Effexor withdrawl and symptoms, please help _{Page 129 of 140}

KateJ,
Welcome and thanks for posting. Are your withdrawals improving fast enough? If not, please don't feel bad if you go back on even a few granules a day. But I know what you mean about having felt sedated for a few years. Sometimes I'm angry about it, but mostly I think maybe I needed to be sedated for awhile to slow me down enough that my brain could heal from all the stress I'd gone through.

I am down to 1/8th of a 37.5 twice a day (plus Prozac and Wellbutrin), for the last 2 1/2 weeks. I think I'm ready to drop the dose again, but I'm travelling this weekend and motion seems to make me worse.

Hey everyone,
Here's a new symptom of withdrawal: (anyone else have it???) If a sudden sound happens, I get about 1 second of vertigo/off balance. How wierd is that? It seems most prominent when I'm due for my next dose.

Cheers, AnneT

Annet: Could be this post out of scheme, but, my experience is as follows.....


I am wondering why could be posible that an Argentinian homeopathy professor ¿that they said that they are supossed the best.....!?¿were giving its patients SO HUGe and HIGH and VERY HIGH doses to the patientes in a way that is much or exactly the choice to make a proving on them.

1. Do not harm....

Would love your experts opinions on this.


Profesor Asociacion Homeopatica Argentina Juan Carlos Pellegrino.


Gope it helps

Albert.

Although I have some of the symptoms of withdrawal that many of you are having. I wanting to know if there is anyone who really is bothered by diarrhea that won't quit. I am into day 8 of my withdrawal with the first four days not being as bad as it is now with the diarrhea. Went from 150 mg to nothing. If so how long does this last? DESPARATE!

Ohmygosh, Abbie,
150 mg to nothing...no wonder you are ill! Start taking half (or more) of the 150 mg until you feel better. Then get to your doc and get a prescription for the 75 mg and 37.5 mg capsules and taper gradually. Don't torture yourself!

Then come back, and please tell us more...How long have you been on Effexor? Are you on anything else? What side effects do you have ON the Effexor? What prompted you to discontinue it? etc.

AnneT.

150 to nothing!!! indeed....
Listen to Anne and go down slowly. If you have been on for more than 3-4 years please do down to 75 every other day and keep the 150 for a month hen go to 75,, etc

also: the Book The MOOD CURE by Joan larson is very helpful!!!!

Peace and let us now how it goes

hang in there
Marty, MSW

Hi Abbie

I have been off effexor since March and it took me around 6 months to slowly come off and in that process I have had and still do have Diarrhea 8 months after getting off it. Before tapering off Effexor I was the opposite and would be more inclined to be constipated if anything. I did go to the doctor but where I live (Port Hedland, Western Australia) we don't have the best services and I didn’t really get an answer or diagnoses as to why this was happening so I just put up with it.

I strongly recommend you follow the advice of AnneT & Marty by tapering very slowly.

I used to write on this site awhile back and got lots of support to get off Effexor (was on it for 14 years, 150mgs) and I still read every post but have become lazy in not posting I just wanted to share about the Diarrhea.

Best wishes to all.
MandyC

Hi Abbie,

I also got diarrhea when dropping my dosage.
Have you had any other symptoms?
I did attempt to drop from 150mg to nil and had THE WORST withdrawal symptoms. I had to have 2 days off work and couldn't relax or sleep for that time.
If the diarrhea is the only symptom you have then I think you are lucky (even though I know it's far from pleasant).

Hang in there.
We are all here for you to help.

Kelly

Hello all,
I thought I would post my recent progress...

So I successfully got off Effexor without any side effects (besides the odd crying fit and some diarrhea)...only to hit a wall a few months later...that wall was my original Anxiety returning and going back into a dark place again...the 5-HTP helped me get off and helped me coast along for awhile...but it just wasn't cutting like the Effexor did unfortunately...so I decided to go back onto the Effexor...only to find that my body was totally rejecting it and actually began to increase my Anxiety severely enough that I had to rush to a walk-in to be instantly prescribed Ativan and Wellbutrin....Arrrrgggghhhh....

