My favourite at the moment is Venlafaxine. At first I took one a day but it wasn't enough. Was on 3 a day for a few years but have gone back down to 1 a day which allows me to get through a day of work without crying (Bonus! Never a great look in the Stairwell of Tears, which is like the Bench of Tears on Eastenders but grimmer surroundings).
Venlafaxine, or (R/S)-1-[2-dimethylamino-1-(4-methoxyphenyl)-ethyl]cyclohexanol as it is known to it's friends, is an anti-depressant but has another advantage in that it reduces hot flushes. I was always good at those before my illness but now when one comes upon me I really do NEED to fling clothes off immediately. At least I can mostly manage to curb that impulse as required.Only just had a look at the potential side effects on Wikipedia - let's hope they're wrong about a few of these, which include:
- Headache — an often transient side effect that is common to most serotonin reuptake inhibitors and that most often occurs at the beginning of therapy or after a dose escalation.
- Nausea — an adverse effect that is more common with venlafaxine than with the SSRIs. Usually transient and less severe in those receiving the extended release formulations - oh, so that's alright then.
- Insomnia
- Asthenia (weakness)
- Dizziness
- Ejaculation disorder
- Somnolence
- Dry mouth
- Sweating
- Constipation
- Nervousness
- Abnormal vision
- Anorgasmia
- Hypertension
- Impotence
- Paresthesia
- Tremor
- Vasodilation
- Vomiting
- Weight loss/gain
- Chills
- Palpitations
- Confusion
- Depersonalisation
- Night sweats
- Menstrual disorders associated with increased bleeding or increased irregular bleeding (e.g. menorrhagia, metrorrhagia)
- Urinary frequency increased
- Abnormal dreams
- Decreased libido
- Increased muscle tonus
- Yawning
- Abnormality of accommodation
- Abnormal ejaculation/orgasm (males)
- Urinary hesitancy
- Serum cholesterol increased (especially when treatment is prolonged and it may be dose-dependent)
Have a great weekend everybody
K xx
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