Effexor withdrawl and symptoms, please help _{Page 103 of 140}

1. I coined the phrase 'EFFEXORSISM' .

2. You all just want a quick fix - and dont want to do anything physical to fix it.

3. I have all the symptoms EACH AND EVERY ONE.... however, refuse to let it consume me.

4. Yoga offers me a way to escape, sleep, relax and be healthy.

5. All I read is pills, pills, pills. Its disgusting.

6. You can whine, complain, and let it consume you, but you dont have to.

wifesmate - it sounds like a right nigthmare that your wife has been thro. but she will get thro it. to be honest, my doctor has been a waste of space and i have done the whole taper without any intervention by a doctor at all now. i truly beleive that they no squat all about this drug and so they say oh take a bit more - go one day with, then one day without. i urge any docotr to take this drug for a week and then stop - then tell me that they dont need to taper when the nausea and dizziness hits. i vow that when i am off these, no matter how bad life or my anxiety gets, im NEVER EVER EVER(!!!) going on any meds again.

The only person i found to be remotely helpful with my withdrawal when i felt most sick was our local pharmacist - and probably because he KNOWS all his drugs and what they do! He told me to try the hyoscine for the nausea and he was right - it has helped. he told me to go very slowly - i.e literally 1-2mg drops a week! and he said that he has seen some people take 6-8mths to get off this drug. they put you on it quickly but then leave you alone to get off it.

grr anyways thats my rant. every doctor ive ever seen in the UK has been useless so ive just given up with them now and am more happy to rely on info on the internet and you guys!!

Wifesmate,

Since she was at 0mg for four days, the 37.5mg dose should be enough to level her out. But it could take a week or more for real comfort.

This dose is still less than the 'minimum therepudic dose', which means that even if she was on 37.5mg for the next 6 months, she would always be feeling an ebb and flow of withdrawl/comfort. So you have to judge when that point has been achieved. (Kind of a point of diminished returns).

At that time, you need to either go up to the thereputic dose of 75mg, (which is what the docs suggest) or taper off completely and make her body do the work. 37.5mg isn't a dose that anyone should stay at for more than a couple weeks.

So, once she feels that it's not getting any better or worse, we call that being 'leveled out'. Her body is doing the minimum amount of work neccesary to keep a somewhat normal serotonin balance, in light of an effexor dose that is also having an effect on the balance.

It may take over a week to get her leveled out again. But who knows. Could be 4 days.

Once she is leveled out, you can start a spike drop taper. I explain it pretty well at the link I left in the last post. It requires Effexor EX, though, which is the capsules that you can open. If she is taking the hard pills, you'll need a pill splitter, and the measuring gets more difficult. Read that other page at the link and then ask questions. I can help lay out a schedule if you need.

Hi Mike, quick question about the bit in the post about being at 37.5mg and not wanting to stay at that for more than a couple of weeks. is there any reason for that? i am literally on about 4mg or so of the evil E now. i was going to take none tonight but started having panic attacks after i ate my dinner (i have a vomit phobia and every time i have dinner i freak out that it might make me sick) im worried coz of course ive read wifesmate posts about wife being sick (vomiting) and its got me all stressed now!! do you think coming from 4mg to nothing could make me vomit...? og crap i hate this so much and im sure my mind 'creates' these feelings of nausea purely because im [anicking about being nauseas - if you know what i mean! oh what a stupid drug to put a vomit phobic on!!!!!

anyways, happy weekend guys x

Well, that 37.5 didn't stay down last night. so no effexor still. suppositories for nausea. low level relief.. then liquid sleep aid, nausea and anti anflam, allergy perscription every 4 hours.
My wife is back. not pushing it, going slow. 5 days effexor free. no zaps, still a loittle swollen, but she is acting normal.

it is day 5, end of day 4 she was ready to be admitted. finally that vistiril- slept through the night and no vomitting. it was the life saver. it was meant for her to vomit that 37.5 back up. no more poison.
WOOOHOOO!!!

Take it easy! The vomiting is not something that is going happen suddenly. For Wifesmate's wife, it has been a common side effect. For you, it hasn't. There is no reason to think that the last 4mg is going to kick in a new side effect for your metablolism.

