Posted by Alara on September 6, 2002, at 8:29:12
In reply to Re: Weaning from Effexor - Nightmares, posted by DebraA. on September 5, 2002, at 9:16:56
> I haven't had any desire to drink in the last few days - I chalked it off to the bad withdrawal symptoms, but maybe you're on to something here. I am truly hoping that once I'm past this, I can return to enjoying wine socially, but not as something I feel compelled to have every night.
>
> Thanks so very much for your input!!
Debra, don't mention it. I realise now that I wrote that post as much for myself as for anyone else; it was exactly the kind of catharsis that I needed. Hopefully you won’t mind too much if I talk some more. All this is really helping to sort out the thoughts in my head.To be honest, I was already a binge drinker even before I started Effexor. I don't hold Effexor responsible for my alcoholic tendencies at all. Yet I do know that my drinking became much worse, progressing from a twice-weekly binge to a nightly occurrence after I started the drug.
This is my theory: If Venlafaxine (Effexor) has a shorter half-life than SSRIs, then you will probably hit a serotonin low later in the day. Alcohol provides a quick serotonin fix, although it depletes serotonin stores in the long run. I was on Effexor XR, which apparently has a more sustained release, but I noticed a definite drop in my mood around the late afternoon - right about the time that the nightly cravings started! In hindsight, I wonder if I should have taken my dose at night instead of during the morning.
I wonder if my moods have become more stable since coming off Effexor because I'm not suffering from that daily afternoon withdrawal low! Maybe this has something to do with my reduced craving for alcohol. I need to be really honest here and say that, at the moment, my alcohol cravings have returned to some extent, because I did feel like a drink tonight. Still, the craving was not strong enough to send me over to the bottle shop! I realise that I still need to work hard to stop myself from slipping.
You see, here's another thing: Before I came off Effexor, I wouldn't have had enough strength or determination to stay away from alcohol. On Effexor, I would have been at the bottle shop by 6pm tonight...
There's also a huge psychological factor in my sudden ability to abstain: Coming off Effexor was so **** awful that I kept thinking: "If I can come off this, I can come off alcohol!" (I have withdrawn from alcohol a few times before and, funnily enough, have never suffered from any withdrawal symptoms other than mild anxiety for a day or so.) Then again, the quantities that I was drinking each night were probably not so great.
I remember telling myself as I lay there withdrawing from Effexor: "I am myself again; I feel like myself. I'm going to wipe the whole slate clean and quit alcohol too." Ironically, going through the agony of Effexor withdrawal may have saved me from my own worst habit. :-)
Debra, my own honest feeling is that the Effexor played a huge part in my drinking but that I already had a predisposition to drink. I know that I still need to be very careful. Wednesday night’s slow glass of champagne was an encouraging sign but still…You may be very different. (I hope, for your sake, that you are!) If you like, I’ll keep you posted to let you know whether the cravings are still less frequent/intense over the next few weeks. Meanwhile, keep strengthening your resolve! And yes, “this agony will eventually cease”, as you rightly said. I’ll be thinking of you.
Alara
poster:Alara
thread:13781
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020906/msgs/119007.html