Posted by David K. on July 11, 1999, at 9:31:15
In reply to ? re: PHYSICAL DANGER w/abrupt discontinuation, posted by Jane on July 11, 1999, at 8:03:59
> Is there any physical danger in abruptly discontinuing Effexor XR? I have heard warnings of abruptly discontinuing Xanax because of seizure possibility. Is it the same with Eff? Can the uncomfortable side effects of withdrawal from Eff. be shortened by spending a week just focusing on surviving without the med? Has anyone had GOOD success with discontinuing this med?
I don't know about seizures, but I suffered from a
major case of depression. I've gone off Effexor
twice, both cold turkey. The first time was my
decision alone. One a scale of one to ten,my
depression symptoms went from nothing (Effexor
did work for me, just some damn intolerable side
effects) to about 9.5.The second time was not as bad, which is like
saying it wasn't horrible, just terrible. The
second time was at the direction of a pdoc. He
just made the decision to take me off Effexor and
put me on Wellbutrin. No tapering off of Effexor,
no washout period, and not tapering up of the
Wellbutrin. I even asked him if there shouldn't be
a taper off or washout period. He said no, and I went
from taking 150mg of Effexor one day to taking 300mg
of Wellbutrin the next.Needless to say, I got a major case of depression
and incredible dizzy spells, the Wellbutrin didn't
work, and I fired my pdoc.Is there a physical danger to abrupt discontinuation
of Effexor? I don't know, unless one considers
the possibility of a full-blown Major Depression
Episode pushing you out over the abyss. Then I
would have to answer yes to your question.
poster:David K.
thread:8563
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/19990628/msgs/8570.html