Effexor withdrawl

Hi fellow effexor patients,

I am currently going through some serious withdrawl from effexor xr at this time.  I was put on this med back in the fall. Like many of you I have tried sooooo many different anti-depressant meds it's ridiculous.  I do have depression, but what I suffer with the most is SAD, seasonal affective disorder even though I live in Florida.  As soon as the daytime hours start to shorten I start feeling the drag on  my body until I get to the point of not being able to function or cope  I also take "Klonopin" for anxiety and PST.  Anyway, this drug worked almost immediately when I started it last fall.  My mistake was not reading up on side effects and especially withdrawl!  Today I got up and really felt like I wanted to go to the hospital.  The shocks have become so severe that I am starting to worry that I may be having convulsions or mini-strokes.  My lips, teeth, face go numb momentarily.  I'm getting a hissing sound in my ears when the shocks come. My Dr. has been of no help, she wanted to up me instead of weaning me down.   I started having the shocks while taking my regular dose of 150mg,now does that make any sense to up the dose?  Especially when you read the warnings about reporting any symptoms such as shocks to your Dr.!  So we have been weaning me down over a four week period and I'm now on week 3 of weaning which is 371/2mg every other day.  I don't know how long I can do this.  I refuse to go back up on this med!  If fact if ever asked by anyone who was considering this med I'd say run for the hills and don't touch it.

Has anyone of you found anything at all that has helped you wean off this medication?  Has your doc maybe put you on some type of sedative?  Any help would be greatly appreciated, I'm desperate to stop these feelings.  Thank-you for being here    Catwhisperer

Hi catwhisper, I am so sorry that your going through these terrible side effects of weening from your medications.  All of the antidepressants I have been on have been terrible to come off of and it would take several weeks for the effects to wear off.  However, I have heard that Effexor has some of the worst side effects of them all...which is scary since I myself take it now and worry about the day I may have to stop it even though it is working great for me now.

Your doc may of suggested upping the dosage while weening as perhaps since your side effects are so severe for you that it dosage may be too low at this point and you need to ween off the med at a slow pace.  It all depends on how your brain chemicals are reacting to the loss of having the medication in your system.  It is very harsh and difficult to go through that is why going off these medications is a good idea to take it slow and follow the doctors orders.  You mentioned that you take Klonopin?  Since this is a benzodiazepine derivative you may ask your doctor if you can have some leay way with how you take it during this process as I am sure it will help counteract alot of these symptoms that your having now.  Please do let us know how your getting along and feel free to post here as often as you like we are always here.  Take care

Hey, just wanted to chime in here, since we are on the subject of Effexor, and my doc has been gradually upping my dose, I have noticed that I am getting some really fierce night sweats. As in, I wake up drenched and go through a set of pyjamas every night.

Does anyone else have this problem?  I have heard, strictly anecdotally, that this is one of those oh-so-wonderful side effects of Effexor.  Is this true?  Will it pass eventually, or should I just go ahead and invest in some rubber sheets now?

Sign me,

All Wet

Well, I am being treated for chronic depression. For about five years I was on Zoloft @200 mg. a day. about a month ago, I went through a "poop out" on that regimen and crashed really hard. I felt so bad I nearly checked myself into the hospital, although I had no health insurance at the time. To address the fact that the Zoloft had stopped working, my doctor started me on Effexor. She is gradually reducing my Zoloft and increasing my Effexor. I am now down to 100 milligrams of Zoloft per day, and up to 75 milligrams of Effexor per day.

There are lawsuits for Effexor? This I did not know. That is kinda scary. Now I am too afraid to go look at any information. What's done is done, I guess.

And I ain't sleepin' nekkid on rubber sheets, either. Ick!

zinniagirl

Hi Zinnia & Victoria,

I'm truly not trying to scare anyone.  I just think that we should all be more informed as to what we are being given by these docs!  Like I said they get in these samples and just hand them out freely without the docs even researching the drug.  I was desperate for relief when I started them as well and felt immediate relief and was thankful for that. And I've been on them for 6 months.  Started getting the shocks about 3 weeks ago and it all has to do (for me anyway) with the light change having the condition Seasonal Effective Disorder (S.A.D.).  If it makes you feel any better...........I think the worst of the withdrawal has passed   ~I pray~   And I think it could have been made easier on me if I had a doc that understood what I was going through.  She had no clue!  The day I found this site I was also ready to bring myself to the hospital.  And trust me I don't go to a hospital unless I'm dragged there. But I stuck it out. Maybe wasn't the smartest thing.  A co-worker of my husband was on this only a short time and when he withdrew from it he did have to go to the hospital!  They gave him ativan to help him cope with the symptoms.

