Was prescribed Venlafaxine and Valium...

[Guest HeadAboveWater]

I was prescribed Venlafaxine to treat the OCD and Valium for moments of severe distress and anxiety. The doctor told me to take the Venlafaxine every morning and when I feel that my anxiety is too bad to take 1-3 drops of Valium. I took both today and my anxiety towards the thoughts seems to have decreased a bit, I feel a little distance from them, which is making it a lot easier. However, I feel a little bit weird, like dizzy and almost dreamlike. But I feel perky and energetic. I also have this feeling like I want to have sex but I don't want to because I am still scared about the thoughts. Is this normal for this to happen on these medications?

Edited December 13, 2014 by HeadAboveWater

[Guest HeadAboveWater]

Anyone?

[Caramoole]

Is this normal for this to happen on these medications?

It is very unlikely that the Venlafaxine will have had any beneficial effect right now. The dizzy, dreamlike state will be the Valium which is a tranquiliser, they don't have any effect on mood or thought process as such, they simply tranquilise. The weird feelings could just be a general disorientated feeling caused by the Valium or it could be the Venlafaxine.

[Guest HeadAboveWater]

It is very unlikely that the Venlafaxine will have had any beneficial effect right now. The dizzy, dreamlike state will be the Valium which is a tranquiliser, they don't have any effect on mood or thought process as such, they simply tranquilise. The weird feelings could just be a general disorientated feeling caused by the Valium or it could be the Venlafaxine.

Yeah, I didn't think that the Venlafaxine was working yet. But I felt like I was way less anxious due to the Valium and therefore, I had some distance to my thoughts. I think because I wasn't so anxious I could see more that the thoughts were not real. I won't take the Valium everyday though because I know it is habit forming and it did make me feel disorientated a bit. I hope the Venlafaxine works for me.... but my doctor said it should take about 3 weeks to notice.

Edited December 14, 2014 by HeadAboveWater

[Guest OCDAY]

Hiya Headabovewater,

Please be so carefull with valium (Benzo).

I thought I could control it (as initially it works so well) but due too situations out of my control (upped dosage in hospital), I am addicted and am on max precribed dose, have taken more. Just trust me it's bad news unless you can manage it.

People with OCD tend to have addictive nature...........food for thought.

[Guest David green]

You could try beta blockers instead to reduce your anxiety they do help me when i know my anxiety will be high.

[Guest OCDAY]

I tried pretty much every beta bocker, and none had any effect!!! We are all so different on how meds effect us. It's an interesting subject the Docs wont discuss, maybe something to do with the fact they get money from pharmacuical company's who dont want their wonderfull drugs getting bad press?????????????????

[Caramoole]

Beta-blockers only work on the physical/adrenaline type symptoms like lowering heart rate, blood pressure, adrenaline output but aren't very effective when someone's in the middle of an OCD attack.

But I agree with the Valium.....use very sparingly and only in dire emergencies or you could be setting yourself up for even longer term, chronic anxiety problems

[Guest David green]

Beta-blockers only work on the physical/adrenaline type symptoms like lowering heart rate, blood pressure, adrenaline output but aren't very effective when someone's in the middle of an OCD attack.

But I agree with the Valium.....use very sparingly and only in dire emergencies or you could be setting yourself up for even longer term, chronic anxiety problems

You hit the nail on the head admin i had a bad experence from diazepame got hooked came off it and it was a nightmare.Only when needed use that valium look after yourself.

Edited December 15, 2014 by David green

[Guest HeadAboveWater]

Thanks everyone for the advice on the Valium. I used it two days in a row because my anxiety has just been unbearable lately. After reading these comments I realize that isnt a good idea... So i won't be doing that anymore. I hope the Venlafaxine begins to help. Fingers crossed!

[Guest David green]

Im on venlafaxine when it kicks in you will feel that lift in mood im now on around 300mg a day and 400mg sulpiride.

The valium only when needed and if you can go without go without

You must need it at the mo otherwise your dr wouldnt of give it to you

Remember you will get through this and come out smiling and calm

Edited December 15, 2014 by David green

[Guest HeadAboveWater]

Im on venlafaxine when it kicks in you will feel that lift in mood im now on around 300mg a day and 400mg sulpiride.

The valium only when needed and if you can go without go without

You must need it at the mo otherwise your dr wouldnt of give it to you

Remember you will get through this and come out smiling and calm

Thanks David.... do you find that the Venlafaxine works to decrease intrusive thoughts?

[Guest David green]

When i was first put on it and it kicked in i liked it i thought this is the med for me.They say everbody is different one med might work for one person but might not work for another.When i was going through a crisis a while back and yeah bad thoughts and bad feelings hitting me the med had to be increased.3 or 4 weeks i think then i felt a lift.Now is much better than back then more settled more positive and thoughts are good healthy thoughts.

Give it a chance to work they will monitor your progress and get you to a dose that your comfortable with.If your not good tell em till you are more stable.get the best of the support while you can.

Edited December 15, 2014 by David green

[Guest HeadAboveWater]

When i was first put on it and it kicked in i liked it i thought this is the med for me.They say everbody is different one med might work for one person but might not work for another.When i was going through a crisis a while back and yeah bad thoughts and bad feelings hitting me the med had to be increased.3 or 4 weeks i think then i felt a lift.Now is much better than back then more settled more positive and thoughts are good healthy thoughts.

Give it a chance to work they will monitor your progress and get you to a dose that your comfortable with.If your not good tell em till you are more stable.get the best of the support while you can.

Thanks... did you or do you have any side effects on it?

[Guest OCDAY]

Hi David,

How did you get off Diazapam. Tried tapering but once down to 10mg it all went wrong.......................

