effexor withdrawl

[Angel]

I am on day three of effexor withdrawl. I wish I never took this medication. The first two days of withdrawl were horrible. My head hurt sooo BAD and I just felt weird. So hard to describe. Today isnt so bad. I started at 150mg then down to 75mg and tomorrow I will start on 37.5 mg. I am really scared to go lower again. I don't want to feel like that again. I was only on it for two months and it never helped me at all. Now I have to go through getting off of it. I will be taking prozac as soon as I get done with effexor. Or should I say when it is done with me!!! I hope prozac is the one that will help me feel normal again.

Angel

[be careful you guys]

http://www.pintas.com/attorney-lawyer-1026972...

[Shirley]

I was on Effexor for 4 years and decided I wanted to get of of it. It took me a year and a half and three trips to emergency room, the withdrawals are as bad if not worce than Heroin withdrawals from what I've read in comparison. I dropped very slowly at third attempt to taper. I was on 150mg and I would tell my Dr. it wasn't working and every time he would increase my dose and I didn't feel that the more I took the better I would feel it just required more to feel better just like people on meth, cocaine etc. so coming off of it was h--l. YOu need to come very slow and then I found that the prozac helped with withdrawals so as I came down I would take prozac and it helped through the toughest times. The doctors acted like I was crazy when I told them what was going on and ask why do you want off of it and if the Doc. put you on it you must need it. all kinds of crap I told several dr. you take it and then try do get off of it and then ask me questions. Well I was down to 37.5 in Feb o6 and then had a heart attack and while I was in the hosp I did not take it so I just never took it again. I still have w/d symptoms once in a while and the brain zaps etc. Look up Heroin withdrawals and that will discribe what I went trhu to a T. Then about a month ago I told Dr. I felf I was in a state of depression so he suggested Cymbalta and I said no It is just like Effexor same type of drug and he argued I said I don't want to go thru the H--l I went thru again so I declined and got myself thru it, I am not going to tke that poisin again THe doc. only go by what the venders tell them the drug are for and they give it to us, an the more scripts they write the more money the pharmacutical companys make. So I decided I don't wasnt to help them make money.

[Bryan]

YOU CAN BE FREE OF EFFEXOR
LET'S GET STARTED.

First of all i would like to introduce myself.
I'm Bryan , and i'm 21 years old.

Depression is something hard to explain.
Specially what the cause was , that brought it to you.

I love reading stuff on the internet.
I love to expirement , try to be in control of myself.

NOTE :

The most important thing to know when it comes to these types of situation is :

You're the only one that could help yourself [Mostly].

That means start taking the time to know yourself.
Pay attention to yourself.

The only way you could ever get control.

--

I have taken effexor for a while , and you can't imagin how easy it was to get off.
How long i've been on , is not important cuzz I want this description to fit everyone ,
and believe me the time i was on fits and i mean everyone.

How to withdraw succesfully :

You all could of notice there are tiny little beans in every tablet of effexor :
It's been a long time sinds i've been of so i don't remember correctly but follow me ,

Example :

1 tablet = 100 beans
1 tablet = 75mg

75mg / 100 = 0.75 [per beans]

You cannot temper off by : 225 -> 150 -> 75 -> 37.5
See the space between them , ofcourse them withD affects will have to come in place.
Cuzz there's alot missing.

By trying that approach and afther years your still on it you won't mind taking my approach.
Temper of like this.

Example :

225 -> 180 [1 weeks]
180 -> 150 [2 weeks]

Why is easier to go from 225 to 150 more easily is because the dosage is still verry high , your body could miss a little but still manage to have control.
Below 150 you have to start going real real slow.

150 -> 140 [1 week]
140 -> 130 [1 week]

and so on till 0mg

It would take you maybe 6 months..
I have preffered doing that without feeling nothing..
That trying to quite cold turkey , and still being on it afther that for years & years to come still trying.

What should you do is buy a calcultor..
Count how much beans per tablet do the math.

It's perfectly safe too ,to open a bean take the amount out you've calculated. and close it.

