Posted by ChrisK on August 2, 2001, at 5:23:39
In reply to Could Effexor XR be used to end one's life?, posted by Nephi on August 2, 2001, at 4:13:52
> Could an excessive amount (up to 300 - 150 mg capsules) of Effexor XR be used to end one's life?
>
> It is my understanding that SSRIs are not too effective for such things.
>Don't bother trying. From my own experience you will be asleep and sick to your stomach before you could possibly take enough to do yourself in. Then you will end up in the hospital for a few days before being released to the psych ward. Anyway here's the information from their own literature on overdosing. It looks like one person took about 50 - 150mg tablets and had no success.
"OVERDOSAGE
Human Experience
Immediate Release Tablets: There were 14 reports of acute overdose with venlafaxine hydrochloride, either alone or in combination with other drugs and/or alcohol, among the patients included in the premarketing evaluation. The majority of the reports involved ingestions in which the total dose of venlafaxine HCl taken was estimated to be no more than several-fold higher than the usual therapeutic dose. The 3 patients who took the highest doses were estimated to have ingested approximately 6.75 g, 2.75 g and 2.5 g. The resultant peak plasma levels of venlafaxine for the latter 2 patients were 6.24 and 2.35 mcg/ml, respectively, and the peak plasma levels of O-desmethylvenlafaxine were 3.37 and 1.30 mcg/ml, respectively. Plasma venlafaxine levels were not obtained for the patient who ingested 6.75 g of venlafaxine. All 14 patients recovered without sequelae. Most patients reported no symptoms. Among the remaining patients, somnolence was the most commonly reported symptom. The patient who ingested 2.75 g of venlafaxine was observed to have 2 generalized convulsions and a prolongation of QTc to 500 msec, compared with 405 msec at baseline. Mild sinus tachycardia was reported in 2 of the other patients.
In postmarketing experience, there have been reports of fatalities in patients taking overdoses of venlafaxine, predominantly in combination with alcohol and/or other drugs.
Extended Release Tablets: Among the patients included in the premarketing evaluation of venlafaxine HCl (extended release), there were 2 reports of acute overdosage with venlafaxine HCl (extended release), either alone or in combination with other drugs. One patient took a combination of 6 g of venlafaxine HCl (extended release) and 2.5 mg of lorazepam. This patient was hospitalized, treated symptomatically, and recovered without any untoward effects. The other patient took 2.85 g of venlafaxine HCl (extended release). This patient reported paresthesia of all four limbs but recovered without sequelae."
poster:ChrisK
thread:73046
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010731/msgs/73052.html