Effexor withdrawl and symptoms, please help _{Page 112 of 140}

So, how are all the sore shoulders and arses doing out there in cyberspace???

I thought of everyone this morning while I was in TRACTION!!! I'm feeling a bit of relief, but I need lots more. Still can't look down or off to the left too well, and I have 2 major rehearsals and a concert tomorrow night and over the weekend.

I can barely hold my instrument.

And get a load of this folks: MY prescribing MD calls to say he lost my Glenmullen book and wants to replace it. I called the office asking for it whilst in the throes of withdrawal last week.

But I'm happy to report that zaps are barely noticeable when they are there, which is infrequent, and the buzzing seems to be on it's way out, too.

Now if I can just stop walking around like quasimoto, I should be just fine!!!

How's everyone doin'??

Marilyn...

I love you. You make me laugh no matter what. Thank you.

Your sense of humor is so in tune with mine.

Unfortunately, fighting with my husband again. Not sure why.

I hope our marriage makes it.


warm regards,
twisi

Marilyn...

I love you. You make me laugh no matter what. Thank you.

Your sense of humor is so in tune with mine.

Unfortunately, fighting with my husband again. Not sure why.

I hope our marriage makes it.


warm regards,
twisi

Twisi: :(

Can ya sit back and watch HOW you fight, watch the pattern, and change your part of the pattern???? I know how my hubby operates, and also what I can do to either exacerbate the fight or quell it.

Also, when I'm doin' 'well' at fightin', I paraphrase what he's stating, letting him know what I'm understanding, and let him correct my understanding or confirm it. This usually creates a better working/communicating atmosphere, and quells the tension, because he's feeling more understood by you. Tell him, if you aren't too miffed, that you want to try and understand his point of view. Lots of times, couples talk over each other, don't really give the partner a chance to talk without interruption. I see that a lot in my office. They don't really LISTEN cause they're too busy formulating their defense and striking back.

Marilyn

J-Dubs, I too was put on the big E for panic attacks back in 1999. Actually it was my first attack and prior to that I had never even heard of panick attacks. The first few years on Effexor I was doing pretty good then gradually started to get more and more nervous and the panic attacks were more frequent. The last few years have been the worse and so I decided that since I was not doing so good on the meds then I would get off them. This is my second try at getting off this med. Last time, when I got to 37.5 mg, I felt soooo bad, kept crying for anything and nothing, just wanted to die. After about a month of this I went back to 75mg. The crying stopped and I felt better (far from 100%, but nonetheless better). This time I did it much slower, instead of dropping to 37.5 from 75mg I gradually went down 5mg a week and I am now at 37.5 mg. The symtoms are more bearable but I still have to deal with nervousness, migraines and I'm quite dizzy at times. I take Activan to help me thru the really bad days but I try as much as possible not to take any. It has now been one week at the 37.5 dose and I'm starting to feel sad again. I don't know if it's because I can't make it without medicine or it's just harder at that dose. Maybe I'm just tired of having to deal with the symptoms, seems to be a never ending story. I feel that my life is being consumed by Effexor. I'm afraid of what the future will bring, will I ever be able to be free and feel good again?
Has anyone else found that hitting the 37.5 dose harder? Should I stay there a while longer? Will it get worse if I continue to decrease? Please help.

Diser:
Talk to your prescribing physician about switching you to another SSRI, like Prozac, that addresses panic attacks and depression. You may be able to transition to the prozac without having to deal with the effexor withdrawal side effects. The prozac may actually help with the withdrawal, as the half life is longer. Less likely to gain weight on the prozac, too. Go to a reputable Psychiatrist, as internists vary in their ability to nail down the specifics when it comes to psychotropic meds. Hope this helps!

Marilyn

Incidentally, 5mgs a week may be way too fast to come down the final stretch (37.5) Slowwwwww it down. Pull out 10% of the granuels from the capsule, (yes, ya gotta count them) and take the rest in applesauce, without skipping days. Do this reduction for 2-3 weeks, or until symptoms subside, and then do another drop of 10%. I'm not a doctor, so ya gotta do this at yer own risk. Read about this method of withdrawal in a book by Joseph Glenmullen: 'The Antidepressant Solution'. Order it thru yer bookstore if they don't have it in stock. A huge help to me.

Marilyn

DISER-
hang in there!! it is proven that the last 37.5 & lower is the absolute hardest & i am going through it too so be strong. i know how bad it sucks but just remember that how you're feeling now is a temporary reaction to the seratonin drop in your brain. you will feel better :)

Me, myself did a drop today from 40 mg to 20, then tomorrow i'll go back up to 35 mg & finally sunday i'll end at 30 mg & stay on that til i make my next dose drop next friday.

I still experience the withdrawal believe me but being able to see what a small amount of beads i'm taking per day makes it all worth it

so anyone else who is suffering just remember we're in this together & we'll make it with the support of everyone on here!

