Posted by Sean9 on March 24, 2003, at 11:30:07
In reply to Effexor Withdrawal Highly Overrated, posted by juanantoniod on February 8, 2003, at 22:11:31
(The following is my opinion, and is not legal or medical advice)
First point: Don't quit cold turkey, make a tapering off plan with your doctor.
Second point: Take Benedryl to relieve your withdrawal / discontinuation symptoms. It apparently gets rid of most dizziness, nausea, brain flashes, and sensory overload feelings within an hour of taking it. I do not know if this is approved by doctors. I heard about this cure on a newsgroup. I've also read that other antihistamines (like Allegra), doctor prescribed anti-vertigo medication, and low dosages of doctor prescribed Prozac all help with withdrawal symptoms of Effexor.
Third: Effexor is really dangerous. In researching the Internet, a lot of people experience the exact same withdrawal or discontinuation symptoms and these are severe. One study suggested it is the hardest anti-depressant to quit.
Fourth: There is something you can do. File a report with the FDA. They regulate Effexor (which is made by Wyeth Laboratories Inc. in Philadelphia.). Ask yourself: Were you warned by your doctor of how serious the withdrawal symptoms would be? Were you ever given medical advice on how to combat these symptoms or did your doctor tell you there was nothing you could do? Well you can do something now. Help the next generation of Effexor users to be better informed by doctors and the manufacturer. You can submit a complaint to the FDA online at https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/medwatch/ and the FDA will investigate it. The more people that report, the better response. You can also call in your complaint (here's a list of the numbers for each state http://www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/complain.html ).
Finally: Note - This is not medical or legal advice, it is only my opinion based on experience and research. I do not take Effexor, but I know someone who does, and they like you, were tricked into taking this without being fully informed how seriously difficult it would be to stop (even through slow tapering off).
poster:Sean9
thread:13781
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030319/msgs/212175.html