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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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Posted by Raggy on March 4, 2004, at 12:55:30
In reply to Re: How long does withdrawal from Effexor last? » fastblackZZR, posted by slinky on March 4, 2004, at 12:44:58
> Thanks for reply fastblack..
> I was going to phone for a nurse tomorrow..
> I just phoned someone who has a mental health problem but even she doesn't believe it's the med-...so the nurse will think I've gone mad.This is the third and hopefully last withdrawal I'll have to go through...I used to take 225mg.
> Anyway I feel a little better after the prozac
> I'll take the risk of serotonin syndrome-can't be any worse...Oh except for the risk of death:)even with that risk I don't care at the moment.Slinky, I have you in my thoughts and prayers, you can do this. Just take one day at a time and think positive thoughts, eat right and get some excercise.
Posted by Lizzy7711 on March 4, 2004, at 18:50:41
In reply to Re: How long does withdrawal from Effexor last?, posted by caritasrainbow on March 3, 2004, at 17:20:20
Rain and others going off effexor--I will definitely pray for you, I hope you don't mind or it won't be offensive to anyone if I just write a short prayer here...
Lord, I pray for rain and slinky and others who are trying to get off of this medication and I ask you to ease the pain, anxiety, nightmares, "zaps", dizziness etc. so that they can care for their families, go to work, and function. Encourage them not to lose heart, and to hang in there because of course it will end and they just have to hold on to that truth. I pray in your Name..amen.I haven't been through it so I can't offer any other advice, but it seems like real people to support you is vital from what other's have said--if there is no one...just call a hotline or a social service agency and beg for help, it's better than just trying to go it alone.
good luck to you..
Liz
Posted by Lizzy7711 on March 4, 2004, at 18:55:55
In reply to Re: How long does withdrawal from Effexor last?, posted by fastblackZZR on March 4, 2004, at 11:24:43
I've only been on effexor for about 2 months, and so far I really like it, so much less irritability and anxiety. I'm on 150. I've been going back and forth after reading all the posts from those with terrible withdrawal to those who love the drug and are doing fine, that those having problems with it are the ones who come here so it's a one-sided experience etc. Some days I think I better go off to avoid long-term effects from w/d. But then I think maybe I could just be on it forever since I feel so much better.
I guess my question for you who have gone off it, is: why did you go off it? was it the sex. side effects, weight gain, or just that it didn't help the problems you hoped it would?
thanks,
Liz
Posted by baddog55 on March 4, 2004, at 19:04:58
In reply to Re: How long does withdrawal from Effexor last?, posted by Lizzy7711 on March 4, 2004, at 18:55:55
Lizzy,
first of all, thanks for the prayer.
As for myself, I went off effexor because I was starting to have pronounced memory loss. It was getting so bad, that my adult kids accused me of being stoned! lol I even forgot that they were inducing my daughter-in-law on a certain date, and when she wasn't home, I didn't remember why. I knew then something was wrong, and it was then that I searched the web for message boards about effexor. Memory loss was one of the side effects I learned, and so I knew it was time to get off. Then the withdrawls began, and this message board has been a God send, just to know that I'm not going crazy! Like so many of you out there, my Dr. thinks this withdrawl thing is balony. She even said, "Maybe you're getting a cold"! that's when I knew she would be no help with this. Let me take this time to thank ALL of you for the support and tell those of you still struggling that there is hope! I am finally off! and feel good for a change. I couldn't have done it without you all!> I've only been on effexor for about 2 months, and so far I really like it, so much less irritability and anxiety. I'm on 150. I've been going back and forth after reading all the posts from those with terrible withdrawal to those who love the drug and are doing fine, that those having problems with it are the ones who come here so it's a one-sided experience etc. Some days I think I better go off to avoid long-term effects from w/d. But then I think maybe I could just be on it forever since I feel so much better.
>
> I guess my question for you who have gone off it, is: why did you go off it? was it the sex. side effects, weight gain, or just that it didn't help the problems you hoped it would?
