Tuesday, December 01, 2009 HB asks

Q: Any advice on what works/didn't work to ease the horrific withdrawl from Effexor?

I have been taking 150mg Effexor XR since 2003 and I am DEATHLY AFRAID of ever having to go through what I did a few years ago when I was without the meds for 3 days. The worst 3 days of my life and I would do anything to never be at that "place" again. Now just being late taking my dose spurs the withdrawl symptoms IMMEDIATELY such as the "brain shivers", "head fizz", hot flashes, nausea, memory issues, spasms, night sweats (i lost 4 lbs of water weight one night!), irrational behavior...the list goes on sadly. Probably a post-traumatic response? Can anyone please offer me some advice of what I can take or do to ease this process as I wean myself off? What worked/didn't work? My withdrawl reactions have always been SEVERE and I know I will need support. I figure I can then compile a list for myself and maybe it could help others too in the future?

I will add too that since I returned home from Iraq in 2005 I've noticed a deminishing response in the effectiveness of the AD. My doc up-ed my dose but it didn't seem to help. And 8 months ago I started taking Adderall to help me focus and remain on task and it has been helping me as I feel that sense of accomplishment at the end of the day because I wasn't sleeping my way through and avoiding each day's tasks or unfinished business. Maybe my "manic depression" and "anxiety" that initially started me on Effexor was not depression at all, just ADD that created a hectic and disorganized feeling I always tried to escape? Wow, I wrote too much but again, any advice would be so greatly appreciated. Only we, that must live in this "reality" since Effexor, know the ways to help the spells and ease withdrawl. This will be the 1st time I actually TRY to wean myself off and I want it to be the last time too! THANK YOU ALL!

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Answers (3)

Judy

12/ 2/09 4:21pm

Hello, HB. Here is a sharepost by Rose Martin about her experiences with Effexor withdrawal. I have also heard that you should decrease it VERY slowly, like by 1/4 mg. at a time. Can your doctor give you any help with this?

Best of luck to you.

leah

12/ 3/09 11:26am

I have read that it is advised to go on Prozac as you withdraw, as it helps ease symptoms. Please ask your pdoc to look into this. Apparently the manufacturers even advise this. good luck.

snfhawkins

12/ 3/09 2:31pm

I had to go off of Effexor and I did it gradually. I took one pill the first day then half a pill the next day and alternated like that for two weeks. Then i went to half a pill for two weeks, then a half a pill one day no pill the next alternate for another two weeks, then half a pill twice a week for two weeks then off.

12/ 3/09 5:51pm

Thanks for the tips...but how were your withdrawl symptoms? I am currently on XR so I will have to change to the quick release Effexor before I can start this. I know I need to do this slowly...it is the only way to hope for some sanity throughout this process but my problem is coping with the symptoms. Slowly lowering my dose is still going to produce the hellish withdrawls and I need to find out what is out there, be it supplements, homeopathic, OTC medicine, what have you. I am hoping to be able to function as a person throughout this because I have a feeling it will be a long process. I would just go all out for it, cold turkey, to just get it over with if I could assure myself I wouldn't throw myself over a cliff to "make the bad things go away." The physical feelings are far worse than the irrational mood swings and emotional breakdowns. I could close myself in a room to keep from crying my eyes out and lashing out around people for no reason until it was over if it was just that. But the brain shivers that strobe through my body, the nausea, heat flashes, etc are what pose the serious issue. They are intensely painful and make me feel, ACT, psychotic and out of body (not to mention the literal floating above and looking down on myself feeling). Maybe I am just hyper-sensitive to this stuff?

snfhawkins

12/10/09 6:53pm

You might have to go to Zoloft. I did. The effexor xr was too strong for me. Zoloft works perfectly fine and I don't feel like I'm taking anything. I feel great.

12/10/09 6:59pm

Thanks! I will talk to my doctor about that one then. And I will keep tabs on how the transition works too in hopes that it is an easy one. Because if it is then it might be a great option for all of us that are dealing with this AD and it's side effects/withdrawls.

Jeanne

12/ 3/09 6:49pm

My effexor quit working for me, so I quit by going to a pill every other day for a couple weeks then just stopped. I was on 75mg for about 10 years and didn't have any problems quitting, but I tend to not have problems with drugs and be drug resistant as well. When I was on a higher dose (many years ago) and ran out, I had a disassociated feeling, but nothing really major. I might be one of the lucky ones.

Q: Any advice on what works/didn't work to ease the horrific withdrawl from Effexor?

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