I have have also in the past taken way more than the max prescribed dose, where you ever in that position if you dont mind me asking?

[Guest David green]

Thanks... did you or do you have any side effects on it?

Oh yeaaah hehe bad nightmares and sweating because im on such a high dose now if i go one day without i wake up soaked in sweat the next day after dreaming some messed up nightmares.Also wake up shouting a lot hehe

[Guest David green]

Hi David,

How did you get off Diazapam. Tried tapering but once down to 10mg it all went wrong.......................

I have have also in the past taken way more than the max prescribed dose, where you ever in that position if you dont mind me asking?

Hello ok heres where it all started with me

I turned up at maudsley mental hospital not being able to cope with life and suicidle.They wanted to send me home with a couple of pills i said if i leave here i will take my life.So they got the home treatment team support me this is where i started taking the diazepam which they gave me to calm down but i was in a bad way very confused i didnt even know i had ocd at this point.Anyway it came to that point where they said eventualy we will have to stop giving you this med.And me expecting the worse came off them alltogether bad idea! i went back to the same point b4 i ended up in the maudsley im sure i was going through psychosis at the time.Then i admited myself to guys mental ward they put me back on a low dose of diazepam and bit by bit they gradualy took me off them.Ill try my hardest in the future to stay away from that kinda med.

[Guest Finding my smile]

I've had Venlafaxine and it did help me for a while but unfortuantely it stopped working so effectively on me. Now I'm on Duloxetine but don't know if that will change after seeing CPN tomorrow. I have Diazepam if I'm really anxious but would only normally take it 2 days running as I'm scared of being addicted to it. I found the Diazepam just left me a bit dopey and non-reactive to things and it zoned me out of real life. Definitely only use for emergencies as others have said.

[Guest HeadAboveWater]

Oh yeaaah hehe bad nightmares and sweating because im on such a high dose now if i go one day without i wake up soaked in sweat the next day after dreaming some messed up nightmares.Also wake up shouting a lot hehe

What were your side effects like in the beginning... like the first few days?

Because I am feeling quite weird and I feel like the thoughts are worse.

[Guest David green]

What were your side effects like in the beginning... like the first few days?

Because I am feeling quite weird and I feel like the thoughts are worse.

Ok if i remember correctly things were kinda hightened if you look at the little slip that comes with the med im sure it says your symptoms may become worst at first.I requested something to deal with the anxiety until the venlafaxine kicked it they did give me lorazepam 1mg tabs only 12 of them.I had one then thought i would much rather the beta blockers so gave them back for the beta's.

Today i went to the post office but there was a que i hate ques after waiting there for a bit and leaving my anxiety hit me out of the blue.Ive got back home and took 2 beta blockers now im more settled.

calm down on your cafeane as well theres tea bags called camomile you can try that calm you.And passion flower which is a natural remedie to help calm you also theres a med that the mental health recomended to me thats not adicted that slows u down and eases the anxiety called phenergan.

[Guest HeadAboveWater]

Ok if i remember correctly things were kinda hightened if you look at the little slip that comes with the med im sure it says your symptoms may become worst at first.I requested something to deal with the anxiety until the venlafaxine kicked it they did give me lorazepam 1mg tabs only 12 of them.I had one then thought i would much rather the beta blockers so gave them back for the beta's.

Today i went to the post office but there was a que i hate ques after waiting there for a bit and leaving my anxiety hit me out of the blue.Ive got back home and took 2 beta blockers now im more settled.

calm down on your cafeane as well theres tea bags called camomile you can try that calm you.And passion flower which is a natural remedie to help calm you also theres a med that the mental health recomended to me thats not adicted that slows u down and eases the anxiety called phenergan.

Thanks.. yeah, I know I need to stop drinking coffee. I will try the teas.

Also, do you mean when you first start the medication that your thoughts could get much worse and feel more real and that you experience almost even more anxiety?

[Guest David green]

Good try get the caffeane out of your diet it does help reduce the anxiety until its more manageble.I had it compleatly out of my diet anything i could think of to help reduce the anxiety it was that high.Im back on normal tea again now.

And yes your symptoms may escalate for a while but! it gets more manageble eases off.

Im thinking try keep busy focused on something else while you waiting on the venlafaxine also exercise is supposed to help.

[Guest OCDAY]

Yeah I ditched all forms of caffiene (not easy)

Also am working on excercise and diet, the slight changes do help. But for me ERP works best.................As well as my Diazepam problem.

David - Tappered once and got down to 10mg once a day, then relapsed and have ended upon max precribable dose.

Did you get reffered to Maudsley or just turn up????

[Guest David green]

Yeah I ditched all forms of caffiene (not easy)

Also am working on excercise and diet, the slight changes do help. But for me ERP works best.................As well as my Diazepam problem.

David - Tappered once and got down to 10mg once a day, then relapsed and have ended upon max precribable dose.

Did you get reffered to Maudsley or just turn up????

Sounds like i wasnt on as high a dose as you 10mg tabs i was getting and if i was lucky a 20mg.Sorry to hear you having a relapse thats what happened to me i didnt know whether to go left or right depression hit me strong.I just turned up at maudsley that time i didnt get refered.

By now ill b adicted to the venlafaxine and sulpride i would be in a different boat if i didnt have them.The home treatment team who gave me diazapam at the time are the ones you get to support you and if your 2 bad its an admition to hospital.

[Guest David green]

And the diazapam made me paranoid and if someone looked at me the wrong way i would go up to them ready to fight and thats just not me.I hope you get on top of it one day OCDAY side afects are naughty.