Posted by JL on January 28, 2001, at 1:05:26
In reply to Cold Turkey Attempt....FAILED!, posted by Kara on January 27, 2001, at 14:46:43
I just spoke with someone else, tonight, who has only been on Effexor for five months (I don't remember the dosage) and that individual also has the same problems when even a dose is missed.
While I've never been on Effexor SR - just good ole fashioned addicting Effexor for me, I was able to reduce, over a period of many months, from a high of 375 mg/day to 37.5 mg/day before I finally thought I could "JUST SAY NO TO EFFEXOR" (yes, it IS addicting, regardless of what the quacks will have us believe). I've been cold turkey since last Tuesday (I stopped Monday but the withdrawals were so bad I took a small amount on Tuesday) - STILL having EXTREME dizziness, especially when I move, turn my head, or do any type of physical work. I also feel rather disoriented and "spacey." Am having some nausea (which is a bit more tolerable than the dizziness).
While it's still Hell now, it was MUCH worse when I was on a higher dose and landed in ER. Here's what I did to get down to 37.5 mg/day (I would have completely wigged out going cold turkey on 150 mg/day). I would take start taking my dose (let's say 150 mg/day), only once per day (yes, even that would cause problems) but, after about two or three weeks, they would be tolerable. At that point, I would then start taking 1/2 dose (75 mg) in the morning and then the same at night. I would do that for a couple of weeks and then stop taking the morning dose. Naturally, the withdrawal symptoms from this ADDICTING drug would start but, after a few weeks the withdrawal symptoms would be relatively low enough that I would then start the whole process over again (37.5 mg in the A.M., then 37.5 before going to bed) after several weeks of that, I'd again cut out the morning dose. Well, I finally got down to 37.5 mg only once per day and have been trying to go cold turkey every since. The withdrawals are simply horrible but, in comparison to when I landed in ER, I am semi-functional as long as I don't move around too much. I've now been off since Tuesday and am having some of the worse withdrawals I've had in a long time. Even so, I am NOT going to take ANY more of this addicting drug. Considering I've been on this stuff for the past 3 1/2 years, this is the longest, by far, that I've ever gone without taking it. I KNOW I can make it at this point, it's just a matter of how long my body is going to be messed up while going through withdrawals. (FYI, I'm on disability for work related Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, so I don't have to deal with working while going through this - there is NO WAY that I could do that!) My biggest worry is driving - while I'm avoiding it at all costs, there are some times where I HAVE to go out. How long does one have to suffer through these withdrawals?!?!?
Anyway, there is no way I could get off the damn drug, cold turkey, at 150 mg/day. You might try cutting back, the way I did (my doc thought it was a good approach), down to a level that is "tolerable" (as far as I'm concerned, NO level of this is "tolerable") - that is, down to the point where you're not going completely nuts, and then go "cold turkey."
poster:JL
thread:13781
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010122/msgs/52727.html