Posted by cupcake on February 12, 2004, at 23:24:57
In reply to Re: I'll testify against you, posted by noa on February 12, 2004, at 19:13:46
behold the power of the blog!
i just wanted to add my two cents to the conversation. i'm currently embarking upon the lovely journey of Effexor withdrawal myself--veeeeery slowly. in my online searches for help and info on the withdrawal process, i've found many discussions and comments like the ones in this thread, but little in the way of resources and "sturdy" information. i saw the petition mentioned earlier, but i agree with some of the others that a lawsuit might not be the best way to go.
personally, i would love to just be able to find out more *good,* helpful information about how to get through the withdrawal process OK (w/o having to go on prozac--i'm on effexor in the first place b/c prozac and other ssri's made me very anxious among other things). and i want doctors, therapists, pdocs, and prospective takers of the drug to have a lot more knowledge and awareness of the side effects and withdrawal effects associated with it. i decided to put up a blog documenting my withdrawal process in the hopes that i could also encourage readers to comment on their own experiences (through the little comment function link at the end of each blog entry) and what helped them get through it.
also, by having one place to put links to helpful info, research, and generally all things effexor withdrawal-related (including people's anecdotes and stories, both horrific and not-so-horrific), my bigger goal is to amass a cohesive body of information and anecdotal evidence that somebody might one day be able to use as the basis forproposing/funding a really in-depth independent study of what exactly causes effexor withdrawal, traditional and alternative methods for lessening its effects, and maybe how to identify--through lab tests or medical history and/or some type of clinical assessment instrument or whatever--who would NOT be a good candidate for this type of drug.
from my own experiences (on prozac, paxil, serzone, wellbutrin, gabitril, and finally effexor), i know that prescribing AD's seems to be such an unexact hit or miss and there just HAS to be a way to get around all the pain and suffering (yeah, i know, the violins in the background) we've all experienced from just being on the wrong drug!
that said, like others have already mentioned, effexor has been truly helpful for some people. myself included, at the beginning.
for the record, i've been on effexor 1.5 years and was at 300 mg/day when i decided to try getting off (last week). i've been holding steady-ish at 150 mg/day for the past several days but feel like crap the closer i get to dose time every day. more info on the blog, of course, at:
http://brainzaps.tblog.com
Brainzaps: A Journal of Effexor Withdrawalplease feel free to post comments about your own experiences there if you feel so inclined.
poster:cupcake
thread:53462
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040210/msgs/312669.html