Im not sure if anyone is still reading but it is threaputic for me to type so on I will go. Taking the meds (Effexor) in the evening had a positive effect. I awoke this morning with none of the depression and very little anxiety. I did take the morning Xanax as soon as I woke up to make sure I wouldnt slip back. I didnt sleep quite as well as usual but still got a good solid 7 hours. For the first time in three weeks I went through the drive-thru for breakfast. This was typically a daily routine but I had lost the desire lately and just had a cereal bar or often just a glass of juice at home. That sausage biscuit tasted pretty good. One of the benefits of this bout was a 7lb weight loss. I have been watching my weight for about 10 months now and had dropped 30lbs. The extra 7 made me feel good stepping on the scale but it was not worth the agony. But....now that the weight is gone I need to try to keep it off. I will try to make something positive come out of this episode. My concern now is that my depression will simply shift times and I will begin to feel depressed in the early evening when I get home from work. Hopefully that will not be the case as that is my time with the kids. If I find that happening I will need to return to the other routine (meds in the morning). Enjoying my kids is more important to me than feeling better in the morning. With luck I may be able to do both. I have one more capsule of the Effexor at the 37.5mg dose and then I bump up to 75mgs. Can anyone tell me what to expect when that happens? I didnt feel the nausea or any of the other side effects when I began the treatment, will they kick in as the doseage increases? The depression seems to be subsiding so I believe the Effexor is starting to work some. Maybe just the placebo effect though. Inquiring minds want to know. Thanks for reading. Mike

Well, that routine change thing didnt work so well. Back to the drawing board. I must admit that I only feel out of kilter for a couple of hours now in the morning. I wake at 6 and by 8 I am feeling fairly normal and that last until bedtime. Those first two hours are rough though. The Xanax seems to be doing its job on the anxiety as it has been greatly reduced now. Barely a horrid thought creeps in and when it does it only stays for a moment before I can dismiss it. I sure like to yawn now though! :) But the depression lingers in the morning for several hours no matter my activity level. I know that Xanax will not help the depression part so I am "anxious" :) for the Effexor to take care of that part soon. My doseage of the Effexor doubles in two days, (up to 75mgs) Im hoping to see some improvement shortly thereafter. Are there amy suggested natural food stuffs that can be eaten prior to bedtime to help reduce the morning anxiety and depression levels? Im not looking for another med but maybe a natural herbal tea or some such thing that has a lasting effect. I just want to wake up feeling like I did when I went to bed. Is that too much to ask? Another thing....As I drive to work I observe the folks around me and wonder how they are feeling. They look normal, are they suffering too? I was shocked after confiding in a few co-workers to find out how many people are actually on anti-depressants or anti-anxiety meds. I would never have guessed. The lesson I learned from that is that when the meds are working, the rest of the world doesnt know you are sick. So there is one anxiety I can rid myself of, the fear that everyone knows of my anxiety. :) Still, how many of you gain some small comfort when you look around you and realize that many of the people in the space with you (supermarket, mall, etc) are also suffering what you do but you would never know. This thought helps me to some degree. Well, enough rambling this morning. Thanks for reading Mike

I had a good day today. I was alone all day at work (I knew I would be and dreaded it) but I had no anxiety! A slight bit crept in this morning before when I first woke up but none since. I even felt like painting the front door when I got home from work and.....I found myself whistling a tune while I was painting. Funny how a simple thing like realizing you are whistling will bring a smaile to your face. Im going to try another experiment tomorrow morning. I am going to alter my morning routine. Usually I get up, read my e-mail, eat a little something and get dressed for work. When I am reading the e-mail is when my mind starts to wander, the house is quiet because the kids are not awake yet and the wife is preparing herself for work. Tomorrow I will get up, (take my meds) eat something, then get dressed and then read the E-mail. That should give the meds time to kick in before I throw the quiet time at my noggin. I will let you all know how that works out. Mike

hi mike. Ive been taking effexor for almost a year now. so far, I would say that it hasnt helped much with my anxiety type problems. in other areas it has helped alot though (depression mainly). I hope that you get a pos effect out of it also.

