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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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Posted by angeltalena on August 13, 2002, at 9:45:47
In reply to Re: Anyone had success on Effexor XR?, posted by sleepy lizard on August 12, 2002, at 22:48:34
> I've read that it takes a couple of weeks to come off of Effexor. However one person said she was still having dizziness after 4 weeks. When
I think you would do better if you stop gradually and not cold turkey. Dump out part of a pill on each day.
At least that's what the other groups on yahoo tell me.Karen
I've stopped it for just three days I've had the "shocks" that seem to have something to do with visual focus and balance. No fun at all. And also more pain, but the sexual side effects lift. Check out what people have written on tripod:
>
> http://members.tripod.com/~BWarner/eff_letters.html
Posted by Roo on August 13, 2002, at 10:05:02
In reply to Re: Am I crazy?, posted by quarterlifer on August 13, 2002, at 9:19:49
I must have miscommunicated...my sexual side effects
didn't go away at 75 mg's...what I meant to say was
that maybe I wasn't having much withdrawal because I'd
never really gone on a high dosage of effexor...the highest
I went was 75 mg's. I got sexual side effects on as little
as 33 mg's....but after being totally off of effexor for just
one day, I noticed my sexual function came back really quickly...
not totally back, but a LOT better.But alas, I think I might have spoken too soon about
withdrawal...I'm just now noticing being really dizzy
and fuzzy headed and slightly nauseous...I guess it took
a couple of days to hit...whaaaaa
Posted by Dinah on August 13, 2002, at 10:15:27
In reply to Re: Am I crazy? quarterlifer, posted by Roo on August 13, 2002, at 10:05:02
> But alas, I think I might have spoken too soon about
> withdrawal...I'm just now noticing being really dizzy
> and fuzzy headed and slightly nauseous...I guess it took
> a couple of days to hit...whaaaaa
Yep, that sounds like it. :(I took half a capsule whenever I felt dizzy (every two or three days) for a while before stopping completely. And I found (in my totally unscientific survey of one) that large amounts of caffeine kept me functioning at least, if not terribly well.
Good luck,
Dinah
Posted by Roo on August 14, 2002, at 10:38:38
In reply to Re: Am I crazy? » Roo, posted by Dinah on August 13, 2002, at 10:15:27
Man was I ever wrong about not experiencing
withdrawal...first the dizziness and nausea, then
the emotional bottom fell out--I was sobbing hysterically,
thinking really dark thoughts like I'd have to go to the
hospital, I couldn't hold down a job, No one will ever be
able to love me, Felt like kicking the dog, breaking every
dish in the house, kept having this gory vision of chopping
off my hand...It was _SO_ awful. I ended up taking a half a capusule and it helped some.
I can take the physical effects, but the emotional ones...man...
How long do they last?What do you take now?
Posted by Dinah on August 14, 2002, at 11:02:30
In reply to Re: Am I crazy? Dinah, posted by Roo on August 14, 2002, at 10:38:38
Hi Roo. I didn't have any emotional side effects, so I guess I'm lucky there. But then again, I'm not really depressed as much as I am anxious. I was taking the Effexor for a resurgence of my OCD symptoms. And quite frankly, the OCD caused less problems than the Effexor did. :(
So I'm afraid to take anything right now. If I ever do another antidepressant, I'll go for Luvox. It made me stupid, emotionally flat and unable to orgasm, but that beats agitated hypomania (from Effexor and Wellbutrin) any day, and I'm afraid to try another AD ever again.
I do take my 125 mg Depakote and Klonopin as needed.
I lost well over a month of my life on Effexor and I just don't want to experiment ever again.
Posted by .tabitha. on August 14, 2002, at 11:59:16
In reply to Re: Am I crazy? Dinah, posted by Dinah on August 14, 2002, at 11:02:30
Hi Dinah,
Reading your list of ADs, I wondered if you ever tried Serzone? I actually don't even know if it's used for OCD. I mention it because I've also been unable to tolerate Wellbutrin or Effexor, and grudgingly put up with SSRIs (similar to what you describe), but I tolerated Serzone well-- it just didn't work on my depression nearly as well as the SSRIs.