You are not sick to your stomach. Your stomach can handle food without any problem, as well as the Effexor withdrawl. It's already been proven to you in you journey to this point.

Regarding the long term use of a low dose, I probably should clarify.

The 'intended' effect of effexor is to inhibit the reuptake of serotinin in the BRAIN. Small doses do this in an intermittant, poorly predictable way. You need 75mg (the thereputic dose) to really have a constant predictable level of seritonin. At the low dose, you are just teasing your system.

So why not just quit, now that you are at 4mg? Well, there is possibly another side to the coin. And that is the 'unintended' effect of effexor, the BODY's chemical addiction to the substance.

There have been no studies on the effect of effexor dose on the unintended side effects at low doses. Mainly because the studies all focus on the thereputic dose designed for the 'intended' purpose.

So, we walk on the edge of a sword. One side says, 'Get off that last 4mg quickly, for the nervous system's sake'. The other side says, 'Go slow through that last 4mg for the body's sake'.

All in all, you have to decide where your biggest anxiety lies, with brain symptoms, or body symptoms?

If I were you, I would skip tonight and take 2mg on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Then quit altogether. But that's up to you. None of this will make your stomach sick, though. That's not one of your side effects.

BTW, for a sure fire stomach cure, eat no more than half of a Granny Smith apple 30 minutes before dinner and don't use antacids. :)

Hi! Em. I'm almost 4 1/2 days Effexor free! If I can quit after taking 1/4 tab for just a few days, I know you have it in you to taper down to the 2mg and then none. You can do it girl! I'm feeling a little better every day. The brain zaps are a little less intense as more time goes by, but still there. I did sleep better last night, probably because I was so tired after not having slept great for about 3 nights in a row. Hang in there and all you other good people who are trying to beat this thing!
Pam

First, I want to thank Mike for still being here! I started reading posts from way back and the whole time I was thinking, worrying, and hoping that you were still replying to people. Finally I clicked on the last page and am so relieved to see you are still helping people.

I started tapering from 37.5 mg 3 days ago. I read your post about that amount not really doing much. I am hypersensitive to meds, and when we tried more initially I had bad reactions. I should have stopped then. Anyway, I didn't, I was on 37.5 for 2 years.

I have gotten so agitated and scared of this second attempt to get off the Effexor. I have been reading all over the internet and find you to be the most helpful and compassionate person out there. This is a relief to me because the last three days have left me sleep deprived and very emotionally sensitive.

I haven't done your pill splitting method yet. Here is what I have done:
1. 37.5 mg
2. half that, no problems
3. half 37.5 - brain shocks, insomnia, anxiety. Took most of the rest of the 37.5, no problems but insomnia. Slept an hour at a time, woke up aggitated. Repeat with bad dreams.
4. Today. Took 80% of the 37.5. No problems, but anxiety and sleep deprivation symptoms. Lots of fear. Worried what will happen tonight, if I will sleep, etc. Took a benadryl an hour ago.Not tired. Feeling very insecure and vulnerable. No brain shocks.

Mike, will this be any easier since I was only on 37.5 to start? What is your expert (you are, ya know) opinion on what to do next please?

Please help!
Thank you so much!

HELP!

I went from 24mg to 12mg (last Sunday) and this week has been soo horrible. I am sick to my stomach, i feel like i have the flu. You know how when you have the flu =EVERYTHING HURTS -- even your fingernails. Im so agitated about everything. The brain zaps are blinding. I thought this part would be fine because up til now the side effects have been tolerable. Hard - but tolerable.

Last night was the worst. I sat in the tub trying to rid my body of the pain and just wound up awake all night. Does anyone experience this type of body ache?

Im at my worst. Does anyone have any ideas?

mike, thanks so much for the reply. it def helped me put things into perspective. when i start to feel nauseas tho it then sets of panic attacks that are related to my phobia about vomiting. its one big viscious circle.

i took my 'last' dose of effexor - about 2mg yesterday morning so its been 36 hours now. ive really been feeling it today mainly dizziness and spaced out feelings and mild nausea. its been managable but def noticeable. im just trying not to let it set a panic attack off though. ive eaten too coz there is always a fine line with me if i dont eat as the hunger then leads to nausea! argh what a crap situation. im back at work too tomoz so hoping that will be ok...