I was depressed , because of being afraid of doing everything and worried alot..
So to do this i was so afraid , specially open the tablets , and thinking what if they get dirty and i get more sick etc.
But i did it , and i was of effexor like nothing happend..

I'ts been lot's of months that passed by that i've been living happy and well.
Today the effexor issue came to my mind and yes i felt like why not help sinds for me it was so easy.

I know what you're going trough that's the best part i can assure you to trust me..
Don't worry if it's gonna take you 1 year to go trough this approah.. it's better then still being on it for years & years and remmeber the effects you had while trying to get off.

so...????

Life is beautyfull people. You can't imagin.
I know you know , cuzz once it was.

Start working on it..
The same road you took , that got you were you at now , you can take that road back..

Thank you for you're time.

[halfdyke]

Yesterday, after 2 days off cold turkey (my dr's orders to switch directly from effexor to wellbutrin) I felt like I was having a heart attack and stroke at once. I had only been on 75 mg and only for ONE MONTH total. I went to the dr's and demanded a nurse see me. She said she had never heard of effexor withdrawal (I told her just to google it) and even looked it up in her PDA and it mentioned little more than dizziness and nausea. I told her to imagine restless leg syndrome in her chest, and HUGE sobbing bawling fits with no warning or cause, and motion-sickness from just walking, combined with intense anxiety and nervous energy. I now have orders to taper off for the next 5 weeks. Let's hope it works. The funny thing is, I was on effexor for 2 years before, and came off with no problem, but I tapered off over 2 monthes then, so I guess the key for me is to wean myself. I think this drug should be pulled from the market.The FDA will pull life-saving drugs for little to no reason, it seems, why not one a/d out of dozens for this reason?

[teresa]

halfdyke wrote:

Yesterday, after 2 days off cold turkey (my dr's orders to switch directly from effexor to wellbutrin) I felt like I was having a heart attack and stroke at once. I had only been on 75 mg and only for ONE MONTH total. I went to the dr's and demanded a nurse see me. She said she had never heard of effexor withdrawal (I told her just to google it) and even looked it up in her PDA and it mentioned little more than dizziness and nausea. I told her to imagine restless leg syndrome in her chest, and HUGE sobbing bawling fits with no warning or cause, and motion-sickness from just walking, combined with intense anxiety and nervous energy. I now have orders to taper off for the next 5 weeks. Let's hope it works. The funny thing is, I was on effexor for 2 years before, and came off with no problem, but I tapered off over 2 monthes then, so I guess the key for me is to wean myself. I think this drug should be pulled from the market.The FDA will pull life-saving drugs for little to no reason, it seems, why not one a/d out of dozens for this reason?

, GET A LAWYER THIS IS A TERRIBLE MEDICINE TO QUIT .. THE SYMPTOMS OF WITHDRAWL ARE TO DETRIMENTAL. AND PAINFUL PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY. I THOUGHT I WAS GOING CRAZY. I HAD ELECTRICAL SHOCKS HAPPENING IN MY HEAD AND MANY SLEEPLESS NIGHTS. I AM STILL ON IT BECAUSE OF THE SEVERITY OF MY WITHDRAWL. AND I HAVE TO TAKE MED. TO GET OFF OF THIS .. THE PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW HOW HORRIBLE IT WILL BE IF THEY TRY TO DISCONTINUE THIS MED. I WAS NEVER TOLD. I AM VERY ANGRY. AND SCARED

[Monbrou]