>
> thanks,
> Liz
Posted by jeenobeano on March 4, 2004, at 19:11:52
In reply to Re: How long does withdrawal from Effexor last?, posted by baddog55 on March 4, 2004, at 19:04:58
I've been grappling with Effexor weaning for... well, nearly 3 months now. I was on 75 mg of the XR stuff for almost 2 years, and over the course of the past 3 months have managed to sloooowwwwwly get down to about 37.5 mg.
I tried going straight from 75 to 37.5 and it was a living hell. So what I've been doing is opening the capsules up and taking out 1 or 2 extra beads every day in an alternating fashion -- i.e., Monday I'll take 1 more out, Tuesday I'll take 2 more out, Wednesday 1 more out, etc. Every three weeks or so I'll have a day or two where I'm feeling VERY mild versions of what everyone's talking about here; when that happens I stay put for a day or two and then it passes.
My method is probably not for anyone who's suffering terribly while on Effexor; as you can tell, it will end up taking me nearly 6 months to wean completely off at the rate I'm going. But in my case, I felt totally fine while on Effexor and have no urgent need to get off it ASAP; also, I have the lowest pain tolerance on the planet and could NOT handle any more symptoms than I'm experiencing. And yes: I've told my pdoc about this method and he's given it his thumbs-up.
I wish all of you the very best.
Posted by fastblackZZR on March 4, 2004, at 19:19:32
In reply to Re: How long does withdrawal from Effexor last?, posted by Lizzy7711 on March 4, 2004, at 18:55:55
> I've only been on effexor for about 2 months, and so far I really like it, so much less irritability and anxiety. I'm on 150. I've been going back and forth after reading all the posts from those with terrible withdrawal to those who love the drug and are doing fine, that those having problems with it are the ones who come here so it's a one-sided experience etc. Some days I think I better go off to avoid long-term effects from w/d. But then I think maybe I could just be on it forever since I feel so much better.
>
> I guess my question for you who have gone off it, is: why did you go off it? was it the sex. side effects, weight gain, or just that it didn't help the problems you hoped it would?
>
> thanks,
> LizLiz - i was on effexor for about 3-4 weeks. i did feel better, but i had this feeling i should go off of it and try something that would be easy to get off if i ever wanted/needed to come off of it.
i cannot really explain it. i just knew i better get off of it then. and it took me 5 weeks to get through the withdrawal. i wish i had never touched the stuff. my sister's doc put her on it over a month ago. she is bi-polar/PTSD. i fear for her because of her fragility. in fact, something VERY weird happened today. my mom went by sis' apartment and found she had placed post-it notes everywhere with writings that made no sense at all. this is NOT normal for her - she had done so well. i'm just plain scared of effexor at this point.
Posted by baddog55 on March 4, 2004, at 20:11:34
In reply to Re: How long does withdrawal from Effexor last?, posted by jeenobeano on March 4, 2004, at 19:11:52
Jeeno,
that's exactly how I tapered off too. But I went a little further and went to the drug store, bought some Acidophilus suppliments for $2.00, (because the capsules are clear) dumped them out, and divided up the effexor into them. that way, you can kind of see that they are equal. Started dividing 75's into 37's, then 37's into 18's, etc, got all the way down to 9's and then off. It was a little work, but it worked! I really think tapering S L O W L Y is the only way to get off this without losing your mind! Luck to you all!
> I've been grappling with Effexor weaning for... well, nearly 3 months now. I was on 75 mg of the XR stuff for almost 2 years, and over the course of the past 3 months have managed to sloooowwwwwly get down to about 37.5 mg.
>
> I tried going straight from 75 to 37.5 and it was a living hell. So what I've been doing is opening the capsules up and taking out 1 or 2 extra beads every day in an alternating fashion -- i.e., Monday I'll take 1 more out, Tuesday I'll take 2 more out, Wednesday 1 more out, etc. Every three weeks or so I'll have a day or two where I'm feeling VERY mild versions of what everyone's talking about here; when that happens I stay put for a day or two and then it passes.
