effexor withdrawal please help!!!

Hi

Sorry to read you having these problems. I was on a high dose of Effexor and it is well documented that it is a hard AD to come of as it can cause bad withdrawal effects but I am not a doctor so do speak things through with your doctor.

The advise tends to be to reduce the dose very slowly over a couple of months to reduce the withdrawal effects and is advisable to keep in close contact with your doctor. In my case an other AD was added to help with the change in medication. I hope things improve for you soon and keep posting so we know how you are getting on.

Hibee

I came off Effexor in the spring. I had tried previously on 2 occasions and had to go back on it because of the withdrawal symptoms.
I cut down really slowly from 225mg. Going from 225mg to 175mg was easy. It was after that things got harder. I cut down the tablets really gradually and even cut them into halves and quarters. This seemed to help with the side effects. I would get terrible nausea, dizziness, headaches and just general unwell feeling.
You can do it. I didn't think I would be able to but I did. You just have to do it gradually.
Good luck and take care

Have you stopped the medication completley now or are you still on 37.5mg?
When I was reducing from 37.5, I would take chop the tablets up and take it really gradually and week by week cut down by a quarter. That really worked for me.
Keep positive ... that really helps.

Yeah I found this really hard. If it continues and you don't feel as though the symptoms are getting better, maybe try chopping a 37.5 table tin half and taking that. I did that when the symptoms were bad. The last week of my withdrawal I was taking a quarter of a tablet and then was able to eventually stop.

I was greatly helped by the advice on www.theroadback.org. Free ebook which describes wd symptoms. For me, the crying stopped after 1 month, it does get better!

I was on  150 mg of effexor since July 2009 for hormone therapy after a complete hysterectamy. Not too long after I started the evil drug I began having adverse reactions. Back in December I began tapering and I have been completely off of effexor for 14 days. I am still having the nausea and diarea, along with the night sweats. The one withdrawal effect I am having that is completely driving me crazy is my vision/focusing and I can feel a pull behind my eyes and in the back of my head when I look from one object to another. It is also tied to sleep and I am not sleepy. I know there are tons of unusual side effects from this drug when coming off of it. I am taking Omega 3, B-complex, Benedryl, Magnesium, Ibuprophen, and my doc put me on 900 mg of litheum to help with the withdrawl. Has anyone else had this particular symptom? I am hoping that by the end of the third week this side effect has started to dwindle away. I am not looking back. I have gone this far suffering through some horrid side effects that I know I will make it. When you feel like crap everyday seems very long. However I am not working right now and my husband is staying home to take care of me. Yes, this drug has had me in two different psyc units and a rehabilitation center in California. Those were the side effects I had while taking it and no doctor would listen to me when I tried to tell them that I thought it was the medicine. They said that there was no way it could be the med and that I had a mental illness that I would have for the rest of my life. Imagine this crap. I have a PhD for goodness sake (not in medicine) and I even had enough sense to know that it was the stinking meds. I would love your feedback about the side effect. I know brighter days are ahead I just need to hang in there.

Hibee:

How do I post a new thread? I noticed an area where you can print a thread, but not where you can post a new thread. I would love to get plenty of feedback so posting a thread would be something I would be glad to do.

Tammy

Also clonidine patches help some ppl as well!

Tammy,

You may want to talk with your Dr. about the possibility of Palinopsia. I am not a Dr. so this is just a suggestion.

Palinopsia - visual perseveration; the pathologic continuance or recurrence of a visual sensation after the stimulus is gone.

I have read that medications are frequently involved in developing this condition.  SSRIs are suspected to cause palinopsia in some people.

Try to find a neuoropsychiatrist (not neuropsychologist). A neuropsychiatrist is trained in both neurology (brain structure) and psychiatry (brain function).

Just my 2 cents worth and please do start a thread of your own as we want you to have the opportunity to receive the support of all our members.

Kindly,

Kitt