Posted by Racer on September 30, 2006, at 12:54:49
In reply to Re: Sorry... » Racer, posted by SLS on September 29, 2006, at 17:24:57
> If you had to do it again, how would you discontinue Effexor?
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> - Scottlol Differently?
How I'd go about it now... First of all, I'd talk to my doctor at more length, and I'd schedule more visits to get through it. That's the first part. (I didn't have insurance when I did it last time, so only saw the doctor when I had to -- twice a year, or less.)
Ironically, I think I'd taper faster than I did, too. When I stopped it four years ago, I took 8 months to taper off 225mg. That probably wasn't necessary -- I can't tell you why I did it so slowly, though. Can't really remember.
I'd also add in low dose Prozac, at least towards the end. My former pdoc offered it, but I just wanted OFF the dang drugs at that point, so wasn't really interested in adding Prozac back in. (I had been on a combo of the two, and stopped the Prozac first, since that was easier.) I'd probably also do smaller steps -- using 37.5mg capsules, rather than dropping 75mg at a time.
For all that it didn't do for me, though, let me say again: Effexor was far better for me than the other drugs I'd been on at that time. It wasn't earth-shaking as an antidepressant, but it was far friendlier in terms of how it made me feel. There wasn't that horrible feeling of wading through gelatin that I had on Paxil, for instance, nor the jumpy sleeplessness on nortriptyline.
Anyway, that's my thinking on how I'd taper if I had to do it again...
poster:Racer
thread:689186
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060927/msgs/690556.html