Posted by chinaroses on February 16, 2009, at 16:07:47
In reply to Re: 2-1/2 years later have permanent withdrawal sy » chinaroses, posted by garnet71 on February 16, 2009, at 13:57:32
garnet71, Your fascination with sleep matches my own... especially as I miss the lucid (and somewhat controllable) flying/power dreams I had up until the late 1990s early 2000s...! I don't know if Effexor contributed to their slow die-off, but I miss them.
My sleep apnea test was negative for both types. I sleep fairly well now (after years of misery including RLS), thanks to the alternative doc who put me on high doses of Magnesium Lactate. (I'm still a night owl, but now when I go to bed, I fall asleep within 20 minutes or so (no RSL) and usually wake only once or twice, briefly.) I HAVE put a lot of effort towards the holistic approach, as I became more and more leery of drugs...and because Western medicine continues to shrug, I haven't had many other choices offered to me. (I've paid for more dang physical therapy than I care to think about. And I have no respect whatsoever for the neurologist who was convinced it was a neck problem and was ready to shoot cortisone into my neck without doing any tests first--not even Xrays.)
I did get the hormones tested. I had low adrenal function (adrenal fatigue); we are addressing that with supplements and dietary/lifestyle changes--successfully, it appears, as I used to have debilitating fatigue. The fact that the symptoms are so constant leads me to consider that it is not related to diet/sleep/hormones, etc. You'd think I'd see more fluctuation if that was the case; rather, I think something fundamental has been altered. (Yes, someone did an MRI and EEG too. No tumors or other weirdnesses.) The alternative approach has found some solutions for me; but has been unable to help me with the continued post-Effexor symptoms.
Yeah, I have pretty much tried everything I could think of. (Including acupuncture and hypnotism). You should see my medical bills for the last few years...
Regarding your comments on lawsuits, have you seen the Effexor Petition on line? Nearly 20,000 signatures so far...The main point of this site's home page is to point out that we all understand prescription meds involve some risk of adverse results; however, neither the medical community nor the public realize the extent of the problem. The risks have not been adequately communicated. Certainly no information was given to me about withdrawal issues. I remember asking the psychiatrist at the time: "Is this safe?" "It's very safe" was the reply... and he probably did have 100% confidence in his answer.
poster:chinaroses
thread:880481
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20090213/msgs/880514.html