Is Effexor the only antidepressant that has helped with hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms? Just wondered if any of the other ad's would help .

Hi,

I have been on Effexor for about 6 months. It has helped me a lot with depression and mood swings. It was my psychiatrist who prescribed it.

My GYN told me that Effexor is particularly good for the symptoms of peri/meno. However, I know others who are on Lexapro and have gotten excellent relief as well. I also know of a woman who is on Zoloft and swears by it. ADs are such a pain because everyone's neurochemistry is different and each person reacts differently to different medications.

I hope that is helpful. I hope the Effexor or another medicine helps with your symptoms.

Best of everything,
Marcy

My OB/Gyn told me that she prescribes Effexor more then HRT. She feels it is safer, and it relieves so many Peri/Meno symptoms. It has gotten rid of all my hotflashes, insomnia, headaches, anxiety (for the most part), and the palps.

Karen

Hey Karen,

Fabulous news about your symptom reduction!! I could not be happier for you.

Hugs and more hugs,
Marcy

Thank you Marcy, thank you so much!

I'm telling you, that Effexor is like a miracle drug for me. I'm still taking the lowest dose possible, however; it's a comfort to know that I can always increase it if I have to.

I hope you're doing well, and you can see the light at the end of the tunnel

I'll send you an email in the morning. My puppy is waiting for his walk......


((((((HUGS)))))
Karen

Thank you ladies for your responses. If you don't mind could you answer me one more question? Do you have any side effects from the Effexor? I was on Lexapro in the past and it gave me restless leg syndrome and I had a hard time getting off of it. I would like to stay away fron the hrt though so if effexor would help it might be worth it. Thanks for all your help.

Cindy

Cindy-

*** I tried Lexapro along with my father earlier this year. Dad had better luck than I did.-Andrea






*** Administrator Note: DO NOT POST EXTERNAL LINKS WITHOUT FIRST SENDING THE LINK FOR APPROVAL IN A PM (PRIVATE MESSAGE) TO "BOARD ADMINISTRATOR" THANK YOU! ADMINISTRATION

Please follow The Power Surge Message Board and Insta-Chat Guidelines

Please keep in mind as I answer your question that this is just my personal experience - yours may be totally different. I was on Effexor for a short while this past summer. I decided to go off b/c of so many undesirable side effects. I had extreme sleepiness, dizziness, and total loss of libido and sexual feelings. I went off a few weeks ago - let me tell you, and the internet is full of this - this is a hard drug to wean off of. There are horrible withdrawal symptoms - I have been off since Oct. 6 and am just now starting to feel somewhat normal.

The main thing is to be informed and if you are feeling good and feeling better on the Effexor, great! Go for it! I am very sensitive to drugs, so that may be why I had so many side effects. Every one is different.
Good luck to you!
Di

quote name = Simba 2 Date=Oct 27th 2007

Karen I too was interested o read about your expereience with Effexor. May I enquire when you take your dose. A doctor I spoke to said it may make my sleeping worse and I might have to increase my sleeping tablet! I haven't much faith in the doctors I have seen. This one worked at a menopause clinic. She did say that Effexor could diminish the sweating and flushing. My G.P. in the U.K. prescribed Escitalopram which the pharmacist gave out as citalopram. I think that these drugs are equivalent to Lexapro and Celexa respectively because in the States the drugs have different names to here. I had two tries with HRT and had side effects I could not put up with at the time so the G.P. prescribed the a.d. So far it has remained in the cupboard but how long I can go on with the sweating/flushing, anxiety etc is anyone's guess. This is not a change for the better! Three years of it is driving me and my family nuts.

Regarding Effexor and side effects:

Everyone reacts differently. But the only side effect I have had from Effexor is a litle dizziness if I stand up too quickly. I "fix" the potential side effect by standing slowly and flexing the calves of my legs at the same time. This forces the blood upward to the brain, alleviating any dizziness that might occur. My brother is the Dean of an Ivy Medical School. He taught me this little trick years ago...

Hope you are doing well. Again, hope you do well with the Effexor.

Marcy

Hi Cindy & Simba~

I take the Effexor (37.5mg) with breakfast. For the most part, I sleep great. If I've had a restless night, it's usually do to the puppies, husband's snoring, eating too much before bedtime, exercising too late in the day, watching a scarey movie, things like that.

As for other side effects, I don't suffer from any. When I first went on it, I had some dizziness, felt nausiated, and had some terrible headaches. After a few weeks, all the side effects disappeared. The first thing I did notice after it kicked in, was the hotflashes disappeared. A short time later, the anxiety, panic attacks, and palps, virtually disappeared as well. I have come to the conclusion, that unless it's found to cause certain death, I will continue to take it. I feel a sense of security knowing that I'm on the lowest dose, and if it needs to increased, there's a lot of room to play with.

