Suggest ways to wean off Zyven
Patient: Hi iam 26 years of male .I am suffered depression and panic attacks last august .then I consulted the doctor he prescribed me zyven of plus 50 mg .after 3 months of taking this medicine I recovered from those problems one day I missed dose I feeling head ache very severely .then go the doctor he told me that do not stop it it should be taken at least one year .my problem was that there are side effects if taking it long term use .Hw can I get rid of those medication Thanking you sir Doctor: Hi Sir/MadamWelcome to Health Care MagicI can certainly understand your concern and. Worry about the side effects of desvenlafexine side effects , as it is SNRI is serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor , due to which serotonin and norepinephrine increases which is very useful in depression. The main pathology in depression is decrease in serotonin , which causes sad mood, fatigue , lack of interest in work, sleep disturbances , decreased appetite, hopelessness, worthlessness and all, panic attacks mainly due to Norepinephrine imbalance, you have mentioned there are no further attacks ...But it is very important to continue these drugs for atleast 6-9 months even after full recovery to prevent relapse and for maintenance . There is nothing to worry much about its side effects like nausea, vomiting, gastritis ...But these are present with any drugs ...It may have diastolic hypertension but which is very rare in your age group as you are still young, so no need to worry about its side effects as it is required for the brain to balance the neurotransmitters...being a psychiatrist , I can definitely advise you to continue the above Medication for atleast 1 year for good results.Consult your psychiatrist for further follow up Post your further questions if any, I will available to take up your follow up questionsThank you