Posted by rosalinda on June 10, 2001, at 21:40:39
In reply to Re: EFFEXOR-XR NEED WARNING FOR WITHDRAWLS, posted by Sulpicia on June 4, 2001, at 19:09:50
> > "Every kid knows now about
> heroin, but not telling people about this kind of stuff is fo unfair."
> NP: if your analogy were correct, nobody would want to get OFF the med. It's not addiction
> as clinically defined but it sure can be a nasty time for some. I guess this is what the
> product inserts call discontinuation syndrome.I don't know about clinical definitions of addiction, but in colloquial usage, if you're taking a substance and cessation of consumption of that substance makes you feel violently ill, you are suffering from an addiction.
I would like to respectfully disagree with something that someone said elsewhere in this thread, too. It's true that boards like this are not "scientific"--there is indeed likely to be a higher percentage of people posting when they are in distress than when they're satisfied with their medications. HOWEVER, surely the high number of complaints about the severity of Effexor withdrawal merits serious consideration. Perhaps these boards can be useful not only in providing support for patients, but also in helping researchers identify patterns that merit further study. I do hope that all of the angst generated by Effexor withdrawal at least inspires somebody to do the research that will determine what percentage of users suffer this withdrawal syndrome, how it can be mitigated, and whether or not it warrants FDA intervention.
Admittedly, I am biased, because I have suffered excruciating withdrawal symptoms even after reducing the dosage very gradually. At the very least, I think that patients should be warned about the potential of withdrawal difficulties when they start taking the drug so that they can weigh the potential benefits against the risks.
poster:rosalinda
thread:65325
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010605/msgs/66088.html