Posted by Snoozy on April 28, 2003, at 20:57:42
In reply to Re: Having horrible side effects!!Maureen17, posted by MaxTex on April 28, 2003, at 17:51:54
Hi Max -
I feel for you going through awful Effexor withdrawl. That was the worst experience I ever had stopping a drug (sorry to be so encouraging ;) I took Effexor for several months when it first came on the market. I stopped taking it because of the horrific, vivid nightmares I had from it. Needless to say, my dr didn't warn me about stopping the Effexor. I have since then heard that Prozac (in small doses), because of its very long half-life, is sometimes used to help ease withdrawl from the shorter-acting SSRI's. I haven't had to do this yet, but it's something I would consider if I needed to get off another SSRI.
Do you have any type of doctor in your new state? I would think even a general practitioner would be able to prescribe you a small amount of Prozac if they knew what you were going through. I'm sorry your old dr has not been of any help.
There are lots of us out here that have been through what you're going through right now. If nothing else, we can tell you that it's not just you. Good luck to you, and let us know how it goes.
> I took my last dose of Effexor two days ago. I had been on it for about a year, taking a relatively high 412.5mg. I tapered off over five or six weeks, though dropped by 150mg at a time rather than 75mg, because dividing the capsules was a pain. My doc. didn't give me ANY warning off discontinuation side-effects.
>
> Last night I had the worst night of nightmares IN MY LIFE. Woke up almost panicking at the collection of suicidal dreams. My head has been buzzing for a couple of days too.
>
> Desperately hoping this stops soon. My doctor won't return calls. I moved states a few months ago, but last talked to him March 11. That's when I started reducing doses.
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> Bloody awful.
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> Max
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poster:Snoozy
thread:13781
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030423/msgs/223034.html