I had to stay home for 4 days straight...until I rebalanced again....the Wellbutrin worked OK but I wasn't feeling as relaxed as I did on the Effexor...

I then switched to Lexapro (Cipralex in Canada) and so far so good...I feel this drug is alot cleaner than the Effexor...but I just wish that I could find a Homeopathic Combination that would work instead....

Oh well...so much for the 'Evil Big Pharma'...so far...their posion is the only thing that seems to work for me anyway...

BTW...the Kava Kava...didn't do much for me...

I have been reading up on the 'Pharma' side of things...and it appears that Prozac has been used quite successfully for Effexor's 'Discontinuation Syndrome'....although again...as I have been learning...every 'body' is different....

Take care and good luck...

P.S. Has anyone else on the Effexor noticed that they craved alcohol while on it and that their tolerance for alcohol went through the roof...???...Now that I am on the Lexapro...I find I drink very little compared to what I did while on the Effexor...

Mandy,
Thanks so much for checking in on us. What was your lowest dose before you went to nothing? Were on anything else at the time?

Abbie, 5HTPman, Kelly,
I haven't had problems with diarrhea, but tend to be the other way. I dropped my dose to 3.75 mg twice a day yesterday (from about 4.5 twice a day.) My brain got into it's existential 'what's the use?', woe is me, frame last night,but I'm feeling a little better today.

I don't think my alcohol tolerance or craving is different in regards to med doses. My cravings definitely go down when I have done some creative work.

5HTPman,
For anxiety...so complex...but I've heard good things about 'The Anxiety and Social Phobia Workbook', and found 'Mind over Mood' a very helpful book (though I hate the title). I am still prone to the anxiety that comes from huge expectations of myself. The biggest help for me was finally ditching the job that I dreaded going to. (I once had a pneumothorax, and my most prominent thought was 'Yay! I don't have to go to work tomorrow.' Yeah...I'd rather have a hole in my lung than go to work...that should have been a bit of message.)

Regarding the Prozac to help with the Discontinuation Syndrome - for me it has literally been a life saver. I am on just 10 mg a day of liquid Prozac, and it has really helped. Check out my previous posts if you want more detail!

One more thing that I am very excited about - 'A Course in Miracles' and 'A Return to Love' (2nd one by Marianne Williamson). These books seem to be re-training my brain to peace/calmness, and just looking at things in a different way. Anyone else read them? 5HTPman, these books are helping my remnants of anxiety.

AnneT

Hi Anne

I was on 2mgs for a couple of weeks before I stoped completely. I used Mikemo's method of splitting the capsules but I didn't do the spike drop method. I took such a long time to come off Effexor because I couldn't deal with the withdrawals. I didn't use anything else but did have fish oil which I couldn't take as I can't swallow capsules that big (attempted suicide when I was in my teens and now I have a problem taking pills of any form).
Oh I am a wine drinker also.
MandyC

Mandy C.:

Hello, I am not sure if you remember me, but we were withdrawing about the same time.

As an update, my leg pain remains - off and on - even after all this time. I had some dizziness but the doctor told me it was BPPV (Benign Paroxyml Positional Vertigo).

My gut tells me that Effexor triggers screwy things in the brain receptors and I wonder if they will ever go back to normal.

Sometime I feel like I am eighty years old and it stinks. I haven't worked in a year and this economy isn't helping. I have begun volunteering at a shelter for cats and that is definitely helping my moods.

I help my teacher at the college with setting up chemicals in the darkroom in return for classes, so that helps too.

All in all, I guess it could be worse. I just wish I hadn't ever taken this evil drug.

Whats new with you?

Hi Twisi,
I am a family doc (but on this forum as a patient!) and also would likely have attributed your dizziness (if it's like mine) to BPV. My severe vertigo attacks are controlled by Prozac while I am coming off Effexor. Yikes! that you still get dizzy. How long have you been off Effexor? What was your last dose before you were able to stop completely?
Thanks,
AnneT

P.S. Twisi, I also began to have leg and body pains that seem to be of a fibromyalgia nature, after being on the Effexor for a couple of years. Not sure if it is the Effexor, related to depression, or is a true fibromyalgic sort of thing going on. Seems to get me after travel, sleep disruption, if I don't exercise enough (but once it's there, exercise makes it worse, initially.)

