Effexor withdrawl and symptoms, please help _{Page 27 of 140}

Goodmorning all. It is a beautifully sunny day here, and the day looks like it will be perfect temperature. I have never thought about skiping work so much in my life!! (*Sigh)
Sheila thank you for your kind words. And of course congrats on doing so well with the 18mg. I was doing it slowly as well and I found it helped me go through it with less pain and agrivation. Speaking of that, I have been on 9mg for 5 days now, and last night I forgot to take my dose! OOPS! But the thing is, I didn't really notice. And today I really don't feel much of a difference. Normally I feel it around the time I have to take it. But I didn't. I was a little freaked out this morning when I woke up and realized that I had forgotten the E! I was really afraid of the w/d I would get. But I am doing ok!That's a good sign I think....
I guess if I start feeling rotten then I will just have to take it as it comes. I have been jogging 4 times a week for the past 2 weeks now, so I hope to keep that up. I find that it helps, and I crave it if I don't get to do my jog! Maybe it will help me lose weight for *!#% sakes! LOL I really just wanna get in better shape. I mean it's the summer and I don't like feeling uncomfortable with myself. So that is going to change.
Oh and I have mentioned it before, but I have to say again how much I love CSI. I really do. I watched a rerun last night that I had seen twice already because I love it so much!

Anyway, I hope that you all have a nice day and that you are all doing well.

Love and prayers and lot's of hugs,
xoElena

good morning all!!

it's been a busy week, i really haven't had the opportunity to read the posts with more than a glance...

here we are another week almost finished again, steph's boyfriend arrives by 4pm today, he is surprising her, she has no clue, he wants to pick her up from the train!!!It will make her day!

You are all in my thoughts, keep that "pool boy" in line!!
~dawn

Wow, I just started feeling really crappy. I think the missed pill has kicked in high gear. I am so drowsy and dizzy, and slow witted! It takes me a while to compute things. Also I am super sore. I feel like I need to shake my head a bit to wake up. But it doesn't work. I am having hot and cold flashes. But I know it's deffinatly not "the change." Maybe I do need to keep weaning. I feel so pathetic! I'm on such a low dose! Why do I need to keep weaning?? I can't believe I am still getting w/d from such a LOW dose. That's bad.
I think I may just have to skip my jog tonight too, I feel so weak. I could just fall asleep right here....

Hope you all are having a good day.
Hugs
Xo Elena

elena
unfortunately, the missed dose is kicking in....once you totally stop giving your body E...the w/d will begin

when you get home, don't fight the feelings, just rest as best you can, seems like day day 4/5 are the worst, which should take you through the weekend, hopefully you have no commitments & you can just relax & keep drinking the water....be positive, so many of your friends on this post have been there & they will support you....steph did not take an E on Sunday, but Monday evening around 10pm she became dizzy & that was the start of the w/d's...be positive...you at least know what to expect so don't be frightened, by Tuesday, you should be feeling much better

Take care of yourself, Hugs to you too!!!!
~dawn

Elena, I have feeling the same way for 3 days now. I feel like I am in a fog. I have no energy. I am taking about 4 mg. I am going to wait until Monday to stop completly. We are in the middle of moving "stuff" out of the garage and painting it. Tomorrow, I am supposed to have a yard sale and go to have some lab work done. I feel like I am in another world and can't get out.
I can't imagine it being too much worse.
We shall see.
Bonnie

Goodmorning all.
It is cloudy and misty this morning, as we all prepare for a humid firey hot day of 36 degrees with the humidex.
Good to hear from you Bonnie and Dawn. Thank you Dawn for the encouragement. Bonnie it seems like we are pretty much in the same place right now. I'm going to cut to 4mg tomorrow and then go off it after 5 days. Little scary I have to say.
I am so tired today it is ridiculous.*Thank god it's finally Friday. I have no energy and I just want to crawl back into bed. My muscles are so sore. But I am going to try to work out anyway. I really wanna lose this belly of mine. It's driving me nuts!
Hope you all are having a great day: )
And have a great weekend: )
Love and Hugs
xoElena

Good morning, all.

Elena, I had so much muscle soreness, but I found that working through it with exercise -- aerobic, strength, and stretching -- helped me a lot. I still do the baths, too.