As you already know, everyone reacts differently to different things.

Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions.

I hope this helps somewhat....
Karen

Hi Ladies,

I started Effexor XL 75mg the beginning of Oct. and I feel GREAT! I really have not had a hot flash and the weird sensation mid sternum is gone (anxiety). I actually can snuggle into bed and PULL THE COVERS UP INCLUDING THE BLANKET without sweating my hinny(sp) off.

I really debated going on the drug due to stigma, side effects etc. but a co-worker of mine went on it and she feels wonderful also. I gave Effexor a try about two years ago but it was a lower dose (which my Gyn said it should have been higher) and I felt weird for a week so I stopped it due to going on vacation and I didn't want to feel like crap then.
The only feeling I had was dry mouth which gets better and some constipation. I did feel kind of dazed for about a week, its like the feeling when you take pain medication but I could work.

Now I have another hurdle, my cholesterol is 250 and the the rest of the count is messed up so I know my Doc will want me to go on a Statin medication. I was so proud that I was 55 years old and only on one Rx medication(B/P med) now I will be on three. I will be getting another stress test in about two weeks-preventative due to my brother having a heart attack this June so my risk just skyrocketed, thanks Bro! Hopefully I will lose weight this time and get off the statin and maybe my B/P will going down (brorderline high) and the Effexor won't be forever once this peri is over.

Pat

Hi Pat~

It's great to read another Effexor success story, I'm so happy you're doing so well. I know there are at least a few other women on PS that are doing just as well on Effexor (I hope they will post here

I know what you mean in regards to not wanting to be on different medications. I never thought I would be 43 and taking Synthroid, Effexor, and so many vitamins. However, the more I talk to people the more I realize, this is nothing!!! There are women/men who have been taking several meds since their 20's! The fact that you're 55 and on just a few necessary meds, is a really good thing!!!

These are not meds that you will necessary need to be on long-term. It just might be a case of taking the Effexor until you're through this crazy time; Cholesterol medication until you bring it down; and the same goes for the BP med.

Continue feeling great, that's a huge success at this point in our lives!

Karen

Thanks Karen for the support, it sure is appreciated!

Pat

I just started taking Effexor four days ago (for terrible panic attacks, and some depression I wasn't aware of but the doctor diagnosed). So far so good. Just a dry mouth, but that's not a biggie because I need to drink more fluids any way. I was scared of it because I had such a horrible reaction to Lexapro. My anxiety was off the charts with the 1st dose, plus I had the scariest chest pains ever and suicidal thoughts (something I've NEVER had). This doesn't seem to be doing anything like that. But at the same time, I'm not noticing anything on the good side either. The anxiety is still hanging on, I'm still not sleeping well, and I've had more hot flashes in the last week than I've had in the last 6 months. I'm only taking 37.5 mg at the moment. I imagine I'll get moved up to a full dose when I go back to the doctor for followup on Wednesday. I'm told it takes a few weeks to get the full effect. Is that the experience you've all had?

Hi Webalina,

I have been on Effexor XL 75mg since the first week in October and I am still doing well, virtually no hot flashes and the anxiety feeling mid sternum is gone.
My GYN said I needed to start on a higher dose than the 37.5 mg (in one of my earlier posts I mentioned I tried Effexor two years ago and quit after a week). It can take anywhere from 2-4 weeks for the Effexor to reach full effect. Every antidepressant has side effects related to suicidal thoughts so be aware of that. Your symptoms sound like me two years ago, why the lower dose did that is beyond me. I still take a homeopathic formula for sleep on work days but I can sleep well on the weekend, go figure! The only side effect I have now is constipation, what a trade off!

Take care,
Pat RN

Hi Webalina~

I was put on 37.5 for the first two weeks. Have a few mild side effects, but hardly noticed the anxiety disappearing. After two weeks, I was put on 75 and that's when I noticed the BIG difference. The hotflashes disappeared, the anxiety went away, the palps disappeared, and I just felt like my old self! If this is the right med for you, you will notice a significant difference in another few weeks (assuming your doctors prescribes the next higher dose).

I'm on 37.5 now, and feeling good except for some morning anxiety and nausea. If the anxiety worsens, I will go back up to 75mg.

Good luck and please let us know how you're doing.

Karen

I was initially put on Effexor. Within five days it had worsened the panic I had been feeling, severe vomiting and an over all sense of dread. I got to the point I just wanted it out of my system. The doctor called in xanax on the spot after I described what the meds were doing. Serafem/Prozac never caused that feeling.

After a week of Effexor on 37.5, I've been moved up to 75mg. The anxiety, while not completely gone, is MUCH better. The palps and internal tremblings are almost gone. The depression hasn't really gotten any better yet -- I still feel really mopey and draggy -- but I'm willing to give the drugs more time to work on that. But so far, so good.