I went to bed last night feeling pretty darned good. It was one of those times where you can easily dismiss the negative thoughts. (arent those called ANTs?) I could actuallly think the thought intentionally and then just whisk it away with no problem and go on to something else. It made me feel very good. It was empowering if you know what I mean. I woke early before the alarm went off this morning and was able to go back to sleep without the ANTs creeping in. But once I got up I knew something was a little askew and as I sat reading my e-mail I had a thought or two. I immediately jumped up and took a Xanax, and then came here to type this message. You see, the typing keeps me from thinking about anything except what I am typing while the Xanax takes effect. So...I am taking Xanax to get me through till the Effexor gets a foothold and I am typing to get me through till the Xamax takes effect. What a desparate plan! Maybe I will do an Irish Jig to get me through the walk from the medicine chest to the keyboard! :) I began thinking though (probably a bad thing) The drugs they say take a few weeks to work, how do they know that the symptoms would not have subsided within that 4-6 weeks naturally anyway? I know that my anxiety comes in waves sometimes much shorter than 3-4 days. I decided to seek treatment this time because of the frequency of the episodes. I was beginning to have them on for 3 days and off for 4 and on for 5 then off for 2 etc. I wanted the rollercoaster to stop. Are there many anxiety patients that suffer constantly? When I feel long term relief, I cant tell if it is the long term meds or just my natural cycle ending. With the Xanax (now kicking in thank you) I can tell when it is working right away. I was pretty much anxiety free for 3.5 years before these new episodes began. I did notice that this new set began the day after an extremely hectic/stressful 6 weeks in my life had just been closed out. I figure the level of chemicals my body was producing in order to cope during the stressful period were still being produced when the stress ended. The stuff had to focus on something, what better than my paranoia? :) Anyway, thanks for reading and responding. I hope I am feeling better enough soon to be able to return the favor t

Mike, That is exactly what I do. In the morning if I feel a bit anxious I take a xanax immediately and if I feel okay then I don't. So far it is helping me :) Good luck, Renee

This morning I finally decided that I wasnt going to wait for the anxiety to start before taking a Xanax. I woke up and took one right away. That seemed to help tremendously. I had never thought of them as a prophalactic method before. I had always waited for several hours of anxiety (always hoping it would go away) before seeking relief from the meds. I just recently started the Effexor (3 days) and so I am not expecting it to have a real noticable effect for several weeks. I am also not willing to feel lousy for the 4-6 weeks it takes to kick in. I have decided that I will access my mood when I first wake up and if I am feeling even slightly anxious I will not wait for the anxiety to set fully in before taking the Xanax. By the time my thoughts become circular and negative, the pill will already be in effect. Sounds so simple doesnt it? When the Effexor finally kicks in and helps with the morning anxiety and I no longer wake up with the anxious feelings I will stop taking the morning dose of Xanax. That is my plan. Who knows what will come of it. Thanks for listening. Mike

Hi Mike, My worst anxiety is also usually in the morning. As soon as I open my eyes, I also wonder how anxious will I be today, will I be able to cope with the day. My muscles also feel very tense when I wake up. I find that if I start to think about being anxious, I usually find that I become much worse. It is trying to break the cycle of thinking about it that is the problem for me. Any tips anyone? Keep in touch Mike and take care. Ann

Hi mike i think mornings are the worst too. i can have a really good night sleep and the first thing that pops into my mind when i wake up is am i anxious, is today going to be good or bad, will i be able to go to town or work or just cope. i find getting out of bed as soon as you wake up is the best thing. once yours eyes open get up start the day, if i lie in my mind just turns over, once i am on the move like you it kind of comes and goes. i am signed off at work at the moment i hope to go back real soon but frightened of being really anxious and getting a panic attack. i am on zoloft and this is kicking in slowly but surely. hope you have a good morning tommorow, stay of the caffeine......bye toni

I dont drink coffee but I do have a large coke in the morning. Should I avoid caffeine? I drink diet coke all day but not the caffeine free kind. Maybe a switch to water would be in order. Thanks for the tip. Any others? Mike