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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 4 of 4. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by sorrel on March 21, 2003, at 13:11:40
from personal experiance i found that with the doctors help by slowing tapering off the drug helped alot. but if one is still having problems with withdrawal i would try slowing changing the original day dose to a night dose...ex. if your taking it at 6:00am change that by an hour each time until your taking it just before bed. and THEN with the doctors help slowly start tpering off the drug.
I found that i mostly got the withdrawal during the day time when i forgot to take it for a day and that if i took it at night reguarly and forgot to take it I would be going to be to sleep it off anyway until the next dose. (PT. accidently missing a dose: my withdrawal would occur the morning after the day i remembered to take the next dose.) Mind you, I still got withdrawl while awake but it wasn;t as bad. and it usually started in the evening or was a quieter problem and this helped with my morning job so as my head and eyes wouldn't start spinning from any little movement. I just incorporated this with my doctor tapering it off and it helped alittle from the last time. Of course i don't think it will help everyone seeing as people have different reactions.
Posted by dongerue on March 21, 2003, at 14:10:28
In reply to getting off effexor tip, posted by sorrel on March 21, 2003, at 13:11:40
Im still trying to get off effexor. I stayed off for over a week after slowly tapering down to 37.5 mg xr capsules. I took those in late afternoon and it seemed to me that the withdrawal symptoms of dry mouth, dizziness, and pronounced stomach upset, occured more and more up to the evening meal. I don't know how long it takes for the dose to kick in a little but it seemed like only a couple of hours.
Yesterday I started back on the 37.7 again as the withdrawal symptoms just bother the hell out of me. I have another appointment with the doctor today. I am up to 200 mg a day welbutrin. Maybe if I stick to a low dosage of effexor xr for another couple of weeks and then start cutting out some of it, it won't be so bad.
I read on one list that some doctors are using a drug that is normally used to reduce side effects of cancer chemotherepy. I only found it in the one place. Do any of you have any information on that approach?Ill keep you posted.
Posted by sandale on March 21, 2003, at 22:05:25
In reply to getting off effexor tip, posted by sorrel on March 21, 2003, at 13:11:40
I am glad to know that coming off Effexor has side-effects for many people. I backed off slowly over four weeks, following my psychiatrist's orders. 6 days ago I took my last low dose and every day since then, I have had unusual dizziness, ringing in my ears, the whoosh in my head when I move my head, hot flashes, sweating, etc. I had to stop the effexor because my blood pressure had jumped from a normal 130/70 to 145/ 95 and sometimes even higher. The diastolic is still around 90. As I have tried a lot of antidepressants, all with unacceptable side effects, I have been working with a therapist to make some changes in my hormone therapy to fight depression from a different angle-- I have switched from Premarin to Triest cream and progesterone. She thinks my symptoms sound like major endocrine adjustments. Has anyone with problems coming off effexor been successful and if so how long did it take?
Posted by Sean9 on March 24, 2003, at 15:13:09
In reply to Re: getting off effexor tip, posted by sandale on March 21, 2003, at 22:05:25
I’ve done some research on the subject, and can offer opinion but not legal or medical advice on how to quit Effexor if you want to quit. Effexor is effective in treating depression, but it is very, very, very difficult to stop taking. I don’t think the makers of Effexor or the medical community have even begun to make this degree of risk of painful withdrawal apparent to the average consumer. So here’s how to quit:
First point: Don't quit cold turkey, make a tapering off plan with your doctor.
Second point: Take Benadryl to relieve your withdrawal / discontinuation symptoms. It apparently gets rid of most dizziness, nausea, brain flashes, and sensory overload feelings within an hour of taking it. I do not know if this is recommended by the medical community, rather I heard about this cure on a newsgroup. I've also read that other antihistamines (like Allegra), doctor prescribed anti-vertigo medication, and low dosages of doctor prescribed Prozac all help with withdrawal symptoms of Effexor.
Third: Effexor is really dangerous. In researching the Internet, a lot of people experience the exact same withdrawal or discontinuation symptoms and these are severe, but no one was fully informed in advance.
Fourth: There is something you can do. File a report with the FDA. They regulate Effexor (which is made by Wyeth Laboratories Inc. in Philadelphia.). Help the next generation of Effexor users to be better informed by doctors and the manufacturer. You can submit a complaint to the FDA online at https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/medwatch/
The more people that report this problem, the better response we will get. You can also call in your complaint to an FDA state office (here are each state’s telephone number)
http://www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/complain.html
You can also sign the petition: http://www.petitiononline.com/effexor/petition.html
Finally: Note - This is not medical or legal advice, it is only my opinion based on experience and research. I do not take Effexor, but I know someone who does
This is the end of the thread.
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