Twisi - keep at it - i found that the symptoms got easier as each day passed and went after about 4 days...so technically we should both be feeling better say weds/thurs! or of courese who knows coz this seems to affect everyone differently!
ems xx

Wife is better every day it is day 6. the real bad dreams are still here. Still on vistirol for nausea,sleep, anti-inflamitory. It sure is helping, but she seems fidgity, like on speed at times. this is something one cannot do alone. 3rd day no vommitting. The pharmacists are a great point for help.
stick with it you will get through it. day 4 to day 5 is a huge step.

Distressed.

In my last posts I reported my cold turkey effort was successful. Well, this weekend I'm at a conference and am just overcome with whole body aching.

I am an athlete with osteoarthritis. I went off the anti-inflammatory drug Diclofenac a couple of weeks before going off Effexor, so the aches and pains I'm feeling now are difficult to attribute to lack of anti-inflammatory or lack of Effexor.

I'm 17 days off Effexor. I'm experiencing very unpredictable whole body aches. My back muscles are spasming and I have really weird pain in my achilles tendons (both feet). The brain zaps were about 80% gone, but yesterday started again, albeit still very mild, while I'm away at a conference. I could barely get out of bed yesterday. My body is uncharacteristically 'old' feeling in ways that are outside the normal realm of pain I experience from osteoarthritis.

Is this related to Effexor withdrawal?

Hello again, glad some other people have been here, I checked all the time since my last post and no one came along.

Since my last post Friday I haven't taken any more Effexor, and I am not having symptoms (yet?) but I am living moment to moment so scared about if and when they will start.

I have been taking benadryl, flaxseed oil, vitamins, ensure, slimfast, and eating.

It has been 55 hours since my last Effexor, 80% of 37.5 m.

According to your posts it seems everyone reacts so differently. I am so scared.

I am prepared to take an 80% dose again if I run into any problems, but the waiting is driving me crazy here alone at home.

I finally can sleep, although it's all day long and up at night and with bad dreams.

If anyone can't sleep tonight, Sunday, please know I will be checking this board all the time and will read your posts. I just don't know what to say to help anyone other than please know it's temporary and maybe Mike will be along soon and help us.

I just can't get over how no brain zzaps or anything, but I am expecting them all the time, so I don't know if it is yet to come. I had them the first cut.

All of you please find a bit of comfort in knowing at least that I am reading your posts and feel for you and am interested in what you are experiencing. We are not alone!!!

Well the dizziness started, but tolerable, the brain zaps started too but they aren't bad like they were when I made the first cut.

I am going to take some more omega 3s and hope it helps, and some benadryl.

If anyone is reading this to compare against your own withdrawal, I have a post a few back that states how I cut back to get here.

I am going to try not to take any more Effexor unless I get mentally severely disturbed to the point it gets freakish beyond endurable. If that happens I will take the last good dose which was 80% of 37.5.

Good luck everyone.

48 hours effexor free. main probs are dizziness. feeling better than yesterday though. Nausea has been on and off. have kept eating though. Stomach playing up today - diarrhea so could be effecting my ibs.

fingers crossed that post tomorrow will be - im feeling better than yesterday etc. i found with other drops that 4-5days was time for symptoms to die down. keep at it guys!

elb please keep posting to let us know what happens next. Thanks.

I am finding it very helpful to shut my eyes when I can if I have to move my head or body. It almost completely takes away the brain zapps and dizziness. I think I read that tip on this or some other board and it works.

ejb-

how low did you go before you went completely off?

i have taken 12 mg for a week now and the side effects don't seem to be leveling. its so hard to be incapacitated to the point where you are unable to do -even the most simple of tasks. I do not have any energy. I am nauseous all the time and everything my husband does irritates me.

I know i am being unreasonable and cranky but i cant control my anger because of the pain and sleeplessness. I have tried everything.