Hi Twisi

Yep I sure do remember you. You helped me with some care and information on me grieving over my cat.

I know you had a hard time with the leg pains so it must be very daunting to still have this problem so far after being off E. I haven’t experienced any dizziness but may have low blood pressure as I get all those black dots in front of my eyes when moving to quick. To be honest I agree that E does screw things up in ones brain and I’m starting to believe this will be permanent forever.
I have had severe bouts of depression on and off and almost decided to go back on E but I have always refused to ever touch that stuff again and I am glad I didn’t break.
I am not severely depressed at the moment but I’m not happy either. I have been seeing a counsellor for around 4-5 months and that is a great help but expensive.
I agree with the feeling of being very old. I am still extremely lazy, I have no get up and go, no motivation. My fiancée is really great which I appreciate cause I do very little to maintain our house sometimes I wonder when and if he will snap.

Volunteering at a cat shelter must bring you allot of satisfaction that you a helping especially in an area you love, a nice warm fuzzy feeling. If I remember correctly (I’m not sure if I have) you didn’t like leaving the house so to be able to do volunteering and help at the college is HUGE. Sometimes we miss the progress we have made until someone tells us.

My fiancée and I were going to get married this year but we have put off the wedding mainly because I don’t want to be so big on my wedding day (sounds stupid but it’s important to me and I am so lazy and drink far to much wine still).

How are you and hubby going?

I agree things could be allot worse for me also and I always wonder what I would be like if I never had touched E and if it would make me a different person today.

Best wishes Twisi

Mandy-

The thing that gets me so angry is the fact that this poison has destroyed SO MANY lives and we are defenseless against the likes of Wyeth.

I to suffer from lack of motivation. I was the person who went to the gym every day -regardless. Now, if I make it once a week, I am doing well.

I also began drinking too much. I now vow to only - drink on the weekend. That is a start, and its not easy. The first downturn in my mood and I want to reach for it.

Being unemployed for a year is awful, but volunteering is a way for me to feel useful. I am meeting someone next week to talk about becoming a vet technician.

Last night I came home from the shelter - my back killing me - and I laid into my husband about something stupid. These bouts of insane iritability where I scream my head off are so strange.

I do not feel Thankful this year. I think the only time I will be thankful is when Wyeth pays the price for destroying my life.

side note: the doctor who prescribed this stuff, was let go by her group practice for abusing drugs.

nice - huh?

I am so sorry about your wedding. Lets make a pact.
Lets both get up off our butts and do SOME form of exercise today. Even if its a long walk. Lets do it. Report back. Remember what you want most and don't let this become a hindrance. Life is short.

Talk to you soon Mandy.
Twisi

Twisi

Totally agree about Wyeth they have destroyed/taken so many lives and will continue to do so without any of us being able to stop them and any form of guilt on their side. It hurts to no we have put trust in a medication to help us to find out years later we won't recover emotionally/physically from this crap.

That's great if you can only drink on the weekend but I know this must be very hard to maintain (how did you discipline yourself to not only start but to maintain this stance?), last night my fiancée and I were talking about maybe I can pick two nights a week to start with that are alcohol free, I’ve chosen Monday & Wednesday nights starting next week (wonder how I will feel when it gets to those nights). I too run to the bottle when my moods are bad but regardless of my mood I drink a minimum of a bottle of wine every night. It’s hard cause my fiancée has brought us tennis rackets months ago to go have a bit of a fun hit so I can get some exercise but every time he mentions it on a given day I have an excuse, I also live 3 mins from the beach which is ideal for walking and just chilling out for a while but I never seem to be able to push myself to go for that walk. I pleaded and begged my fiancée to get the house we are living in cause it’s so close to the beach and out of nearly the 2 years we have been there I have probably been to the beach around 5 times. This makes me feel guilty.
So in saying that I will make that pact with you to at least go for a nice long walk this afternoon when I get home from work and I will report back hopefully with a yep I did it.

