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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by scs3371 on July 2, 2004, at 10:47:40
Does anyone out there know anything about taking SAMe or St. John's Wort while you are trying to withdrawal from Effexor? I am wanting to get off my Effexor and go to something herbal but don't know if you can mix the two while you are going through withdrawal (not looking forward to the withdrawal by the way!). Any help would be appreciated!!!
Thanks,
Stacy
Posted by linkadge on July 2, 2004, at 11:01:24
In reply to Effexor Withdrawal and Herbal Supplements????, posted by scs3371 on July 2, 2004, at 10:47:40
I personally would not recomend taking SJW while there is effexor in your system. It has a high probability of causing serotonin snydrome.
How much effexor are you currently taking ??
You may want to talk to your docotor about the prozac trick.
Prozac has a very long half-life. One pill can stay in your system almost 2 weeks. Prozac is much easier to withdrawl from because it leaves your system so slowly, not with a jolt like effexor. If you swich to say 10-20 mg of prozac, you can take that for a week or more, then discontinue it much easier.
Then at this point I would say it is safer to add herbals if your mood drops.
Linkadge
Posted by scs3371 on July 2, 2004, at 11:10:11
In reply to Re: Effexor Withdrawal and Herbal Supplements????, posted by linkadge on July 2, 2004, at 11:01:24
How long does Effexor "stay in your system"? I know the half life is 5 hours, but aren't the withdrawal symptoms from not having the Effexor in your system anymore? I'm not sure I understand the pharmacokinetics of it all.
Thanks for your help!
> I personally would not recomend taking SJW while there is effexor in your system. It has a high probability of causing serotonin snydrome.
>
> How much effexor are you currently taking ??
>
> You may want to talk to your docotor about the prozac trick.
>
> Prozac has a very long half-life. One pill can stay in your system almost 2 weeks. Prozac is much easier to withdrawl from because it leaves your system so slowly, not with a jolt like effexor. If you swich to say 10-20 mg of prozac, you can take that for a week or more, then discontinue it much easier.
>
> Then at this point I would say it is safer to add herbals if your mood drops.
>
>
> Linkadge
>
>
>
>
>
Posted by linkadge on July 2, 2004, at 11:24:50
In reply to Re: Effexor Withdrawal and Herbal Supplements????, posted by scs3371 on July 2, 2004, at 11:10:11
Effexor XR has a half life of about 16 hours, so one a day dosing is often sufficient. You will notice that if you miss a dose of effexor you probably feel like crap. This is because your blood level of effexor takes a sudden dive.
If you swich to prozac (most docotors know about this trick) missing a dose is not a big deal. If you suddenly stop taking it, it will leave your system so gradually that withdrawl symptoms happen much less frequently because your brain has the time to adjust itself.
Linkadge
Posted by KaraS on July 2, 2004, at 13:23:20
In reply to Re: Effexor Withdrawal and Herbal Supplements????, posted by linkadge on July 2, 2004, at 11:24:50
I agree that Prozac is probably the best way to go but SJW also works. I'm taking it now for that reason. There's no more chance of serotonin syndrome than with Prozac. Both are mainly serotonergics. You just don't take a full dosage of SJW if you are on a high dosage of Effexor. (Same with Prozac)
Posted by jenn007 on July 2, 2004, at 13:42:09
In reply to Re: Effexor Withdrawal and Herbal Supplements????, posted by KaraS on July 2, 2004, at 13:23:20
is it okay then to try sjw if i dont have a px for prozac? being new to AD's, my effexor is driving me crazy. it helped my post partum anxiety attacks so the doctor said to stay on it and see how i feel in a month. i wonder if sjw is safe with 75mg effexor xr.... anyone know? i dont know much about herbals
Posted by KaraS on July 2, 2004, at 14:18:08
In reply to Re: New to Effexor XR, my side effects, anyone els, posted by jenn007 on July 2, 2004, at 13:42:09
> is it okay then to try sjw if i dont have a px for prozac? being new to AD's, my effexor is driving me crazy. it helped my post partum anxiety attacks so the doctor said to stay on it and see how i feel in a month. i wonder if sjw is safe with 75mg effexor xr.... anyone know? i dont know much about herbals
75 mg. of Effexor is not a high dosage. You'd probably do fine on 900 mg. (the usual full dosage) of SJW. If you want to be on the conservative side, you could take 600 mg. (usually 2 pills) of SJW. Just be sure to do some research to get a good brand (esp. Perika or Kira. New Chapter is perhaps the best but I believe it comes in one 900 mg. pill so it's not as easy to take a different dosage.) Keep in mind that SJW can diminish the effects of some other meds so you should check that out first. It can be a problem if you're on birth control pills etc. If I were you I'd do a search or post on the Alternative Board here as there are others using SJW or advising its use for withdrawal from Effexor.
Posted by linkadge on July 2, 2004, at 15:08:09
In reply to Re: New to Effexor XR, my side effects, anyone els, posted by KaraS on July 2, 2004, at 14:18:08
I would *not* start taking any SJW till at least 48 hours after your last effexor pill. I once combined SJW with 10mg of celexa (not a high dose) and had to go to the hospital with symptoms of serotonin syndrome. The reason the chance of interaction is high because the two increase serotonin through slightly different mechanisms.
Linkadge
Posted by Dr. Bob on July 2, 2004, at 19:01:03
In reply to Effexor Withdrawal and Herbal Supplements????, posted by scs3371 on July 2, 2004, at 10:47:40
> Does anyone out there know anything about taking SAMe or St. John's Wort while you are trying to withdrawal from Effexor?
Sorry to interrupt, but I'd like to redirect this thread to Psycho-Babble Alternative. Here's a link:
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20040613/msgs/362556.html
Thanks,
Bob
This is the end of the thread.
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