Coming off the dreaded EFFEXOR

[Kirsty]

i have been on effexor for a few years now. i found all it did was numb all of my feelings, both good or bad. I am now trying to come off of it and its HORRID !! the only way i can describe it is that i am like a heroin addict who has not had a shot of heroin ! I have cut down over about 8 months to 37.5mg a night, now i have been told to take it one day n not the next !!!??? Surely all i am doing is giving myself a SHOT one day then withdrawing from it the next !! only to give myself another shot ?? does it really work this way ??
i have had all the symptoms you could possibly have both going on and coming off them ! how much longer will it go on for ?? how do you know when your last SHOT should be ??
Also in answer to other peoples Q's, i put on 3 Stone due to these tablets !! will that go when i am off them totally ??
P.S sorry if this is jumbled and full of mistakes, but thats what coming off these HORRD tablets does to your brain, concentration etc etc
Many thanks to all who can help me out :-)

[Kirsty]

Please someone help or give me your advice !! many thanks

[Brigid]

Kirsty wrote:

Please someone help or give me your advice !! many thanks

Taking the med every other day is probably not a good strategy. This med has a short half life, and you would just keep plunging your self in and out of withdrawal every other day. It works better for most to de a very slow gradual taper. Take a bit less of the med every day and listen to youur body. I opened the capsules and counted out the grains to gradually reduce my dosage over time. Every 2 weeks, I may a very small reduction in dose ( 10 extra grains removed) It is kind of a pain to count out the little grains, but you get used to it. If your hands are pretty shaky, you might want to enlist a good friend to help. There are some compouding pharmacies tthat can do custom dosing for you, but they are very exspensive. The granules are 2 different sizes, so you should try to remove about an even number of each size. If you put the grains on a spoon full of applesuace or pudding they are easy to swallow. Don't chew them, as they are extended release.

I kept track of the gradual withdrawal on the calendar as my memory was terrible during the withdrawal process. A great guide to self tapering and what to expect during withdrawal is Joseph Glenmullens book "The Antidepressent Solution".

I took omega 3 caps 3 x day as well as b-complex, and a mutivitamin daily. I took benedryl at night to sleep. I tried to eat really well. I also took excedrin migraine and ibuprofen during the day as needed. I think that all helped a bit.

I have been off completely for over two months, I still have lingering problems with memory, concentration, exhaustion, and weird neuro/sensory sensations. Overall, I am getting closer to normal. I wish you luck!

[Brigid]

I forgot to say, that the first week with no effexor was the worst, but then it got a bit better every day. After three weeks, I started to feel human again.

It works well for some people to add a low dose (10 mg/day) of a longer acting anti-depressent like prozac right at the end of the taper from effexor, then slowly wean off the prozac as tolerated by changing to every other day, then every third day, etc.

hope some of this helps you!

[mindy]

Kirsty wrote:

Please someone help or give me your advice !! many thanks

i have been off of effexor for 2 weeks now and it has been the most terrible thing i have done. I was on it for 10 years and i have noticed some crazy feelings that i haven't felt in 10 years. It will get better i promise. I am exercising and trying to get that weight off that effexor put on me. I am trying to get my life back after that satin of a pill took away from me. IT WILL GET BETTER, PRAY AND PRAY ALOT

[Phil]

mindy wrote:

<quoted text>i have been off of effexor for 2 weeks now and it has been the most terrible thing i have done. I was on it for 10 years and i have noticed some crazy feelings that i haven't felt in 10 years. It will get better i promise. I am exercising and trying to get that weight off that effexor put on me. I am trying to get my life back after that satin of a pill took away from me. IT WILL GET BETTER, PRAY AND PRAY ALOT

Hey, I've been off for two years...I heard something interesting, that may apply to you..someone told me that effexor can actually "hide" in your body for quite some time even when you go off it. So, many people go do a "body detox" or "liver detox".Just remember, if your moods are still swinging, and you still have "effexor-like" symptoms even a few months or a year from now, you are not going mad, it is probablt the residual effexor ......

[Allie]

Phil wrote:

<quoted text>Hey, I've been off for two years...I heard something interesting, that may apply to you..someone told me that effexor can actually "hide" in your body for quite some time even when you go off it. So, many people go do a "body detox" or "liver detox".Just remember, if your moods are still swinging, and you still have "effexor-like" symptoms even a few months or a year from now, you are not going mad, it is probablt the residual effexor ......

Phil, I've been reading your posts the last few days and you have a lot of good advise and knowledge. My problem is that I can never remember where I found the posts. If you know where some of them are will you please bump them up so they show up on the recent list? Thanks.

Six months off and still having terrible CNS and joint problems. I'm scared it will never get better.

