Adjusting.

Today was my fourth day on the Effexor, which is an SNRI (a type of antidepressant). Antidepressants can be used to treat both PMDD and Fybromyla. They help regulate the serotonin levels in your body. Serotonin is essential for both pain management and mental well being.

So far I've been on two SSRI's. Fluoxetine and Sertraline. SSRI's are the most common type of antidepressants. SNRI's modulate norepinephrine as well as serotonin. Most SSRI's are relatively new drugs as well. Since this a my first time taking a SSRI, I am having a difficult time adjusting. The side effects have been pretty harsh so far.

About an hour and a half after taking my first Effexor, I started having a lot of pain in my low back, feet and hands. I normally have pain in these areas, but this was almost double. The next day the pain was a little better after staying off my feet Saturday night, and Sunday morning. But and I was feel really "fuzzy headed" and all out of sorts.  Just really weird over all. I can only describe it as feeling like I had "little bubbles" in my head... which a result of the chemicals in your brain shifting from the medication.

Day three was about the same. I had pain all over, and swelling in my feet. Like I normally do with my Fybro and PMDD, just much more elevated. By the time I got home from work, I was exhausted. I was asleep by 9:00pm. I slept till around 1am and then I woke up with INTENSE BURNING in my hands and feet. HORRIBLE, TERRIBLE, burning. I soaked them in ice water, then Epsom salt, then massaged Camphor ointment into them. This helped ease the pain enough for me to get back to sleep. For the remainder of the night I was able to sleep but had really bad nightmares (which is supposedly a side effect). We're talking like, the WORST nightmares I have EVER had. This is saying a lot coming from someone who studies the paranormal and reads about ghosts before going to bed.

Today was by far the worst. Shortly after I took my Effexor in the morning, the pain began. As the day went on, I became more and more sluggish and "out of it". My reactions were slow, I couldn't think straight. My speech seemed slurred. Every minute became a struggle.  I didn't think I was going to make it. I really didn't.

I talked to my doctors office and they said that these were all "normal" side effects, especially for someone with my condition. They told my to give it about fourteen days to see if it would level out......... Fourteen days???? How am I supposed to work? How am I supposed to do anything????

*Sigh*

So this is what I gonna do.... rather than take the medication in the morning, and have side effects all day, I'm going to try taking it at night till I get adjusted. Maybe then this way I will at least be sleeping once the side effects kick in. In the meantime, I'll just having to live with the nightmares.

So, we'll see what happens with day five, and hopefully taking it at a different time will help.