Yeah some days I want a punching bag where I can smash it to get my anger out, I tend to bottle it up and then have an explosion. I am much better at controlling this now and I think that is because I am seeing what I believe to be a great counsellor. The counsellor is for myself and my fiancée and it has done us wonders we have never been closer, of course we still have our little fights but they aren’t anything like they used to be. I am not better with my emotions though. The most stupid stuff makes me cry and I hate it, it can be happy or sad but I am not able to control it and this embarrassed me cause it can happen in public.

Is your hubby supportive of your moods? I no in this global crisis it must be very hard not working but I am glad you are doing things in your life give you some satisfaction, a vet technician sounds like it would be right up your alley. Good luck with that Twisi.

I will report back tomorrow hopefully with the good news that I got my butt out of the house and went for a long walk.

Thanks for checking back in it has given me a smile and it’s very nice support.

Mandy

Hello Mandy and Twisi,

I have been reading up on the net concerning Alcohol and Effexor and it seems that a lot of people on it have increased their alcohol intake dramatically. Before I began the Effexor I used to drink very little...like 2-3 beers when I went out with friends...maybe once a week if I was lucky...after starting the Effexor...I had been drinking close to 10 beer a night every night...and my motivation went out the window...I found that I did not crave alcohol during the day while I was at work...but as soon as I got home...I needed to drink...just to get myself to sleep...now that I am on the Lexapro I find my drinking has gone down dramatically and that I am almost back to where I began...I believe that the Effexor triggers Alcohol cravings in some users...

Take care and good luck...

Mandy and 5HTPMan01

Mandy: I went to spin class yesterday and today I am going to the gym - to do something - i don't know what, but something. If I get dressed and go there - thats all it takes. I figure anything is better than nothing. I have to really force myself NOT to reach for the wine bottle. It was the same as you - a bottle a night. I started researching the calories in that wine and looking at myself in the mirror and I knew that I had to cut back. I had to tell myself that I wanted to lose that weight and the only way that would happen is to stop the wine. My diet isn't horrible, so that is where I began. You have to want the change. Yes. I do weaken from time to time, but overall its better. I drink tons of hot green tea. Did you take that walk? If not. Do it today. Have only two glasses of wine instead of a bottle.

5HTP: same to you. cut it in half. Sleeping is very difficult for me as well and that too is a big part of why I drank. I cannot go back on a drug, but I am glad it worked for you. We have to change and we have to start exercising to help us sleep - instead of drinking to help us sleep.

Effexor can kiss my butt.

Mandy


FYI:

120 calories per glass of white wine. Multiply that by 4 or 5. Then add the sugar and carbs. I have a photo of myself in a swimsuit - at the height of my drinking with effexor. I look at that horrible sight whenever I want a drink. Its enough to stop me.

I don't want to look like a big bloated drunk. I want to be healthy and fit and so do you. So let yourself have that. Love yourself enough to be a healthy person so you can plan that wedding and be a slim beautiful bride. Your fiance is trying. (my husband bought tennis racquets too.... but my elbow killed me ... and I never did it again). You have to do it for yourself.

Pick out some music you love and put it on your ipod and take that walk. It will lift your spirits.

Im certain you can do it.

Til tomorrow,
Colleen

Anne T

Its been quite some time (8 mos?) since I went completely off the drug. My last dose was very low. I down very slowly. Taking out bits of the capsule every two weeks. I must have been down to three or four when I went completely off.

Yes, the pain is so annoying. I used to be the everready bunny girl - even at 50. Now I feel like I am eighty. I limp when I wake up in the morning. My back hurts. I raked the other day and my shoulder kept me awake for two nights.

It seems that once I have pain - it stays. Could something in the brain cause you to feel pain worse than is normal? Because thats what it seems like.

Well Im going to the gym now. Wish me luck. Hopefully I can get out of bed tomorrow.

Happy Thanksgiving to all,
Colleen

FOR Colleen and other members with physical pain.

Fortunately I do not have this effect of coming off efffexor..However I do know in my bodywork practice and also from the books by Dharma singh Khalsa, MD (The pain cure) and Joan Larson, PhD (the Mood cure) that taking amino acids help with the pain.

