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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 16 of 16. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Doloris on Tuesdays on June 25, 2004, at 0:07:56
I am going cold-turkey off of 300mg per day of effexor xr. (I took it for the last 9 years.) It's been almost 2 weeks and my brain is fried from the electrical currents constantly going thru it. I am afraid. I am so angry and agressive and abusive. I have been kicking my dogs, throwing furniture around the house with extreme force, being sarcastic and cruel when anyone talks to me. I have been going to some classes this summer and have had to sit in the back away from everyone else, because I'm afraid I'll hurt someone. Someone put their purse under the table where I was sitting, I took off my shoes and put my feet on her purse. I kept pushing really hard on her purse and wanting to ruin anything inside of it. Thank god no one noticed me. Someone sat down next to me and invaded my "space", and I just put my stuff on top of hers and kept taking notes. I wanted to kill this woman. Instead of consentrating on the seminar, I was thinking of ways to torture this woman, to kill her slowly, begging for mercy. Is anyone else having these extreme forms of agression. I'm so terrified that I'm really gonna hurt someone or something. My nephew's wedding is next weekend. I don't know if I can fake being happy and nice. I've been carrying a small pillow in my bag. Everytime I get a chance to be alone--I scream at the top of my lungs into this pillow.
I'm so tired all the time, don't want to do anything, and feel resentful when I have to.
There is no way I'll ever go back on effexor simply because of what is happening to me now.
I am taking 300 mg of Wellbutrin now, and have not noticed any change at all in my behavior or thoughts. The only positive side effect of going off of effexor is that now I remember what it's like to be horny. On effexor, I never had an orgasim. Is there anyone out there who is completely off this drug? How long did it take?
And I mean cold-turkey. Do you feel like a "normal" person now?
Posted by King Vultan on June 25, 2004, at 7:35:05
In reply to Effexor withdrawal - Extreme Agression, posted by Doloris on Tuesdays on June 25, 2004, at 0:07:56
I went from 150 mg to zero once cold turkey and was in really bad shape for about a week. Some symptoms lingered after that but gradually went away over a period of weeks. I've had a couple of other withdrawals also, and the longest that any symptoms persisted was a couple of months, but this was mainly an intermittent buzzing sensation in my left ear causing a bit of vertigo. I always figured this was unique to my situation because I do have some minor inner ear damage and related hyperacusis in that ear.
I've also been on 300 mg Wellbutrin per day and thought you might find it interesting that I eventually had to drop this med because of extreme irritability. In my case, this developed over a period of months, but I've read anecdotes from other people suggesting it can happen more quickly for some. Wellbutrin is the only drug out of the 11 I've tried that has caused this particular problem. I think it certainly could be part of what you're experiencing, but obviously, the Effexor withdrawal makes it difficult to say what is going on for certain.
Todd
Posted by Tony C. on June 25, 2004, at 7:35:17
In reply to Effexor withdrawal - Extreme Agression, posted by Doloris on Tuesdays on June 25, 2004, at 0:07:56
Hey, I am so GLAD your feeling Horny again, that is my goal with coming down on Serzone after 7 years. But I must say WHY would you quit cold turkey ? I mean cmon 9 years and you quit cold turkey ? I think you should ov weaned at least over 9 months to minimize what your experiencing.
Hang in there, you can do it
Stay nice to others
TOny C.
Posted by Buckeye Fan on June 25, 2004, at 9:15:45
In reply to Re: Effexor withdrawal - Extreme Agression, posted by Tony C. on June 25, 2004, at 7:35:17
I agree...cold turkey is noble, but not practical
after 9 months, let alone 9 years.Wellbutrin is not the right Med in my opinion...
Prozac seems to work best for most people.If possible maybe think about satrting back at 150mg of Effexor and then weening slowly from there? Your choice completely though...just trying to help
Buckeye Fan
Posted by Sad Panda on June 25, 2004, at 13:40:22
In reply to Effexor withdrawal - Extreme Agression, posted by Doloris on Tuesdays on June 25, 2004, at 0:07:56
> I am going cold-turkey off of 300mg per day of effexor xr.
>
>Going cold turkey from 300mg is just asking for a world of pain & trouble. Can I ask why you decided to do it this way rather than tapering off & using prozac?
Cheers,
Panda.
Posted by Doloris on Tuesdays on June 25, 2004, at 14:38:06
In reply to Re: Effexor withdrawal - Extreme Agression » Doloris on Tuesdays, posted by Sad Panda on June 25, 2004, at 13:40:22
> > I am going cold-turkey off of 300mg per day of effexor xr.
> >
> >
>
> Going cold turkey from 300mg is just asking for a world of pain & trouble. Can I ask why you decided to do it this way rather than tapering off & using prozac?
>
> Cheers,
> Panda.