I'm having a hard time because I don't feel like an Effexor withdrawal success story. Yes, I'm 28 days off the drug, but I'm not totally without odd sensations in my body, and I think I should be by now. I get little tingles and zaps and some burning pains in my legs and butt, and although I know there is nothing physically wrong with my body -- I can run, swim, work, etc. -- I just don't like it. And then with my panic symptoms showing up again, which manifest as all those things I've described, so who's to know what it what? I'm sad that I'm not a bundle of positive energy right now and am not wanting to bring anyone down on this list. You all who are still titrating are doing great, and I'm eager for your end of E.

It was so hot yesterday I turned on my AC to sleep last night. Today will ONLY be 85, 11 degrees down from yesterday. :-D

Laurel

Laurel,
It's nice to know my body isn't just falling apart! I will try to do more stretching and work through it as you do. I think that may help. Do you find you have lost any inches? I really want to but I can't seem to get it off! I gained 40 pounds from this, and I have never gained that much before I was on the med, especially since I exercise. Hmmm. Not happy about that. I want to at least lose 20 pounds. I would feel so much better if I could.
I ran out of episom salts last night! I so wanted a bath too! Rats! Oh well, I'll have to get some today. I'm sorry to hear that you're feeling down. I know how you feel. My anxiety has been acting up too. I really dislike it. (Obviously, who wouldn't!)But don't worry about not being positive,if you were all smiles all the time, I would be a little freaked out by you! LOL Just kidding, but seriously feeling down after such a huge step you have taken (getting off the E) is totally normal. Your body and mind have been put through alot. So it may take a little while for you to repair.
Chin up beautiful, YOU are doing so well!

Hugs
xoElena

Elena and Naria,
Have you thought about using apple cider vinegar therapy. It is the one of the main ingredients in my cholesterol tonics which I have been doing along with weaning down from the E. One of the sources that I read says this about ACV: Besides helping you to lose weight, apple cider vinegar has man.y other natural health benefits such as; Boosting the metaolism, lowering the cholesterol, fighting osteoporosis, it is a natural antibiotic, it increases energy, releaves arthiritis, detoxifies the body, promotes anti-aging, and combats infection.
I have taken ACV off and on over the past few years and it has made me feel better. Maybe it is one of the reasons I have had a fairly good withdrawalso far. - Cat

Hello,


Thank you for this forum. I know I'm not crazy. I've been weaning off Effexor for several weeks. I'm at the point where I'm not taking anymore. It's been about 5 days without anything. The support from everyone makes me hope that I will get back to "normal" - symptom free. Today is very hard. The brain zaps are mild today but the depression is very intense today. My husband does not understand so I read the previous postings and begin to feel better. I realize that I'm not alone in this personal hell. All of you understand. I have been working out everyday pretty hard which seems to help me focus better and simply feel better. However, I have gained 5 lbs this week. I don't get it. I need to try this apple cider tonic. I just feel bloated beyond belief. I'm just hoping that this terribly "low" feeling will go away soon. It's just a bad day today.

hello everyone..my wife has been taking effexor for almost 5 years, 150 mg per day..the reason for her trying effexor was a visit to a doctor concerning a feeling of depression about aspects of her job, her relationship with her mother, and some shortcomings with my responsibilities as a husband and father. on thursday, she informed me of the problems that people were having trying to kick this drug. She has been trying to lose some weight through change in diet and moderate exercise (she has gained 60 pounds while on it).
Nothing is working for her and
she admitted that she might have taken bad advice when choosing to start using effexor(my wife was never diagnosed as having any clinical depression). I am racked with guilt, watching my
precious love after only 3 days starting to incur what all of you refer to as the inability to focus, the twitching and bad dreams, a "floating" feeling in her brain..she said that she did not want to ween herself, choosing the turkey option..i am acting as her nurse, to the best of my ability (we timed this to start with my vacation beginning today). I am afraid of the worst case scenarios occurring to her. Is there anyone else out there who was prescribed effexor but feels that simple changes made by their loved ones or at work would have been just as effective? Do you now feel trapped by this drug? My wife only trusted the advice of a doctor, who said she would cope easier with the effexor..and i can only sit and blame myself for letting her down..and help her with this private hell. We think that we made a huge mistake when we invited effexor into our home.

