Posted by allycat on June 12, 2004, at 18:17:42
In reply to Advice for the weary?, posted by Scared Stiff on November 20, 2003, at 22:09:42
I have been gradually reducing my dose of effexor now for just over a month.When i started i was on 225mgs per day..i am now down to 37.5mg & believe me, it's been hard & hellish..I had been on this high dose of the drug for about 2 years & it seemed like it had just stopped being effective for me..I suffer from chronic depression & have been on a number of different AD's since i was 18 (i'm now 30) The same thing happens every few years..i find an AD that works for me, i'm great for a while, then it seems to stop working..Tho i have to say, that i have never experienced withdrawal symptoms like the ones i have from effexor...thank god most of the worst physical withdrawal symptoms seem to have passed (head & body "shocks",heart palpitations,restless legs,sweats,dizziness,nausea &feeling like the ground is moving when i walk)...i still have the worst headaches& blurry vision, but these are tolerable with the aid of good painkillers& a cold eye mask..Has anyone else had barely controllable carbohydrate cravings during their withdrawal? I will be off effexor completely in 2 days time..My doctor had planned for me to start taking another AD called Lustral, but i refuse after going thru this! Instead i have done some research & found a natural amino acid supplement called 5-HTP..it works in a similar way to AD's in that it helps the brain to produce seretonin(the feel good hormone) U can buy it at the health food store, so i got myself some capsules & plan to start taking them as soon as i can..it's got to be worth a try & there are no withdrawal symptoms! (or so they say!) All this does make u sceptical tho! If they work i will let u know in due course..Meanwhile, i wish everyone going through this same thing all the best..Make sure u have the support of a good friend, ur family & make ur GP aware of any symptoms u are suffering..I have also found this site to be of great support, keep posting everyone!
poster:allycat
thread:12459
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040608/msgs/356136.html