Posted by Cetacea on December 17, 2003, at 19:22:55
In reply to ya effexor withdrawl account, posted by dMacy on December 17, 2003, at 18:26:35
Hello,
It's quite a bad trip getting off of EffexorXR. I'm not sure that I've actually 'gotten there', but I'm about 3 weeks away from my last dose, after having many (and changing) side effects from the medicine. Previously I'd taken Prozac for a while, so after reading that taking *even one prozac pill* (no dose specified at that time) could help when w/drawal got bad from quitting EffexorXL (75mgs for me), I got my mind ready for using one of the many prozac pills I had left. Not sure now (not running a scientific study on myself), but I think it was about day #5 when I thought I was going to have endless intestinal cramps from the withdrawals. Seems like around day #4 the "mind zaps" got *better* (not all gone even now), only to have terrible intestinal cramping occur. As others have noted, the *only* good withdrawal :))) has been that I've been sleeping really well, all things considered. I've decided that when my sleep-pattern deteriorates to what it was before I got on Effexor XL, I will know that I'm *normal* again. ;) [I'll know also, when my strange, vivid dreams cease.] 'Word-retrieval' is getting better, and it was one of the more obnoxious side-effects for me taking Effexor. Back to w/drawals: I took one 10mg Prozac on (I think it was) the 5th night of cold turkey, and then I took 1/2 (5mgs) of prozac for the next 2 nights. I haven't had any prozac since. I do have some lorazepam .5mgs for bad GERD pains, but I don't think I've taken any of that. But I would have, if I'd had trouble sleeping during those awful intestinal cramps, and some here say that that ("ativan") also helps w/the withdrawals. It really would be nice if I never had to take another "pill". Because I also have a form of arthritis, I've had drs pushing pills at me for some time. My mother (85yo)has the same arthritis (but worse), and she has taken very few meds across time. It's really a delicate balance and an individual choice (IMO) about what/how much medicine to take for the agonies of life. It always seems to me to be most respectful of the patient for the shrink or other doc to *let us* decide as much as possible what and how much medicine we can take/tolerate, and how much is *helpful*. It is downright *sinful* (IMO) for the pharmaceutical cos to 'pull a fast one' on us (both patients and docs) about the hazards of the meds they're hawking. There are (IMO) many conditions that can be helped thru diet and supplements (yes, I know this is slightly into another forum), but there is very little financial gain for all commercial interests involved (including docs), so the pharmaceutical products are sort of "pushed" at both us and our docs. It's sort of a cultural thing, IMO. But I digress, just as you did!
This experience w/Effexor XL (75mgs) has really been a learning experience for me. I've heard of many horror stories from folks who either had horrible w/drawals getting off of it, or *who could NOT get off of it*. I did not like the *dumbing down* it did, the weight gain it was not supposed to do (but did on me), the increase in hot flashes (terrible sweats at night) it gave me (I'm 55yo), the increased appetite (for *anything edible*).
May I add that I support *whatever you do*, that keeps you on a fairly even keel, esp at this time of year, when everybody's supposed to be so *holiday cheerful*. The stress of the Christmas season (never meant to be that way!) is really tough. I've never been aware of having any Seasonal Affective Disorder, but the "family alcohism" that my sibs and I endured, seems to have imprinted us for life, maybe even worse than SAD.
Hope something I've said is helpful to you. I find myself turning in a sour direction at this point, so it's best I stop my message. I sure appreciate the info and support I've gotten here, esp about Effexor, but also about mind-meds in general. This group I find to be well-informed and articulate and generous with their postings.
Many thanks!
Hi All, I'm glad I'm not alone in this!
>
> I used to be on Celexa for about a 18months and, like a cliche, decided eveything was rosy and I didn't need to support the pharmas any more. Yep the shrink warned me that this was a typical pattern and he thought it to be a bad idea to quit, but I did anyway, cold turkey... the withdrawl symptoms SUCKED. If you're going through Effexor withdrawal, I'll just say the symptoms are very similar.
>
> 6 months later after I had crashed into the deep again, I started Effexor and have been on it for only 8 months. It hasn't help much with the depression expect for a general numbing affect. The lack of improvement and the concern over the lack of studies about adverse long-term effects prompted me to drop this beast. Remebering the awful month-long withdrawl episode from Celexa, I started to taper my doseage.
> Originaly 75mg/day XR version.
> 4 weeks at 37.5, no problems noticed.
> 3 weeks at ~18mg (half the 37.5), still no problems.
> I figured that this was so far below what the doctors or pharmas consider to be significant that I'd just stop.... he,he, jokes on me!
> I tolerated the past 2 days off of the stuff, with all of the general problems described by everyone else here. It is awful!
> I'm an engineer and basically can't do my job, have embarassed myself at work due to the confusion and memory problems, and am too dizzy to safely drive.
> So I return to the beast tonight... and start taking a 1/8th dose.
>
> The thing that really makes me angry about this (besides falling for the pharmas' promises again) is that the drug companies can get away with this. There should have been studies about potential withdrawl problems, there should have been an appropriate process for ramping-down off this stuff, there should have been warnings given before being handed a prescription. Yeah,yeah buyer beware, but there are no resources for reliable information and when selling drugs to people who are desperate for help.... aggh, enough, if you're here reading this, you probably know all this...
>
> I'll get off this drug sooner or later, and, partly because it's the last ssri I had left to try and partly because I no longer trust the drug companies, I hope to make it the last AD for me. (... oh yeah? heh,heh, you'll be back, when you've hit bottom again and finally crawl out of bed, you'll be back, begging for a little hope... heh,heh, and we'll be waiting... )
>
> Yeeeeaaaahhhhhhhhh!!!!
poster:Cetacea
thread:12459
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20031213/msgs/291087.html