Posted by kakalak on September 29, 2011, at 14:01:00
In reply to Effexor...is there hope, posted by mellow on September 28, 2011, at 21:31:53
Effexor is not impossible to taper. It's HORRIBLE, but not impossible. I recently tapered in one week (from 300mg) without the use of any other meds. This was super fast and not recommended, but I had to do it for numerous reasons. When the time comes to taper, do it slowly and introduce Prozac or other meds to assist with the withdrawals if you are able to. Also knowing that it will suck and the withdrawals do go away helps a bit.
I've heard alot of people say that they would have never taken Effexor if they knew about the withdrawals. My doc never told me about them and I found out like many others from accidentally missing just 1 dose. For 6 years Effexor helped me immensely. I'm glad I took it and would have taken it even if I knew about the withdrawals. It was the only drug that seemed to work for me at the time. Over the years I had to increase the dosage several times and introduce Depakote (for chronic headaches) and Buspar for increased anxiety OCD like behaviors, but still the pros of taking it outweighed the cons. Unfortunately the side effects slowly but surely increased and over time they either stopped working as well and/or my depression & anxiety changed. Who knows? I would still be taking Effexor with a slew of other meds if hadnt found my current pdoc. I could go into great detail about the pros and cons, but as with any medication, the (side) effects differ from person to person. I dont know anything about the other meds you are taking and how they may interact with Effexor, but I would not let the tapering from Effexor deter you from taking it.
I hope you start feeling better so
poster:kakalak
thread:998197
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20110925/msgs/998251.html