Posted by carribeanblue on June 22, 2008, at 22:22:04
Hello. Does anyone know: Can Effexor still be impacting my life a year and a half after withdrawal?
From July 2006 to December 2006 I went through a slow and difficult withdrawal from lo-dose Effexor (37.5), after being on Effexor for about 10 years or so. (I went on it during a difficult job situation. I STAYED on it because every time I tried to quit... well, you know how it goes.) I used the program and supplements from theroadback.org faithfully, to help with the withdrawal, and my doctor was aware of the program (He is an alternative MD and is well aware of the hazards of anti-depressants). I had symptoms I called "wooziness" all during that time. I always had symptoms when I missed a dose by even a couple hours, so I knew it was going to be difficult. But I was determined to stick it out.
I woke up on the morning of November 11, 2006 with a very odd off-balance feeling in my head, more dramatic than just "wooziness". I thought I had slept wrong, and blamed it on doing headstands during yoga the night before. I thought I had messed up my neck. I saw neurologists, physical therapists, a dizziness specialist (althought it's not really Dizziness and I don't have nystagmus), chiropractors, a neurologist-chiropractor, eye doc and even a reflux doc based on the possibiity that reflux was getting up into my ear canal. Lots of false alarms ("gosh I think it's better?"), but no true relief from anything I've tried.
I had continued with the Effexor withdrawal through 2006, thinking if it WAS effexor-related, the best thing I could do would be to finally get OFF the stuff. But...
Over 1-1/2 years later (last effexor in December 2006) I still have the symptoms I woke up with that day. It is though I have two weights attached to both sides of my head, and when I move, the weights swing and throw me off balance. When I turn my head, it feels like my brain hasn't caught up. Sometimes it's accompanied by what feels like an intense tension headache. The symptoms all seem an awful lot like what I've seen posted elsewhere... The symptoms are never GONE (there when I go to bed; there when I wake up), although they may vary. I thought for sure it couldn't be Effexor after all this time...
Is it possible I could still be having Effexor-related symptoms? If so, what the heck do I do now? Should I try to take one of my old low dose Effexors (37.5) for a few days and see if it goes away? If so, at least my question is answered (and not knowing WHAT THIS IS is almost the worst of it). But I'm afraid to swallow Effexor again. (Maybe Zoloft or something less vicious on a temporary basis? But I dunno if my doc will give me a prescript/samples.) The symptoms are having, and have been having, a serious impact on my quality of life. I struggle through each day. This has been going on since 2006 and I am SO tired of feeling bad. I don't recognize myself anymore; I am becoming nothing but symptoms.
Any ideas? Help. This is crazy. Thanks.
And if this turns out to be Effexor, I oughta sue them for all those medical bills...
Wendy
poster:carribeanblue
thread:835996
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/wdrawl/20080220/msgs/835996.html