I, unlike many others here, was only on 37.5 mg of Effexor for about 4-5 weeks. Immediately I became utterly apathetic, totally exhausted, and nonexistant sexually. So, I told the dr., and he decided to take me off. Since I was already on the lowest dose, weaning was not an option. That was 5 days ago. I am so dizzy, brain-zapped, nauseated... I told my husband, "you know if you are next to a power plant or electrical wires, etc., you hear a humming that variates?'waw, waw, waaaw...' That's what my brain is doing!" And every time it fluctuates in my head, the dizzyness and sounds drive me insane. Someone very accurately described the nausea as a feeling of motion sickness. In reading others' comments, I cannot believe it is so exactly what I'm experiencing! I also cannot believe that this drug is on the #!@*ing market!!! There should be a huge warning on it: "ONLY TAKE THIS IF IT'S THE LAST THING ON EARTH LEFT TO TRY. THEN PLAN ON NEVER GETTING OFF DESPITE SIDE EFFECTS, BECAUSE THE WITHDRAWALS MAKE THE SIDE EFFECTS SEEM LIKE 'THE GOOD OL' DAYS!!!"
So, someone out there please give me a little encouragement (but don't lie to me).*******Here's what I NEED to know:******1.) How long will this last? and 2.)Is there anything I can take (besides more Effexor) to help in getting over this, that won't put me in the same boat I'm in now if I should decide to stop it?
When/if I get over this I will revisit this site and let you other sadly-desperate people know how long it lasted & what worked for me.

[Tracy-Canada]

I was on Effexor for anxiety for over a year. Effexor has helped me tremendously and I had no awful side effects to speak of. I am aware of how hard it is to come off these drugs as I had a real problem with paxil. My DR. thought I had a brain tumor it was so bad. Anyways I knew Effexor would be no different b/c If I missed just one dose I couldnt think straight and felt awful.SO HERE IS THE GOOD NEWS!! My Dr. put me on PROZAC TO WEAN ME OFF EFFEXOR and it is working great and Im into my third week and almost done. I swithed straight to Prozac and took 20mg every day for one week. Then 10mg alternated with 20mg every 2nd day for the next week. The third week its one pill a day for a week and last but not least 10mg pill every 2nd day for one week then quit.I will say the first week I didnt feel myself and was a little nauseated, but that was it. Nothing even close to withdrawl from paxil or just from missing one day of effexor. It has a longer half life which means it stays in your system longer that effexor so you dont get them same withdraw effects. I would recommend to anyone coming off to ask their DR, about this b/c it has made my life so much easier knowing Im not going to go through all the HELL I went through before getting of antidepressants. HOPE THIS IS A LITTLE ENCOURAGMENT. MOST PEOPLE ONLY PRINT THE BAD ABOUT THE MEDS SO LET THIS BE THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL. GOOD LUCK.

[Jill]

I just googled "effexor withdrawl" and this is the first site I've read. I've been on Effexor for 2 years and have tried going off of it once and ended up in the emergency room. I'm now trying again, almost a year later. This is my first day of taking a lower dose and I'm feeling really dizzy. I'm very unhappy. I don't know anyone who has taken this drug and has recommended it to others. Nobody who takes this drug tells others to take it because it seems it does the same thing to everyone. Why didn't they see this in the testing process? It needs to be taken off the market. I'll be on 75mg for two weeks and then 37.5mg for 2 weeks. I'm not looking forward to it but I want off of it so bad that I'll do whatever it takes!

[Ezin]

Jill - get yourself a copy of Joseph Glenmullen's 'The Antidepessant Solution' from a library/bookshop asap. It gives the nuts and bolts of antidepressant withdrawal. This is an incredibly fast taper for someone who has been on the drug for 2 years - particularly since you have already ended up in the ER... the book will give you lists of withdrawal effects, what to watch out for - and how to get yourself out of trouble if it starts to go pear-shaped.

[Gwen Hengehold]

Effexor is like hell to cme off of. I was at 300 miligrams now after 3 months down to 37.5. I am a mess. I cry, have those zaps in my head, just feel sick. Please anyone doing this get support somewhere,
somehow.
Peace

[PMM]

Let me tell you that after reading posts for months about the effects of coming off this drug, I would never have imagined how really BAD it is. I have been on Effexor for 6 months, decided to switch to Wellbutrin again just because I didn't have as many side effects (ie. no sex drive, and most of all if I missed one day of taking it, I would feel like I wanted to take a gun to my head because I felt so bad physically) Anyway, my doctor had me start on Wellbutrin immediately and discontinue the Effexor. BRAIN SHIVERS - Let me tell you, until you experience them yourself, you have no idea how bad and UNCOMFORTABLE these are. It consumes your day and you feel horrible. I am 3 days off of it and still experience this. If you have kids to deal with - GET A BABYSITTER and DON'T DRIVE EITHER. The only was I can explain it is, you get this weird flash thru your brain and feel VERY VERY uncomfortable. Just before it happens, I notice I have sudden eye movement also. If you can avoid this drug, do it at all costs and try a better one.