>
> My method is probably not for anyone who's suffering terribly while on Effexor; as you can tell, it will end up taking me nearly 6 months to wean completely off at the rate I'm going. But in my case, I felt totally fine while on Effexor and have no urgent need to get off it ASAP; also, I have the lowest pain tolerance on the planet and could NOT handle any more symptoms than I'm experiencing. And yes: I've told my pdoc about this method and he's given it his thumbs-up.
>
> I wish all of you the very best.
Posted by caritasrainbow on March 4, 2004, at 21:13:53
In reply to Re: How long does withdrawal from Effexor last?, posted by fastblackZZR on March 3, 2004, at 18:48:37
> honestly, the only thing that enabled me to sleep better was ambien. is there any way possible you can get some?
actually i do have some trazadone that i was afraid to take because i was worried about getting hooked on it. found out today it's not addictive so tonight i'm trying that.
rain
Posted by caritasrainbow on March 4, 2004, at 21:26:59
In reply to Re: How long does withdrawal from Effexor last?, posted by MADMAN3070 on March 4, 2004, at 8:50:27
> Rain: Hang on. It may not last as long for you as it has for me. The dizziness seems to be the last to go. Be prepared though for you symptoms to last longer. You can do it. Madman
i went to the dr today for my regularly scheduled appt. i was on 450mg of effexor a day, i have yet to hear of anyone else put on this huge dose? this is a new dr i'm seeing, not one that prescribed the crap in the first place. anyway, he had originally taken me down 75mg for a week, so i was to be at 375 for a week, then go down to 300 for a week then see him. well, i wanted off the crap so i did the 375 for a week, then went to 300 for a day, then 150 for a day, then 75 for three days then off. today had been my 5th day off? well, when i went in he saw that my teeth were chattering and my arms and hands and legs couldn't stop shaking, so he made me get back on the crap. so now i'm to take 75mg for a week, then down to 37.5 for a week, then off completely. i argued that i didn't want to simply put off the zings, i'd rather just deal with them now rather than simply wait another two weeks. he said my withdrawals were simply too much and seemed to be harmful. i was shaking so badly i just took the pills. so, now i've taken a 75mg today and of course the zings are gone. what made me listen to him was him telling me if i didn't i'd go weeks with those zings and they were only getting worse. he's very supportive of my going off the stuff, but only if i do it his way. after the hell of the last 5 days i've decided to do it his way. however, reading these posts about taking some out of the capsules little by little sounds promising. also, the doc said i'd be okay and even promised me no zings if i did it his way. he did point out that i went from a one and a half year dose of 450 a day to nothing in less than two weeks. too hard on my body. i hope i'm not seen as weak. i do want off, i just couldn't handle the shakes and all. also, he told me i could take the trazadone at night and it wouldn't have any ill side effects? one more thing, he's being very supportive of my getting off effexor and not even replacing it! before he'd said i'd go on wellbutrin, but now he says if i want off antideppresants he'll support my decision. however, he won't let me go off the lamictal yet. oh well, one thing at a time i guess. now my biggest worry, silly one that it is, is that since i've taken this 75mg today and am planning to taper more slowly like he says, does that mean my sexual side effects are going to come back until i'm completely off again? i was so happy to be a sexual being again...
rain
Posted by caritasrainbow on March 4, 2004, at 21:29:54
In reply to Re: How long does withdrawal from Effexor last?, posted by newgirl on March 4, 2004, at 9:44:55
> Once any/all withdraw is over, can I expect the negative side effects of Effexor to go away: weight gain, lack of sexual desire . . . ?