[Whitey]

Allie wrote:

<quoted text>
Phil, I've been reading your posts the last few days and you have a lot of good advise and knowledge. My problem is that I can never remember where I found the posts. If you know where some of them are will you please bump them up so they show up on the recent list? Thanks.
Six months off and still having terrible CNS and joint problems. I'm scared it will never get better.

To be brutally honest.....I DON"T REMEMBER where I hear a lot of this stuff. Usually, if I hear something, I do a bit of research on it, and if it seems true.(even if it doesn't help me personally)..I post it. For example, I heard a LOT of people found St. John's wort effective for depression.....I took it and felt "weird"....even weirder than I already am. I also tried 5HTP and found it left me..confused/euphoric....and did some research, and found that both substances can be "seretogenic" that is to say they affect your seretonin levels.......A LOT of my info. comes from either: The Pysicians's desk reference to prescription meds"...or: "the physician's desk reference to Herbal/natural medications"

[Allie]

Phil,
In the late 80s I took L-tryptophan and along with 1500 other people came down with a terrible multi-systemic, auto-immune disease. Some research (Mayo) has shown that 5HTP, St. John's Worth and some others (probably having to do with seratonin) can cause the same disease. http://www.nemsn.org

I'm just not willing to try much of anything anymore. I believe I had an allergic reaction to effexor from the start (8 years ago). I imagine it's going to take me a long time to heal, possibly because my immune-system was already compromised.

I wish I could find a doctor in my area that doesn't just believe what the drug reps tell them.

Right now I feel more comfortable trusting in myself.

What really gets me is that I wasn't suffering from depression when it was prescribed to me... I was fighting with my then husband and the doctor said it would calm me down!!! It wasn't until a few years ago that a different doc told me I could never stop taking it. No one put together that I had symptoms of a severe allergic reaction to the drug! I know it's possible that I may never fully recover and I'll need to deal with that at some point, too.

[Sonja]

I am now in my 3rd day of comming off of Effexor. My doctor said this is common side effects and if I want to come off this is what I have to go through. OR I can go back on it,.. is she insane? I'm so dizzy, light headed, sick on my stomach and all I want to do is sleep. I can't concentrate at all. This is a drug that's suppose to help you, not hurt you. This is something I NEVER want to go through again. Hopefully it doens't stay in my system more than the 7-10 days my doctor told me it would. The above comments worry me....

However, I do feel for all of you, but it is a little relief to know it's not just me ;o)

[Janice]

I too a coming off effexor at the moment...i am on my fifth day of coming off it. In those days i have been crying ,very angry and not sleeping.I was on 35mg at first then my doctor upped it to 75mg. I was getting very tired and not wanting to do anything so i saw my doctor and aid i was tired so she upped then again to 150mg which made me very ill and crying all the time.Iwas very tired on that dose so i took myself back down to 75mg again until i saw a different doctor who is very good. He told me to come straight off the effexor,so i am dong that now. I went to punch the wall today...i got so angry that i was feeling like this. I would say to anyone that thinks they are deppressed to not go on any antideppresents . i,m definately not having any more. i,d rather battle through it. Doctors are to quick to give attidpressents to people and they don,t even tell you about the effects or coming off them. Please everyone one be very careful as i,ve heard people coming off effexor can actually commit suicide too. They are very bad tablets that should be banned.

[RoxanneAkimbo]

Allie wrote:

Phil,
In the late 80s I took L-tryptophan and along with 1500 other people came down with a terrible multi-systemic, auto-immune disease.[Quote]

I thought the FDA proved that the L-tryptophan had been contaminated.

[Quote]I'm just not willing to try much of anything anymore. I believe I had an allergic reaction to effexor from the start (8 years ago). I imagine it's going to take me a long time to heal, possibly because my immune-system was already compromised. I wish I could find a doctor in my area that doesn't just believe what the drug reps tell them. Right now I feel more comfortable trusting in myself.[Quote]

Absoutely! You're the one who's got to live in that body; it belongs to you! More people need to be proactive about any phyician's advice!

[Quote]What really gets me is that I wasn't suffering from depression when it was prescribed to me... I was fighting with my then-husband and the doctor said it would calm me down!!! It wasn't until a few years ago that a different doc told me I could never stop taking it. No one put together that I had symptoms of a severe allergic reaction to the drug! I know it's possible that I may never fully recover and I'll need to deal with that at some point, too.

The physicia who originally gave you the Effexor to "calm me down" ought to be shot. I'll volunter.

I hope you're off that crap now.

[Surrey JC]

This is now my second week coming off Effexor. The dizzy spells, body tingling have now stopped. I am still paranoid and flare up in to a rage at the drop of a hat. This is not a nice place to be. I was on Effexor for about five years taking 75mg, I came off very slowly but feel as if I am going mad.
Am I still suffering withdrawal from the drugs? The doctor has given me some Citalopham, should I start taking this.

