Posted by NCFelines on April 10, 2003, at 11:11:24
I have been reading this board for a long time, but have not posted before today. I just wanted to first say thanks for all the wonderful information that for some reason is hard to find in the doctor's office. I just tapered myself off Effexor and am on the third day with none. Yesterday I was feeling so dizzy and "bug-eyed" for lack of a better description, and just weak in general that I decided to go to my doctor. My normal blood pressure of 110/80 was 150/99! My doctor very casually stated that this is "classic Effexor withdrawal," and advised me to go back on Effexor at a very low dose for a couple more weeks, or just push through it. I decided to push through. This BP makes me feel very strange, but I am trusting that it will pass. I really wish I had never even started taking this drug. Only after reading forums such as yours, did I realize that this drug was very likely the cause of teeth grinding (had been attributed to stress) that costs me thousands of dollars in root canals and crowns; insomnia that caused me to get up several times every night, leaving me constantly tired; fatigue that caused me to abandon even the most basic of exercise; constant carb. cravings; weight gain; menstrual-like pains; and worst of all symptoms that had my doctor convinced that I had IBS. I stopped Effexor thanks to boards like this. My BP is through the roof, I am dizzy and short of breath, and can feel that same old anxiety coming back for me to deal with, but am glad to be on my way away from this drug. I am going to deal with the anxiety on my own. Yoga, breathing, whatever it takes. I have some weak little clonapin as a back up if it gets too bad. But you know what? I KNOW the anxiety. It is something that I know and can deal with. It is much better than all the unknowns of these anti-depressant drugs, and all the horrid side effects. Already I am sleeping like a baby, am losing weight, and am no longer experiencing the IBS symptoms. I was very close to being on Effexor, constant dose oral contraceptive, AND IBS medication when I decided to jump off the merry-go-round. I am learning more and more that we need to come to each other for knowledge and that doctors (who may or may not be doing their best) have no idea what these drugs do to our bodies. Sorry to ramble. Just wanted to share, and to say THANK YOU!
poster:NCFelines
thread:218164
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030407/msgs/218164.html