Kryssa: Switching from Effexor to Dothep after 8+ years

[Kryssa]

Okay so I am currently 38 and I have been on anti-depressants since.. 18 maybe a bit younger.  

For the past 8 years (at least) I have been on effexor XR (Venlafaxine) on a dose between 150mg - 300mg - oin the higher end for about the past two years.

Recently I started getting anxiety attacks, so the doctor put me on Mirtazopam but I read up on that and didn't like the sound of it.  At around that time I saw glimpses of having a sex life in the future and the thing about Effexor is that while it hasn't decreased my libido, it takes me ages to orgasm, by which time all parties have somewhat lost interest.  I have accepted that I may be on anti-depressants for the rest of my life, so I didn't consider just coming off them entirely.

I spoke to my doctor and the result is that I am switching to Dothep (Duloxepine) 150 mg.

But the process is complicated.  7 days on 150mg Effexor (down from 300) and 30 mg Mirtazopam.  That is where I am currently.

Then 7 days on 75 mg Effexor and 15 mg Mirtazopam.  After that two days of nothing.  Then start Dothep, 25mg, increasing by 25mg every two days.

 

So far I have experienced:

• Giant, voracious hunger (this can’t be overstated, we are talking total compulsion). 
• Agonising stomach cramps (admittedly after eating way too much)
• Bloating
• Heart palpitations/chest flutters
• Chest pain
• Really limited attention span
• Headache
• Dizziness/vertigo
• Limited tolerance for other people
• Anxiety

 

Oddly though, my mood thus far has been pretty good with the exception of worrying about weight gain because I finally got to a weight I am happy with and I am not keen for that to change.

 

[Onmyway]

Welcome to SA @Kryssa

We are a site to help people withdraw from antidepressants and other psych drugs with minimal disruption and withdrawal effects. We are not a site that advises on drug switches or drug cocktails.

 

The evidence is that antidepressants are clinically no better than placebo and the chemical imbalance theory is a myth to sell drugs to people. People are kept on these drugs mostly because they are physiologically dependent on them and when they come off they get withdrawal effects which are then taken to be the return of some original psychiatric condition or the unmasking of a new one (usually bipolar). Here are a few scientific articles to support my claims.

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4172306/

 

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12115-007-9047-3

 

It is up to you whether you want to continue taking these drugs or not. If you decide you want to come off of them though it is important to do so very slowly to avoid withdrawal issues. Most doctors taper patients off of the drugs in a matter of weeks. The drugs you are taking are particularly hard to come off of and given that you've been on them for decades you need to be especially slow (years of tapering). We're happy to provide support if you need it for that.

 

Hope you feel better soon

OMW

 

I remember feeling voraciously hungry and ravenous during a thyroid infection. Not fun!

 

[Rosetta]

Please do not switch.  I have been through 10 years of misery because of switching ADs.  It’s a terrible idea.  You would be better off tapering very, very slowly off of Venlafaxine if you are unhappy with V.  —Rosetta

[Kryssa]

Well, after two horrible, horrible weeks of weaning off Effexor (and Mirtazopam), I did switch to Dothep, 150 mg.  I have been on that dose for 11 weeks, and have known for a few weeks that it isn't working out. 

 

So I just saw my doctor and now am going to spend two weeks weaning of Dothep in order to switch to 10 mg of Brintellix.   I don't think it is going to be toooooo hard to wean off Dothep but I REALLY hope the Brintellix does a better job of managing my depression, especially because it is 3x the price.

[ChessieCat]

17 hours ago, Kryssa said:

So I just saw my doctor and now am going to spend two weeks weaning of Dothep in order to switch to 10 mg of Brintellix.   I don't think it is going to be toooooo hard to wean off Dothep but I REALLY hope the Brintellix does a better job of managing my depression, especially because it is 3x the price.

 

As OnMyWay has already advised you, SA is a site for tapering/withdrawal of psychiatric drugs.  As such, because you goal appears to be finding a drug which you consider suitable for you needs. SA will not be able to assist with this.   It is your doctor's responsible to oversee this, not an online support site staffed by unpaid peer staff.

 

I would strongly suggest that you do your own research and learn about psychiatric drugs.  From your comment about you thinking that you need to be on a psychiatric drug for life I assume that you believe the "chemical imbalance theory" which is exactly that, a theory, not a fact.  And it was debunked many decades ago, but many medical professionals are still clinging to it.  See: 

 

chemical-imbalance-is-a-myth

 

Drugs can actually cause issues and this book is well worth reading:  Your Drug May Be Your Problem by Dr Peter Breggin.

 

Another good book to read is:  Anatomy of an Epidemic by Robert Whitaker.  The beginning of the book provides the history of psychiatric drugs.

 

The following video is also worth watching.  The researchers obtained the all the unpublished clinical trial results through Freedom of Information.

 

Video:  Irving Kirsch:  Emperor's New Drugs:  Antidepressants and the Placebo Effect (1 hour 20 minutes)

 

When I was doing my own research I was shocked to learn the following:

 

Antidepressants and the Placebo Effect by Irving Kirsch (link to full article)

Abstract:

Antidepressants are supposed to work by fixing a chemical imbalance, specifically, a lack of serotonin in the brain.  Indeed, their supposed effectiveness is the primary evidence for the chemical imbalance theory.  But analyses of the published data and the unpublished data that were hidden by drug companies reveals that most (if not all) of the benefits are due to the placebo effect.  Some antidepressants increase serotonin levels, some decrease it, and some have no effect at all on serotonin.  Nevertheless, they all show the same therapeutic benefit.  Even the small statistical difference between antidepressants and placebos may be an enhanced placebo effect, due to the fact that most patients and doctors in clinical trials successfully break blind.  The serotonin theory is as close as any theory in the history of science to having been proved wrong.  Instead of curing depression, popular antidepressants may induce a biological vulnerability making people more likely to become depressed in the future.

Excerpt:

How Did These Drugs Get Approved?
....
The FDA requires two adequately conducted clinical trials showing a significant difference between drug and placebo.  But there is a loophole:  there is no limit to the number of trials that can be conducted in search of these two significant trials.  Trials showing negative results simply do not count.  Furthermore, the clinical significance of the findings is not considered.  All that matters is that the results are statistically significant.
....
(NB:  emphasis in abstract and excerpt are mine)

 

Edited February 1, 2022 by ChessieCat

[ChessieCat]

If you decide to completely taper off your drug/s in the future please let us know and we might be able to assist with that.

 

I will provide the following link so that you have access to much of the helpful information that we provide new members.  Post #1 includes links to the Tips for Tapering various drugs, and those topics (Post #1) explain how to get non standard doses.

 

Important topics in the Tapering forum and FAQ

 

Here are a few more things which you might find helpful/useful:

 

Dr Joseph Glenmullen's WD Symptoms Checklist
 

Drug.com Interactions Checker
Medscape Drug Interaction Checker