Posted by HelenG on May 29, 2002, at 8:43:13
I've been on venlafaxine for 16 months now. I responed to 225mg per day and was ok for the first 9 months, so decided to cut down without telling my consultant. I took my usual 150mg capsual at night and took the 75mg capsual every other day for a few weeks. The result was a constant hyper-state followed by a big crash and I was literally incapacitated for 3 weeks, so I went straight back on to the 225mg programme. My consultant has weaned me down to 150mg (which has taken me 7 months) and I'v now been taking 150mg (tablet form) for 3 weeks.
Side effects:
Listless & sleepy all the time.
42lb weight gain (I know of someone else with Extreme weight gain after 1yr on venlafaxine}.
Pins & needles in my left hand all the way up my arm.
Plus, practically all the other side effects you can imagine.Open Question:
Is there anyone out there that has come off this drug completely? I'd like to think I can get my life back together after this drug.My consultant wants to put me on dothiapin hydrochloride to help with the final weaning programme as my system cannot tolerate SSRI's (prozac, seroxat etc.. turned me into a loony-tune, with feelings of only seconds left to live).
poster:HelenG
thread:107924
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020525/msgs/107924.html