jamesldavis1 Posted September 1, 2015 Report Share Posted September 1, 2015 Is it safe to take Effexor if I have POTS (goes from 45 bpm to 150bpm, blood pressure goes up about 20 points as well, but not hyperadrenergic on my tilt table testing)?I am on propranalol for POTS. I am going on Effexor for migraines, because nothing else has worked. If need be I can switch up POTS meds, but am worried about taking anything that has norepinephrine in the name. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corina Posted September 1, 2015 Report Share Posted September 1, 2015 Hi jamesldavis1! We can't give you any advice on what is safe for you or what isn't, that really is up to your doctors! I do think there are members who are on Effexor, though I don't know what type of POTS they have. I hope someone can chime in to share what works for him/her. Always keep in mind that what works for one doesn't necessarily have to work for another. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
outofadream Posted September 1, 2015 Report Share Posted September 1, 2015 Hi Jamesldavis1, wish I had more to offer. I tried Effexor several years back (for depression). My own experience was that it caused somewhat more heart racing in the first few hours after taking it, which was noticeable, even when lying down, and enough to cause me to be pretty tired for awhile, but nothing dramatic or overwhelming. Everyone’s different of course, I know some people found it helped with their POTS.Is there someone you could ask about your concerns, a doctor or pharmacist? I know it’s extremely difficult to get info on how a given medication interacts with POTS, but they might be able to tell you at least whether it would be a concern with high heart rate or with raising bp. I know they also started me on the lowest possible dose, which I think helped a lot.The other thing that I really wish someone had mentioned is that it's possible to get some nasty withdrawal going back OFF Effexor. I was only on it for a month or so, at the lowest dose, and it was still brutal for the first week off and took about a month to recover fully. I don’t think everyone gets withdrawal from it, but since it’s known to cause that issue and especially with POTS sometimes causing sensitivity to meds, it might worth knowing. I’d definitely recommend that if you do try it, and then later find you want to get off of it or drop the dose, have people around for the first day or two, and make sure you have someone you can call for advice in case you do run into issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p8d Posted September 1, 2015 Report Share Posted September 1, 2015 I took effexor for perimenopause symptoms for many years. Including really bad migraines. After a stomach flu which led to POTS/dysautonia I quit cold turkey. I couldn't keep anything down for more than a week and never started again. Turns out stopping it stopped my daily migraines. I tried it again 6weeks ago for depression/POTS and the migraines started up again. Just my experience. Good luck. Thinking of you.P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjensen Posted September 1, 2015 Report Share Posted September 1, 2015 It is impossible to predict. It could be a blessing or a curse. At this point, you may as well flip a coin. You are being reasonable to consider whether or not more norepinephrine in circulation is a good idea though. It is something worth talking to your doctor about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toomanyproblems Posted September 2, 2015 Report Share Posted September 2, 2015 I'm currently taking Effexor XR 75mg/day. I also have CRPS/RSD and it was prescribed to me for neurogenic pain. I don't know how bad my heart rates were before I started taking it. I got a Fitbit Charge HR in April and my standing heart rates are horrifying. In general I'm less dizzy than I was before I started taking it but I've also been shotgunning a lot of treatments for my CRPS so I can't say for sure it's the Effexor that helped. ETA I don't know what type of POTS I have but I suspect it's hyperandrogenic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjensen Posted September 2, 2015 Report Share Posted September 2, 2015 Some people are helped by it and others. Even some that would be considered "hyper". It is just that others do not tolerate it well at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kris4444 Posted September 5, 2015 Report Share Posted September 5, 2015 I was taking Pristiq which is an SNRI when I was evaluated at Mayo. My norepinephrine levels were very high and they suspected it could be because of the medication. I have since stopped taking the meds but still have a lot of the hyperadrenergic issues such as flushing, sweating, vertigo after exercise. I've been curious to have the blood tests run again now that I'm off the Pristiq to see if I still have such high levels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Becia Posted September 5, 2015 Report Share Posted September 5, 2015 I'm Hyper-POTS, and tried Effexor at 75mg once a day for three weeks. I ended up in the hospital, and then a nursing facility for two months after. That medication totally messed me up and fried me. I was doing a trial run of it to see if it would help with my EDS pain, and my depression. It literally did the opposite for me (increased pain, increased depression to a very dangerous level) as well as nearly fried my autonomic system. I wasn't maintaining anything, my body was in overdrive so much that I had one of the worst flare ups ever. I had a similar reaction to Paxil and Celexa two years ago, but not to this extreme. it doesn't like me one bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allylynn Posted March 28 Report Share Posted March 28 On 9/4/2015 at 7:24 PM, Becia said: I'm Hyper-POTS, and tried Effexor at 75mg once a day for three weeks. I ended up in the hospital, and then a nursing facility for two months after. That medication totally messed me up and fried me. I was doing a trial run of it to see if it would help with my EDS pain, and my depression. It literally did the opposite for me (increased pain, increased depression to a very dangerous level) as well as nearly fried my autonomic system. I wasn't maintaining anything, my body was in overdrive so much that I had one of the worst flare ups ever. I had a similar reaction to Paxil and Celexa two years ago, but not to this extreme. it doesn't like me one bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allylynn Posted March 29 Report Share Posted March 29 How are you doing now? I feel like Effexor 37.5mg did this to me I’m really upset but my mri is normal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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