Marc C - welcome to our site. Your wife should not be doing cold turkey from 150 mg. It would be a lot easier on her if she did it gradually by reducing the amount of the Effexor. Have you read all of the posts on this site. Go back to the beginning and you will see that the people who went cold turkey have suffered the withdrawal the most. For a lot of us, Effexor really helped in the beginning but later became a burden. There are many of us who were on it for less than serious depression (and I am one of them). If you went through a family doctor, they often don't know the ramifications of this drug and trust the drug company's advice on withdrawal - NO!! The majority of us on this site have gained weight. Why, we don't know.
Don't feel guilty about what is happening, you are doing the best you can. But please read all the advice here in this forum. It has helped a great many of us. Good luck to you, and keep us posted on how things are going - Cat

thank you granny!

kelly will be 96 hours without effexor this evening..she watched tv and sat on the deck for awhile this morning. keep your fingers crossed for us.

Will be leaving for Orlando tomorrow am. Be back on Friday. Will catch up then. - Sheila

Hi Marc, I agree with Catgranny about your wife withdrawing too fast. I really hope she is doing better. I have been weaing since the first of January.
I am down to about 4 mg. a day. It is not easy. I really admire anyone that can do it, but at the same time, I don't think it is a good idea.
Also, please don't beat yourself up. You have enough going on in your life right now. Besides, we all make mistakes, (we are Human), and we just need to learn from them. Sounds like you are a very good person and husband.
Keep us up on how she is doing and we will try and help you and her.

Bonnie

Marc and Aimee,
Welcome to this forum. It has been a haven for all of us. Aimee I understand that you are going through a rough time, but I promise it will get better. What was the last dose you took? Try not to worry and take some time to read the posts on this site. You will see that you are not alone. And there are many tips to help with this process.Episom Salt baths, chaser for dizziness, working out, and other stuff ; )
Marc, the same goes for you, read up and check out the tips that we have shared. Maybe your wife can benifit from some of the suggestions offered here. And as Cat said, she should be weaning down from the meds. It may take longer but it will not harm her as much. I like Bonnie am currently at 9mg going to 4mg tomorrow. We have both split the pills ourselves and divided up the proper amounts. We put it in yogurt or applesauce.
And please don't beat yourself up. You are there for her at this crutial time and I'm sure she must appreciate it so much. It is the worst going through this without someone who understands. I commend you for researching information on this for your wife. That shows how much you love her.

Hello to all the regulars,and those who haven't been on in a while. You know who you are! I hope you all had a great weekend! Bonnie, glad to see your hanging in there.
Sara! How are you doin? How is pregnant life treating you? Bee, hows the job? Jami how is the house? Lori the catering job? How did it go? Fantastic I'm sure! Laurel, are you still sore? How are you feeling?
Dawn, how are things at home? Work? How's Steph?
Cat hope you had a great time in Orlando.

Thinking of you all,

Hugs
xoElena

Elena,

My psychologist initially told me to take my 150 every other day for a week and then stop. I knew after skipping one day that it was not the right approach. So, I took half a pill for two days then a third, then a fourth, and then about 20 little beads (I have the capsules) everyother day for about 5 days. I did this over a few weeks. I'm sure much too quickly, but slower than what was recommended to me. I wish I had found this site before I came up with my own plan. Everything was ok until I stopped all together. I guess I'm on day seven without any. I have been taking the Epsom baths and working out hard about an hour a day. I realize I HAVE to do workout in the morning to help "set" my mind for my day. It is really helping. The brain zaps are decreasing (or I'm just getting used to them). The drunk feeling comes and goes at weird times. The bloating or appearance of a pregnant belly is still here. I'm thinking about taking a pregnancy test to make sure. That is why I started to get off of this b/c my husband and I are thinking about having another child. I meet with my psychologist tomorrow and I am planning on trying to convince him to stop recommending Effexor. I initially started taking it b/c of OCD.

I'm sorry I'm going on and on. It helps alot. Well, off to work. I hope my focus will be good today!

Also, Marc, I admire you for the wonderful support you are giving your wife. You are very special for what you are doing for her.
Aimee

Well just call me Ms. Mood swings. This morning I woke up happy, feeling good after a good nights rest, and now, I'm feeling so depressed and anxious, I could crawl under my desk. I am trying to keep in mind that I know what this is and why, but it is still hard. I still feel like crap. Could it be the lack of windows in my section? The Grande Non Fat Vanilla Latté I had this morning? The fact that I have been given more files that I have never worked on before? The stress with my parents right now? The fact that I am so angry at the weight I've gained and feel miserable about my body? I suppose it very well be a combination of things couldn't it?
Oh well. I'll just hang in there, and try to stay positive. I think that I have a terrible habit of worrying too much. Any suggestions on how to relax and stop worrying so damn much?
Actually, I do feel a bit better now, probably cause I wrote about it.

