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Schizophrenia Community
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 Topic  |
| Johanna
Starting Member
2 Posts |
 Posted - 03/14/2006 : 00:49:42
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Hi there
Ive just been reading through some of your messages about withdrawing from effexor. I've been taking it since November 2004. I started on 75mg and then went up to 150mg in March 2005. The drug helped me get on with my life (in combination with therapy) and I don't regret being on it.
However, I've decided that it's time to come off it as I feel like there's toomuch of it in my system. I started this about a month ago and went from 150mg to 112.5mg for three weeks, and then down to 75mg which I've been on for a week. Over the next 4 weeks I will try to reduce it to 37.5mg by going down in 2 half lots. I'm not sure how this will go but I can only try.
What I've noticed the most is feelings extremely tired, struggling to keep my eyes open during the day. I've also felt more vulnerable than I have for a while - it's like my band of cotton wool protection is coming off. But the best bit is that my sexual response has returned  so very happy about that!!!!
There's loads of stressful stuff happening around me but I've taken the selfish approach and am just doing things for myself right now because I really want to get off this stuff. My psychiatrist has said that getting off the smaller doses will be really difficult and that it may not work out so I am trying to prepare for that.
Is anyone in the last stages of withdrawing from the drug? I'm scared but trying not to get stressed about it. |
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| Johanna
Starting Member
2 Posts |
Posted - 03/14/2006 : 00:54:20
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Hi there
Am interested to hear from anyone who is in the final stages of withdrawal. I have come down from 150mg to 75mg in 4 weeks and will try to reduce to 37.5mg in 4 week;s time.
The symptoms I've experienced are extreme tiredness, difficulty sleeping, and extreme vulnerability (no more cotton wool around me). On a positive note my sexual function has almost returned to normal
Would love to hear from you! |
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| Stacy
Starting Member
1 Posts |
Posted - 03/16/2006 : 11:22:25
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I have been completely off effexor for about 1 month.
I no longer experience the dizziness, nightmares, brain zaps. However, I am still really tired all of the time. I sleep about 10-12 hours a night. I'm wondering how long this is going to last.
Other than the sleepiness the withdrawal has not been that bad. But I have been weaning myself from this drug for about 6 months.
From my experience, I would extremely recommend taking your time coming off of effexor. A couple of weeks is not enough time. I went from 150mg to 75mg to 37.5mg/per day then to 37.5mg every second day to nothing.
I was on Effexor for two years for mild anxiety. I never would have taken this medication if I was told more about this drug. I think my doctor was extremely negligent. I had no idea it was so addictive.
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| EffexorWithdrawls
Starting Member
2 Posts |
Posted - 03/21/2006 : 21:06:12
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quote:
Originally posted by Administrator
BIZARRE NEUROLOGICAL WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS
I think it is now time for the manufacturer of venlafaxine to apologize for not alerting the mental health community as to the existence of this severe withdrawal syndrome for venlafaxine.
I agree with this. I don't think my doctor has any idea of the withdrawal symptoms. I was on 150mg of Effexor XR for about 5 years. I am on my second day of being off of them completely, and I feel like I'm going to die... and I wish this was an exaggeration. I have never felt so horribly unhealthy in all my life. These are my symptoms:
-electric shock syndrome (brain going "on and off", "zaps" in my head). This is the most uncomfortable side effect for me.
-twitching
-nausea
-dizziness
-shakiness in hands
-headaches
-fatigue
-eye soreness (dry, scratchy, irritated, hurts to look at anything)
-crying spells
-strange dreams
-anxiety
-irritability
Tara |
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| kathrinka
Starting Member
1 Posts |
Posted - 04/06/2006 : 13:55:42
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before i started effexor, i had a passion for life and activities. lieing on the grass and playing with green insects used to amuse me. lately, past 2 years, i feel like a zombie and have turned into a hermit.
i've weened myself off 300mg by omitting 1 75 mg for over 2 weeks now. i do feel more alive. i want to slowly ween off it completely. just like you, i am not myself. i know exactly how you feel. if this med is supposed to help us, it's doing something entirely different. it's pacifying me and that is not who or what i want to be.