[Kelly Girl]

I've been on the drug Effexor for about 1 1/2 years. Straight up asked my dr. if it was addictive or if there were side effects. He told me no. I have ZERO sex drive, couldn't care less if there were termites destroying my furniture or if the dog crapped on my cornflakes so decided to come off. Unbelieveable! I've been verbally abusive, non-stop crying, weight gain....DON"T EVER TAKE THIS DRUG! It's awful to be on or coming off. God help me please.

[deadbill]

i am currently withdrawaling from effexor xr. it's been fairly rough. i have just recovered from a sinus infection wich in my case usualy followed up by an intestinal infection. this is still nebulos being that the symtoms of an intestinal infection and effexor withdrawls overlap; primarily diahrea. so far the withdrawl has hit me very hard on the front of a seriously decreased appitite and ability to keep a decent amount of food in my stomach, leading me very close to malnurishment. other than these digestive issues i am suffering from tremors like nobody's business, i spend most of my day shaking and not much else. the tremors are easily controled by focussing on them and calming them just like regulaur shivering, but this because harder as you will tend to use your consciousness for other more meaningful tasks such as; conversation, locomotion, and the wonderful joy to being alive: focussing on external stimuli. while under the treatment of effexor i have become very aware of thought processes leading up to dreaming. this has given me the ability to consciously control what i will dream about by loading the subject matter into memory before the switch to sleep thought. also i've had many episodes of not switching into a sleeping mind set and continuing conscious thought long after my body has fallen asleep and i should(or not) be dreaming. this has been fun in letting me explore the logic of my brain, but hopefully i will be able to return to a normal state of sleep rhythm, having to think about sleeping may become very tasking.

[Rose Wv]

I have tried to come of effexor xr now for two years. It is a living hell. I am trying to ease off now. I can't ride in a car without motion sickness. The doctor gave me patches just to ride in a vehicle.I never knew about withdrawal before. I stay sick all day. My head feels like rubber bands around it. I am so dizzy i fall just trying to walk. Please can someone help me the doctors can't

[Sarah]

Rose Wv wrote:

I have tried to come of effexor xr now for two years. It is a living hell. I am trying to ease off now. I can't ride in a car without motion sickness. The doctor gave me patches just to ride in a vehicle.I never knew about withdrawal before. I stay sick all day. My head feels like rubber bands around it. I am so dizzy i fall just trying to walk. Please can someone help me the doctors can't

ROSE:

I am right there with you. I am coming off 75mg of Effexor per day which I was on for 1.5 years due to recurrent low-level depression that sneaks up on me every few years. First I started tapering off by stopping the Effexor on alternate days. I did this while up in the moutains during a ski holiday - I was fine during that week and I think it was the exercise and fresh air that helped.

When I returned home to the city from skiing last week, I thought I was in good shape so I stopped outright. Now, I am dizzy all day long and I have a weird 'head buzz'+ vertigo: I can't concentrate, I feel tired, and I have snapped at dozens of people for absolutely no reason! The only time this week I have felt "OK" this week is when I went to the gym - esp. when I was in the sauna and steam room. I'm going tomorrow again and plan to spend the better part of the day there!

Since your Doc has no solution other than motion-sickness remedies, I'd suggest you try to get some heavy-duty exercise and maybe go so far as to escape to a spa where you can spend a few days or more relaxing and detoxing with good food, massages and fresh air.

I know it stinks, but I think the body just has to re-set itself when coming off this very powerful drug. Doing so in a healthy, safe environment is probably not a bad thing to try.

