazapam for my anxiety but my doctor wants to discontinue it. It will be nerve wracking going off of an anti-anxiety medicine but the time has come to do it. I have been taking benzos for years and its time to get off of them.

Time to cook some chicken.

Common Side Effects to Anti-Depressants: A Patient's perspective.

Since I will likely be going back on the Effexor this week, I thought it would be appropriate to talk about some of the common side effects that I experience when taking them. I hope that I do not discourage people from trying medicine when they are depressed. Rather I want to help contribute to someone's decision making by providing personal experiences to help inform a patient. If anyone, a doctor or patient, has a question about my experience with these side effects, please leave me a comment.

I have been prescribed mainly SSRI anti-depressant medication for the treatment of Depression, PTSD, and Anxiety. I have found medicine to be somewhat helpful in the treatment process but the side effects cannot be understated. These medicines do have noticeable and often uncomfortable side effects. I will list a few of the side effects I have had from taking these pills but this is not a complete list of complications. If you are in need of a concise overview of side effects, then please refer to a peer reviewed publication or some sort of authority site.

Apathy (Paxil)
This is a side effect that was very noticeable during the starting of Paxil. I tried the powerful anti-depressant years back and it seemed to greatly uplift my mood. One problem that I had was that I lost the will to do anything at all for about a week before I began to feel the positive effect. I remember laying in bed all day during the first week. I felt as if I were living in a thick cloud. My head actually felt "cloudy." I think this is an experience that can only be understood if you have had it.

Sexual Complications
I have had extremely disruptive and bothersome sexual side effects from taking anti-depressant medication. These side effects were usually the determining factor in stopping my medicine treatment. To describe these better I would say that you basically lose the will and desire for sex. When I did have sex, I would never climax and would usually just wear myself out! So this was most troubling. It continues to weigh on my decision to start any sort of medicine for depression. Not being able to preform has strained my relationship and I am more than willing to give up meds for sex.

Giddiness, Hyperness, Over-positiveness
I have experienced hyper behavior and unusual giddiness when taking Paxil and Zoloft. Sometimes these effect is noticed by others, prompting the question of "What happy pill are you on?" I get a little self-concsious about acting happy because it is outside my own normal behavior.

Oversleeping
On certain medicines, especially Paxil and Remeron, I would find that I would often oversleep and feel groggy or "cloudy" the next day.

Unusual sweet tooth or caffeine dependence.
I sometimes find that I crave chocolate and other sweet foods when I take my medicine. Also while taking paxil, there was something about caffeine that really made my head feel strangely good. So I had to watch out how much coffee I would drink.

These are a few of the common side effects that I have felt. I will add to this post as I think up more side effects that I have experienced while taking anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medicine.

Trying to find work.

It is critical that I put in some serious time towards finding a job this week. I have been out of work for about nine months now. I have been able to keep my place thanks in part to Veteran's disability compensation. However, it has not been enough and will not be enough to keep a roof overhead and the internet on.

Naturally, I am worried about the job hunt. My employment record has been spotty to say the least. I have let my mental illness prevent me working and not having a stable work history will hurt me in my chances of finding the next job. If I bring up my condition as reasons for not working to a hiring manager, then there is no chance of me getting a position. I would prefer to be honest but being forthcoming about my depression and anxiety will only hurt the job search.

I am considering taking anti-depressants again. This should help me with the energy and focus of the job search. It will at least, chemically, reinforce a positive mood that might help with feeling somewhat optimistic about life. Even though I haven't taken my Effexor in months, I continually take my daily Clonazapam.

I had a nice Thanksgiving but Christmas will likely be a bummer. I have no money for gifts and a large family. I would hate to admit that I am broke but I have no choice. This year there will be no gifts under the tree.