Posted by ABCDee on November 10, 2004, at 16:04:39
In reply to Re: Effexor withdrawal & side effects, posted by Dave K. on November 28, 1998, at 12:58:34
I have been on effexor since nov. 03 after prozac no longer worked. Was on 75mg.xr. Worked great for awhile but in feb. 04 had to increase to 150 mg. still had issues, so added wellbutrin xl 150 mg. seemed to help, but SE from effexor was bothersome esp. sexual SE and sweating which is bad enough when you are 43 and premenopausal. In summer 04 i decided to decrease effexor to 75 mg and increase wellbutrin to 300 mg. That really helped, but still had sweating and sexual SE. On oct. 4, I began a 2 week weaning with 37.5 mg my last dose was oct 17. 2 days later the withdrawl set in big time! Shock-like electrical sensations were the first. I felt like I could shoot sparks out of my fingers & toes! It happened every time I moved my head or eyes,dozens of times a day. that I could deal with,even joked about it. then the real shit kicked in. nausea and vomiting were the worst esp. when you are so thirsty but cant drink much for fear of puking. Eating a little helped, but I was on the pot 15 min. later with diarrhea. I also couldnt think worth a damn, which is worse when you already have add. Now for the good news folks. this too will pass. Last fri, 11-5 I hit rock bottom. Cried several times that day and finally let it all out to my husband that night in the hot tub and he finally understood what i was going through. The next night, I went out with a gf to see male strippers and boy the timing couldnt have been better. It was just the catharsis I needed to start the healing process. My moods are gradually getting better, shocks are gone, thinking is getting clearer nausea almost gone, and diarrhea has decreased somewhat. Hang in there and dont blame the dr. medicine is not an exact science, esp. when dealing with the brain. My daughter and I know this firsthand. I truly wish you all luck. the hell will end.
poster:ABCDee
thread:1016
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20041108/msgs/414326.html