Beyond the Pain

All meds, whether man made or natural, have side effects. And, if anybody is going to get them… it’s me.

So, two weeks ago I convinced my GP to let me try out Effexor XR (in another post Ill explain why I believed this could make a difference).

Within 2 days, YES 2 days, I felt no Fibro pain and had lots of energy.

Within 5 days I knew I had TOO much energy … hypomania here I come! In fact, people with Bipolar Affective Disorder are at risk for having their mania triggered by Effexor. Had to know it would happen to me. STRIKE ONE!

So, I had my GP issue a new prescription which cut the dosage in half.

Within 7 days, of starting Effexor, I knew I would have to stop taking it.

Why?

Side effects.

Imagine your skin feels like it’s on fire. Imagine it’s so dry the Sahara looks like a steamy tropical jungle by comparison. Imagine that no matter how much lotion you slather on your body: the burning hot, needle itch won’t go away.

Now imagine at the same time that no matter how exhausted you are you can’t turn your brain off … you can’t sleep … for days.

Side effects.

On Monday this week, I had been itching and desperately trying to avoid scratching my whole body for 4 days. I suspected it was a side effect but there was nothing in the drug warnings that the drug store included with the perscription. So, in a moment of genius, I decided to call the pharmacist.

She suspected the same as I did, but wasn’t certain because I didn’t have a rash. I was P’d when I hung up, went to bed, and finally went to sleep 3 hours later.

When I got up in the morning there was a message on the voice mail from the pharmacist. She had done some research. SURE ENOUGH, 4% of people who take Effexor suffer from vasodilation which causes a hot, dry, itchy feeling. STRIKE TWO!

Then later on Tuesday I decided to relook at Effexor’s side effects. Buried in a long list was this entry “trouble sleeping.” Bingo! STRIKE THREE.

So, I decided to stop taking Effexor.

But, turns out that’s easier said than done.

Next post: The joys of withdrawal!

Got that old ‘tired and wired’ feeling this morning because
I woke at 1:00 a.m. and could not get back to sleep.

I am thinking that I may need to drop my dosage of Effexor.
But, first I am going to cut out doing my light therapy.

Man my brain is racing but my body is tired. Used to be that
I could go for days on only 3 hours of sleep. Now the old body lets me know
right away just how unhappy it is.

That racy brain, tired body feeling is crazy making. It must
be like the mixed moods of Bipolar Affective Disorder: manic and depressed at
the same time! Who hoo!

It was nice to walk back from the service station with the
temperature at 0 Celsius (32 F). But, man some of the sidewalks are icy.
Homeowners who don’t shovel their sidewalks should be spanked at the very
least. I had to cross the street to find an ice free sidewalk and nearly got
run over by some yahoo speeding. People in this city are in too much of a
hurry.

The challenge today will be to figure out how to stay
focused; and to actually get something done.

I’m trying the timer method: 30 minutes to write and post
this, for example. And, ignoring the email arrived signals Gmail sends. Turning
the radio off to reduce stimulation. Closing my eyes and taking a deep breath
to regain focus. Stretching my neck and upper arms every few minutes when I
notice them, which is usually when my eyes are closed.

Wow. This only took 13 minutes to write. Now to post it and
then on to private reflections.