[Angie]

I have been reading all of these responses and it makes me feel somewhat better, i guess sane, bc I have been taking 150mg of effexor xr and am now trying to get off it, i dont feel it made me any less anxious, i was told i was bi-polar, i disagree, i am very antsy and have a hard time sitting still, i am not bi-polar, at least not til i started taking this...i was on paxil and withdrawal from this was absolutely horrible, nausea, vertigo, the dizziness was so bad i felt like was coming off of a cocaine binge and i just wanted to crawl up into a ball and die, now i am have been on effexor 150 for about a year and a half, i have no insurance any more, so i must come off and it is day 4, i feel dizzy and my head feels like its being hit by a hammer, i have missed 2 days of work and i just hope that it stops, i feel dizzy, like i have vertigo and i cant sleep and i just feel horrible, i am trying to quit cold turkey, i will never take this again and should have known this would happen sense withdrawl from paxil was horrible, i felt like i had the flu and missed a week of work, i am just hoping that i can cope from withdrawal from effexor and i will never take this again, peoople thing i am crazy and say it is all in my head,well it isn't and i am glad to hear that others have had the same problems and feel the same way, the head pain is unbeilvable and i just hope that it goes away soon, i don't even want to get out of bed unless i am drinking, being drunk is the only way to make it go away...any suggestions, please help

[Brigid W]

Angie wrote:

I have been reading all of these responses and it makes me feel somewhat better, i guess sane, bc I have been taking 150mg of effexor xr and am now trying to get off it, i dont feel it made me any less anxious, i was told i was bi-polar, i disagree, i am very antsy and have a hard time sitting still, i am not bi-polar, at least not til i started taking this...i was on paxil and withdrawal from this was absolutely horrible, nausea, vertigo, the dizziness was so bad i felt like was coming off of a cocaine binge and i just wanted to crawl up into a ball and die, now i am have been on effexor 150 for about a year and a half, i have no insurance any more, so i must come off and it is day 4, i feel dizzy and my head feels like its being hit by a hammer, i have missed 2 days of work and i just hope that it stops, i feel dizzy, like i have vertigo and i cant sleep and i just feel horrible, i am trying to quit cold turkey, i will never take this again and should have known this would happen sense withdrawl from paxil was horrible, i felt like i had the flu and missed a week of work, i am just hoping that i can cope from withdrawal from effexor and i will never take this again, peoople thing i am crazy and say it is all in my head,well it isn't and i am glad to hear that others have had the same problems and feel the same way, the head pain is unbeilvable and i just hope that it goes away soon, i don't even want to get out of bed unless i am drinking, being drunk is the only way to make it go away...any suggestions, please help

Angie I really feel for you. I have been there. The booze is really not helping you as it is a major depressent. Here are a few suggestions to try. Ask your doc for a script for fluoxetine/Prozac 10 mg per day as this has a longer half life and it self tapers. It will greatly ease your suffering, and it is easy to discontinue when you are through the effexor withdrawal. Try adding omega 3 caspsules 3X day with meals, ibuprophan 200 mg every four hours and benedryl 25 mg at bedtime for the brain zaps. headaches, insomnia etc. Ginger helps relieve the nausea. Immodium helps with the diarrhea. If you develop alot of mania, get to a psychiatrist asap. Some people need a mood stabilizer and a med like seroquel to even things out during withdrawal. It is better to do a slow taper off effexor if possible. If I were you I would try to tough it out if possible. If it gets terribly bad, you may want to go back on the lowest dose for a couple weeks to stabilize and then do a sloww controlled taper under your psychiatrists care. Good luck.

[TouchOfEvil]

I was on Effexor with a dosage of 150 mg per day (2 x 75) for I don't know how long... probably since it started being available (I took Prozac as well, 80 mg per day) . I stopped taking it in a week, a couple of months ago. By the way, if you take 37,5 mg of Effexor and, from a given day, they start giving you a placebo, you don't feel the difference. The minimum dosage as antidepressant is 75 mg.

[TouchOfEvil]

By the way, I gave up Prozac too in a week...