I reported in a previous post that my Neurologist had suggested that I try Effexor XR (Venlafaxine) in addition to my daily dose of Clonazepam/Klonipin ODT.

He started me with the lowest dose, and it didn’t seem to do anything so as we had agreed, he doubled the dose and I started taking it once a day.

I immediately came down with a head cold that turned into bronchitis and set everything on hold for a while. Now I have had a clear month at the higher dose and I have noticed something interesting. My daily dose of Clonazepam ODT has always been subject to some fluctuations due to flares in pain after dental work, abnormally dry air, or those elusive good days when the pain level isn’t too high, so it took about a week to notice the pattern.

I was not burning so much as tingling at the beginning of my pain cycle. I had been able to get by with one dose of Clonazepam ODT a day for a week.

So, now comes the question…do I ask to increase the dose of Effexor XR to see if it could make even the tingling less? There are side effects to Effexor XR (as with nearly all drugs) and I would definitely have to stay on Aimovig injectable for my migraines since it doesn’t play well with Sumatriptine/Imitrex. BUT…if it meant little to no pain from BMS on most days??

I talked it over with my husband and we agreed that a good strategy would be to talk with the Neurologist about the next higher dose with the agreement in place that if it didn’t help the way we hope it will, or if the side effects were too great, I could ramp back down to the previous level and just appreciate a tingle instead of a burn. Keep in mind that this med is not for everyone and your doctor should definitely be involved in your choice to try it, or not.

It may not work long-term for me. We have all tried medicines that initially seemed to help but puttered out over time. As usual, it is always trial and error with BMS, and the doctors will tell you that, as well.

That said, this sounds like a plan for me. I will let you all know how it goes.