YOU ARE NOT ALONE - A companion online community discussion board for The Mental Illness Happy Hour podcast with Paul Gilmartin

Hi everyone!

I'm currently on Effexor and it's been working good, but I am realizing there could be an issue. It's great when I can't worry since the med makes me forget what I was thinking, as in, it makes it difficult for me to concentrate for a long time on a thought.

The problem is that I have a test tomorrow, a rather important one, and I haven't studied. I have sat in front of the computer with my notes and documents, but I can barely pay attention to them for a few minutes. Even writing this takes me longer than I expected it to.

Anyway, I hope by the grace of the cosmos and the universe that is my mind, I will pass the test and continue my studies as scheduled. If not, then I can look at the unknown positive side and think that maybe I'm better off re-taking the test in 6 months and passing it then.

Whatever. This is just life and a test doesn't define me or it.

Thanks for reading. Have a good day.

Good luck with your test! Studying is hard for everyone. Fit your studying style to your current attention span, instead of comparing yourself to some ideal standard of studying. Don't make "best" the enemy of "good enough"! All the best, take care, we here are all cheering for you and for your greatest today and tomorrow!

When I was in college, I decided to switch from Effexor to something else around finals week. Huge mistake. Studying and taking tests while going through withdrawal sucks.

Thank you both for your replies, i appreciate your thoughts regarding my post.

I think I failed the exam and i'll have to re-take it in six months. This was the second time I took it and I have mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, my dear husband makes me feel assured that I did (whatever) was my best. On the other, I feel disappointed because my parents expected me to pass this time in order for me to continue with finishing my studies within a year...you know, so they can brag about finally having one of their "children" do "something good and right" with their lives/careers (because to them, your career defines you).

My psychiatrist warned me about continuing to care about what my parents think and feel about me. They tend to be controlling over us (their "children"). That's how I feel and I think my siblings feel, too; like we (all adults) are still their children to guide and control in the "right" path.

Thanks for reading. Have a good day.

Sweet! Congrats!

Just curious - are you tapering off or have you gone cold turkey? I think going cold turkey from any dosage of Effexor is bound to make you sick. But hang in there!