Hi all, I just need some help figuring things out. I'm a 16 year old female, being treated for severe panic disorder/depression. I've been taking Effexor XR for more than a year now, and I'm wondering if my dosage is getting too high, especially for my age. My first constant dose was 150, then it had to go up to 225, and just recently, it's had to go up again, now to 300mg, because the medicine loses its effectiveness after just a few months.

My dad also takes Effexor XR for SEVERE depression, much more severe then i've ever had, and he was on 300mg as well. I find it kind of strange that I will be taking the same dosage as he is, when his condition seems to be so much more severe than mine. Recently he's had to stop taking his Effexor because it turns out it was causing his blood pressure to skyrocket, and watching him go through withdrawal was pretty horrible. He was in bed for a week, just slept and slept and had horrible nightmares. Because of that, my mom is now very concerned about my usage of Effexor.

Some history: I've tried Zoloft, it leaves me with no feelings what-so-ever. My doc had me try Depakote for possible bi-polar, but all the Depakote did was speed up my cycling through extremes of emotions, as in I would cycle from extreme depression and apathy to extreme happiness within 20 minutes, back and forth all day long. It sucked to say the least I also have Lupus & Psioriatic Arthritis, but I'm not being treated for either. I have horrible horrible insomnia, I had it long before I started the Effexor, so I know its not a side effect from the meds. And by horrible, I mean not able to sleep for DAYS at a time, even though I'm insanely tired. Just started taking 8mg of Rozerem a couple days ago, it makes me fall asleep within 30 minutes, but I can't stay asleep to save my life. I also have the Implanon birth control rod because I get nightmarish cramps and have bad clotting problems during my period.

So, should I be concerned about taking 300mg of Effexor XR a day? Should I decide to quit Effexor, what other options do I have? What medicines might work for me?