Posted by Cirafly24 on January 17, 2003, at 22:53:25
I started taking Effexor XR in March of 2002, and it helped my depression significantly. However, when I felt it was time to start tapering off (I was at the max dosage of 375 mg), I ran into some serious trouble. I was ok until I tried to go off the medication completely. On the first day that I did not take it, I developed what I thought was heat exhaustion (it was a hot summer day). I felt dizzy, nauseous, I had a bad headache, and I kept getting these strange feelings in my head, what I've come to know as "brain shivers". It became quite worse as the day progressed, until I was bedridden and nearly delirious. Because these symptoms didn't decrease after I'd come in out of the heat, I wondered if it could be withdrawal so I took my Effexor. Within a couple hours, the symptoms cleared up. I've continued tapering down my dosage since then, and at the moment I am taking 75 mg every other day. If I forget a dose, I get migraines, nausea, brain shivers, confusion, hallucinations, etc. I also get very irritable and can't tolerate the smallest annoyances. I really do not know what to do...I've been told I should go into the hospital to be taken off completely, but I really don't want to do that. My mental health plan with my insurance has gone over limit, so I cannot see my psychiatrist. I was not informed of any of these risks associated with Effexor and its withdrawal. I would never have started taking it, had I been. To everyone who is starting or has recently started taking Effexor XR...be aware of the risks. Best wishes to everyone...
Jenna
AngiesJenna@aol.com
poster:Cirafly24
thread:136351
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030113/msgs/136351.html