karen |
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| HDLadyRider06
Starting Member
9 Posts
Gratitude: 1
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Posted - 04/06/2006 : 21:15:15
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| I had no problems/symtoms coming off Effexor. I am Bi-Polar II with Borderline Personality Disorder. |
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| ryan
Starting Member
1 Posts |
Posted - 04/16/2006 : 21:39:50
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Hello. Thank you for this forum. I have been on effexor for 6 years and am coming off because it is not longer working. I was on 150 mg. My doctor took me to 75 for 4 days, 37.5 for 4 days then off. Today it the first day off. I am experiencing the brain zaps others have described My appetite is increased and I am very tired. does anyone know how long these symptoms will continue? Thanks
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| Severin
Starting Member
1 Posts |
Posted - 04/18/2006 : 22:23:07
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TextTextText
I started Effexor early 2003. Withdrawing now...feel like I don't need it anymore, and also having agitation episodes on it. Was taking 150 mg. approximately the entire time (except for a brief titration to 300 mg., but had severe agitation episodes, so was dropped back to 150.) I just halved to 75 mg. for approximately just over a week, and then just quit. I am so happy to see other members' posts, although I am quite saddened that they did/are suffering the same symptoms as I am...I even asked my cousin, who's a pharmacist about the symptoms and she had no idea. I definitely feel those Brain things you talk about, but I only feel them in my eyes, and feel it when I move my eyes side to side, not up and down...what happens is that I "hear" a zzt, zzt, zzt sound about three or four times after moving my eyes...almost sounds like the beating of bird wings or something..I even hear it if I close my eyes and move them.
For the first week, I had SEVERE musculo/skeletal pain - my hands, wrists, ankles, knees were ACHING - I now have the utmost respect for arthritics!...this feeling always came upon me early evening, accompanied by the most intense fatigue, that I had no choice but to lay down. Alleve helped the aches immensely. After a week, that feeling stopped. I've been off completely since 4/13/06 - it's the 19th today. I have headaches, still hear the zzt, zzt...weirdly emotional (actually cried tonight for a spell), but the emotional response is not really appropriate to the situation...I just feel much more emotional than normal...nauseas but more hungry than usual (go figure that out!) and the weirdest dreams this side of Freddy Kruger movies....and they're EPIC...they last forever, not just some nightly shorts...these go on and on, really unbelievably peculiar subject matter and LONG! I have always felt much crappier in the evening and night than during the day - and I've had a negative response to going to sleep...as if I just don't want to experience sleeping - headaches are stronger at night before bedtime. So there you have it - but the weirdest of all is that I'm not depressed!! I always had some slight dysthymic tape running in the back of my head even when I was feeling good on the Effexor, but I don't have that now. I think that just proves that I'm not needing the anti-depressant medication anymore - I'm a different person, and the viscissitudes of life have changed. I see my psych. this week, and will stay off meds for a while to see what goes on...he told me the symptoms would be "flu like"...well, it's obvious he's never taken, nor withdrawn from Effexor! (And trying to explain to my cousin that I could "hear my eyes moving" was quite a trip!) Good luck to all of you - and be/stay well!
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| Woodbury_MN
Starting Member
1 Posts |
Posted - 05/03/2006 : 12:42:55
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I have been on effexor for about 6 months. I have no idea how much I have been taking. ( My mom just puts all my pills out in the morning and I take them)Effexor was used to treat my anxiety. It worked fine for 5 months but then it started to make my heart rate increase to unsafe numbers. During this time I had been on the effexor I did not care about anything! I didnt realize at the time but I did whatever I wanted, when I wanted. Speeding tickets to shop lifting. I was a bad kid. They tried to wean me off gradualy but the withdrawal symptoms were absolutely ungodly. I would get like a shock every 2 minutes or so. Like my body was just hit with a huge laser or something. nausea and dizzyness, a horrible headache to boot. I dont know what they will do to me now. I am determined to get off of this **** though. It is ruining my life! Your not alone if you feel this kinda stuff guys. We will get through iT!!! |
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| GrippedbyEffexor
Starting Member
2 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2006 : 11:25:06
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I had been taking Effexor XR 150 mg per day for 3 years. I decided that I wanted to switch to Wellbutrin to help lose the weight that I had gained while on Effexor (35 pounds) as well as stop smoking.