YES!
after only one day with no effexor i was able to have an orgasm again! something i hadn't had easily in YEARS!
now i'm only worried that since i've gone back on to taper more slowly i'll have to say good bye to those again.
rain
Posted by caritasrainbow on March 4, 2004, at 21:32:13
In reply to Re: How long does withdrawal from Effexor last?, posted by slinky on March 4, 2004, at 11:18:57
> Sorry this post doesn't follow with the thread but for those who have to work /look after a family I'm amazed.
> I'm almost completely alone--failing relationship partially due to this hell.
> I quit my last dose of efexor 2 days ago , it's taken 6 months of slowly reducing.you are following the thread fine silly! my relationship is failing partially due to this hell as well. you are not alone! i feel like such a loser now that i've gone back on. but it's merely a small setback in order to taper more slowly. sigh. hang in there. i'll keep posting here, you should too. i've found this place to be very helpful.
rain
Posted by caritasrainbow on March 4, 2004, at 21:33:32
In reply to Re: How long does withdrawal from Effexor last?, posted by baddog55 on March 4, 2004, at 20:11:34
> Jeeno,
>
> that's exactly how I tapered off too. But I went a little further and went to the drug store, bought some Acidophilus suppliments for $2.00, (because the capsules are clear) dumped them out, and divided up the effexor into them. that way, you can kind of see that they are equal. Started dividing 75's into 37's, then 37's into 18's, etc, got all the way down to 9's and then off.i am sooo going to try this method. does anyone else here feel like we are a bunch of junkies? maybe they should make methadone clinics for those who want to get off effexor?
rain
Posted by caritasrainbow on March 4, 2004, at 21:37:57
In reply to Re: How long does withdrawal from Effexor last?, posted by Lizzy7711 on March 4, 2004, at 18:55:55
> > I guess my question for you who have gone off it, is: why did you go off it? was it the sex. side effects, weight gain, or just that it didn't help the problems you hoped it would?
i got off of it when someone told me that my inability to have an orgasm wasn't just in my head but was due to the drugs i was taking. i always thought i was just one of those people who never really enjoyed sex to the fullest. my first day off i was amazed to find that my someone was right. i didn't gain any weight on it, and it actually was a good med for me in the beginning. got me back on my feet and doing regular stuff like a regular person, except the sex part. however, that only lasted so long. the drs kept upping my dose and upping my dose as the drug stopped working properly. with every up of the dose it worked well again, for a while. then finally i got up to 450mg and it stopped working and i didn't want to go higher, plus i wanted to find out if it was true what they said about the sexual side effects...
rain
Posted by slinky on March 5, 2004, at 6:39:58
In reply to Re: How long does withdrawal from Effexor last?, posted by Lizzy7711 on March 4, 2004, at 18:55:55
Hi Lizzy
After 2 years meds for me stop working and side effects get worse.
I was on it 5 years (I think) didn't want to go to 300mg - the more it was raised the quicker it stopped working.
Posted by slinky on March 5, 2004, at 6:53:03
In reply to Re: How long does withdrawal from Effexor last?, posted by caritasrainbow on March 4, 2004, at 21:32:13
Hi Rainy
You shouldn't feel a loser for going back on it, I failed many times to quit.
Yesterday feels like a very bad dreamI'm getting waves of dread can't do anything...crazy.
If it wasn't for the weird physical stuff I could try and take my mind of things...can't even listen to music , feel trapped in myself.
Hopefully the mornings anxiety will settle down a bit.Take care , be kind to yourself.
Posted by caritasrainbow on March 5, 2004, at 10:42:40
In reply to Re: How long does withdrawal from Effexor last?, posted by slinky on March 5, 2004, at 6:53:03
> I'm getting waves of dread can't do anything...crazy.
