Posted by Cetacea on December 28, 2003, at 21:02:04
In reply to Quit cold-turkey. Should I start back?, posted by MSR on December 28, 2003, at 18:23:14
Hi,
Look back into the posts and see what they say about taking Prozac or some anxiety med as a sort of "buffer" getting off the Effexor. One person said that taking even OTC Benadryl will help (not sure how, but I did buy some in case I got desperate). My guess (and that's all it is) is that you will have some problems remaining in 6 days, although, bear in mind that *each of us is individual* and maybe you will not suffer as bad continuing symptoms. Not sure, here, what difference your "youth" may have for your getting over the Effexor maybe sooner than some of us "oldies". If possible, I'd try (if I were you) to get ahold of 2 10mg pills of Prozac and do what I did. It sure helped me (I had it "on hand"), probably because of its long "half-life" that others have talked about here. Please call your doctor and tell him/her that you want to get off Effexor and that people are telling you that you can do it most easily "under the cover of Prozac". Tell him/her that you took yourself off of it and are having bad somatic feelings, but that you *do not want to go thru the first 5 days of w/drawals all over again*. That's my best advice. It may be worth exactly what you're paying for it, so don't take my opinion as "gospel". Also, I recall reading that *exercise* helps withdrawals, and I made sure to walk about 30mins, 5-7 days/week, minimum (am still doing this). It really, REALLY helped *me*.
Take a look back in the archived posts, and I think you will find *the best* info for folks getting off of Effexor 'fast'. It's no 'shame', IMO, to get back on it if you have to, and I think getting off of it w/the help of your doctor is the safest, most sane way to get the stuff outta your system. As is too often the case, however, your dr may not even realize the terrible withdrawal symptoms that many/most of us have. So you may have to tell him/her what you're experiencing and what you've read here. On another "board" I saw a reference to a 1998 psychiatric journal, where it was said that Prozac is a good drug for helping patients get off of Effexor. Let me see if I can paste the info here:
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W.J. Giakas, J.M. Davis, Intractable withdrawal from venlafaxine treated with fluoxetine, Psychiatric Annals, February 1997, 27 (2), 85-86 and 92.Authors report three consecutive cases (26-35 year old women) where patients experienced severe withdrawal after discontinuing venlaxfaxine, following treatment ranging from a week or two to seven months: "Repeated attempts at gradually tapering the dosage were unsuccessful and led to intolerable withdrawal sensations." In these and other cases, authors noted appearance of withdrawal symptoms within a few hours of patient missing a dose. Although, symptoms they saw "are not identical to a fully-fledged psychedelic experience or a true migraine headache, similarity is evident..." In all cases, venlafaxine was eventually discontinued under cover of fluoxetine, which itself was later withdrawn uneventfully in one of the three cases.
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There it is. Hope this helps you, and I wish you the best in your plans! Hope you go on the cruise and have a GREAT TIME!~Cetacea~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~> I just found this website and I have found it very educational. I have only been on Effexor for about 6 months. I started the medication as I was going through a divorce and now feel like I do not want to be dependent on antidepressant medication. So, I stopped taking them "cold-turkey" 5 days ago and I have been having awful withdrawal symptoms. I have never slept so much in my life. I can sleep for 14 hours, wake up for 2, then take a nap for 3 more. I have also experienced the strange dreams, but mostly just complete lack of energy. While on the medication, I gained weight which made me feel more depressed. Now, with the irregular heartbeat and dizziness, I feel like I can hardly even walk up the stairs. I'm only 25 years old! I feel so weak and nausious (sp?). I am going on a cruise in 6 days and can't decide now if I should start taking the medicine again so I will feel better, or just stick it out a little longer. I've made it 5 days and certainly don't want to go through this again. But, I also don't want to be suffering these symptoms on my much-needed vacation. By the time I leave for my trip it will be 11 days. Do you think I will feel better by then? Thanks for any advice.
poster:Cetacea
thread:12459
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20031225/msgs/294178.html