Hi EJB,

Here's what I did starting at 37.5 mg

Day
1. Half capsule
2. Half capsule, had a lot of dizziness, so I took most of the rest of the cap
3. 80% of 37.5
4. None
5. None
6. Today, none

Only effects I am feeling now are the constant dizziness and brain zaps on motion unless I close my eyes. Also sweating alot and can't sleep. My husband is out of town so there's no one here to irritate me, it's easier.

I am taking benadryl and alleve. I am sleeping whenever I can for as long as I can, but I am not leaving the house and no one is here to bug me but me! I am not able to do much either. I had the worst problems when I could not get to sleep. I am sleeping better since I got all the way off, just not at night.

Hope that helps!

effexorfreeplease - it has taken me about a month to get from 37.5mg to nothing and even then i still feel like crap. i know what you mean about the sweating although i think its a good thing - body trying to get this s*it out of it! i have been sleeping ok. maybe you should really try not to sleep during the day and keep pushing on. i did yesterday despite having no energy at all but slept fine on the night.

Twisi - i got to about 2-3mg last week - literlaly taking a tiny amount broken off a pill - after splitting into 1/4s then 1/8s then 1/16ths. its taken me about 4 weeks at to do this - making a drop each week. i found that the end bit has been the hardest - so yes 12mg. personally i would try and level out on the 12mg and then half that again or take a bit away. but then if your feeling that crap on 12mg but its bearable -maybe go for it and stop taking them? purely coz despite dropping so slowly - i still feel awaful - the weakness, dizziness and nausea are the main symptoms.

and unfortunately i HAVE to work! i just took a pill earlier containing hyoscine for the nausea and dizziness. hasnt really worked tho. going to try some Kwells (uk brand name for hyoscine hydrobromide) later.

the following are supposed to be good for dizziness and nausea - ill give active ingredient as not sure on US brand names as they differ from UK ones. I.e UK benadryl is NOT the same as US benadryl! the active ingredient in the UK one is found in the product called NYTOL (UK brand name for diphenhydramine)

Meclozine/Meclizine (UK Sea legs)
Cinnarzine (UK Stugeron)
hyoscine Hydrobromide (UK Kwells and Joyrides(only0.15mg though)
promethazine (UK Sominex)

im tempted to take the lot lol! i cant though, need to be able to drive home later so think ill pop into pharmacy on way home.

i felt awful this morning - had to call this catalogue place and ended up shouting at the guy and hanging up. i felt like bursting into tears afterwards tho. felt really horrible. oh well hopefully this will be over soon.

Pam, are you still around? how many days are you free now? how are you feeling??

Ems x

Hi! Ems. Yes, I'm still around and today makes 7 days of being Effexor free! Yay! I've never had any nausea, thank goodness, but have had brain zaps and dizziness, though even those symptoms have gotten a little better every day. I've been sleeping better the past 2-3 days as well. I am so hopeful for you as well as everyone else on here. There have been some times that I have felt fidgety, like being on speed and have had times where trying to put words together was crazy, but those times have been few and far between. For the most part, I have gotten through this withdrawal thing very well and my husband has been very supportive! Hang in there Em and everyone on here. You can all do it. Think of what your life can be without Effexor and all that you have to be thankful for in this world of such uncertainty at times. All I have to do is look around me and think about all the good I have as opposed to so many other people who have way less than I do, in every way!
Pam

Pam! im so pleased its going well! 7 days - thats great! its been 2 days for me now - i literally am counting the hours! nearly 54 effexor free!

you are so right too about being thank ful for what we all have. the main thing i have to look forward is my wedding day in july. i knew i was risking it a bit as wedding planning is always stressful but if anything its been taking my mind off effexor stuff! just hope that all our experiences and things can help other people too out there who will one day try and get off this too.

has anyone ever spoken with a lawyer or solicitor about possible legal action - i wonder if there would ever be grounds for a case for us? i guess for me it would be agaisnt the initial doctor who prescribed them to me 7 years ago. i.e he knew the reason was because of my phobia about vomiting so why didnt he know about the awful withdrawal?

grr anyways, maybe best if i just forget about effexor and see it as a learning curve! i.e to do my own research if i ever get offered pills or meds by doctors again!

