Effexor- Withdrawal

I've heard it's HELL to get off of, and my doctor refuses to prescribe it for me even though a friend of mine is on it and I requested a prescription.

I think all ppl on Effexor should file a law suit against the drug company. My husband was on this and so was a freind of mine. The doctor told her it would cause short term memory loss. She noticed. I think btwn this med and the others it shot my husbands short term memory loss also. I would be careful with this med and get a hold of a lawyer because if I remember right there was a lawsuit out there on this med a few yrs ago. Remember doctors get insentives from drug companies so be aware of that also. They prescribe meds that arent exactly for what they should be priscribed for. Good Luck!

Dear Pam. You are not alone. There are thousands of us. I just tapered off Effexor last week. 150mg...75mg...37.5mg...then off. That process was gradual and took months. I did some research and months ago started taking barley tabs, Ultra-Omega 3, and vitamin E. I am sure it helped but after my last dose of Effexor I felt the body snaps/zaps. A lot of people experience brain shocks, but my experience was more all over my body. I ached all over and felt fluish. I was super tired and very emotional. I felt like if I started to cry I would not stop. I was so scared. I went online and Googled "Effexor withdrawals". There is a wealth of information out there. I was able to read other peoples experiences and suggestions. I suggest you do the same. It was extremely comforting and helpful. I went out and got a few natural products to help me through this process after my research. I got cherry tablets, niacin, vitamin D, Omega 3 6 9. Leafy green vegetables and carrots are also supposed be very helpful. Of course exercise would help get those natural endorphins released and going. I was careful and researched what others found helpful. For example one person added 5 HTP and after I looked into it I decided not to because of its side effects. 37.5mg is the lowest dose available for Effexor but I found quite a few people tapered off even slower by opening the capsules and reducing the grains. I read that the average 75mg capsule has 180 grains in it and one lady took 3 out per day. So the next day took out 6 grains, etc. Sounds like a slow process but if it helps why not. Another just reduced the grains in half. It seems like for most people it is just something you have to ride out. It will get better. I was frightened I would suffer like many others, for months. I can honestly say I feel very good right now and it has only been two weeks. I found an Effexor petition online at http://www.petitiononline.com/effexor/. I signed it as 18,100 a few days ago and there are 15 more names already. Go into the signatures and you can read comments from people like us. I do warn you though that some comments are brutal. It helps to know you are not alone though. Another site with people like us communicating is at http://www.doctorslounge.com/psychiatry/forums/backup/top... I personally, just wish I had been made aware of the possible withdrawal effects. I would have never taken it. One website with great information is http://www.join-the-fun.com/effexor-withdrawal.html. It is great you are asking for advice. I would also suggest letting the people around you know what is going on. I told my boss at work and he was so relieved that I did as he noticed changes in me and was very concerned. If there is anything I can do for you please contact me and I will try to help. I hope we can connect. My biggest strength has come from God who loves me and is helping me through this. I will pray that he holds you right now and guides you through this ordeal too. Take care Pam.

Check out Dr. Ray Strand's website. He has great advice and helped a good friend of mine elminiate prescription drugs for depression. she also worked with a doctor at Synapse Clinic in Eagan MN.

Hi, Pam. I was on Effexor for several years. I got off it before trying to become pregnant. I had the same symptoms you are experiencing. The worst for me was a disconnected, lightheaded feeling. Yuck!

I contacted my doctor about my symptoms. He told me that the symptoms I was experiencing meant I was tappering too fast for my body to handle. He upped the milligrams I was taking for an additional week and then brought them down again and it went much better.

How are you being tappered? What milligrams where you on? What are you down to now?

I was on 150, then 75, and when he went to 37.5 I had horrible symptoms. So I went back on 75 for another week. Then back to 37.5 for a couple of weeks, then 1 pill every other day, etc.

It it a long process. But I recommend doing it slow so that you don't have all those yucky effects you are describing. Once you are off it you will be happy you are, but don't rush it.

Good luck!

Hello Pam

I had the same thing happen to me when I tried to get off of Effexor. The thing that finally worked was switching to a drug called Cymbalta. I took it for a week, and than every other day, and than every 3 days etc... and it worked! I couldn't believe the side effects from effexor eithier!

Good Luck.
God Bless
J.

Pam
As drugs become trapped in the Liver the detox process takes longer to clean out the System. There are 3 products that we would have you consider. (1) OPC-3 is a all natural product that works great on Cleaning toxins out of the cells. It also works on MiGraines. (2) NutriClean a 7 day gentle Colon & Liver Cleansing and Detoxification system and (3) HeadRest that was developed for those that suffer from head discomfort like that of Migraines. Check out all these and many more at our Web Portal http://marketamerica.com/tkwentland and let us know how we can be of service to you.
Tom & Kathy

I have never heard of any good ways to get off of perscriptions, sorry. However, my husband has had fantastic results with homeopathic solutions for migraines!!! His last 2 migraines went away in 5 minutes :)

I just heard yesterday on the radio from Dr Dean Adell that people that suffer from migraines are usually undiagnosed for depression and other forms of mental illness( sorry I hate this word). I have not taken Effexor but do take Paxil and know the weening off period can be terrible. I wish you the best and talk with your Doc about these issues you are having.

