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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 12 of 12. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by MsVik on August 15, 2003, at 18:25:56
I have been trying to get off this "wonderful" drug for over 3 months...the Dr's treat me like I'm nuts because of my complaints. I have never had such dizziness in my head--like electrical shocks which Ive read others have had. I am also so stiff I cant hardly stand it...my legs below the knee and my hands swell and I have a upset stomach a lot of the time. If I have a pretty good day and go to the gym (I am only walking 20-30 min) my legs burn I ache so bad that night. Has anyone had the swelling and or the awful aches...I am down to 25 mg..and can even break it in half some days but if I don't take it the side effects get so awful I break down and take a tablet. Thanks for any input you might have
Posted by BJL on August 15, 2003, at 18:47:30
In reply to EFEXOR Withdrawl I feel like I'm dying, posted by MsVik on August 15, 2003, at 18:25:56
Oh yes, I know exactly what you are talking about. It's the most horrible feeling in the world. When I wanted to try to wean off my Paxil (because of weight gain), I lasted about five days and then it hit like a ton of bricks. I made it three days before going to the doctor, and she immediately stuck me back on. On top of the zaps, dizziness, loss of balance, nausea, headache, I was also SEVERELY depressed. I truly wanted to die. Since I am only on day two of the Effexor and haven't taken the Paxil in two days, I am very nervous and am hoping that because I am on another SSRI that maybe I won't go through withdrawals, but the doctor said he couldn't promise me anything. I felt fine yesterday. Today I have a headache. I'm very, very tired and want to sleep all of the time, but he warned me that I would feel that way at least for a week or so when starting Effexor. Anyway, you are not alone. Good luck with it!
Posted by stjames on August 15, 2003, at 19:13:26
In reply to EFEXOR Withdrawl I feel like I'm dying, posted by MsVik on August 15, 2003, at 18:25:56
If you are having problems you are tapering too fast. Up the dose till the side effects stop. Then taper more slowly.
Posted by bheansidhe on August 16, 2003, at 12:03:51
In reply to EFEXOR Withdrawl I feel like I'm dying, posted by MsVik on August 15, 2003, at 18:25:56
> I have been trying to get off this "wonderful" drug for over 3 months...the Dr's treat me like I'm nuts because of my complaints. I have never had such dizziness in my head--like electrical shocks which Ive read others have had. I am also so stiff I cant hardly stand it...my legs below the knee and my hands swell and I have a upset stomach a lot of the time. If I have a pretty good day and go to the gym (I am only walking 20-30 min) my legs burn I ache so bad that night. Has anyone had the swelling and or the awful aches...I am down to 25 mg..and can even break it in half some days but if I don't take it the side effects get so awful I break down and take a tablet. Thanks for any input you might have
First, you need to taper off SLOWLY. I can't emphasize that enough. Many doctors still aren't aware of the degree to which they should take care when weaning their patients.I took 75 mg/day of Effexor for three years, and got off this April. I took one solid month to wean down. I went to 32.5 mg pills taken every sixteen hours for one week, to 32.5 mg taken every 24 hours for two weeks, to one 32.5 mg pill taken every other day for two weeks. For the first two days of lowering the dose I was unable to drive because of the dizzies; the same thing happened when I went to every other day, but not as badly.
Now, after weaning off I went to Strattera. It may have helped to end the withdrawals, but I would still feel the odd nerve tingle for the first month of Strattera. Nothing incapacitating, just annoying.
Let's see if I can find some research you can print and bring to yoru doctor.. and tell him that MANY people have AWFUL trouble weaning off the damn drug. Maybe he can give you something to tempoarily help you sleep; Xanax helped me (duly prescribed by my doctor, but non-refillable).
Your doctor needs to be familiar with SSRI Discontinuation Syndrome.
http://www.pandamedicine.com/rt_health/123.html"Less common difficulties: shock-like sensations, Parasthesia (skin crawling, burning or prickling)... from
http://bipolar.about.com/library/weekly/aa-ssridiscon02.htm
Posted by Caleb462 on August 16, 2003, at 13:14:27
In reply to Re: EFEXOR Withdrawl I feel like I'm dying » MsVik, posted by bheansidhe on August 16, 2003, at 12:03:51
Yep, it sucks. I did a really quick taper, in order to get on Nardil as quick as possible, and I felt horribly fluishly sick for a couple weeks. No "zaps" or anything... but lots of nausea, some vomiting, dizziness, and near the end of the 2 weeks I was getting awful rage attacks - I lost much of my already low impulse control.
The best thing to do is probably just taper as slow as possible, or ask your doc for a few doses of prozac, which is a "self-tapering" drug due to it's long half-life. I've read the prozac method can work much better.
