Posted by SLS on March 15, 2005, at 14:37:03
In reply to Re: About the Effexor XR Withdrawal » SLS, posted by winddancer on March 15, 2005, at 10:36:51
> Can you please tell me how you taper by taking 3X per day. Are you on the XR type? I am. Should I open the capsule and divide. Will that give me relatively equal amounts of the drug??
Yup. Despite its being an "extended release" Effexor XR still clears the system very quickly once it is completely absorbed. I was using 150mg XR capsules and just estimated. Precise measurements are not really necessary for a flexible dosing strategy. You basically take your next dose when you start feeling the withdrawal symptoms emerging. Anxiety and tremulousnes are the first things to appear for me. You may have other symptoms that you recognize as indicators. As you work with the drug, become familiar with what symptoms these are. If this strategy works for you, you will be one happy camper.
> I'm down to 75mg one day and 37 1/2 the next.
I really believe that it is best to take the same dosage of Effexor every day during the taper period. The half-life of Effexor is far too short to skip days or alternate dosages between days. It would be ideal to get a hold of the 25mg tablets to work with. Then you can divide them into quarters and work with 6.25mg at a time. Again, precision is not necessary. You end up using small doses of Effexor throughout the day as needed like a PRN.
How about dividing the 75mg capsule into quarters and take one quarter three times a day. When you see your doctor, you can ask him for a prescription for the 25mg tablet. You could then move to 12.5mg three times a day or as needed if withdrawal symptoms emerge. Once you are stabilized at 12.5mg 3 times a day, I would start using 6.25mg doses. You can probably handle 6.25mg four times a day at this point. Hopefully, you will be dosing every 6 hours without having symptoms develop. When you feel you are ready for the final taper, begin using the Effexor as a PRN. Wait until symptoms begin to appear before taking your next 6.25mg dose. You should find that you can go longer and longer between doses. You may find that you cannot get beyond dosing every 12 hours. At this point you can either move down further to 3.125mg dosing or stop taking it entirely. Hopefully, the withdrawal syndrome you experience will be mild and brief.
I never used the immediate release tablets. Using the pellets found in the capsules, I just estimated the amount of Effexor that I thought I would need to allow 6-8 hours to pass before the symptoms would emerge again. My dosing was very flexible, and I found that I needed less and less Effexor and that the amount of time between dosing increased.
This strategy works for me. I hope it does for you as well. It has been my experience that I can get from 300mg to 0mg in less than two weeks this way.
No one else here has dared to try this method yet. If you decide to go with it, please post your experiences with it. Perhaps you will need to use another strategy. You can try continuing along your present path. It might work for you. However, if you begin to experience escalating withdrawal symptoms, please don't allow yourself to suffer. Either restart Effexor and taper or use an alternate strategy like substituting Prozac for the Effexor and taper the Prozac. It's an easier ride. You already have the raw materials to try a flexible dosing taper. Maybe you can get started before you see your doctor next.
I'm too tired to proofread this. I hope I made sense.
- Scott
poster:SLS
thread:469497
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/wdrawl/20050228/msgs/471357.html