Posted by Wheezer on August 14, 2002, at 12:45:54
In reply to Re: Am I crazy? Dinah, posted by Roo on August 14, 2002, at 10:38:38
Dinah,
I had the same problems getting off effexor as you. I oould have written that post. I ended up going down very slowly, 37.5 every 10 days. I started at 300mg, so do the math, and it took forever. At the worse, my doc and I talked about augmented it with Prozac, but at that point I was so anti-med, I just stuck it out. Took at mini leave from work, halted my social life, and bonded with the couch and cat. It worked and I got off. A year later my anxiety, depreesion and hyperactivity returned, and I am now on 37.5 of effexor every other day, which is working well. I wish you luck!
Posted by Dinah on August 14, 2002, at 17:14:05
In reply to Re: Am I crazy? » Dinah, posted by .tabitha. on August 14, 2002, at 11:59:16
Hmmm. If I ever get in bad enough shape that I am willing to try another AD, I'll mention it to my pdoc. :)
Of course there's always the possibility that I will mercifully forget my experience with Effexor, the way women forget the pain of childbirth (or so they say...).
Posted by Dinah on August 14, 2002, at 17:18:17
In reply to Re: Am I crazy? Dinah, posted by Wheezer on August 14, 2002, at 12:45:54
That sounds like a nice low dose. Hopefully it will continue to work well for you and you'll never need to worry about withdrawal. I know a lot of people who really benefit from Effexor.
Take care.
Posted by quarterlifer on August 14, 2002, at 20:51:52
In reply to Re: Am I crazy? » Wheezer, posted by Dinah on August 14, 2002, at 17:18:17
Here I am, just about a week later, off teh Effexor. I still have the shocks, but am dealing better. I wake up, and I'm not as groggy as I was when I was on Effexor. I do feel a little crazy still, I have this uncontrolled energy, and right around Noon every day I run around in circles at work. So I've started putting together Priority lists, and I can handle it. To ease the pain during the evening, I've resorted to drinking a couple of beers, which suits me fine, and I find that my senses are dulled a bit, so I don't get the anxiety attacks I was getting. Mind you, beer is a depressant, but I wasn't depressed, just had major anxiety.
The good news is that things seem to be coming together for me, which is good, because I can't imagine dealing with this if my life weren't turning so rosy. Hopefully will be getting word on a promotion at work that will involve lots of travel and being home on the weekends (I don't like the office bit much anymore, and don't have many ties here, family is crazy anyway, and far away, and a source of my anxiety).
Posted by judy1 on August 14, 2002, at 23:54:39
In reply to Re: Am I crazy?, posted by quarterlifer on August 14, 2002, at 20:51:52
i just heard on the news that drinking 4-6 beers/week lowers blood pressure :-). alcohol is a very common drug that people with panic/anxiety disorders self-medicate with. i'm glad it's helping you, just please be careful to keep it under control. take care, judy
Posted by sly on August 15, 2002, at 7:51:54
In reply to Anyone had success on Effexor XR? , posted by jp on October 24, 1999, at 14:59:14
I've been on Effexor, low dose 75 mg, for about 5-6 months now. I truly believe this drug changed my life. I feel fantastic now, I can sleep, read, concentrate, enjoy sex, I'm more productive at work, and able to feel happiness and laugh again.
Next week I'm going back to my Doctor and he wants to talk about coming off the meds, but what I'm reading here scares the hell out of me. I can't go back to the way I was, I won't, it was too hard, I couldn't sleep, eat, think, and forget about sex, I didn't even like it never mind have an orgasm.
I am absolutely terrified of going through what you guys/gals have gone through, depression was bad enough, but the withdrawal sounds worse, I'd almost rather stay on a low dose forever than go through that again. I barely survived the depression the first time, another episode might kill me.
Posted by quarterlifer on August 15, 2002, at 9:46:18
In reply to You people are scaring the hell out of me!, posted by sly on August 15, 2002, at 7:51:54
In regard to that, I understand how you would be scared to get off it. The things you describe being able to do on Effexor, I could never achieve without much effort. After being off the drug for a week, I feel like my life is coming back and I'm not the ultra sensitive Zombie that I was on the drug. I'm getting shit done and relationships in my life are improving immensely every day I'm off it. Plan on a week of hardship, more like being on illegal drugs, and then it's like the Prozac ads when the sun comes out and you can see again.
