I can't pull myself together....

[critters]

Yes, even the new generic venlafaxine is expensive, which is what I'm betting you were taking, judging by the price. How about doing venlafaxine again, but at a smaller dose? That's what I did. The lower dose isn't great, but it's at least functional.

[JenBKR]

How long have you been off of Effexor? Going off of it is HELL - been there. It did help me a lot, but I had to go off of it to get pregnant. I am on Zoloft now which seems to be helping a lot, but it did take a few weeks. When you went off Effexor, did you taper off or stop immediately?

[moosmom]

Donna,

I was on Effexor for years as well. It stopped working so I had to go off of it. The withdrawal was awful. That's why you have WEAN yourself off of it. Then I was put on Celexa while in the hospital. I was on it for two years and it also stopped working, just recently. He put me on Cymbalta but I'm having problems with it. So now I'm on nothing, at his insistence, until another drug that be found. In the meantime, I'm suffering from vertigo, which is no picnic.

As far as not being able to afford it, here are some links that can help you.

PPA, Partnership for Prescription Assistance has a toll free number you can call. They'll ask you questions and let you know if you qualify. I did back before I was on disability. It's well worth looking into.

http://www.freemedicinerevolution.co...FQo4FQodvkkBew

http://www.astrazeneca-us.com/conten...asp?PPA=CorpID

Please don't say people don't understand. Yes, some people who have never gone through depression think it's as simple "getting over it", and just don't get it. I only wish it was that easy. Unfortunately, depression is a chemical imbalance of the brain. It's very complicated.

Please dial "211" on your phone and someone will ask you what kind of help you're looking for. That's what I did and it's the best thing I EVER did.

Good luck sweetie. Please keep us posted. We care. I'll PM you with my cellphone number. It's free so just call me and I'll call you back so it won't cost anything.

[Freedom]

I also hope you can get into a therapy program, as it does work WITH medication and helps as well. Unfortunately, it all takes TIME to work, and that is the hard part. Blessings.

[Donnaj4962]

Thank you everyone for the suggestions and well wishes. I am feeling a little better today. I actually got up, fixed some breakfast, got dressed and ran some errands. Believe me, THAT in itself is an accomplishment.

As for the effexor, I would LOVE to go back on it, but my doc has no samples,and I truly cannot afford it. I will not qualify for any progrmas since I have prescription coverage through my insurance. My doc was a pharmacist before she became an MD, and she told me that coming off of effexor would be rough. That is why she put me on celexa. Once I finished the effexor script, I was able to start right in with the celexa. It worked, but was just not the same as the effexor. So she thought we should try the tegretol. It seems to be having the opposite effect from what we are trying for.

I talked with a friend last night, and she talked with her Dad for me. He is an MD. He suggested I NOT take the tegretol and keep on the celexa at least throught his weekend and on Monday call my doctor and see what we can do. He thought that maybe I just need a larger does of the celexa.

I am also going to call about counseling on Monday. I have some other health issues that I have been ignoring, and I know that I should not. I have promised myself that I will take care of everything on Monday. I am going to clean house today (haven't done it in over a month! ) and try to keep busy. Thanks again. I just needed to vent about it all last night. I have kept it in for so long.