J-dubs

Marilyn-

good advice. thanks. you are correct in that we are both bullheaded and more than likely formulating our defenses rather than listening.

i sure will give it a try.

still achy after all these years.

twisi

This morning was particularly hard, I don't know why. I often find it harder when I'm all by myself, so today being my day off, I guess I was just feeling sorry for myself. I'm glad to report that this afternoon was much better, I decided that enough was enough and forced myself to go out. I did quite a few errands but most important I enjoyed the people around me. Tomorrow will be a busy one, hubby and I are babysitting the grand-kids, two little boys, one 3 years and the other 4 months (the loves of my life). I know that if I keep myself busy things don't seem that bad but sometimes I go for self-pitty.
I would like to mention that I am a french canadian girl and that my english is not that good, so please be patient with me.

Hey all

Well, I was at around 20-25 mg this last week, didn't have money for 2 days to go get anymore 'e', and I did okay. So I stayed off and decided to go for it. It will be one week tomorrow. No turning back now. Have had dizziness, cannot think worth sh*t, some brain zaps, cannot go to sleep, and when I do, having terrible dreams and it's restless. It has all been durable though, so I am trying my best to stay off. Today is the first day that I have had a terrible headache that will NOT go away, despite how much ibuprofen i take.

In addition, this week I have cried sooo much, I get weepy very easily, but i would say when it is appropriate, and while it is a bit annoying because I'm not used to it, and hope I can control it soon, it also very cathartic. I can FEEl again!!! And I have been crying over some things that I have needed to cry about. I just hope I get a bit of control in the near future.

Needed to write that out. I'm trying to stay encouraged, and vise versa. Hang in there everyone!!

~Mikemo (and anyone else with success stories)

I know we are all different, but how long did it take to feel 'somewhat' more normal again?

Lani

~Diser

Your english is very good!! No worries. : )

Lani, yes def dont turn back now - not after a week already being e free. it took me to day 10 to feel pretty much no withdrawal at all. i know what you mean about the headaches and i found ibuprofen and paracetomal didnt help at all. just try and ride thro them and hold on to the thought that very soon you will be free. i found after day 10, the only feelings i had were neck pain - on the left side and then it moved to the right. it was like this for about 3-4 days and then just disappeared!

hold on in there!

ems x

Hi everybody!

I hope all are doing well. I also hope your sitting down. This is a bad deal:

It seems that the first step is being taken to force pregnant mothers to take SSRI's as PREVENTATIVE measures. That's right, now you don't even need post-partum depression to warrant anti-depressants, you just need to be pregnant.

This exposes the developing baby brain to SSRIs. After birth, they will go through all the painful withdrawl that you go through, cold turkey. Welcome to the world little babies!

I'm sickened by it. It's called the Mothers Act. Read about it here:

http://www.naturalnews.com/022789.html

You'll also find a petition and some more.

What a bunch of sick f - - - s!!!! I cannot believe it.

Marilyn

what nonesense to put pregnant women on antidepressants.... Have a question for all of you who are in the process of cutting back - I keep having really good days, just when I think I'm ajusting to a new dose, only to be followed by not so good days. I'm like a yoyo all the time. Anyone else experiencing this?????

Been there, done that, got the teeshirt.......ABSOLUTELY. I still get little zaps sometimes, barely noticeable, but there. Still forgetful, not as bad at all. And I'm completely off for 3 weeks now. What yer goin' thru is exactly what happens, what's supposed to happen. KEEP ON TRUCKIN', BABY. Yer gonna make it!!!!

ok so this is my 5th day in a row taking ONLY 20 mg.. (a one inch line of beads for everyone familiar with MIKEMO'S method) & I am still having the worst headache and extreme anxiety :(

I want this to be over so bad.. I feel like i'm so close yet so far!!!!

Working has become almost impossible but somehow my 1 mg of Xanax helps me through.. I hate the way my head feels & I really really hope relief is on the way.

Should I continue on 20 mg for a little while longer or do my usual drop on friday??

I'm guessing this one would be the hardest going to NONE for Friday, then up to 15 mg Saturday & leveling off at 10 mg finally on Sunday.

No work until Monday for me so what do you guys think??

J-Dubs

Good morning Ems, Twisi, Marilyn and everyone else who is or wants to be Effexor free. Glad to hear that most of you are still doing well and hanging in there. The ones of you that are trying to get off, hang in there as well. It will get better and you will feel so much better for having gotten of Effexor. I know the first 2-3 weeks are the hardest, but I have been off for over 2 months and have had no side effects or any thing else bad. I feel better than I have felt in 2-3 years. I feel things I haven't felt in a long time and have more energy than I had for a while. So for all of you newbies, hang in there and stick with it!
Pam

Jdub:

Wait till yer withdrawals leave at 20mgs and then drop. Just one opionio for what it's worth.

