Sorry for my bad english...
I’m now convinced that taking Effexor (150 mg) cause me to have central sleep apnea (CSA). For the long version that explains how I come to this conclusion I invite you to read everything, for the short version, let's say I'm caught between living with a good mood, but extreme fatigue caused by Effexor, or have energy, be rested, but want to die as I’m sad when I stopped Effexor.
The problem is that despite all the side effects that this drug can have, this venlafaxine molecule has virtually saved my life, and I take it for a good ten years. So I do not belong to those who will talk about the drug in a negative way. After several unsuccessful attempts with other drugs (Paxil, Celexa, etc.) I immediately felt Effexor was good, it allowed me to get out of a state of deep depression. Unfortunately, every time my doctor and I have tried to reduce or stop Effexor, I fell into darkness again. We are therefore come to the conclusion that I would probably have to take this for the rest of my days, and I had no problem with this event, until recently.
For the history, a few years ago a person who shared my bed told me that I had sleep apnea, it was making sense, I snored terribly and stopped breathing for several seconds. Always feeling tired, never rested, I was medicated for severe depression for years, and I was also taking something for mild hypertension. At age 30, he was very early for this. I had a presentiment Effexor perhaps could be the cause, the apnea was difficult to explain, I'm not fat (slightly overweight). Also, I suspect central apnea as before falling asleep or waking up, still asleep, I sometimes had the impression that I "forgot to breathe," as my body falling into a torpor The breathing "reflex" declined more and more until it stop completely. Then I awoke a few seconds later inspiring quickly. I talked to several specialists, but they told me that there was no link with Effexor. For them, it was probably due to my throat. After an attempt with the CPAP / BiPAP has been unsuccessful, I was told that I was probably a good candidate for a mandibular advancement splint. After years of trial and error, this device gave me hope of finally resolving these apneas really starting to ruin my life.
(Note here that when I used the generic version of Effexor, it really did not go well, it was as if I had completely stopped taking them, my doctor had indicated never substitute my Effexor by a generic.) Last month, I finally bought my jaw brace and getting used to sleeping it. After a few days, my girlfriend told me that I wasnt snoring anymore then I’ve ever felt so rested and energetic, no headaches in the morning, it worked! Everything was perfect for 2-3 days and I began to feel terribly sad. I was fit, not tired, I had energy, but I was irritable, depressed, anxious, angry for no reason. I cried for absolutely nothing and I and my girlfriend were wondering what was happening. My girlfriend asked me if I had taken my Effexor and I said yes ... the day after I realized that it was not the Effexor, but the generic (which is the same color), the pharmacist gave me the generic by mistake, I was taking this for a month. It was exactly what it had been before me and why my doctor had specified not to substitute. So we had found the problem, I started Effexor again, the real ones. My mood was quickly back to normal, but extreme fatigue has taken me... I then filmed myself while sleeping to see if it was really working when I wore the brace. I do not snore at all. But, as explained above, you can see my rib cage "inflated" less and less, until I just stop breathing, I do not force to breathe, I just stop until I awake and inspire quickly, and the cycle repeats all over again. So: without Effexor + brace = 0 sleep apnea. Effexor + brace = 0 obstructive sleep apnea (0 snoring, 0 headache in the morning) BUT central sleep apnea (weakness or lack of "reflex" breathing, extreme fatigue). So Effexor = Central Sleep Apnea. All this time I had the "mixed" form, obstructive apnea AND central... with the brace that rule at least the first one
Now what? This dose of Effexor (150 mg) is the perfect dose to get out of depression, my mood is great, but it causes me central sleep apnea, which brings me extreme fatigue. I'm not depressed, but tired all the time. While no Effexor, I sleep well because I no longer have sleep apnea, but I’m so depressed and sad that I want to die..
Sorry, that was very long, but I had to write everything.
I do not know what to do because to decrease Effexor of 37.5 mg was not a good experience ... Is there a way to decrease less than that?! I take 150 mg, how can I take about 120-125 mg?
Thank you for any advice, experiences, ideas...