 

So hang in there ladies!  We all work differently when we take these meds.  You may not have any problems at all.  I just wanted to share in the hopes that you become more informed.  We have to take control of our well being~no one else will

 

Zinnia...........................don't blame you on the rubber sheets  LOL  But invest in a good fan.  My poor hubby has been dealing with me turning the air down to 72 at night  LOL  I don't know where everyone is from but turning air down that low in Florida is cold to us. Keep in touch.  And I'll check in with progress reports, K?  ~God Bless~  Here's to healthy minds and bodies

Hi Zinnia,

I am going off because I started to get "zapped" and that is one of the warning signs to immediately tell your doctor.  Are you familiar with Seasonal Effective Disorder (S.A.D.)?  I only need treatment during the months that we have less light.  It is very debilitating for me to the point I can't function, all I want to do is sleep, cry and mope around.  My thoughts get confused, it's a big old mess!   I'm a Realtor and I NEED my energy and when the SAD hits I can't conjure up enough to get out of bed.  You would have to read up on it to understand it.  For some it's called the winter blues and there are different degrees of "winter blues" my luck is I have about the worst kind you can have.  I also suffer from depression but seem to manage that, also Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).  I hope that helps you understand it a little better??

 

about the catwhisperer.....I have been called that for many years by friends and my hubby because of the deep connection I have with kitties.  I have adopted some of the most broken spirited, damaged little creatures and nurtured them to a different animal.  So I guess that would be a catwhisperer?  Where are the feral cats coming from?  Can anyone have them spayed/neutered?  Many places will do it for free. Let me know a little more about the story, K?  You can always e mail @ my yahoo address too    

Take care,

Hi Catwhisperer,
I would wheen off slower.  I tried getting off of Paxil a few years back and threw up every hour.  I had to stay in bed.  Finally I took a little more and wheened off slower.  I read somewhere that Effexor is what that Andrea Yates was on and she stopped taking it.  (might not be true but I read it somewhere on the internet.) I'm not trying to scare you just let you know to please Go off this VERY VERY SLOW.
I have had so many problems with SSRIs that I quite trying them.  I was always worried Id be stuck somewhere in an emergency situation and not be able to get to my meds.  Scared me so much because I would get those headaches, electric shocks and other weird symptoms....like crazy thinking if I missed a dose. 
Days ago I just started taking L-Tryptophan from a health food store.  (amino acid in turkey meat)  Miraculously my depression has lifted and my aches and pains are not nearly as bad.  No side effects so far at all.  I have had depression for years since I was a little girl.  Terrible diablitating (spelling?) depression and pain all over.  (post tramatic stress disorder as well)  These last 7 years it was getting so much worse.  I have been frantically trying to find somethng to help me.  Finally a doctor I listen to on the radio....an excellent doctor, suggested to a caller to use L-Tryptophan for depression.  I ran out and bought some and felt immediate results.  It is weird because I don't know how else to feel besides depressed.  And now I feel like weird feeling 'normal'  it is foreign to me.  But I love it.

Wow! Hi everyone, it's nice to know I'm not alone but yet I'm sorry anyone else is going through this hell. It's late so I can't respond like I would like too so I will right tomorrow back to everyone. I'm feeling better over this wknd. Went to the beach today it was 86! That helps my spirit and soul to rejuvinate in the sun, surf and sand. Catch up with all of you soon. Hang in there and God Bless Catwhisperer58

Hi Victoria

It appears as though it this bad for just about everyone. Of course anyone who did not have a problem would more than likely not be posting to a forum like this, so we can't be sure.

My wife had withdrawal hell for a couple of days REAL BAD, but she transferred immediately onto Lexapro. The transition lessened the effect of the withdrawal.

I am still waiting to hear a success story of someone who survived this hell.

BTW-This morning I feel much better. As we know this can change by the time I finish typing this, but so far so good.