Marilyn

hi all.


i've now been off effexor for about 7 weeks. i was on it for about 7 months (july '07 to jan '08).

i still think too much about how maybe i'm not quite right in the sexual department, but am doing better at just letting time pass by, and trying not to think too much about it. i think, over time, all of the side effects will slowly disappear (or so a psychiatrist told me).


question:

for those who have been off it a long time, or those who know someone who's been off it a long time....

is it normal for your sleep pattern to be up and down for awhile? i found that i slept pretty darn good when coming off effexor, and for the 2 or 3 weeks when off completely.

but lately, i seem to sleep only about 4-5 hours. then i wake up and don't feel like i can go back to sleep. i'm not terribly tired when i wake up real early, but i always feel like i could use another hour or two. and the 'blues' seem to be the worst when laying in bed early in the morning. getting up isn't exactly my favorite time of the day, so i always try to go back to sleep a little bit.

usually, after a couple nights of not-so-great sleep, i might sleep an extra hour or 2 on the 3rd or 4th night.....probably because my body is so damn tired.

it's obvious that i still have a little anxiety, and at times i can feel it. so, surely this contributes to me waking up early.

but i'd love to hear someone say that their sleep pattern has gotten back to normal.

it's hard to find success stories on the internet of people who have been off effexor for many months or years. i know there must be thousands....but they're probably feeling too good to think about posting their story online.

those of you who have been off effexor for awhile or know people who have been off for awhile and are feeling good, we'd love to hear from you. share with us the timeline of your sleep or anxiety or other side effects getting better after being off effexor.

some on this board have said they feel good now, but i'd like to hear how many weeks or months it took for you to get to a consistent comfort zone.

thanks!

I think im about a month off....and still not 100%.

Last few nights I woke up at 3 am and could not go back to sleep. My moods are unpredictable to say the least. I get angry at the most ridiculous things. Not sure why.

My body aches from time to time and I cannot tell whether its e - related or just old age.

I do look forward - always - forward to the day when i am healthy and free from all this - and its what keeps me working out and eating healthy.

My tenant saw me today and said - 'you look great - what have you been doing?' So, that my friends is what makes it worth it.

Bless you all. Pam, Marilyn, EMS, jdubs, funkytown and all my friends.

TWISI,
i wish you the best :) i myself have also been suffering.. i cannot wait to be off this.

today i went furniture shopping with my boyfriend after dropping to 5 mg just for today & i was a total mess. i felt so dizzy & could barely even focus enough to look at anything. anytime a sales person tried to ask us if we needed any help i choked out just enough words to say we were just looking & i honestly dont even know how i was able to pull that off.

im so sick of this up & down.

im stuck on this rollercoaster for atleast a lil longer, up to 15 mg tomorrow & then leveling off at 10mg sunday for my last week & then off completely.

i hope i am ok, i feel alright right now because of my 1mg of xanax but when i dont take it for a day i am an anxiety filled mess. hopefully its just withdrawal anxiety much like the headache, nausea, etc. i'm only 24 & i just want my life back.

Guys,
I'm still feeling very mild zaps, but the rest is gone. EXCEPT that my shoulders, neck, are stiff, even though I've been to Physical Therapy about 5 times now. It's helped a great deal, and the therapist is stumped as to the cause. He keeps trying to figure out if it's a disc in my neck, or just severe muscle spasms. I don't fit the profile of a disc problem, yet traction seems to really help. I have one spot in my left shoulder and another in my neck on the left side that are extremely sensitive. Playing the accordion, as you can imagine, is hard. The instrument weighs 24 pounds and I have to strap it across my shoulders and back. Thankfully, I don't have issues of anxiety or depression, and the hot flashes are very, very mild, compared to the soaking sweats I had while on the crap. The best part is that I don't have to take it anymore!! And after a while, once the acute phase is over, ya start to feel 'normal,' and that you've really accomplished something pretty swell by going thru it! I just started a Biggest Loser Challenge to try to drop the 25lbs I've gained on the med. I must say that just taking care of myself feels better, and I'm more confident of my ability to not give in to urges to eat at night. I could not control the eating at all while on the med!! I'll let you all know if I've lost weight at all in the last week. I've been very worried that my BMI was affected, and that losing the weight will be impossible. I've also noticed that the drowsiness I felt continually while on effexor is going away!!!

So hang in there folks. This is a haul, but it's also an accomplishment!!!

Accordionlady (aka: Marilyn)

Hey all,
im at about 6 weeks effexor free now and for the most part im doing fine.

to answer your questions funkytown... there have been other issues which i think have contributed to sleep loss recently so im not sure if this is E related - but here goes...

i have had incredibly severe itching the last 3 weeks or so to the point that some nights i havent had more than 3 hours sleep. doctor has prescribed me strong antihistamines which have now helped. im going for an allergy test in a weeks time. she suspects yeast intolerance and this may also explain what i previously thought was ibs - tummy cramps, diarrhea, constipation, feeling really full when only eating a tiny amount, fatigue, etc etc. so we will see. but on top of this ive now got a cold and have been waking between 3 and 5 most mornings coughing. so at the moment i dont think sleep loss is E related. when i was on E i used to sleep really really well come to think of it.

anyways, enjoy your weekend girls and guys!

ems xx

well i leveled off today at 10 mg & all is well when i am home i feel fine, when i go out though i am overcome with anxiety. not sure if this is a temporary withdrawal symptom or not but i am trying to stay positive. benadryl has really helped me sleep so i am thankful for that. anyone have any good advice for coming off the last 10mg??

good luck all!
j-dubs