> If it wasn't for the weird physical stuff I could try and take my mind of things...can't even listen to music , feel trapped in myself.i'm so sorry! yeah, today i just feel like a person again. i'm still getting off it, just going to go at a slower pace. the problem was that each day was getting worse, not better. the physical stuff was the worst and yesterday, day 5, my teeth chattered uncontrollably, my legs and arms were shaking... i simply couldn't function at all. when i did finally take the 75mg pill after about 30 min. i felt queasy and like i was going to faint. i then made it home and promptly fell asleep for 4 hours. thank goodness the kids weren't here. when i woke up i felt calm and clear-headed for the first time in a week.
so i'm still not sure i'll do it the dr's way though. i took 75 yesterday and 75 today and tonight i'm going to get some empty capsules and start lessening the 75 by just a few every two days. the doc wanted then a week of 37.5 for a week then nothing, but i'm not convinced that i won't go through the withdrawal from the 37.5, so i think my way is better. any thoughts on this would be much appreciated.
i'm still wanting off as soon as possible, but i guess i've realized that this drug is just too harsh for me to go cold turkey from what i was originally taking. (450mg for 1.5 years)
hang in there!
rain
Posted by fastblackZZR on March 5, 2004, at 10:48:46
In reply to Re: How long does withdrawal from Effexor last?, posted by slinky on March 5, 2004, at 6:53:03
rain - you are by no means a loser or weak or anything else negative. you are doing the right thing by following the dr.'s advice. hopefully it will work out wonderfully. my doc had told me to taper for 2 weeks. just 2 weeks! no way. it took me 5 weeks to get through it. (i'd only been on it for 3-4 weeks) i think with your body having been used to the high dosage, taking your time getting off of it is the way to go. in my humble opinion, whatever it takes to get through it with as little discomfort as possible is worth it. i think you're doing the right thing.
Posted by caritasrainbow on March 5, 2004, at 11:38:47
In reply to Re: How long does withdrawal from Effexor last?, posted by fastblackZZR on March 5, 2004, at 10:48:46
> rain - you are by no means a loser or weak or anything else negative. you are doing the right thing by following the dr.'s advice.
thanks so much for your support. i'd still like to try to be off in two weeks, but i'm thinking about trying to go down just a teensy bit every couple of days instead of by half in a week. although the withdrawal was hell, the not having sexual side effects was heaven and i'd like to be able to get back to that asap. ;^) so, as i mentioned before, whoever said that bit about removing a few beads at a time, that's what i think i'll do...
rain
Posted by fastblackZZR on March 5, 2004, at 11:44:26
In reply to Re: How long does withdrawal from Effexor last?, posted by caritasrainbow on March 5, 2004, at 11:38:47
> > rain - you are by no means a loser or weak or anything else negative. you are doing the right thing by following the dr.'s advice.
>
> thanks so much for your support. i'd still like to try to be off in two weeks, but i'm thinking about trying to go down just a teensy bit every couple of days instead of by half in a week. although the withdrawal was hell, the not having sexual side effects was heaven and i'd like to be able to get back to that asap. ;^) so, as i mentioned before, whoever said that bit about removing a few beads at a time, that's what i think i'll do...
> raini did that, too. i removed like 10 beads for a few days. keep posting. i want to know how this works for you.
Posted by caritasrainbow on March 5, 2004, at 14:01:30
In reply to Re: How long does withdrawal from Effexor last?, posted by fastblackZZR on March 5, 2004, at 11:44:26
> i did that, too. i removed like 10 beads for a few days. keep posting. i want to know how this works for you.
i will definately keep posting. i'm planning on trying to half a 75 tomorrow. if i start zinging i'll just take half of the half that's left. if it works, i'm planning to stay at that dose for two days then try going down another half? one day at a time though...
rain
Posted by MADMAN3070 on March 5, 2004, at 14:56:50
In reply to Re: How long does withdrawal from Effexor last?, posted by fastblackZZR on March 5, 2004, at 11:44:26
> > > rain - you are by no means a loser or weak or anything else negative. you are doing the right thing by following the dr.'s advice.
