Re: Effexor XR and addiction

[Guest guest]

Hi Shirley!

The program I am using is at www.pscard.com. 

If you go to the site, you can enter the prescription that you are seeking, put

in your dosage, choose a zipcode to find a pharmacy and it will tell you what

your price for the drug will be! I thought that was a great savings! They take

the card at Walmart! You don't even need to wait to get your card in the mail!

You can either print one out orjust write down the code that it gives you! It's

a great way to get

prescriptions we need when the insurance simply will not pay! And at a great

savings too! I hope that it helps for you too and covers some that are currently

not covered!

From: nana2livi <s.p5315@...>

Subject: [ ] Re: Effexor XR and addiction

Date: Wednesday, August 6, 2008, 4:42 AM

,

If you don't mind, could you please post the site for the free card?

My daughter has fibro and no medical assistance at all. Thank God

the pain center only charges $100 for her monthly visit but then

with her meds added on to that and my co-pays every month I am

pretty strapped. This month will be at least $400 and I don't know

what else I may have to get filled yet. I still have two more

medical appts this month. If only her disability would come through.

Someone posted one before, but none of her meds were covered.

Thank you so much.

Shirley

>

> I meant to mention in my post to ..if you ever don't have

coverage for a medication, I found a really good online discount

drug card! I am disabled and have Medicare and they wouldn't cover

my xanax even with letters from three doctors.  I was paying $96 a

month for the dosage I take and with the free card that I take into

the pharmacy whenever I need a refill, it is only $14!!!

[Guest guest]

I am so glad it did help you not go into agoraphobia.  I started avoiding things

as a child and when I became disabled at age 30 and was bedbound for a couple of

years, my full agoraphobia kicked in.  I can't even eat dinner in my own kitchen

at times or step out on my front step.  I've been seeing a CBT therapist since

December once a week and working on tools and exposure therapies.  I went to a

festival for one hour in the first time in years.  Although I was uncomfortable

I didn't go into full fight or flight which was a very good thing for me.  Now

that I am having physical therapy again, I am leaving the house three to four

times a week instead of once every six months or once every month like I used to

do when I first tried leaving the house again.  Now I just have to work on

driving! I " m even attempting a trip to Chicago for a week, all alone, to see a

friend, by taking the train this Thursday or Friday.  It's a quick trip only an

hour

but I'm hoping I don't let my anxiety and panic attacks and agoraphobia hold me

behind..I've planned this trip before and cancelled twice due to that, yet this

time I actually checked the train schedules and made more definite plans so I'm

getting closer! I so know the only way to get over the fear is to face it. I " m

so proud you are taking classes! I hope t hey are going welL!

From: shihtzumom <shihtzumom1@ verizon.net>

Subject: RE: [ ] Effexor XR and addiction

@gro ups.com

Date: Tuesday, August 5, 2008, 6:35 PM

I am the person who wrote the original post that many people disagreed with.

I said you will become addicted to Effexor XR. Maybe it has another name

besides addiction, I don't know. All I know is the absolutely horrible way

I feel if I miss a dose. Within 24 hours I am like a heroin addict without

her heroin. It's like nothing I have ever experienced before. I took Prozac

a long time, and went off of it with no problem.

I agree, that each of us has to weigh this risk with the help it can do for

us. I did not go totally off the Effexor XR, but I did go from 225 mg per

day to 150mg per day. I had gotten down (over many months time) to one

tablet (75MG) per day, but the depression and anxiety attacks started coming

back, so I remained at 150mg per day. WHY? Because going off of it, and

having those symptoms of depression and anxiety attacks back again would be

worse to me than being " addicted " (or whatever term you would like to use)

to it. I made the choice to save my children from the person I would be

without it. Does Effexor XR work for depression and anxiety attacks?

Absolutely! But what happens if all of a sudden you can't get the

medication? My husband was thinking about retiring. If that had happened (it

was only postponed a while), we would have no medical insurance and I could

not possibly pay for the Effexor XR. That's why I tried to get off of it.

Because of the state I was in when trying to stop it, my husband begged me

before the first day was over, to please take it again. That was part of the

reason for his decision to put off retirement.

I felt that the person who asked about taking Effexor XR for hot flashes

needed to know the extremely bad effects of this drug. I, personally, do not

think hot flashes are a sufficient reason to go on such a difficult drug to

discontinue. I admit, however, that I do not get hot flashes. Hmmmmm, may

that's because of the Effexor?

If Effexor is supposed to help with pain, then I must really be in

horrendous pain, because my arthritis is quite painful even with 150mg per

day of Effexor XR. Is it supposed to help all pain, or only pain specific to

RA, or what?

[Guest guest]

Thank you so much Dodge! That is definitely good for me to know.  I set a timer

to take it now.  I have a daily pill reminder, but when I was knocked out with a

respiratory infection and an RA flare and an Fibromyalgia flare I was barely

even drinking fluids..I learned to never miss that dosage again I do hope:)

============ =

I missed 2 days of it once, and became emotional as well.  Cried at everything,

and I am a chronic masker of my feelings and never cry in front of my doctors or

my family.  I can feel a downward spiral of moods if I miss a dose.  I don't

know if this means addiction though I did describe what happened to my doctor. 

Doctors worry the same about Xanax and many won't prescribe it.  In my case, it

is the only thing that works to stop my attacks and decrease them.  Many say its

addictive but I can take 7mgs (my prescribed dose) and if my CBT is going well

and the attacks are under control, I stop the medication or take 1mg unless I

have a relapse (which has happened once a year thus far)

[Guest guest]

,

Thanks! I will check it out.

Shirley

>

> Hi Shirley!

> The program I am using is at www.pscard.com. 

> If you go to the site, you can enter the prescription that you are

seeking, put in your dosage, choose a zipcode to find a pharmacy and

it will tell you what your price for the drug will be! I thought

that was a great savings! They take the card at Walmart! You don't

even need to wait to get your card in the mail! You can either print

one out orjust write down the code that it gives you! It's a great

way to get

> prescriptions we need when the insurance simply will not pay! And

at a great

> savings too! I hope that it helps for you too and covers some that

are currently not covered!

[Guest guest]

You are so welcome I hope it works for her and covers some things you need! I

like the card because it helps even if someone has insurance and if the

insurance is picky on what it will pay:)

From: nana2livi <s.p5315@...>

Subject: [ ] Re: Effexor XR and addiction

Date: Wednesday, August 6, 2008, 3:39 PM

,

Thanks! I will check it out.

Shirley

>

> Hi Shirley!

> The program I am using is at www.pscard.com. 

> If you go to the site, you can enter the prescription that you are

seeking, put in your dosage, choose a zipcode to find a pharmacy and

it will tell you what your price for the drug will be! I thought

that was a great savings! They take the card at Walmart! You don't

even need to wait to get your card in the mail! You can either print

one out orjust write down the code that it gives you! It's a great

way to get

> prescriptions we need when the insurance simply will not pay! And

at a great

> savings too! I hope that it helps for you too and covers some that

are currently not covered!