 

Effexor is very good at doing what it is intended for. It was verry effective in combonation with Wellbutrin for me.

The reason I am getting off of it is because I was tested for proved positive for low testosterone levels.

I have been on testosterone treatment for that for 6 months or so with very little positive results.
The endo, psych doc, and I agreed that the antidep totally act to counteract any positive results of the testos treatment. One helps to keep you mellow, while the other is trying to increase energy...

I will stick out this withdrawal and give the testosterone treatment a little longer to see if it helps.

My goal was to get off all antidep meds, but after these last 2 weeks I am hesitant to try and quit Wellbutrin anytime soon.

We all agreed to give this process as much time as it takes. So if I wait another 6 months or more to start to wean off of Wellbutrin so be it.

For the immediate future I just want all this Effexor out of my system.

My gut feeling is that I will end up back on some type of antidepressant/antianxiety med in the future, but for now I will stick to my gameplan.

Sorry to ramble, I now return you back to you regularly scheduled thread.

 

Thanks Elisha

Actually my pdoc had a very cavalier attitude about this withdrawal. He kind of towed the company line. That has irked me some.

Also since I never diagnosed with major depression, he kind of lets me do whatever I want. I do my research and tell him whatI would like to do, and he just nods, writes the script and says see you in 3 months.

The last recommendation he made was to put me on 600mg of Wellbutrin   Well that didn't go very well.

Anyway, I'm sure if I suggested something he did not approve of he would let me know. He is a nice guy, but I may look for a new pdoc in the future if need be.

I should say that I know if I have a serious problem, he would see me in a minutes notice. I think he sees me as kind of a breath of fresh air over some of the patients he has to see.

I am still feeling ok today so far.

 

I'm going through the Effexor withdrawal too but it hasn't been too bad. I thought it would be worse to be honest after reading here. I was expecting withdrawal effects, and that's why I waited to be on sick leave. I can sleep when I need to, relax when I want to, and just do things at my own pace. I keep busy too and I think that helps. I have pain but then I also suffer from FMS and with the withdrawal symptoms I find my pain level is higher but I'm managing. As you've all said, it's different for everybody. I, so far, think I've been pretty lucky, so there are better stories out there, but as I said, I think mentally I was prepared for the withdrawal symptoms. I knew it wouldn't be a walk in the park so I'm rolling with the punches as best I can. The one thing I'm finding most difficult is having to deal with the anger again. The Effexor has kept me calm and helped me deal with things. Now that I'm down to a 75mg dose/daily, I'm noticing I'm more uptight and more prone to get upset. I will be going back on an anti-depressant. I've been on effexor for about 4 years, or so. It just didn't seem to be working anymore so I'm going to be trying something new. But had to go through the withdrawal first. By my game plan, I'll be off by early next week and I see my doctor Tuesday so hopefully I'll be starting my new regime soon. Good luck to the rest of you.

slowlygoingcrazy

Hi Tase & all, 

Tase I hope you continued freedom from the withdrawal from Effexor.  I was only on 150mg and have been going through a 4 week regiment to wean off the drug.  Starting Wednesday I will begin 37 1/2 mg every 3rd day and then off. I too intend to hang around to talk to all of you and help from my "personal" experience and when you need to talk to someone.  Don't go it alone, if it gets bad please call your Dr..  If She/he won't listen go to the ER if you are financially able too or a clinic.  As I stated in one of my earlier posts, a buddy of my Husband was on Effexor XR for only a few months and he landed in the hospital because he could not take the withdrawal symptoms he was experiencing.  They put him on Ativan to get him over the hump while it left his system. 

 

I had a pretty good weekend, but today I was getting "cattle prodded" in good doses!!

My lips and teeth go numb, my limbs jerk independently and a couple of time I have jumped up in bed from nightmares. Especially of my Mom who is in the end stages of Alzheimer's. 

 

You may be the fortunate one who has no problems and I hope that is the case. But again, don't be afraid to ask for help or let us know if you need help.  There was a post, and I don't remember from whom, but it is a factual statement that the women who drowned her 5  children in the tub was on effexor along with another anti d.  I found it when doing a search for anti d lawsuits.  I care about people and be here for you as a survivor of this nightmare called Effexor.  I DON'T STAND IN JUDGEMENT OF PEOPLE only try to help.  God Bless