> >
> > thanks so much for your support. i'd still like to try to be off in two weeks, but i'm thinking about trying to go down just a teensy bit every couple of days instead of by half in a week. although the withdrawal was hell, the not having sexual side effects was heaven and i'd like to be able to get back to that asap. ;^) so, as i mentioned before, whoever said that bit about removing a few beads at a time, that's what i think i'll do...
> > rain
>
> i did that, too. i removed like 10 beads for a few days. keep posting. i want to know how this works for you.Hey Fast I thank you for your help. Ive been off Effexor for about five weeks and I still have dizziness and nausea. My Dr. has run tons of blood test. He says it should be out of my system after 5 weeks. Could this be part of my anxiety and deppresson. Im scared because these symtoms never happened until I took Effexor. I always had a different set of symtoms for my anxiety and deppression. I wonder if it has changed my brain in some way. I have an appointment to see a neurlogist on the 19th against my PDOC wishes. This feels permanant. Some help from anyone please. Madman
Posted by caritasrainbow on March 5, 2004, at 15:24:25
In reply to Re: How long does withdrawal from Effexor last?, posted by MADMAN3070 on March 5, 2004, at 14:56:50
> Hey Fast I thank you for your help. Ive been off Effexor for about five weeks and I still have dizziness and nausea. My Dr. has run tons of blood test. He says it should be out of my system after 5 weeks. Could this be part of my anxiety and deppresson. Im scared because these symtoms never happened until I took Effexor. I always had a different set of symtoms for my anxiety and deppression. I wonder if it has changed my brain in some way. I have an appointment to see a neurlogist on the 19th against my PDOC wishes. This feels permanant. Some help from anyone please. Madman
this does sound scary! i do know that even after i got off paxil after taking it for a few years i still got the zings occasionally. nothing like the first withdrawal though. and nothing like effexor withdrawal. i wish i could be of more help. are the symptoms lessening at all? i was finding that my withdrawal symptoms were getting worse daily...
rain
Posted by djsarah on March 5, 2004, at 16:16:24
In reply to Re: How long does withdrawal from Effexor last?, posted by Lizzy7711 on March 4, 2004, at 18:55:55
Lizzy:
I'd been on effexorXR for about 2 1/2 years, on 225mg for the past year. towards the end of the year it wasn't really working anymore and i was doing really badly, etc. so I decided that I wanted to go off and see what it was like not being on anything, I started ADs when I was 16 so I'd like to see if I can handle being off now. If not that's okay, but I just want to find out what my mind does naturally, if you know what I mean...!
I'm glad to hear that you're doing so well on effexor.. it really helped me too at first! I've heard that nine months to a year is a good amount of time to be on it.
best wishessarah
Posted by CrazyC on March 5, 2004, at 17:17:57
In reply to Re: How long does withdrawal from Effexor last?, posted by caritasrainbow on March 5, 2004, at 10:42:40
I have been tapering off it for about 3 months now... from 75mg twice daily to once daily to 37.5 daily... now I am out of pills and totally messed up. I can't feel any sensation in my hands. If I hold my head still and move my eyes, I get some crazy sensation that I can't describe. I feel like I am walking into walls all the time. I have been having crazy dreams since I started to taper off, which have only gotten worse. To top things off, a day after I run out, my grandmother passes away. This is not a great feeling. When will I at least be able to walk normally again???
-C
Posted by CrazyC on March 5, 2004, at 17:53:23
In reply to Re: How long does withdrawal from Effexor last?, posted by CrazyC on March 5, 2004, at 17:17:57
> I have been tapering off it for about 3 months now... from 75mg twice daily to once daily to 37.5 daily... now I am out of pills and totally messed up. I can't feel any sensation in my hands. If I hold my head still and move my eyes, I get some crazy sensation that I can't describe. I feel like I am walking into walls all the time. I have been having crazy dreams since I started to taper off, which have only gotten worse. To top things off, a day after I run out, my grandmother passes away. This is not a great feeling. When will I at least be able to walk normally again???
>
> -COops... I was actually up to 150mg twice daily.
-C
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