[Joe]

Surry JC, go get the vallerian root, i just had a paranoid flare up today about an hour ago and I took the VR and I swear it took it away within 30 min. I just started to taper off 75 effexor after 2 years, on my 4th day. I'm grasping at straws here and they seem to be working! the fish oil, B12, amino 1000, and valerian root. I take the amino 1000(one) with my coffee in the morning alone with a multi vitamin. The first think I eat I take the fish oil (one 900mil) and one B12. around 10:30am I start feeling a little strange and I know its time to take the effexor 37.5 If something sets me off and I get anxed! I take one valerian root (500mil) and then i feel human again. I'll take more fish oil (2 more) throughout the day with food along with the amino 1000 (2 more). Before I go to bed I'll take another valerian root. Its been four days and I'm doing OK! I've got my kids home from school for summer break and It's VERY important to me that they are not affected by any of this and that I'm good old mom and acting normal. Good Luck!

[bob]

I, too, am coming off effexor. I tried once before, but could not do it. I am a college music teacher, and I need to "perform" in front of ore than 100 singers over the day. Finally, I decided to try a suggestion I found over another website similar to this. I took 2 or 3 "pills" out of the capsul the first day, 4 the next, 6 the next, etc. I am doing a lot better than when I tried to come off cold turkey or even every other day. I suffer a couple of brain shivers around evening time, I sometimes get anxious and scared, and I have aches and pains in places I didn't know I had. There are about 180 pills in each capsul, and I am down to 60 today. I can easily live with it. I highly recommend this plan ofcoming off effexor. I was definately afraid that I would be on this rotten stuff forever. Good luck

[Joe]

bob wrote:

I, too, am coming off effexor. I tried once before, but could not do it. I am a college music teacher, and I need to "perform" in front of ore than 100 singers over the day. Finally, I decided to try a suggestion I found over another website similar to this. I took 2 or 3 "pills" out of the capsul the first day, 4 the next, 6 the next, etc. I am doing a lot better than when I tried to come off cold turkey or even every other day. I suffer a couple of brain
shivers around evening time, I sometimes get anxious and scared, and I have aches and pains in places I didn't know I had. There are about 180 pills in each capsul, and I am down to 60 today. I can easily live with it. I highly recommend this plan ofcoming off effexor. I was definately afraid that I would be on this rotten stuff forever. Good luck

Bob, get the valerian root, IT works! I know the scared anxious feeling your talking about, have a couple throughtout the day and I take the VR and it goes away, look up the benefits of the VR and it says that it works well for mild anxiety attachs and panic attacks in the middle of the night. I also read that Italy and other european countries have prescribed it for years for problems as such. Luckly for us its over-the-counter and HERBAL and we don't need a prescription for it here. I plan to continue taking it along with sam-e. I'm goin shoppin tomorrow! I'm going to go all natural and deal with the issues as they come like in the old days. As longs as I not suisidal (never was) I'm going to manage my anxiety/depression on my own.

[Joe]

Ok today is day 6, I managed not to have to take 37.5 yesterday at all. Only had a few moments of dizzyness and nausia and only if I made rapid movements. Didn't have any really weird dreams and NO BRAIN ZAPS. However today is a different story. Its 10:30am and I'm shakey, dizzy, nausious and alittle on edge, and some minor buzzing in my head. Feeling like I have to stay near a restroom (if you know what it mean, and ready to let my cockatiel fly out the window because of his anoying screeching! its going right through me! Debating weather or not to take a pill. I opened up the 37.5's and left only 50 pellets in it. Boy this sure is a PAIN IN THE A$$! If I didn't have my kids home from school it would'nt be so bad, I just don't want them to see me feeling sick and haveing to stay in bed! I WANT THIS OVER ALREADY!

[Joe]

Well......I took the dam pill! I've got 4 loads of laundry to do, and the last thing I need to do is fall down the stairs! LOL

[Joe]

Today is day 7, second day of taking 50 pellets. Still continuing to take the amino 1000, fish oil and valerian root (VR if I start to get the scared/anxiety feeling). I slept till 11:00am! felt good had some somewhat normal dreams, none of them have been bad ones, just strange. However I dont think I fell alseep till after 11:30pm, stayed up to watch a movie with the kids. Still feeling dizzy, sweaty, kind of tingley in my arms.
Having very mild brain shivers/zaps only when I make rapid head or eye movements. My head feels heavy or swollen and a little head achey.

[JMB]

Its 8 hours since my last post. Was able to sleep today which made me feel alittle better. No anxiety/scared feelings today so I'll take the valerian root tonight when I go to bed. Still alittle dizzy, very mild brain zaping and moments of nausia but more tolerable than yesterday. I think I'm actually getting somewhere and hopefully by this time next week it will all be over with! I haven't had any angry moments, just the opposite, I'm laughing at silly stuff alot!and cracking jokes at my kids! I guess you can say that I'm FEELING things and having emotions again, good ones.