Hi Pam-
I've not taking the drug, but have heard stories. They use drugs for the and then some effects and they don't always apply or consider the side effects assoc.
You might want to consider a cleansing program when you get through this = or to help you through this.
I'm a 47 yo med prof, but also a wellness coach ( and mom of nearly 7 yo twin girls )and am assoc. with some great nutritional products to help you with your goal and be healthy to start that family ( and by the way looking your finest too if that is important ) We also specialize in using nutrition for weight mgmt along with health benefits. As a med. prof- I was a huge skeptic (took my friends 2 years to convince me to even try stuff because I used stuff I had) and I'm restless leg syndrome symptom and migraine free- off all my meds!!!- and looking my finest too.
Anyway- I'm sorry to hear you are yet another bad outcome of drugs used for various things and experiencing the long list of side effects at the end of the commercial.
If you want to chat more, email me at ____@____.com and I can call you back. Hang in there as the drug will clear.
B. J

Pam--I wish I had some great advice for you, but the best I can say is contact your doctor or a psychiatrist to see if there's something to ease the withdrawal pangs. Good luck to you!
C.

I just wanted to congratulate you on your decision to get off all or most prescription meds! (All meds would be great...prescription or over the counter.) I really believe this is the healthiest way to go.

As with quitting just about anything, withdrawal symptoms are never fun. The best thing you can do for yourself is eat very healthy foods while this is happening. At least that way your body won't be lacking any nutrition it needs during this hard time. Don't put any extra stress on your body, food-wise. Did you know that eating certain foods will actually leach nutrients from your body? I believe white sugar and white flour are two of these substances. (I was looking for some evidence of this on www.mercola.com and didn't find exactly what I was looking for, but if you go to that site and do a search, you'll find that those two "foods" won't help you at all.)

I know a woman who had debilitating migraines most of her life. She then switched to a raw diet for about a month (per request of her sister who is a nutritionist) and her migraines totally disappeared! In fact, she has gone back to eating a regular diet and still doesn't get migraines. (At least, that's what I'm told.) I'd be happy to get you in touch with that sister, the nutritionist if you like. Just drop me a line.

Again, congrats on embarking on a new drug-free lifestyle! If you continue, I know you'll find that the benefits are endless. Here's one of my favorite websites that is very against the whole pharmaceutical industry: www.naturalnews.com. You'll find plenty of information there to inspire you to stay off drugs completely. All the best to you, and don't give up! :)

I'm hoping my experience is rare, but thought I'd share in case it helps you out.

I was prescribed Effexor a while ago to raise my blood pressure (because of a rare heart condition). It didn't have the desired effect, so my cardiologist said I could stop taking it. It took me a LONG time to get off of it. It is horrible stuff! The first time I tried to get off it "cold turkey," based on doctor's orders, and was in pretty bad shape by the second day. I had to stay on it another 6 months until my health was stable enough to try again.

To finally get off of it, I had to cut doses very slowly--waiting several weeks or a couple of months between dose changes. I would cut the morning dose, but leave the evening dose the same. Then a while later, I would cut the evening dose. By the end, I was taking 1/4 tablet of the lowest dose, and it was still very hard to eliminate completely. The "icky" feeling lasted probably at least a year (less regular as time went on) after I was off the drug. Something I also experienced, and have heard that others have too, was horrible mood swings and angry/miserable rages after getting off the drug. I knew in my head that these rages were irrational and not like me, but it was so hard to control the extreme emotions. Keep this in mind in your relationship--it gets better, but it can be awfully difficult for a while. I did a lot of uncharacteristic crying! Figuring out that it was the drug withdrawal causing the extremes helped my husband and I get through that very hard time. I felt like I had to "re-program" my brain to get back to my normal self.

The good news is that I have been off of it for over 2 years now, and have a fantastic, healthy 3-month-old baby girl! Now my (very normal) mood swings are just due to good old-fashioned sleep deprivation :) !

This is probably not exactly what you want to hear, but if you are getting the shocks (yes, I know exactly what you mean by that, even if your doctor doesn't seem to) then you are stepping down too rapidly. Please discuss this with your doctor because I'm NOT a medical professional. If your doc isn't receptive to working with you on a modified step down schedule (like one based on your comfort/discomfort) then ask to see the Nurse Practitioner if they have one, or try another doc.

You probably need to go a little slower, allowing your body to adjust a little longer. Contact your doctor and see what he/she recommends. Everyone is so different that the "usual" routine my not work best for you. Cut back just a little each to 2 weeks and see how it goes. Good luck!

Hi, first of all, are you lowering the mil. with your doctor? You HAVE to do it that way, little by little each month. Talk to your doc. about it first.

Good Luck.

I had to get off my medication when I found out I was SIXS months pregnant. They pulled me off and I had the WORSE days of my life!

I called BOTH my doctors and said I couldn't deal with life so they put me on another anti-depressant. I can't remember what it was. It helped a lot.

I was SO worried about my unborn child I was a basketcase since I had been on the medication during ALL of my previous "unknown" months. I was told over and over that because I was already on it it would be fine since my body was already use to having it in my system.

My OB finally convinced me with his weekly ultrasounds.

My son is now 13.5 months old and hasn't even had a cold or sniffle since he was born! He's 100% perfect!

You just need to slow down your withdrawl process. The slower the better I was told.

Hi Pam! I just started doing this about two weeks ago. I actually decided to stay on the effexor during any possible pregnancy, so I went back on.

With me they started had me go down by half every week. I felt really disconnected and awful the whole time. But by the time I hit 37.5 I was in bad shape. In talking to my psychiatrist there are a lot of ways to combat the withdrawal symptoms, but it is a long process. Just talk to your doctor, and come up with a plan for you. Everyone's body reacts very different.

Just know you're not alone, this is happening to a lot of people. You just have to go slow, and listen to your body. You will feel normal again, and the brain shocks will go away!

I took Celexa and went through hell even though it was a very small dose. I ended up weening myself off of it very, very slowly. I would take 3/4 a pill for 2-4 weeks. Then 1/2 for the same amount of time. That went much better then what the general medicine doctor recommended (going off of it with the same dosaging that I had begun it.)