I fact I am convinced that effexor messes with our brain chemistry so much that we need to take aminos for several months during and after coming off effexor evil drug.... DL Phenelanaline and also 'free form aminos 'all 16 of them.' Are good places to look into...

Also Yoga...not the power yoga but gentle yoga focusing on breathing and postures to get th ebody to a state of self healing....

You all (fellow members) are inspiring for me and its an honor to post with you.

Marty in CHarlotte

Hi Colleen,
I did have neck pain before I went on Effexor, and chronic pain seems to run in my family. Pain can be part of the depression picture (and depression can be part of the fibromyalgia picture.) My own doctor has noticed in his practice that the fibromyalgia 'types' seem to be either those who've never exercised a day in their lives, or the energizer bunny types. I'm the latter, also. Maybe the Effexor made it worse, or maybe we were going to get it anyway. I don't know. But, yes, absolutely, chronic pain is definitely not just in the muscles, but also in the nerves and brain.

The mainstay of treating FM is consistent amounts of exercise and a GRADUAL increase in exercise (we bunnies don't do gradual!) and making sure the sleep cycle is good. Bummer that alcohol, especially red wine, wrecks the sleep cycle. I agree with Marty, that yoga can help (just be gentle with yourself), and supplements. I don't have the experience with the amino acids, but it makes sense in terms of nerve firing. I was helped with mega vitamins/supplements, as outlined in a book, I think it was called The Fibromyalgia Cure or something like that. I don't have full blown FM, but definitely have weeks where my muscles are very tender and sore, unlike anything I had experienced prior to a few years ago.
More later! Thanks for these 'conversations'!
AnneT

Hi Everyone,

I have been reading your posts on body pains. I am down to 37.5mg from 150mg and have been getting really bad aches in my joints when I sleep. Especially my elbows. I was putting it down to my pregnancy but now I wonder if it could be a side effect of withdrawal?

Kelly

Colleen

I would like to say I went for that walk but I didn't. I've let myself down but its Saturday for me tomorrow so I thought while my fiancée goes to work I will get up and walk along the beach. Gee 120 calories per glass of white wine that’s allot it’s no wonder over the last few years I have put on that much weight, I was slim back then & now I’m borderline obese. My diet isn’t bad either so it’s exercise and cutting back on the wine that will make the initial shift and I no once I’ve started and get the feel good feelings it will motivate me to continue, it's the starting part that is hard. I really do like the idea of a fatty photo of myself that I can look at to give that extra push and motivation. I really love your outlook Colleen you are very supportive. I will post again tomorrow and this time it will be after I’ve been for a long walk.

5-HTP MAN 01
I don’t believe that my intake of alcohol has increased since stopping Effexor but I know of allot of people who have said there intake has increased. I never drank alcohol till about 3 ½ years ago and I guess the feelings of happiness when I drank consumed me to get to a point where I am today. I don’t crave alcohol during the day ever but I’m the same the moment I walk in that door from work I feel I need a drink. On the nights I don’t drink very much I can’t go to sleep but most of the time when I do drink allot I get to sleep easy but I am always awake by 3.30-4am and can’t go back to sleep.

Colleen, Anne, Kelly, Bodyworker, 5-HTP MAN
I have been wondering if Effexor has something in it that suppresses pain regardless of where the pain is. Tapering off Effexor I noticed and still do notice that at that time of the month I get severe stomach pain and I didn’t have this on Effexor but I did have it before I ever took Effexor. I get aches and pains which make me feel like I’m old especially after sitting in one spot for awhile, even the odd headache I get seems excruciating which was never the case when on Effexor. Could Effexor have suppressed pain in our body?

Take care all
MandyC

For Mandy,

Yes effexor can suppress pain and is often dispensed for chronic pain (Based on personal research - nothing clinical).. Once that strong poison gets in you lond enough it changes your brain chemistry and physiology as well.. SO I think you are right.... Maybe take some L Tyrosine and L tryptophan o eplace the effexor? SO far its helping me..... Is it not weird, angry causing, ans also an opportunity to work with our bodies like this?

It does suck but it is what it is for us... Might as well do th ebest we can...

Be well all...gobble gobble

mandy-------

how have you been doing? everyone fell off the face of the earth?