Posted by Smeegle on December 8, 2004, at 16:00:45
In reply to Re: side effects from withdrawing/fatigue Gia » Auntiemogs, posted by MKB on December 6, 2004, at 8:43:03
I am about half-way thru getting off Effexor XR and it's going better than I expected. After being on 300mg for well over 3 years, Although it really helped for a while, I was once again having break-thru depression and was needing dosage increases more and more frequently. I was at the max dosage he would prescribe and I was ready to get off it anyhow. It was to the point that the withdrawal crap started if I was even late taking my daily dose (forget missing a whole day). I was also having major problems with fatigue and motivation. I felt like a major slug dragging myself thru the day so I could collapse on the couch. My energy has improved (getting there, but still tired), the brain fog is getting better and I actually manage to get at least one chore done at night before hitting the couch. In three weeks I have made it down to 75mg (from 300), which is much faster than I anticipated. I started ramping up on Lamictal the same week I started ramping down the Effexor. So far no probs with the Lamictal (and perhaps it's keeping the brain zaps at bay). I expect the last step to be the worse (when I stop completely after a week at 37.5 mg).
It was a great med at first, but long-term wasn't such a good idea. I felt like such a crack addict needing my Effexor fix every day, panicking when the bottle got low.
Smeegs
poster:Smeegle
thread:13781
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20041206/msgs/426282.html