Effexor Withdrawal- any suggestions?

[Topazia]

been there done that wrote:

All you poor people can find my posts on paxilprogres.org a withdrawal site for antidepressant withdrawal. This site deals with all antidepressants tho a lot of the info is about paxil effexor is considered at least as bad if not worse to withdraw from.
effexoractivist.org is a site specifically about effexor it is a closed site due to being spammed to death. However you can find live posts and ask questions at tribenet.net search effexor to find the folks there.
Withdrawal can be an extremely long complicated process. There is much to learn, you will be surprised of that I assure you.
There are also many books on the market I suggest you hit you local library withdrawal seems to be one of those things media and the main stream media have both missed the boat on.
Be careful you are not remedicated for withdrawal often withdrawal is diagnosed as another mental disorder and you are remedicated. This is a trap many have be caught in just trying to spare you some pain.
Good luck to you all.

How odd. When I try to click on any of the three websites quoted here, I get nothing. Oh, well....

[Topazia]

Aha. Finally got in adding the "the" in front.

Looks like just another collection of opinions, just like our own forum here.

Not exactly what I'd use if I were looking for fact-based information....but okay if you're looking for consensus from other Effexor "victims".

[Howdy]

Topazia wrote:

Aha. Finally got in adding the "the" in front.
Looks like just another collection of opinions, just like our own forum here.
Not exactly what I'd use if I were looking for fact-based information....but okay if you're looking for consensus from other Effexor "victims".

look at the link I pulled out of it. There is a doctor that tells you the exact liver enzymes involved and how and why the drug can effect people in different ways. In a less specific way the wiki
site talks about it too. Do you have any scientific training at all?

[Topazia]

Howdy wrote:

<quoted text>
.... Do you have any scientific training at all?

I offered an opinion on the website, not on the link you mentioned. The criteria for offering an opinion on that website does not include "scientific training". I'm happy for you that you discovered some information about liver damage.

[Crystal]

I have been on Effexor since May ( approx. 6 months)but my dose never got higher than 37.5 mg. Since then I've become morbidly depressed (never a problem for me prior to Effexor),really irritable, unmotivated and emotionless. Those reasons made me realize I was better off with the anxiety! I was just wondering if anyone was on a low dose for a short period of time and could tell me how bad the withdrawals were?? Thanks for any help on this:-)

[Topazia]

Crystal wrote:

I have been on Effexor since May ( approx. 6 months)but my dose never got higher than 37.5 mg. Since then I've become morbidly depressed (never a problem for me prior to Effexor),really irritable, unmotivated and emotionless. Those reasons made me realize I was better off with the anxiety! I was just wondering if anyone was on a low dose for a short period of time and could tell me how bad the withdrawals were?? Thanks for any help on this:-)

You're going to have some brain zaps, for sure; maybe a little nausea. I don't know how long it'll last but the good news is that the shorter the duration and the smaller the dose, the easier your withdrawal will be.

If you're planning to withdraw, you might consider asking your doctor to prescribe a low dose of Prozac to take while you're gradually lowering your Effexor dose.

Come to think of it, considering your low dose and short duration, I'm pretty sure you could withdraw from Effexor cold turkey instead of titrating, as long as you've got the Prozac to ease the withdrawal.

I was on Paxil (same crap as Effexor) for five years and withdrew cold turkey without using Prozac to ease the way. It took about eight weeks for the brain zaps to stop, but I was on a pretty high dose, and had been on it for five years.

Good luck, Crystal.

[Topazia]

very pissed off wrote:

well im somewhat off this med but my problem is now im so angry i want to bash my doctors face in with a lead pipe for giving me this pill. I feel very violent and fear for the future without taking this drug.....

The mental health industry has a new term: SIMD, and you have it, my friend, along with most of us here on this forum. "Substance-Induced Mood Disorder", the term describing the anger/rage/irritability all us post- and present-Effexor (as well as other psychotropic drugs) users suffer from. I stopped using the stuff two years ago, and I'm still pissed off most of the time. I blame the drugs' manufacturers.

[Crystal]

Topazia wrote:

<quoted text>
You're going to have some brain zaps, for sure; maybe a little nausea. I don't know how long it'll last but the good news is that the shorter the duration and the smaller the dose, the easier your withdrawal will be.
If you're planning to withdraw, you might consider asking your doctor to prescribe a low dose of Prozac to take while you're gradually lowering your Effexor dose.
Come to think of it, considering your low dose and short duration, I'm pretty sure you could withdraw from Effexor cold turkey instead of titrating, as long as you've got the Prozac to ease the withdrawal.
I was on Paxil (same crap as Effexor) for five years and withdrew cold turkey without using Prozac to ease the way. It took about eight weeks for the brain zaps to stop, but I was on a pretty high dose, and had been on it for five years.
Good luck, Crystal.

I took Paxil for several years also & didn't realize how much better my life could be until I went off of it. Prozac caused a deep depression (I was 17) that ended with a suicide attempt. The problem is that my anxiety comes from my ADHD and is not so much a chemical disorder. I am a little upset with the doctors I've had over the years who have been so quick to PERSCRIBE something as opposed to suggesting counseling. I just started counseling in July and am very pleased with the progress. This is why I have come to realize that while my need for ADHD meds will never go away, the anxiety was never to the point of needing meds in the first place. I am 48 hrs into cold turkey ( from 3 days at half of the 37.5 dosage I had been taking.) I haven't had the brain zaps...yet, and I'm hoping that I don't get them. They sound awful!!! thanks for your reply!!! Good luck to anyone else trying to free themseves from Effexor!

[Topazia]

Crystal wrote:

<quoted text>
.... Prozac caused a deep depression (I was 17) that ended with a suicide attempt....

SIMD in action.