Ems x

Good news! I am so happy! The brain zapping and dizziness is almost completely gone! My last Effexor was umm well this is my third day without it. I can move around and drive! I am so happy because I was expecting it to get worse before it got better. I am so happy I didn't get any nausea or vomiting, geez everyone is so different in our responses to this poison. Maybe because I was on a low dose to begin with, I dunno. I am just happy right now. I feel spacey is all, like you do when you haven't slept well for a while. This is encouraging.

I really want to thank everyone for bearing with my posting while I went thru this awful ordeal and for the helpful links, advice, and for sharing your own experiences.

I think it's all downhill from here. I will check back to see how you all are doing and to let everyone know how it's going.

I am anxious to see if my blood pressure goes down when this is all over.

Effexorfreeplease,

I'm glad things are going well for you. Yes, I'm still here, though I'm so busy I hardly have time to post. Plus, many of the posts are outside of my experience, so I keep out of those.

It seems as though everyone here has really stepped up, though, and so I only really get invloved when I think I can be of use, as in the splitting method and science. Rest assured I read every post as they come in, though. Congrats on making it this far.

While I have everyone's attention, I'd like to get on my soapbox regarding the injection vaccine called Gardasil. This evil drug has caused deaths, cancer, paralysis, Guillian Barr Syndrome, and other major side effects. For a short period of time, Texas mandated it for 6th grade girls as a REQUIRED innoculation to allow entrance into school. Finally, the peoples voice was heard and the Texas legislature overturned the mandate. Hooray! Then in February of last year, Merck finally got scared and announced that they were stopping the campaign aimed at every state to make the vaccine mandatory. Hooray again!

But wait! There is a list a mile long of states that STILL have the bill 'in committee'. That means, the damage is done. HOPEFULLY, they are all just letting it die in committe (actually, this is likely).

But you ALL have to keep an eye on your STATE legislators and know IF and WHEN they will be making a decision on the bill. From what I have seen, Merck had made great headway in getting the States to EACH enact the mandate. If and when the bills are looked at, the first thing these legislators will think will be the most recent information they recived. We have to keep the 'say no' fresh in the comittees.

Here's what you do. You must find your State Legislative website. Every state has one. Then you must search for a bill that includes the text 'human papilloma virus' or H.P.V. or 'grade six'. Once you find the correct bill, make note of the bill number.

Then, you must search through it to find the 'committee' that is in charge of the bill. (usually the Health and Human Services Committee, or something like that).

Then you must find out who the committee 'chair' is for that committee. Then, on the very same website, find somewhere a CONTACT phone number for that Committee Chair.

Call that Legislator, leave a message that you are against House Bill ???? (you'll have to figure out the bill number). Mention in your message that the Texas legislture overturned the executive order of mandate due to the OUTCRY of the citizens.

If this is done enough, the next time the commitee talks it over, it will be shot down quick.

Don't let the government force junk vaccines on us. When we sleep, we lose. I feel complatency setting in as the firestorm on this issue has been dying down over the last year. But it aint over. The vaccine cost around $500 per girl. Insurance, subsidies, and finally the consumer, would be paying this directly to Merck, who holds the patent on this drug. Clearly, they aren't walking away from this multi-billion dollar revenue. They are just letting it simmer down.

For more information, go to http://www.naturalnews.com

www dot naturalnews dot com

Mikemo, Thank you!

I am so happy to have made it through this so fast and a lot easier than I expected.

The only symptoms I still have are hot spells/chills occasionally, bp is still up, and I feel like I just got over being sick.

Already the twitching in my toes and arms and fingers that I had the whole time I was on Effexor is GONE. I feel calmer inside and my heart isn't pounding like it did on that horrid drug. Already seeing these improvements!

Congrats to you EffexorFreePlease! Way to go! And good for you too Ems. Now that you have a wedding to plan, and I do understand that that can be stressful, but hopefully for you, it will be just what you need to get over the hump! You have a wonderful new life to look forward to as do we all that are winning the Effexor free battle!
Pam