My insurance has a cap on meds. I met my cap in JAnuary and will not be able to start a new insurance program until Sept. 1st. I have been ordering meds from Canada, but I can't afford it anymore. Hence, the cold-turkey.
Posted by Doloris on Tuesdays on June 25, 2004, at 14:45:11
In reply to Re: Effexor withdrawal - Extreme Agression, posted by King Vultan on June 25, 2004, at 7:35:05
> I've also been on 300 mg Wellbutrin per day and thought you might find it interesting that I eventually had to drop this med because of extreme irritability. In my case, this developed over a period of months, but I've read anecdotes from other people suggesting it can happen more quickly for some.Oh,my God,
I wonder if this is happening to me? What would happen if I went off the 300mg of wellbutrin, too. Would I end up in a psycho ward?
What are the side-effects of going off wellbutrin?
Posted by King Vultan on June 25, 2004, at 16:46:21
In reply to Re: Effexor withdrawal - Extreme Agression, posted by Doloris on Tuesdays on June 25, 2004, at 14:45:11
>
> > I've also been on 300 mg Wellbutrin per day and thought you might find it interesting that I eventually had to drop this med because of extreme irritability. In my case, this developed over a period of months, but I've read anecdotes from other people suggesting it can happen more quickly for some.
>
> Oh,my God,
> I wonder if this is happening to me? What would happen if I went off the 300mg of wellbutrin, too. Would I end up in a psycho ward?
> What are the side-effects of going off wellbutrin?
When I realized what was going on, I went down to 150 mg/day of the Wellbutrin (I was taking the SR version--2 x 150 mg/day), and the irritability immediately disappeared. Unfortunately, there was also a loss of antidepressant effect, such that within a couple of weeks, I was finding it very difficult to function. It was so bad I had to supplement with 25 mg Zoloft from an old supply in my bathroom cupboard until I could get in to see my pdoc. At that point, we decided to take a different approach and go on to the tricyclics.
I've taken doses of less than 300 mg/day of Wellbutrin since then to try to supplement other drugs and experienced zero withdrawal effects when dropping it. Wellbutrin works only on norepinephrine and dopamine, and it is mainly the antidepressants that work on serotonin that seem to have significant withdrawal problems, such as the SSRIs and Effexor.Todd
Posted by Doloris on Tuesdays on June 25, 2004, at 17:03:14
In reply to Re: Effexor withdrawal - Extreme Agression » Doloris on Tuesdays, posted by King Vultan on June 25, 2004, at 16:46:21
Todd,
When you took the Wellbutrin SR (which is whaT i'M TAKING now) HOw did you take it?
My doctor told me to take one 150 in am (around 6 - 7 am) and then take the other 150 at 3 pm.When I took the 300mg of effexor xr and the 300 mg of wellbutrin sr, I didn't feel any aggression.
Do you think the aggression I"m feeling is a result of withdrawal from effexor, or because I don't have the effexor to counteract the effects of wellbutrin?
Thanks.
D on Tu> When I realized what was going on, I went down to 150 mg/day of the Wellbutrin (I was taking the SR version--2 x 150 mg/day), and the irritability immediately disappeared. Unfortunately, there was also a loss of antidepressant effect, such that within a couple of weeks, I was finding it very difficult to function. It was so bad I had to supplement with 25 mg Zoloft from an old supply in my bathroom cupboard until I could get in to see my pdoc. At that point, we decided to take a different approach and go on to the tricyclics.
>
> I've taken doses of less than 300 mg/day of Wellbutrin since then to try to supplement other drugs and experienced zero withdrawal effects when dropping it. Wellbutrin works only on norepinephrine and dopamine, and it is mainly the antidepressants that work on serotonin that seem to have significant withdrawal problems, such as the SSRIs and Effexor.
>
> Todd
>
>
Posted by King Vultan on June 26, 2004, at 0:06:51
In reply to Re: Effexor withdrawal - Extreme Agression, posted by Doloris on Tuesdays on June 25, 2004, at 17:03:14
Your dosing schedule is quite typical. I actually took my second dose when I went to bed, which is unusual, because it tends to induce insomnia in many people. With me, it actually seemed to help me sleep, and I would rate Wellbutrin as #1 out of all the meds I've tried for sleep quality. This aspect of my Wellbutrin experience is so atypical that it is probably not of much value to most people.
However, I have seen enough other anecdotes of the Wellbutrin/irritability connection that I feel that it is good to be aware of. As I indicated, it took a few months on 2 x 150 Wellbutrin SR/day taken by itself to cause this effect for me, but some people apparently take less time. Your thoughts on the relationship to Effexor could be true, but as I recall, when I finally dumped the Effexor such that I was just on the 300 mg/day of the Wellbutrin, my brooding went down, and I recall telling a friend of mine that I felt as though I had rejoined the human race. Definitely not at all like your experience. I wish I could help you with your irritability--it tends to be a not real constructive frame of mind.
