Posted by kylenn on July 28, 2006, at 22:49:13
In reply to I felt like I was going to die..., posted by Colleen D. on July 28, 2006, at 20:43:38
If you are talking about missing two Effexor doses, then yeah, and you were lucky to get off so easy.
It happened to me like 5 years ago, and I could write a book.
I cold turkeyed off Effexor (accidentally) by forgetting to bring some home for a long weekend with no access to any. Wasn't worried, it was the weekend, I'll pick it up when I get back.
And I'll be off, so it won't matter anyway.
So that was Thursday evening going into a Fri, Sat and Sun weekend.
I'll be as concise as possible, because I do not like to bore people (I have told this story before)
By Friday afternoon, (after missing Thurs nite dose) I thought I was coming down with something.
Felt really achy, nauseated, and weird, like the flu, but no fever. Just really bad. Couldn't sleep well.
By Saturday, I was much, much worse. I started getting really anxious, having startle reflex from the slightest stimulations (phone rings, footsteps down the hall, door closes, t.v.)
And the flu symptoms were getting worse.
Still thinking it was a virus.
A bad one.
I had left all my meds at work, and I was staying with my ex over the weekend, and he was very indulgent, letting me sleep in and all.
I had been on Effexor XR 150 (I think), xanax 0.5mg at bedtime prn, Ambien 10 at bedtime, and Zanaflex 4 mg at bedtime.
So, as things worsened, and I got really sick (sweating, stomach cramps diarrhea, added to all the other symptoms previously described), I thought the viral symptoms were probably being exacerbated by not taking my meds.
I didn't fall asleep Saturday nite/Sunday morning until around 4 a.m. Slept about 2 hours.
And I had the WORST nightmares anyone EVER thought about having. It was horrible and in full technicolor (one was a multi car pile up happening in slow motion in front of me (or I was in it, not sure) and I could see the cars falling apart as they skidded over the road, and then the people, and the babies, falling out of or being dragged by the wreckage, and just being obliterated by the road, turning into blood and tissue and shattered bone.)
Horrible, like I said. I woke up in terror, crying, sobbing with my whole body, tired but so glad to be awake and it was a nightmare.
Then, I realized my "virus" was worse.
I thought the virus had caused my nightmare (and my lack of Ambien caused my insomnia)
All day, I was in such a state of depression, I cannot describe it, it was really, really weird (not my usual dysthymia or my lows when my major depression acts up) more like a very sad, very burned out, very numb, and apathetic feeling with a baseline anxiety, easy startle reflex, sweating, cramps, diarrhea, that creepy crawly kinda itchy feeling you get that you can't scratch because you can't localize it, then, when I thought I was in the worst of it, I started crying uncontrollably, over nothing, like, a song on the radio or seeing a person go in a store (we had gone to the drugstore to get me some melatonin hoping it would help me sleep that night) And then, the back to back panic attacks started. Up til then, I had never had a panic attack. I knew of them of course, and always had a little doubt that they were legit. I found out the hard way.
And I would be remiss if I did not mention...
Sunday I started having the Brain Shocks.
Didn't know what they were then, I do now.
Out of nowhere, from somewhere in my chest,
a jolt of electricity would shoot up to the top of my head, like a cattle prod, I suppose, over and over, like Bzzzzzz...Shmmmmmm...ZZZZAAP!
From the body up to the head. Every few minutes, for another two weeks this went on.
That was fun.
No sleeping Sunday nite.
Obviously had to call in sick on Monday.
Tried to work Tuesday.
Had to leave (back to back panic attacks are not a good thing to be experiencing on the job)
Called in sick Wednesday (still no better, not sleeping, scared to anyway because of the nightmares, and finally on Thursday went to the doctor (meanwhile, I did not resume my meds for fear that if this is what a two day withdrawal can do to me just because I have a virus, then f## that sh##, I am off of it!
And of course, I had the totally humiliating chore of trying to explain the symptoms, ESPEcially the "brain shocks" which had no name then, to this man. I KNEW he thought I had lost my mind. I thought I had lost my mind!
The Dr told me he had no clue what was wrong with me. I had tachy cardia, but other than that, he couldn't find a thing wrong with me (big surprise)
I asked how stopping the meds would effect me, and he said that stopping those meds cold turkey may cause some mild symptoms, and maybe some short term insomnia due to not taking the Ambien...other than that, no way would you be this sick just from that.
He told me, "Good God, girl, at least get some sleep tonite, and take the Ambien" I had been ashamed of myself being on all that and getting "hooked" and possibly going through "withdarawal" that I had told him I did not want to start back on anything, but I did go ahead and take some Ambien, and slept for the first time in six days. That helped some, and I went to work 1/2 day Friday, then thank God for the weekend.
I had several blood tests and scans the next week to find out if I had an adrenal tumor or something, and an appointment with a specialist, an endocrinologist.
CT negative, MRI brain negative, lab work, all negative for abnormalities (he may have even sneaked a drug screen in on me but that would have been negative, as well) AND, even the endocrinologist was stumped.
She didn't think that stopping the meds had much to do with it all, either.
By the third week, I was just starting to normalize.
After 4 weeks, I was better, and only taking the Ambien.
About 4 months later, I finally stumbled across the reason (that I had suspected all along, but it was not in the literature and my docs had no clue but) it was Effexor withdrawal that did that to me.
I know it is a good AD, and it did help me when I was on it.
But I will NEVER take it again. I don't care how depressed I get. Never again, ever.
I have never been sick as I was those 3 weeks, and especially, the first 10 days or so off Effexor. I thought I was dying, no lie, really dying.
Lesson learned, I moved on.
Now I am on Lexapro, Provigil, and Wellbutrin.
no Ambien, no Xanax, no downers at all.
No Zanaflex. (another story entirely)
Well, it wasn't a short story, it never is, when I tell the tale of "My Effexor Withdrawal"!
kylenn
poster:kylenn
thread:671573
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060724/msgs/671626.html