Good luck and get off the drugs!
Posted by Dinah on August 15, 2002, at 9:55:51
In reply to You people are scaring the hell out of me!, posted by sly on August 15, 2002, at 7:51:54
I guess with one episode of depression, doctors do try to get you off meds after a while. But if you are doing so well on Effexor, does your pdoc really think it's important to go off of it?
A lot of people (but not all) do experience nasty withdrawal symptoms, but they do wear off (eventually). If you and your pdoc decide that now is the right time to try to go off the Effexor, my main advice would be taper, taper, taper....
Good luck.
Posted by cybercafe on August 15, 2002, at 16:12:17
In reply to You people are scaring the hell out of me!, posted by sly on August 15, 2002, at 7:51:54
> I've been on Effexor, low dose 75 mg, for about 5-6 months now. I truly believe this drug changed my life. I feel fantastic now, I can sleep, read, concentrate, enjoy sex, I'm more productive at work, and able to feel happiness and laugh again.
>
> Next week I'm going back to my Doctor and he wants to talk about coming off the meds, but what I'm reading here scares the hell out of me. I can't go back to the way I was, I won't, it was too hard, I couldn't sleep, eat, think, and forget about sex, I didn't even like it never mind have an orgasm.
>
> I am absolutely terrified of going through what you guys/gals have gone through, depression was bad enough, but the withdrawal sounds worse, I'd almost rather stay on a low dose forever than go through that again. I barely survived the depression the first time, another episode might kill me.grrrrrrr..... i went through hell on effexor withdrawal at first cuz i was too proud to call my pdoc.....
then when i did he just told me to take a little clonopin and i went from unbearable agony to happy happy joy joy
Posted by Reneb on August 15, 2002, at 17:06:57
In reply to You people are scaring the hell out of me!, posted by sly on August 15, 2002, at 7:51:54
> I've been on Effexor, low dose 75 mg, for about 5-6 months now. I truly believe this drug changed my life. I feel fantastic now, I can sleep, read, concentrate, enjoy sex, I'm more productive at work, and able to feel happiness and laugh again.
>
> Next week I'm going back to my Doctor and he wants to talk about coming off the meds, but what I'm reading here scares the hell out of me. I can't go back to the way I was, I won't, it was too hard, I couldn't sleep, eat, think, and forget about sex, I didn't even like it never mind have an orgasm.
>
> I am absolutely terrified of going through what you guys/gals have gone through, depression was bad enough, but the withdrawal sounds worse, I'd almost rather stay on a low dose forever than go through that again. I barely survived the depression the first time, another episode might kill me.
Hi, Why are you getting off it if you are feeling good? I am very happy that it has worked for you. I think it might be your low dose. It seems that when people get into higher doses there the problems start. I was on 300mg for a year and became a zombie. I hated it!!
Renee
Posted by shar on August 15, 2002, at 19:52:03
In reply to Re: You people are scaring the hell out of me! » sly, posted by Reneb on August 15, 2002, at 17:06:57
I will chime in on the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" side of things. If you are feeling good on Effexor, why get off? On more than one occasion there have been people who have stopped meds 'too soon' and relapsed into depression, and there is no guarantee that once off Effexor it would work for you again (people have also had that experience--trying to go back to a drug that worked once only to find it works not again).
HOWEVER the big caveat is that everybody seems to have their own reactions to these things, and for some people they get off the meds and do fine. Or, if they get depressed again, they try the same med and it works fine. Also, you might find getting off effexor is not a horror story, especially if you get off slowly, add a little prozac before you're off completely, and have access to Klonopin (which helped me a lot).
I have sort of a hard time relating to episodes of depression because my dx is dysthymia (chronic low-level depression with clinical (really bad) episodes). So, I am never depression free except for moments, maybe hours at times.
But, enough about me! Sounds like you are not ready to stop effexor, you are feeling good and enjoying it, and you and your pdoc should probably talk about how long you want to stay as you are. A lot of people use meds for a year when dealing with episodic depression. Then, after a year they stop (but have a supply in the medicine cabinet just in case....).
