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Effexor and My eyes....Doeas anyone see what I mean??

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    Effexor and My eyes....Doeas anyone see what I mean??

    1999 I began antid-depressants at age 21. what a life saver. Literally. Here's a run down

    1999: PAXIL changed my life! with little no side effects. An absolute wonder drug that revived me from a ball of anxiety and suicidal depression to a capable and happy person. I also tried ZOLOFT for a brief time in 1999 but I was a little bit spacey and Paxil worked much better and worked AMAZINGLY for 15 plus years!!!!

    2014 Paxil even at 80mgs began to lose its kick. We added Bupropion / WELLBUTRIN in 2014. Within months my eyes ached. Apparently its a rare side effect from Wellbutrin. I stayed on the Paxil for another 2 years with the addtion of Epival for mood stability.

    2016: PROZAC at100mgs carried me to 2019. It worked fine until it didnt work. I had almost zero libido but I was at a place in life where *** was the least of my worries. by mid 2019 things were tough

    after a tough 3-4 years with paxil not working at the end and prozac never really working, I tried EFFEXOR in late 2019 I figured I loved paxil and alot of people hate it. Effexor seems to be love or hate as well so it might work. IT WORKS AMAZINGLY.

    I started Effexor in October 2019. By march 2020 my eyes were noticeable sore (about 5 months) all of the time. It feels like a someone is cooking onions. There is a burn and there are aches in the eyelball. My eyes feel exhausted all of the time and focusing is the hardest. I went for two eye exams and two new pairs of glasses and my eyes are getting more and more sore. Watching TV is no longer an option...I use the computer as little as possible. Reading is not easy either. Bright lights, TV screens,trying to focus in a dimly lit room hurts. Even trying to focus on someone to have a conversation can hurt especially if they are in front of my white wall (at work).

    So I am discouraged and a little bit afraid as EFFEXOR works after a really tough 4 years...really tough. Lost my home, career, family..........BUT I am back on my feet and no longer bed ridden with suicidal depression. mentally I am doing very well and back to work and life! But my eyes are tired and sore all of the time and I am beginning to get headaches....

    I experienced sore eyes from wellbutrin an SNRI and now sore eyes from Effexor also an SNRI....Does anyone know of a connection or another med that can help? some research online indicates paxil may cause issues with focus and the pharmacist confirmed there is small chance of this side effect. But for the most part, it seems highly unusual and I dont want to stop living life if the EFFEXOR is not the issue

    Thank you all in advance. Thank you for ANY suggestions no matter how irrelevant they may seem.

    RJ

    #2
    Hello Tragic Life and welcome to the forum!

    Thanks for sharing your experiences with meds. Good for you, keeping such good track of them over the years.

    I'm glad your mood has improved so much with the Effexor. I can understand your reluctance to give it up because of your eye symptoms. I've taken quite a few different meds, including Effexor, but they haven't given me trouble with my eyes.

    It sounds prudent to have had eye exams and new glasses. I'm wondering, though, if they were done by an optometrist or a specialist (opthamoligist maybe) with more in depth training and specialized equipment. If it was an optometrist (who are the usual ones that test and prescribe), maybe they could refer you on to a specialist and hopefully find out what's going on. There's my two cents.
    uni

    ~ it's always worth it ~

    Comment


      #3
      Hi Tragic Life and welcome. I agree with Uni. A trip to a ophthalmologist, who is a medical doctor specializing in eyes, might be in order.
      AJ

      Humans punish themselves endlessly
      for not being what they believe they should be.
      -Don Miguel Ruiz-

      Comment


        #4
        Hello Tragic Life and welcome. I searched around a bit on the internet and found that although rare effexor can cause eye problems. I didn't find much in the way of help for the eye problems. I did find a couple of articles that had a few solutions and the links are listed at the end of this post. Almost all of the articles that I briefed through suggested a visit to an ophthalmologist. Take Care. paul m https://www.health.harvard.edu/disea...at-you-can-try and https://www.verywellmind.com/blurred...ssants-1067358
        "Alone we can do so little;
        Together we can do so much"
        Helen Keller

        Comment


          #5
          You will need a referral to an ophthalmologist. You only have 2 eyes and they are precious. Even though Effexor 'might' be the cause of the dry eyes, it has significantly impacted your daily activities and definitely warrants a visit to the specialist's office.
          AJ

          Humans punish themselves endlessly
          for not being what they believe they should be.
          -Don Miguel Ruiz-

          Comment


            #6
            Thank you all very much for your responses. very appreciated! Yes, I have an appointment with my doctor next week to ask to see an ophthalmologist and Ihave seen two optometrists and they stated everything was fine. But its not......i'll keep you posted!

            Comment


              #7
              Sounds like you're on the case Tragic Life. Yes please let us know how you make out. Meanwhile, I wish you the best with your eyes and your mood!
              uni

              ~ it's always worth it ~

              Comment


                #8
                I'm glad to hear you have an appt. Yes please keep us posted.
                AJ

                Humans punish themselves endlessly
                for not being what they believe they should be.
                -Don Miguel Ruiz-

                Comment


                  #9
                  Again, thank you all very much! Very kind / considerate of all to respond. I have a doctor appointment soon - COVID has slowed things down - and another optometrist appointment. My doctor will refer to ophthalmologist if necessary he said. He questioned sinus issues allergies / sinusitus though he confirmed Effexor can cause eye issues. I do have a runny nose ALOT...My eyes do burn. Last week my head felt like it would explode. So maybe I have a sinus issue. I know I am deathly allergic to cigarette smoke. My nose and eyes burn immediately even if someone is in my car and they are wearing smoky clothing...even though I smoked for 10 years so no judgement Just allergic!

                  The other thought I am having is this may be a few things at once: allergies, Effexor making me tired which makes my eyes tired, using too much computer for my astigmatism...I dont know. I do know that I worry alot when I'm depressed. I CATASTROPHIZE so being depressed is already hard but being depressed and convincing yourself you are going blind...well I can laugh tonight because its a good night...but other nights not so much

                  I'll keep you all posted!

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Hello tragic Life. Good Luck with everything. Take Care. paul m
                    "Alone we can do so little;
                    Together we can do so much"
                    Helen Keller

                    Comment

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