I tapered down from 150 mg to 75 mg to 37.5 mg then stopped. This is day 7 since taking my last Effexor.
I have had terrible symptoms since about day 4 which have progressively gotten worse which include, brain zaps that became more of a sizzling feeling/sound and now more like a swishing sound/feeling, blurry vision, severe nausea, diarrhea, lethargy, fatigue, weakness, muscle twitching, bizarre thoughts, vivid and bizarre dreams, neck, back and shoulder pain and stiffness.
I found some information about a program called The Road Back (theroadback.com) which uses supplements to help lessen the symptoms. This is my second day on the program and I remain hopeful that it will work to get me through this.
Randi |
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| Popegina
Starting Member
2 Posts |
Posted - 05/11/2006 : 15:22:40
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| Hi! I'm in Toronto, Canada. After many years on various and increasingly ineffective antidepressants, I decided to 'go cold turkey' on Jan 6 in order to clean up my system before trying any more. I quit clonazepam, effexor and welbutrin. After 2 weeks of pure hell my doc suggested I go back on a small dosage of effexor to stop the trembling and muscle spasm. I haven't been able to get off it. Tried weaning off from 225 mg to 75 and had indescribable nightmares, belly pain, joint pain and stiffness, brain fuzz and profuse sweating. I'm afraid to even try to leave effexor behind! It is an evil drug. I've never had anywhere near this much trouble with medication or getting off it. |
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| GrippedbyEffexor
Starting Member
2 Posts |
Posted - 05/12/2006 : 06:27:24
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Hi Popegina,
I had been on 150 mg for 3 yeas and tapered down from 150 mg immediately to 75 mg for 1 week then 37.5 mg for 1 week then stopped, as per my MDs recommendation.
I have experienced the withdrawal symptoms except for vomiting. They seemed to come on me slowly at first; days 1 and 2 I was not able to work, days 3-6 I was feeling uncomfortable with the symptoms getting worse, especially the GI symptoms; pretty bad nausea. Days 7 and 8 I was right down in bed and thought I was never going to be well again.
The evening of day 9 I started to feel the fog lift, so much so that I was actually able to sit up and watch TV with my husband. I was still quite nauseous and so very weak feeling. When I took a shower it felt like I had just run a marathon.
Yesterday was day 10 and I felt almost back to normal. I had to move about very slowly and take a nap in the afternoon. I felt like I was starving but since one of the symptoms for me has been aversion to food, I found it difficult to eat. I had only been able to eat potato soup, so I just ate small amounts every few hours, just enough to stop the "hunger pangs."
Today I feel mostly like I did yesterday, physically; however, I am extremely irritable and anxious. I will be trying .5 mg of Xanax to see if that will take the edge off.
This is what I have done to treat the symptoms:
Pepto tablets for the nausea.
Benadryl for the zaps and swooshing (also helps with sleep).
Zantac 75 for the severe acid reflux.
Eating small bites every few hours.
Drinking water; this has been difficult but I have made myself. Funny, I am a water drinker but it has been hard to get even a small glass down.
Taking it easy (and I do mean easy; if i get up too fast, walk too fast, turn too fast the fog starts to return and I feel like I am going to fall on the floor).
Supplements I am taking:
Fish oil (omega-3).
Vitamin E.
CLA.
Cherry extract.
Kyo-greens (barley).
This is what seems to be working for me. Remember, everyone is different and will respond to different things.
Hang in there, it will get better.