Shar
Posted by cybercafe on August 16, 2002, at 0:01:43
In reply to Re: You people are scaring the hell out of me!, posted by shar on August 15, 2002, at 19:52:03
hey shar do dysthymics have atypical or melancholic depression?
Posted by spencer on August 16, 2002, at 4:04:20
In reply to You people are scaring the hell out of me!, posted by sly on August 15, 2002, at 7:51:54
I know how you feel about going off when it's working for you so well. But you are on a low dose which means that you can almost certainly manage without it. I was on 150mg for about 10 months and was also worried that I would slip back. I tapered very slowly over about 2 months eventually taking a half 37.5mg of normal release Effexor every morning. I had no symptoms except the first two days after I stopped completely I was quite dizzy, but that went away. Now I feel absolutely normal. I have not had any feelings of depression or anxiety, I sleep well and I don't get those funny feelings because I forget to take my capsule on time...and by the way the difficulty in reaching orgasm has gone. I'm doing lots of gym and I'm convinced that is helping the feeling of well-being.
Don't worry about something that may not happen. If the doctor wants you to go off the medication, do it nice and slowly and see what happens. If there are withdrawal symptoms then the doctor will help you deal with them. GOOD LUCK!!!!
Posted by jay60 on August 16, 2002, at 8:57:31
In reply to Re: You people are scaring the hell out of me! » sly, posted by spencer on August 16, 2002, at 4:04:20
I do not see any reason to get off of Effexor if it is working so well for you, I think the decision to stop should be yours and only yours (only you know when you are ready). A good doctor should understand this.
Posted by shar on August 16, 2002, at 15:34:35
In reply to Re: You people are scaring the hell out of me! » shar, posted by cybercafe on August 16, 2002, at 0:01:43
> hey shar do dysthymics have atypical or melancholic depression?
Yes.
kiddin around there.
these are technical terms for describing certain kinds of depression found in dysthymia? I'm not that familiar with the nuances of each term. Can you give me more of a description?
Thanks,
Shar
Posted by Starwatcher on August 16, 2002, at 16:20:53
In reply to Re: You people are scaring the hell out of me! » cybercafe, posted by shar on August 16, 2002, at 15:34:35
Hi, Shar. I always thought I might be dysthmic, too, but I never saw a doctor to be diagnosed. I would get episodes of depression, sometimes deep, and then I'd be "normal" - somewhere in between -not happy, but not totally sad - just kinda okay. No mania. I've been able to deal with myself and my moods before without outside help, but now I'm on a low level of Effexor ( 37.5 mg.) at night to help me sleep and to relieve fibromyalgia pain. And boy, does it!! I've been on that dose for about two months now, and I still wake up groggy and loaded in the mornings for awhile. It goes away as the day goes on. I don't think I'm ever going to get more used to it and have that go away, if it hasn't happened in two months of being continuously on the medication with no missed doses! At least my pain is mostly gone!
Posted by quarterlifer on August 16, 2002, at 22:14:10
In reply to Re: You people are scaring the hell out of me!, posted by Starwatcher on August 16, 2002, at 16:20:53
Does it really help with fibromyalgia? My mother has had that for years, and after my experience on Effexor, I was gonna almost tell her to get off it and go with something else, however if that is the case, mums the word!
Posted by quarterlifer on August 16, 2002, at 22:16:01
In reply to Re: Am I crazy? » quarterlifer, posted by judy1 on August 14, 2002, at 23:54:39
Thank you, Judy! I appreciate the info and advice!
Posted by LynnPerley on August 16, 2002, at 23:09:55
In reply to You people are scaring the hell out of me!, posted by sly on August 15, 2002, at 7:51:54
Sly, I agree that it is your decision and nobody else's, but if you do, go slowly. Get a prescrip for 37.5 and maybe try an every third day thing at first? (75 for 2, 37.5 for 1, etc.?) I ended up at 225 mg and I've been contemplating seeing if I can cut back. The thought of how long it will take, and the side effects of withdrawal, are daunting for me. Had I stopped at 75 mg, it seems like it would be easier. Let us know what the doc says.
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