Brief Answer:
Effexor is good for anxiety & Depression

Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thanks for your query.
I appreciate your efforts for medical consultation in so much distress.

Important aspects of your query are:
•     48 year old female
•     Known case of anxiety and depression
•     Currently on Effexor
•     Concern related to current treatment and better treatment options.

Effexor contain Venlafaxine. It is an antidepressant act an serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI). At low doses (<150 mg/day), it acts only on serotonergic transmission. At higher doses (150-300 mg/day), it acts on both serotonergic and noradrenergic systems.

Effexor is good for anxiety and depression but you still have symptoms of these problems. Then following steps will be helpful:
-Medicine take 3-4 weeks to show its effect in current doses. If medicine was started recently in your case, then you need to wait for response. After that time (3-4 week) if still response is poor then drug doses can be increased slowly upto 300mg in your case under psychiatrist case.
-Detection and correction of vitamin deficiency (especially vitamin B12): so take vitamin supplement and fruits/milk in diet.
-Screening of thyroid dysfunction: You can get serum T3/T4 and TSH level done, as thyroid problem also lead to anxiety and depression and it is common in middle aged female.
-Stop substance use like alcohol (If present in your case)
-Addition of non drug treatment like cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT: form of psychotherapy) with medical treatment. In anxiety and depression CBT is better than exposure therapy.

I hope this information has been both informative and helpful for you. In case of any doubt, I will be available for follow ups.

Wish you good health.
Regards,

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Brief Answer:
Treatment response come after few weeks.

Detailed Answer:
Hello again,
Thanks for follow up.

You appear to to have significant obsessive symptoms. But good thing is that effexor also reduces obsessive symptoms, but medicine take time to show effect, if started recently and increment in dose required in presence of poor response. If you do not respond on effexor after 4-6 week of treatment, your psychiatrist has option to shift you on Fluoxetine.

Apart from that follow above mentioned all steps, which will help you. In psychological treatment along with CBT, exposure and response prevention (ERP) will be helpful.

Appetite will improve with improvement in obsessions and depression. For sleep few week treatment with Benzodiezepines (like Clonazepam) will be helpful, it will also reduce your anxiety.

I hope it will work in your case and will reduce your suffering.

Please accept my answer in case there are no further queries and recommend our services to your friends too if you have found it helpful.

Wish you good health.
Regards
Dr Ashish Mittal, MD

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