Also, I have found a wealth of information, advice and encouragement from this message board: http://www.websitetoolbox.com/tool/mb/focussober
Randi
Randi |
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| Phobic
Starting Member
1 Posts |
Posted - 05/12/2006 : 11:02:32
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Hello All,
My story: I have Panic Disorder and Phobia to vomiting which can exasperates my Panic Disorder. I suffered for many years before knowing what my disorder was. I did the therapy route before I finally went on Meds...Let me say to everyone, if you were put on any of these medications without trying therapy first or as part of the treatment, then your Doctor was completely negligent!!! After therapy helped me get much control over my disorder and I learned many coping mechanisms; I still was not happy with how much the disorder still affected my quality of life. I then agreed to go on medication (Zoloft), it was a miracle and I was very content on it. My side affects were minimal and only lasted a few weeks. The only side affect that seemed to hang on was decreased sexual desire. But it could’ve also been connected to my Birth Control Pills. I did try to go off Zoloft after 3 years, but only last 3 months as the Disorder was still there and came back full force, even though I was better equipped to deal with it, It reduced my quality of life. I did try holistic therapy (St John’s Wart), but that actually did nothing to help and it made me nauseas and I did research and played with dosage and taking with meals….etc. I went back on Zoloft and again, it was wondrous and side affects again were minimal and even shorter lived this time. BTW: weaning off Zoloft only had minor side affects…a little tired, a little queasy, but it lasted about 4 days and I was fine. After a year and being with my fiancé for a year at that point, the lesser sexual desire was an issue now, so I decided to go back to my doctor and discuss options of other meds to change to. After we discussed what my concern was and knowing me since I was 10, he decided that a SNRI was a better match. He wanted to go with Wellabutrin, but I insisted on Effexor. He did explain that it wasn’t as likely to change my complaint, but was willing to work with me. I had chosen the Effexor over Wellabutrin only because my Mother had the severe Allergic reaction of body hives when she went on it to quite smoking. I have a tendency to react to meds like my Mom I wanted to err on the side of caution. Well 2 years later, I wanted to switch off the Effexor, as I had the fun withdrawal every time I skipped just one dose, It also didn’t change my sexual desire and I gained about 30 pounds. So I went to the doctor and I explained the withdrawal….I suffer from bad Vertigo, which is the brain buzz everyone talks about. It would make me queasy and sometimes brought on a panic attack…(fear of throwing up is the only thing that can trigger a panic attach anymore) so this was not the drug for me. I also want to quite smoking, so Wellabutrin seemed to be a better match for all my complaints. Knowing, though that going off it would not be fun and with my Phobia of vomiting, I was very scared to change. BTW, my Phobia is diagnosed and I started to seek treatment for it, but I didn’t like the doctor so I stopped and the nature of phobia’s makes it so hard for me to go back for it. I was on 150 Eff XR daily. I went to 75 daily for 1 week (no problems), then went to half that with ½ of my dose of Wellabutrin for 1 week, again no problems. On Sunday I took my last combo dose. Monday I started my full dose of Wellabutrin and no Effexor. The Vertigo started very mild Wednesday afternoon. Then yesterday it was worse, but still didn’t keep from going about my day. Later that evening it continued to get a little worse and then the crying for no reason hit once (I am also due to get my period, so that hormone thing doesn’t help matters). Today I called out of work and can only move and walk very slowly and even then it is still coming in waves. I am continuing to take my Wellabutrin, but of course I am so upset about feeling this way, even with another medication in me and I am terrified about throwing up…even though I have only been mildly quesy and my aversion to food, is mainly fear!!! I am mainly looking for reassurance that this will start to get better very soon and won’t escalate any further. I don’t have the nightmares and the trouble sleeping is simply due to the panicky feeling I have with this withdrawl. I am more tired, but stress does that to you. I know I am lucky in that the Vertigo seems to be the only thing with me for withdrawl, but with my Phobia and reading all the stories….I am not feeling more reassured. If there is anyone out there that can give some hope of relief and has experience with the Effexor Wellabutrin change….I would be forever gratefull. Sorry for the length, but I guess I just needed to vent.
