Posted by SLS on March 11, 2005, at 7:21:28
In reply to About the Effexor XR Withdrawal, posted by MoparFan91 on March 10, 2005, at 4:00:00
Here is a list of some of the more common withdrawal symptoms:"electric" shock-like sensations in the head or limbs
anxiety and/or agitation
bizarre dreams
confusion
diarrhea
dizziness or light headedness
fatigue
gait instability
gastrointestinal distress
headaches
insomnia
irritability
lethargy
nausea and/or vomiting
paresthesia
problems with concentration and memory
sweating
tingling (parasthesias)
tremors
vertigo
I don't think it is advisable to discontinue Effexor abruptly. For those who do, the withdrawal syndrome appears within 3 days, and is quite intense. This is also true for those whom do not optimize their taper schedule as they reduce dosage of Effexor over time. The intensity of the withdrawal symptoms do not necessarily lessen at lower dosages during an ineffective taper. There really is no dosage "threshold" for the precipitation of the withdrawal syndrome.Feel free to browse the board to discover the various strategies people have used to discontinue Effexor. The one that works for me is a flexible taper dosage schedule that involves taking progressively smaller amounts of Effexor three times a day. I have successfully discontinued Effexor several times from a dosage of 300mg. My strategy spared me almost entirely from inducing withdrawal symptoms.
Generally speaking, Effexor is more effective than the SSRI antidepressants (Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Luvox, Celexa, Lexapro). If you have failed two optimized trials of an SSRI, you might want to try Effexor. Personally, I would not allow the potential for a withdrawal syndrome prevent me from trying this drug. SSRIs produce their oen withdrawal syndromes.
I think the reason you see so many people here describing bad experiences with Effexor discontinuation is that it is only these people whom seek out information about withdrawal on the Internet and manage to find this site. In other words, I believe the percentage of people suffering from withdrawal syndromes on Psycho-Babble does not represent the general population and is skewed. The same can be said of the high percentage of people here whom are treatment-resistant to medication.
Some people do not suffer a withdrawal syndrome at all.
- Scott
poster:SLS
thread:469497
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/wdrawl/20050228/msgs/469599.html