Posted by Sean Swanson on June 14, 2001, at 2:06:47
In reply to Re: Effexor Withdrawl , posted by slazart on June 13, 2001, at 17:42:22
I am currently going through withdrawals from the Effexor I was taking. My wife read somewhere that the withdrawal symptoms can last up to eight weeks. My last dose was May 1st (after slowly tapering for over a month) and I'm still suffering the after effects. The symptoms were quite severe at first to the point of nearly going back for another dose. I felt as though I would go crazy or be rendered physically helpless while off the medication. It took about a week before the withdrawals finally began to taper. I figured another week or so and I'd be back to normal. Boy, was I ever wrong! I've been on a terrible roller coaster ride ever since! I start feeling better and then it all comes back again. I described it to the doctors as a feeling of an electrical current running through me accompanied with a distant buzzing sound (kind of like a bug zapper) and visual disturbances with each jolt. My face feels numb during the "attack" and with the more severe ones I also experience numbness in my arms. If I try to do anything during an attack, the symptoms are magnified ten-fold. They're also very physically draining. On days with the more severe attacks, I can't make it through without a long nap. I also have shortness of breath, nausea, diarrhea, difficulty urinating, hot and cold spells, difficulty concentrating, confusion, amnesia, hostility, abnormal speech, frequent skin rashes, urinary incontinence, weight gain, etc.
The previous paragraph was all about the withdrawal symptoms from the Effexor. While taking the Effexor, I had bizarre dreams and constant nightmares as well as extreme urinary difficulties, suicidal ideation, extreme insomnia, anxiety, feeling very cold with no relief, blurred vision, etc.....
poster:Sean Swanson
thread:1016
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010612/msgs/66403.html