Geeeeezzzz, Dort!  Welcome back from the dark side.  You made it just in
time for Super Bowl Sunday!  I'll bet you're one of those Steeler fans,
tho.  ahahahahahaha!!
elmo
glad you're feeling better
//////  
OMG! Now that is classic kjoh! LMAO! You kill me you do kj....you are so
stinking funny. I still get a crack up over the 'danger spot'
post....lol! And your alter ego...koko...is so pure in it's
delivery....you got some funny stuff bouncing out of that head of yours
girl. It's always timed perfectly. I love you for it!
I've only bounced in here off and on. I have a ton of catching up to do!
But first I think I owe you all an update. I didn't mean to worry you
guys, but it sure feels nice that you did!
I think I am over the worst of it. For a while there having all these
irritation issues, my room mate kept asking me what's wrong, your not
yourself. I finally snapped at him and that was way out of character for
me. He was the first to point out the changes in my personality once I
started the effexor.I wasn't sure if it was that or the riba. I was
constantly agitated, a quote another poster on a message board, "The
grass growing outside is really pissing me off!" sums it up nicely. It
took a bunch of digging, but now that I know what the true cause of all
these strange little things happening with my body has made all the
differance. The rash was not from the riba, it was from the effexor and
started slowly over last weekend and by Monday I was lite up like a
christmas tree with big red blotches over most of my body. The user
friendly handout you get with effexor does not mention skin issues. The
PDR has listed under adverse reactions...Skin: Frequent: Puritius. My
pdoc visit...f.ck! When I told him I wasn't tolorating the sides of the
high dose of effexor, and told him my laundry list of them, one was the
extremely dry mouth, I have a crack in the corner that will not heal I
am so dry. I stay hydrated but nothing would help it. His response was
that was proof the effexor was working. I told him I wasn't argueing
that with him, I just don't like the way it is making me feel. His voice
got a bit louder and he kept askin me these stupid on a scale of 1 to 10
questions.... where is your anxiety? I told him 12, he asked why, I told
him because I was dreading this visit, he asked why, I told him because
I have a fear of psych docs, he asked why and I reminded him of my past
experience. He was part of that, but doesn't remember me. He raised his
voice even louder and said I should be glad that he doesn't support
changing my med, that so many people and doctors think a pill is going
to change every thing and if this don't work we'll thy that and so
on.....the entire time he is going on his tirade I am thinking to myself
and biting my tongue, " f.cker, that is exactly what you did on my first
visit...I was on Zoloft with no problems. He insisited that what was
missing was therapy, and that he just so happened to have an opening on
Monday at 4:30 and they don't come open often so I should jump on it. It
only costs $60.00 a week and my insurance would cover half. When he
treated me 6 yrs ago when I didn't have insurance he told my I was too
high functioning to benefit from group.
Holy sh.t...I am rambling and I wanted to keep this brief! Whoosh! I
just let him say what he had to say. Asked for the Zoloft and left. I
went directly to my GP and explained what had happened, showed him how
this guy wrote up my instructions for switching back to zoloft from a
high dose of effexor. My GP just shook his head, examed my rash, which
since stopping the effexor cold turkey has started to subside. He then
asked me what I wanted him to do. I asked him to monitor my anti
depressant use until the end of tx and he said he would see me once a
month! Big sigh! He even gave me xanax to help prn, my pdoc kept pushing
Ambion, which is expensive and benedryl works just as good. He told me
benedryl is a dirty drug and bad for my liver, anything cheaper or
generic would be addicting. I told him I've used xanax before with no
addiction or habit problems and only used it when needed. He said you
can't use it like that.....I am rambling again...sorry. I think that
psych doc is an idiot and am considering lodging a complain against him.
Ok....so it has been a huge relief. The withdrawals should be
interesting, but just knowing why they are happening makes it so much
easier. I use to freak, now I just let them happen. What use to scare
the sh.t out of me, now I am learning to let it amuse me. Vertigo, brain
zaps....Weyth may have found a way to do electric shock therapy with a
pill! The swimming brain...very strange...but like I said, they will
pass soon enough.
I am not sure if I am making much sense. Just wanted you all to know I
am returning from my trip to the dark side of the moon....hopefully at
warp speed!
Now to catch up with what's been going on with all of you guys!
I can't thank you enough for the show of support and concern! I am
single, my family is in Pennsylvania and my closest friends live out of
town. So you guys are the closest thing I have to family here in Texas!
My room mate is a pretty good buddy, but he has substance abuse issues
and not someone I can really depend on.
Damn it....I am rambling again! It's like the flood gates opened a
little too quick and now I have all this emotion coming out that has
been blocked for a couple months.
For those starting treatment, that are needing an anti depressant just
in case....if given a choice try a lessor one....Effexor is a pretty
heavy hitter if you don't have depression issues. I've been on Prozac,
Zoloft and even Wellbutrin. I've never had the problems I had with
Effexor...then it could have been the bastard put me on too high a dose?
Just a thought for you guys starting this journey.
Ok....now to getting caught up!
dort

http://community.webtv.net/elmoemerson/DocElmosHepFile

http://community.webtv.net/elmoemerson/TheFamilyAlbum

So did the rest of you nosepickers hear Mags now- famous quote about
oxygen tanks? "NO HOSE IN THE NOSE FOR ME"
tonight probably, Mags
kj
//////////
Yeah, you caught me as I was getting ready to eat a big, hairy
boooger......so I flicked it instead.  It's stuck on the wall.  I'll
munch it later after it's dried out and you all aren't watching.  
elmo
How can you pick your nose if you've got an oxygen tube stuck up there?  

http://community.webtv.net/elmoemerson/DocElmosHepFile

http://community.webtv.net/elmoemerson/TheFamilyAlbum

Just reading this now dortlet.  Carefull all that talk about crap will
have Russ writing us :)

Mags
feeling low today