One thing which greatly reduced my withdrawl symptoms, suprisingly, was opiods. Even a low dose of hydrocodone or oxycodone greatly reduced the flu-like feelings, eased the anxiety, and quite amazingly, reduced dizziness and to some extent - nausea. I can't say why, but it worked. Course, I doubt your doc would be willing to give you a script of vicodin for effexor withdrawl... but, just thought I'd share.
Posted by gabbix2 on August 16, 2003, at 21:09:38
In reply to Re: EFEXOR Withdrawl I feel like I'm dying, posted by Caleb462 on August 16, 2003, at 13:14:27
It depends on how you feel about taking another drug, but Effexor was hell for me on and off,
Prozac was my saviour in getting me through the withdrawls.
When I was finished withdrawing from the Effexor, the Prozac was long acting enough to be self tapering (no withdrawl for me)
That was suggested to me by another babbler (bless her) so its worked for others as well
Posted by MsVik on August 16, 2003, at 21:46:40
In reply to Re: EFEXOR Withdrawl I feel like I'm dying » MsVik, posted by bheansidhe on August 16, 2003, at 12:03:51
I want to thank those of your who responded to my post. I upped my dose last night and today so I am back up to 25mg of effexor. It is amazing for the first time in 3 months my legs, feet, arms, and hands dont ache...the swelling in my legs and feet has gone way down. I have had 3 different Dr's trying to figure out what has been happening to me...there answer was to take a water pill. I just can't imagine what would have happened if I would not have found this group. I felt so awful for so long I just didn't care...I feel like I came out of a dark cave today. I think it is awful that the Drs choose to treat these types of withdrawl symptoms so lightly. I know I still have a ways to go to get off this stuff and I am going to do it really slow. Thanks again
Posted by butterpeacan79 on August 17, 2003, at 2:20:40
In reply to Re: EFEXOR Withdrawl I feel like I'm dying, posted by BJL on August 15, 2003, at 18:47:30
if I dont take Efexor the same day every day after 3-4 hours I will have withdrawls. THis scares me cause it shows me that I am highly addicted to it.
Posted by MsVik on August 17, 2003, at 9:53:09
In reply to Re: EFEXOR Withdrawl I feel like I'm dying, posted by butterpeacan79 on August 17, 2003, at 2:20:40
I have talked to people that I remember saying how sick they were on there meds the past year or 2....everyone of them were on EFFEXOR...Once I get off this stuff I would never take it again. I have a friend who the Dr just put on it 2 weeks ago...she is getting off and when she told her Dr she wanted off it he knew nothing about these side effects. I think this really shows we have to be educated about anything we take. And if I would have thought when I first got on and I missed a dose and I got so sick I would have quit taking it then. Again I think this is an awful drug and what makes it even worse that the people giving it to us don't know the symptoms we are having have anything to do with the drug....I think that is really sad cause when I went back to the Dr's they just acted like I was making it up...my legs and hands had retained so much fluid that you could easily leave a 1/2" if not more, dent if you pushed on them. I was told well your getting older and sometimes people retain fluid. Its really scary that the follow up on these drugs is so poor and to think how much longer I would have gone on thinking and felling like I was going to die very soon and I really didn't care.
Posted by stjames on August 17, 2003, at 12:51:04
In reply to EFEXOR Withdrawl I feel like I'm dying, posted by MsVik on August 15, 2003, at 18:25:56
Everything one needs to know about this has already been covered in the past on this board, so I pulled this togethet here:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/psycho-babble-tips/links/Effexor_and_Effexor__000963295972/
Posted by MsVik on August 17, 2003, at 13:23:44
In reply to EFEXOR Withdrawl I feel like I'm dying, posted by MsVik on August 15, 2003, at 18:25:56
If my post were out of line I'm sorry...I did not see anywhere that anyone had talked about not being able to walk without pain or awful swelling in there legs and hand...I know now for sure that is what caused this for me...I just wanted to make sure that it is know that this is a side effect from this drug..it is not noted anywhere in any of the material I have read anywhere..knowing this sure would have saved me a lot of trips to the Dr and a lot of unnecessary test not to say anything about the months of pain I went through. I hope this help others.
Posted by gabbix2 on August 17, 2003, at 17:44:55
In reply to Re: EFEXOR Withdrawl I feel like I'm dying, posted by MsVik on August 17, 2003, at 13:23:44
There's no way you could know everything thats been covered about what drugs on this board :)
especially if you're new. There was nothing out of line about what you'd asked.
I'm pretty sure St. James was just making it easier for you in case you had any other questions.I don't think very many people search the archives before they ask a question, and you never know someone might have some entirely new information.
This is the end of the thread.
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