Saw my psychiatrist on Thursday. the first time that I have been called to see a mental health professional in 6 months. The NHS is well and truly on it's knees.

Anyway, when I explained (yet again) that ANGER was a major problem with me, he increased my medication...Venlafaxine XL increased by 75MG.

Thus I am now on:

Venlafaxine XL - 225MG...one tablet taken in the morning
Mirtazapine - 45MG...one tablet taken at night.

I feel more and more that I am becoming drug dependent. I seem to have drug dosage increased, rather than decreased, even though that I have been on ADs since November 2007.

Has anyone else had experience about this drug combination?

Also I think that my Venlafaxine dose seems to me to be very high. Has anyone else got views on this dosage of the drug, PLEASE?

Hey Black Dog =).

I don't mean to discourage you.. However it isn't such a bad thing to become drug dependent. Drugs do save lives, if you see it that way.

In my view, drugs are what are going to save my Uncle. He is the only person in my family who I have truly made a connection with. He has a rare fungal disease in his lungs, and if he doesn't get the drugs, then well.. He would be dead. I mean, I cry every morning waking up, and every night going to bed thinking about if they wouldn't have caught the infection.


An example for my life: If I didn't have drugs, well let's just do this. Look up Bipolar Stage II (2). Haha, you would be appalled. My life is hell if I don't have my daily 12+ pills. So your 2 pills, well they really do come in handy.


If medicine hasn't come as far as it has in the decade, you wouldn't have your medicine for your anger issues. Not that it is a bad thing, or even a good thing. I'm only telling you that, and re-iterating that, being drug dependent isn't such a bad thing. It saves lives in a sense.

Thanks for taking the time to read my blocks ^^.

Hi Blackdog. I study medical science at university and quite recently I've been studying anti-depressant drugs.

Your feelings of drug dependency are not at all uncommon. One of the unfortunate side-effects of many anti-depressants is dependency and withdrawal symptoms. Venlafaxine in particular is known to cause dependency, as its a common side-effect of its drug class.

While you have been on anti-depressants for a while, how effective would you say they have been since you started? The only reason your psychiatrist would increase your dose to such a level would be that its was in-effective or just not as effective as it could be, at previous levels. Its quite normal for doses to increase over years. Its just about finding the effective doses. Some simply require higher levels than others.

The level you are at now for Venlafaxine is the highest normal dosage, however doses for Venlafaxine can go up to 375mg in some cases, so its not a worry at all. The level you are at now is normal.

TearToRoses

Sorry to read that you are on so many tablets. Makes mine seem miniscule. However, I am concerned that after 4 years of ADs the dosage of on of the drugs is increased...by now I had hoped that my medication would be decreased.


Aberration

Thanks for your assuring comments about the new dosage of venlafaxine that I have been prescribed.