Hugs and prayers,

Queen of the Ramblers
*AKA Elena xo

Hi everyone, Elena, I am like you are too. Are you normally this way or do you think it is the weaning that is causing it?
I think the effexor kept us from having feelings and now you have them. I watched the movie Notebook this weekend.
I was so emotional. It is a very good movie. Wonderful love story.
I was going to stop my pills today, but I lost my nerve. I will probably just wean down to one little graule. I am a chicken.
Well, I have to finish my house cleaning.
Elena, hope you are feeling better.
Bonnie

Hello Bonnie,
Thank you for thinking of me.
I haven't always been this way, but it could very well be the weaning that is doing it. I too just wanted to stop this weekend. But I totally lost my nerve. After experiencing what I did when I went cold from 37.5 I couldn't do it. I will have to go down to a few beads. We'll be chickens together! LOL (We aren't really chickens. We're just careful!)It's funny how we're experiencing the same things isn't it?

Take care,
Hugs
xoElena

Hi, all,

Elena, I'm sore, but it's not my muscles. All that seems so much better, but nevertheless I'm having symptoms I had earlier when still on Effexor and starting titration. Tingling in my feet, odd sensations in my thighs and lower legs. Burning feelings.

I can't stop focusing on it. I don't know if it's still E withdrawal, although I'm off 5 weeks now, or what. I'm very depressed and anxious and sad that the happiness I felt earlier in this process has melted away. I had really hoped to be "normal" again.

Laurel

good evening, everyone. kelly has made it 5 days since quitting. i bought into the epsom salt and peroxide baths and have given her these baths the last two nights, with very relaxing results for her. after she towels off and lies down, i massage her for a few minutes. she claims that it feels like she is being rubbed down for the first time in her life. i have her taking a vitamin b12 pill the last three days as well. we went to the local wal-mart this evening and she had a dizzy spell and needed to go sit in the car. i feel it was probably a panic attack, but we have expected that. she seems to be progressing so well, do any of you think this
is just a false hope? will she
fall back from this improvement? or will she end up being the lucky one? i have her convinced to do a thesis for her master's program on the horrendous evil of the effexor drug. please ladies and gentlemen, if you have someone to offer their support and be by your side(plan around a weekend and throw in a few sick days), don't waste your time torturing yourself by weening, just burn them, throw them all away and pray and use these remedies and accept the love of your mate as the best medicine. kelly actually wants to try a half day of work tomorrow. i'm a little skeptical about this, God bless her and all of you fine individuals. most important thing to remember, none of this is your fault. you had no way of knowing this would be the payback. God bless you!

Day 20 w/o E.

Has anyone has massive crying spells? I really feel like I could cry about anything right now. Seems like my sense of emotional control has gone out the window. So frustrating!

frustrated, i have been doing quite a bit of reading on this. seratonin is located throughout the body..only about 5% is in your brain..because seratonin controls the happiness in you, any disturbance to that level causes the crying..your body will take awhile to regain its composure. my wife has tried to envision the crying as a release of the bad medicine leaving the body. you should be commended for making it 20 days alreay.

Welcome, new friends, and best wishes to you and all our other buddies here.

I likely won't have computer access tomorrow, as I'm taking the day off to get ready for my trip to IL on Thursday. My laptop still lays dormant until brain sugery or replacement can happen. Possibly at my aunt and uncle's in Northbrook I can peek in and see what's going on.

Hugs, love, and powerful courage to you special people,
Laurel

Interesting, Marc, about the serotonin being all through your body. It makes sense, but I'd never actually thought about it. Getting back to balance -- composure, as you call it; nice term -- will take time. I cry often, too, and I like the image of crying out the toxins. I also like the baths and swimming and other water things for creating an image of washing away the ICK. Even good breathing removes toxins and feeds the cells. A good workout gives me a boost.

I guess I'm here for the long, long haul. I can't think of better company. My doctor did ask me yesterday if I wanted to go back on E because of my anxiety. I just said NO, NO, NO. I still don't think she gets it that this is a dangerous pharmaceutical. Some people like it.