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| rn5878
Starting Member
1 Posts |
Posted - 07/04/2006 : 03:38:46
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Effexor is a nutty drug. I've tried to get off of it a couple of times without success. As of late, I have managed to wean myself from 225 mg to 75 mg. In the past my experience with the withdrawal of this drug has been a feeling of electrical shocks zapping through my brain, dizziness, inability to concentrate, short term memory loss, and constant headaches. One time, when I wasn't even trying to get off of it, I accidentally ran out and didn't get to the pharmacy before they closed. I was like some heroin junkie looking for my fix, freaking out and trying to have my doctor paged to call me in one dose to a 24 hour pharmacy. Well, the doctor never returned the pages, so by the next day I was a basket case...I made it to the pharmacy with my head zapping all over the place and bawling my eyes out. I took my Effexor and within a few hours I was totally fine, no more zaps and no more tears. I am a registered nurse, and every time I admit a patient I know is on Effexor I always have to nag the doctors to death to order the evil drug for my patients so that they don't go through this wicked withdrawal that most doctors are unaware of. As for me, I hope that I can finally get off of this junk once and for all. I'm always open for suggestions.  |
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| pax
Starting Member
3 Posts |
Posted - 07/09/2006 : 19:49:35
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quote:
Originally posted by Jacqs81
I've been on effexor since October 2004 and my highest dose was 225mg which started in January 2005.
Since taking the drug, I have found NO improvement, if anything, I feel worse. I've had several suicide attempts on the drug, something I never had before starting.
After the most recent suicide attempt (almost two weeks ago), my parents and I (mostly my parents) decided that I should try and get off this drug.
So I went to see some psychiatrists and they were all so excited to get me on some "new" drugs that people were having really great responses to! Yeah right...
Anyway, I discussed the issue with my therapist, who I actully respect, trust and generally adore, and she said I had to get off effexor.
Of course my mom and I asked if I could get off anti-depressants altogether, but she said it would be too dangerous. Although the effexor isn't doing it's job, it's a serious medication and she's afraid even more side effects might come out if I'm "clean".
So I started to "detox".
Today is day 7. I started weening myself down from 225 to 175mg. Now I'm at 135 or something. I don't even know.
My brain seems to have stopped fully functioning.
My dreams are intense and scary. I sometimes found this with effexor, but now everytime I close my eyes I have horrible visions that I can't seem to shake for hours.
The nausea is overwhelming. I can't stop throwing up and having diarrhea. Those withdrawal symptoms just started yesterday actually. I thought I had gotten lucky and managed to avoid that part of withdrawal, but apparently not.
I'm weak, I'm sweaty, I'm dizzy, every single part of my body aches and all I want to do is cry. Or die.
This is the first anti-depressant I went on, and they put me on it for my anxiety and panic attacks. It actually helped those (or was it the ativin/lorazepam they gave me??) but completely changed my entire personality and way of thinking.
Next, they're saying Paxi. Or Zoloft. Apparently there's hundreds that I can try! Oh goody!!! The horrible psychiatrists (no offense, but I hate psychiatrists. They're so impersonal. i tried to kill myself with 45 advil's and they talk to me like i'm describing a flu or something to them. "ooh what about celexa?" one shouts. "no no!! i've got it!! REMERON!" the other psychiatrists nod in respect and i feel like jumping over the table and strangling them all) thought I should be thrilled that I can try 200 drugs before finding the right one.
Anyway, I'm sure Effexor must work for some people otherwise I'm pretty damn scared as to why they're giving it to so many people.
But for all of you who are on this and are considering going off it. The fact that you're considering it probably means you should. That's likely the only semi-clear thought you've had since being on it...
And be prepared for the withdrawal. It's horrible. But just remember, IT'S NOT YOU!!!
This is not who you are. Your brain really doesn't function this way! I've also been sleeping A LOT with this withdrawal and I can't tell you how great that is.
The dreams, yes they're horrible. But sleeping away 15 hours of my day is saving me from noticing the rest of the symptoms. And within a few hours of waking up, I've pretty much forgotten the dreams.
Plus, it's almost kind of neat that my brain is so powerful. Who knew that kind of stuff was floating around in my head?!?!?!
(sorry, trying to stay as positive as possible)
Thanks for letting me vent on here. No one seems to understand and my boyfriend thought bringing me home a giant bottle of booze would cheer me up. (I'm also an alcoholic)
Sigh...
Good luck everyone!
Love Jacqueline
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Is There A Severe Effexor Withdrawal Syndrome?
