effexor XR

Dear Ladies,
I'm taking Effexor XR 112.5mg and I am feeling pretty good. I am also on 0.025 climara patch. I can't decide if I should go up to 150mg of Effexor or try to go down to 75mg because to get the 112.5 dose I have to buy 2 separate prescriptions and its getting expensive. Is 150mg alot? I really didn't think the 75mg worked quite as well as 112.5 but I could try it again. Any advise?

HI techno

I am on the 75 mg of effexor. Without any problems at all. I have never been on any higher than that. So I can not help you. Not sure how much you pay there in the US but here in Canada I pay almost $70.00 a month. Thats Canadian funds.

Wish I could be of more help to you.
Hugs
Denise

Techno!

I am also taking Effexor XR. I started taking 75 mg @ bedtime and then the doctor tried upping it to 150 mg @ bedtime. I did not like the way the 150 mg made me feel at all! I had trouble sleeping and basically felt numb all day. After about 2 weeks of that I went back down to 75 mg and 100 mg of Elavil which worked very well. Right now I am only taking it every other night because I don't have insurance and it cost me about $75 a month. We are all different and react differently to meds so, what works for me may not work for you and vice versa. I have FMS/MPS and the Elavil was a logical choice because it helps with chronic pain. Good luck to you and I hope you find something that helps.

Hi techno Are you on the effexor to help with menopausal symptoms too? Are you having other symptoms that suggest you might benefit from a higher dosage of effexor? If the symptoms are menopausal, maybe you could try increasing the Climara dosage instead? The .025 patch is the smallest one... maybe you could try .0375 if that is something your DR is OK with?

Here is a link to another discussion that's currently going on over in the No-Hormone Desert Oasis (those ladies can't use estrogen at all) about effexor for menopausal symptoms:

http://www.hystersisters.com/vb2/sho...threadid=96546

It does seem like 150mg is a fairly high dose, although if it's what you need, Effexor XR does come in a 150mg capsule:

http://www.medicinenet.com/venlafaxine/article.htm

What does your DR think?
s,
-Linda

Dear Linda,
I've been reading the posts for about a year but have never written in. I have a dr, but they pretty must just do want I want if it is within reason. I have varicose veins pretty bad, I had them striped once and injected many times. I work fulltime on concrete floors and I worry about blood clots. I really feel good on the effexor at 112.5 mg but I don't want to be taking too much. Of course the dr ( nurse practictioner-spelled wrong) says alot of people are on higher doses. I had my hyster 7-3/2000 for repeated dysphasia, fibroids, cysts on both ovaries and in the fallopian tubes. For a long time I was a walking basket case because I really regretted having it done because I lost both ovaries and I had to take estrogen. Also, I think I always had some depression (dysfunctional family-alcohol abuse) but I could hide it better, or maybe handle it better. Thanks for listening!!
Lisa