It sounds like you've got a very good handle on what's going on inside your brain. You might be one of those lucky folks who gets off Effexor scot-free.

[ImOneTwo]

Hi

Sammie... Hang in there! I am happy you are off this stuff.

Snow White ... I think I am ready to take out ONE GRANULE a week!! Thanks!!

Erk... I live in a cloudy area. My doctor said to take 3000 mg of D3 a day.
He says make sure it's D3 and that depression can come from a lack of it.
He is a Shrink but works more with natural stuff whenever possible.

Lydia.. My heart goes out to you! The w/d symptoms are HELL!
I 'whimped' out and went back on 1/2 dose and stabilized there.
I couldn't miss more work and I couldn't handle the symptoms any longer.

BeenThere... yes, I can see how w/d symptoms can mimic other problems.

Very Pissed... I agree... I am a 48 yr old junkie to this stuff. It is sad what big business gets away with.

Bear....((((hugs))))

I'm still treading water, stabilized at 75mg.
I think about taking out granules...
I may start...
Just scared.

[mary joe gulmski]

someones shaking my brain

[Sammie]

1 week off the meds and STILL having brain zaps and dizziness. The irritabilty is horrible too. When do the brain zaps end? I am also exhausted!! Is that a side effect from going off? When will this end?!! Crazy!!!

[Topazia]

Sammie wrote:

1 week off the meds and STILL having brain zaps and dizziness. The irritabilty is horrible too. When do the brain zaps end? I am also exhausted!! Is that a side effect from going off? When will this end?!! Crazy!!!

My own brain zaps stopped after about five or six weeks after cold-turkey withdrawal. The irritability is still with me two years after withdrawal. Although I don't really remember any exhaustion, I'm sure I must have been.

Not very good news, is it? Hang in there, kid.

[ImOneTwo]

Sammie wrote:

1 week off the meds and STILL having brain zaps and dizziness. The irritabilty is horrible too. When do the brain zaps end? I am also exhausted!! Is that a side effect from going off? When will this end?!! Crazy!!!

When i dropped doses and had side effects..
Exhaustion was severe... for weeks,
could hardly raise an arm.
Stayed in recliner most of the time.
No irritability.
Was dizzy but no brain zaps.
Was nauseous and had NO appetite for many weeks,
forcing self to eat, lost 15 lbs.

It seems it is a little (or a lot) different for each of us.

If you can hang in there... do so...
I had to go back to taking some...

[Seth]

I have been on effexor for several years and I am anxious to get off of the stuff soon. I am on 75 down from 150mg and I am experiencing dizziness everyday. I still am unclear how long before we are completely free from all the withdrawl symptoms.

[Topazia]

Seth wrote:

I have been on effexor for several years and I am anxious to get off of the stuff soon. I am on 75 down from 150mg and I am experiencing dizziness everyday. I still am unclear how long before we are completely free from all the withdrawl symptoms.

It seems to vary from person to person, but generally, the lower the dose and the shorter the duration, the easier/shorter the withdrawal will be.

I took it for five years and it took me a good eight weeks to feel like a human again. I withdrew cold turkey two years ago, so I figure I'm in full withdrawal.

Look out for SIMD: Substance-Induced Mood Disorder. Lots of us former users are "irritable" (nicest word I can think of to describe how pissed off we all feel). The mental health industry is now at least recognizing that it's a bonafide condition describing the result of use of Effexor and other psychotropic drugs.

Hang in there, and good luck!

[ebeth]

I had an interesting conversation with my therapist the other day, who was not the prescribing doc for my effexor. She said that at 37.5 mg it really has no effect on the chemistry in your brain and that it is just to keep you from feeling the physical withdrawl symptoms. I thought it was interesting because the first month i was on 37.5 i felt OK, then a week into month 2 i felt horrible. She said that is becuase my body is really only on 37.5 mg now, since this med has about a 6 week life in your body. Just thought i would share ... good luck to you all, thanks for the thougths and comforting words.

[slimpickens]

I tried quitting cold turkey a few months ago and the wirhtdrawl was so bad, I started taking the medicine again. This time I literally opened the capsule and counted the grains, then each day would remove 5 grains and take the rest. After a couple months I was down to 10 grains and quit the medicine. I assusmed that by getting down to just 10 grains I would have no withdrawl. WRONG!!! I have been dizzy for two days straight. Hopefully this will be the only symptom this time but I was not prepared for any withdrawl this time after tapering off sooooooo slow. I can't believe how little of this drug in your system will effect you.

[Topazia]

ebeth: thanks; good, informative post.

slimpickens: hang in there, dude.

[Howdy]

ebeth wrote:

I had an interesting conversation with my therapist the other day, who was not the prescribing doc for my effexor. She said that at 37.5 mg it really has no effect on the chemistry in your brain and that it is just to keep you from feeling the physical withdrawl symptoms. I thought it was interesting because the first month i was on 37.5 i felt OK, then a week into month 2 i felt horrible. She said that is becuase my body is really only on 37.5 mg now, since this med has about a 6 week life in your body. Just thought i would share ... good luck to you all, thanks for the thougths and comforting words.

I am not a doctor but I have done simple math and studied crap in college. First they say the half life of the drug is roughly 5 to 7 hours. 2) what is weird though is that I still have some mild liver
pain off and on.It has been 7 months, since 4-17-09, that I have been off. And I then had the cover up king doctors or they did not know anything. I don't know about why they never mentioned the withdrawal issues. Maybe the hard core effects are there for a couple of days but it might take a year, depending on how saturated your system is with chemical to totally cleanse. I am concerned though that permanent damage may have been done. I feel like the drug chemical is draining because 3 or 4 weeks ago my calfs hurt then they fealt better and then my feet were hurting.
Like some kind of acid or crap is draining out of the body.