Well, well, well. Almost a solid 3 weeks clean. I am more impressed with my ability to stay off alcohol than I am about the Suboxone considering how stubborn I always am about "not having an alcohol" problem. But whatever, I am proud of myself. Today I don't feel as great as I did yesterday. It might be the combination of me taking my new anti-depressant this morning combined with both Ativan and Chlonodine. I was just very nervous I was going to have some adverse reaction to the medication like I had with my previous SSRI so I wanted to play it safe on the anxiety side. I don't feel much different and I doubt the first time taking my new medicine will actually show any behavior changes. These are all psychosomatic side effects I feel right now. I won't really be able to gauge the situation in a neutral, unbiased way until about a week from now. Until then I just need to keep doing the things I need to get done. I need to unpack my suitcase from Boston and do laundry today. I need to work out a little bit. I need to walk the dogs. And, if it's not too cold outside (which I am pretty sure it is) I want to go and explore my suburban neighborhood for some inspiration for some film shots. I don't feel particularly sad or happy right now, just a little bland. I did so much research on my new medication last night called Venlafexine AKA Effexor. To be honest, it was kind of fun learning about serotonin-norepinephrine inhibitors because I wasn't previously familiarized with those. SNRI's. They are a class of anti-depressant drugs used in treatment of major depression and other mood disorders. ADD, chronic neuropathetic pain and fibromyalgia syndrome and sometimes for the relief of menstrual cramps. Neuropathetic Pain is caused by damages that affects the somosensory system, which is the bodies complex sensory system. Neuropathetic pain may be associated with abnormal sensations called dysesthesia. Dysesthesia is defined as an unpleasant and abnormal sense of touch. May present as pain, but may also present as an inappropriate, but not discomforting sensation. Spontaneous or evoked feelings of burning, itching, wetness, electric shock and pins and needles. Fibromyalgia is another pain disorder, characterized by chronic widespread pain. Other symptoms for this disease include debilitating fatigue, sleep disturbances and joint stiffness. Serotonin norepinephrine inhibitors are potent inhibitors for serotonin and norepinephrine re-uptake. Norepinephrine is an organic compound with multiple roles including those as hormones and neurotransmitters. It is the hormone and neurotransmitter most responsible for vigilant concentration in contrast to its most chemically similar hormone, dopamine, which is responsible for cognitive alertness. It is medically used to help treat hypo tension, which is commonly referred to as low blood pressure. Norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors alone acts as a reuptake inhibitor for the neurotransmitter norepinephrine and adrenaline by blocking the action of the norepinephrine transporter. This is turn leads to increased concentration. NRI's are commonly used in the treatment of ADHD and narcolepsy due to their psycho-stimulant effects. (Better known as uppers. More alertness, increase in concentration.)
Effexor is used primarily for the treatment of depression, general anxiety, social phobia, panic disorder and vasomotor symptoms. (Hott Flashes.) At low doses (less than 150mg) it acts only as a serotoneric transmission.
There are obviously tons of negative side effects to this drug, and when I was looking at different forums last night to get peoples opinions about the drug that have used it, the results weren't that positive. Mainly people complained about the horrible withdrawal symptoms. However, these people may have never experienced drug withdrawals previously so it is hard to measure the level of pain with their level of experience. My most common concern is that I will develop serotonin syndrome again, which is why I am watching my dose and taking things slow. The difference between trying an antidepressant this time and the last time, is the fact that I am not longer showing the physical signs of Subxone and Ativan withdrawal, and I am also not on all the other medications that my doctor had previously put me on. I am quite confident that this time will be different, and if not, I at least know the signs to watch out for and I can immediately take action to prevent an extreme situation from arising, such as last time.
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