Hi XXXXXXX,
I am really glad you wrote!
Congratulations on the birth of your new baby! Psychotropic medications, as you know, take up to six weeks to reach their full effects. Some patients experience benefits sooner -- but with Effexor XR, that's usually the patients who have a more severe depression.
Stay on the Effexor, and call your Psychiatrist. Tell him/her that the Xanax is giving your more benefit right now, and that you'd like to increase to 3 mg. Since they have your medical history, they may call it in. If you do get a prescription though, be sure to decrease it within the next 6 weeks. I am a little baffled as to why a Psychiatrist would prescribe both -- that's not really SOP.
There is not a way that anyone can presribe Xanax to you online; as you know, drugs are classified and that classification of drug cannot be prescribed online.
Hope this helps,
Nancy
Psychotherapist
ABD for a PhD in Psychology, Psychotherapist for over 20 years
What symptoms are bothering you the most?
Aggitation, irritation, and axiety. I feel like a nervous wreck and I just had a infant brought home from the hospital as well as a toddler to care for. My wife is under the weather from just giving birth and all the responsibility lies on me. As I said, I assumed I could recevie an prescription to be filled so that I could come back down to an even level and deal with all this stress. I don't think that it would have been so bad, but I abrubtly stopped the alprazolam. Like I said, I just don't know what else to do. My prescriber will not refill my prescirption over the phone - no until I come and see her next week.
I understand. It's so hard to go day after day feeling so horribly. There are non-prescription things that WILL help; things like "calming tea", decreasing carbs and increasing protein, getting time away from the children (ask friends of family to come over when your wife is resting so you can leave), you can always try relaxation tapes (free at most libraries) and decreasing stimuli... warm, not harsh lights, drink warm milk for sleep, take showers, long walks.... I know it all sounds trite, but honestly, it all helps. Especially the calming teas-- they really do eliminate irritability and agitation.
Is there anything else I can do?
If you are in Colorado, I can babysit!
Nancy :-)