Posted by polarbear206 on November 25, 2004, at 8:58:59
In reply to Huge problems 6 months after quitting Effexor, posted by rehf on November 24, 2004, at 12:45:04
> I will start off with what I need and then if you want read my story you may do so.
>
> What I need help with is this:
>
> Are there people "out there" who have been off Effexor for 6 months or longer?
>
> and
>
> What does my future look like based on YOUR experiences?
>
> June 30/04 I took the last 37.5 mg of Effexor, after 3 years of using it. I tapered down from 225 mg over a 3 month period.
> I farm, so during July & August I had one of my sons with me almost always. I was EXTREMELY prone to depression and suicidal ideas. I could not return to teaching in September.
> Currently my daily "withdrawal" experiences consist of the following: I can't cope with stress, get excessively angery way too easily, get the urge to cry(seemingly out of the blue), have the urge to(literally) crawl out of my skin, suicidal urges, inability to concentrate, panic attacks that have a physical sensation(I am grabbed by the neck and between the shoulder blades and simultaneously I get a knot in my stomach), fall asleep between 9 and 10 pm but then wake up at 4 am worrying about stupid stuff. No one can relate to me.
> Medical folks all claim ignorance about Effexor's withdrawal symptoms. Most people, they claim, have no problems. HAH!!! So what about postings on the internet I asked. No idea, they will say.
> My best coping strategies currently are: being with people when this is possible, which is not all that often, forcing myself to keep doing stuff even if I don't feel like it, and almost daily swimming.
> I feel I'm at the end of my rope lately with only 2 options:
> One, go back on the poison(NEVER NEVER I scream)
> Two, end this misery.
>
> So, again, what I need help with is this:
>
> Are there people "out there" who have been off Effexor for as long or longer than I have?
>
> and
>
> What does my future look like based on YOUR experiences?
>
> PS. I have a brother who was an alcoholic and a crack addict(3 years clean now). He briefly took Effexor. He claims that quitting Crack and Booze is easier than Effexor.
Can you tell me why you stopped the effexor in the first place? What didi you feel like while you are on it, and what were your depression symptoms prior to going on effexor?
poster:polarbear206
thread:419757
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20041123/msgs/420108.html