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I was given samples of Effexor by my doctor.in January 2004  "Here--just take this and you'll feel better", he said.  I even asked if there were any side effects I should look out for and he told me there "were no side effects with this drug".  I took one 37.5 capsule around 5PM and around 2AM I jolted out of bed, absolutely frantic, feeling like I had taken about 500 hits of speed.  For the next two weeks I was agitated beyond belief, could not sleep more than one hour a night and could not eat resulting in dramatic weight loss.  I finally went to my Family Doctor (not the one who prescribed this poison) and he believed I had experienced a severe central nervous system reaction to this medication.  He knew of nothing to do but put me on valium to try and calm my system down and to keep me from feeling so agitated and agressive.  I literally felt like I was losing my mind and planned every day for that to be the day that I would have to be hospitalized.

So, now its over 3 months later and this is still going on.  I'm better on the valium, but it really just takes the edge off since I refuse to take too high a dosage and end up a valium junkie.  We weaned down my dosage and within three days the symptoms came back making me feel just like I did the night this all started.  And then there are the nightmares--when the symptoms are raging I have the most horrific nightmares.  They're always extreme ranging from subjects like total nuclear war to millions of spiders or anything else that is just horrifying.  I've always been the type to hardly dream at all and before this can probably remember having 4 or 5 bad dreams in my entire life.

My doctor is to the point that he doesn't know what else to to except keep me on the valium.  I have had every blood test imaginable along with an MRI.  They show nothing.  This drug has dramatically altered my existence.  Often I'm so panicky that I won't leave the house and have had periods where I've been afraid to be alone.  This also is completely out of character for me since I've always been an on the go type person and have cherished any time I had to myself. 

I am so angry at both Wyeth and this doctor.  The drug companies are putting out this poison (it was reported Wyeth made over $2 billion last year on Effexor) and doctors tend to believe whatever the drug companies tell them---not the patient.

As this has happened to me I have done massive amounts of research on the internet and have found so many people that either have the horrible withdrawl symptoms or have the reaction I did after just one or two doses.  The recent Senate hearings show that the FDA is in bed with the drug companies and they do not make any information available that could hurt the sales of these drugs, nor do they make drug companies responsible when their products harm great numbers of people.  I believe this will have to be done through a class action suit.  Although I'm sure the defense of the drug companies will be that we all had these problems before we took their poisons.

To all that are going through this horrible experience, my thoughts and prayers are with you.