Posted by mobeelgbv on December 28, 2004, at 7:27:34
In reply to Re: Just started Effexor XR- having side effects » mobeelgbv, posted by anneL on December 27, 2004, at 22:33:06
Thanks for your post! I have a friend that took Effexor for quite awhile, and he had trouble coming off of it, too. They had to switch him to a different med to help him ease off the Effexor. I left a message for my dr. to call me yesterday, and have decided that since I'm on a lower dose, I'm not taking it today. I cannot live everyday like I felt yesterday. It's worse than the depression. I hope you have success tapering off. I wish the best to you.
> Hi,
>
> I have been on Effexor 225 mg. for almost 5 years.
> Hindsight is always 20/20 and if I had any idea how bad the "discontinuation syndrome" really is, I would never have started this med.
>
> I have attempted to taper off of Effexor so many times, I have lost count. The lowest dose I can tolerate without having "sleep paralysis", wierd, vivid dreams, worse depression than before I started medication, and suicidal ideation is
> 187.5 mg. Anytime I get to 150 mg. I start having horrible symptoms within 2 days and inevitably go back up on my dose so that I can function and make a living. If you want to take Effexor, you need to be able to accept the fact that you may not be able to discontinue the medication without a long and lengthy taper. Tapering may help avoid severe symptoms, but is no guarantee. I like many others pooh-poohed the experiences of others until I tried to taper off of it myself. Sincerely, AnneL
poster:mobeelgbv
thread:434621
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20041228/msgs/434923.html