Posted by PattyK on February 18, 2001, at 17:12:49
I am on day three of quitting cold turkey, after being on 150 mg of Effexor for 5 months. So far my withdrawl symptoms have not been too severe...although I definitely feel them. I feel that dizzy, disoriented feeling especially when I stand up and when I am walking. Today has been the worst day. I am much more sensitive and emotional than is usual for me. I am even a bit weepy, which is TOTALLY unlike me. I was baffled by that until I read on here that other people have experienced that coming off of effexor.
I haven't been impressed with Effexor. I gained weight while on it, which is unacceptable to me. I gained about 10 pounds, which may not seem like a lot, but I am an avid exerciser...I work out 3-5 times a week...religiosly, and I STILL gained 10 pounds. This is in addition to the 10 pounds I gained on Zoloft.
Plus, I felt that flat, unemotional feeling many people describe as being a side effect of some anti-depressants. I hate that. I don't like going through life feeling numb. Everything has it's price, I suppose...the numbness is a tradeoff for the depression. I refuse to take another Effexor. It's cold turkey for me....I'm stobborn like that. So far I'm managing the withdrawl ok. I'm very fortunate that I haven't experienced the horrible side effects that many people on this post describe. Could it be because I just started taking Wellbutrin the same day I quit Effexor? I don't know. Wellbutrin is my last try with AD'S. If this one doesn't work out...no more AD'S for me. I am not going to spend my life on this rollercoaster of trying every AD on the market.
Good luck to you all, and God bless you.
poster:PattyK
thread:54327
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010212/msgs/54327.html