Todd
Posted by Sad Panda on June 26, 2004, at 0:18:52
In reply to Re: Effexor withdrawal - Extreme Agression, posted by Doloris on Tuesdays on June 25, 2004, at 14:38:06
> > > I am going cold-turkey off of 300mg per day of effexor xr.
> > >
> > >
> >
> > Going cold turkey from 300mg is just asking for a world of pain & trouble. Can I ask why you decided to do it this way rather than tapering off & using prozac?
> >
> > Cheers,
> > Panda.
>
>
> My insurance has a cap on meds. I met my cap in JAnuary and will not be able to start a new insurance program until Sept. 1st. I have been ordering meds from Canada, but I can't afford it anymore. Hence, the cold-turkey.
>
>I would get some generic Prozac & take 20mg/day until the brain zaps subside & then take 10mg/day until they subside & then go cold turkey from there.
If you really liked Effexor you could take lower doses & top up with generic Prozac as they are processed by the same liver enzyme & will raise the blood levels of each other for a given doseage.
Finally, Todd's info on Wellbutrin & Agression/Irritaion is very good. :)
Cheers,
Panda.
Posted by thinkfast on June 28, 2004, at 5:26:15
In reply to Effexor withdrawal - Extreme Agression, posted by Doloris on Tuesdays on June 25, 2004, at 0:07:56
hmm...i've been throwing stuff too! I am just coming on to my 4th day w/out effexor and the anger issue is coming back up. It takes me a few hours to calm down...just sitting back enjoying the pulses in my brain :-0 I can't imagine coming off of 300mg's, since I was only on 75. Best of luck to u..peace
Posted by Kara-beth on July 22, 2004, at 1:34:57
In reply to Effexor withdrawal - Extreme Agression, posted by Doloris on Tuesdays on June 25, 2004, at 0:07:56
I cant believe how releived I am to hear, that Im not some psyco!!! The last two weeks my husband has been trying to get me to check myself into a psych ward.
I have been taking 300mg of effoxer for over a year now, and about three weeks ago I went to my doctor complaining about feeling more depressed then usual (probebly hormonal). So the good old doc perscribes 300 mgs of wellbutrin as an add on to my dose of effexor. My husband and I then decide we want to get pregnant again, and so I go cold turkey off the effoxer.
The last week and a half Ive been completly psycho and this started happening after the electic shock crap and nausea and all the awful phsyical withdrawl started to go away. I have two daughters, which I never yell at, infact my husband and the rest of my fam- think i am too easy on them and that I need to be harsher on disipline with them. Now all I do is yell at them constantly, they cant even look at me wrong or else!!! My husband, well thats a whole other ball park. He better not even breath wrong or stand to close (that will get us another baby real soon). If I see one little thing out of place in my house I start to panic and throw a huge tandrom. My husband put a loaf of bread in the freazer today and I wanted it fresh, I didnt want to have to thaw it. Man,I just about left him over that. I almost in a rage wanted to stab my 2 year old with a butter knife, for pulling something out of the pantry. It freaked me out, my children are way to important and precious to have to deal with mommys psycho-ness. So I made an appointment with my doc tommorrow, then I came online to see if anyone else has the same problems. Thank God, Im not the only one! otherwise I would be admitting my self soon to the psych ward. I cant wait for this to pass and see what the doc can perscribe to help. I am talking sedatives for panic attacks and that seems to help my mood a bit. (not fun to be drugged up all the time either.) Good luck to all of you.
Posted by Camille Dumont on July 22, 2004, at 10:02:58
In reply to Re: Effexor withdrawal - Extreme Agression, posted by Kara-beth on July 22, 2004, at 1:34:57
Hmmm... been 5 days since my last effexor dose and I to feel the anger re-surfacing but it might be anxiety more than anything else.
I would get these completely insane metal images of me hurting perfect strangers just for being there, for not walking fast enough ... and even just out of morbid curiosity (things like "what sound would it make if I smashed her face in that brick wall).
I've always interpreted it as my brain trying to "explain" the anxiety ... that is conjuring up the worse things I could do ... in order to rationalize why the heck I was feeling so anxious. Never acted upon it though ... but it si somewhat distressing ... and disgusting ... to know that I can think of doing such things to other people.
Maybe its a good thing I'm really really introverted .. otherwise I would probably have hurt people by now. Good thing to know that it might get worsened by the withdrawal ... at least I'll know to watch out for it.
Posted by Kara-beth on July 24, 2004, at 18:19:04
In reply to Re: Effexor withdrawal - Extreme Agression, posted by Kara-beth on July 22, 2004, at 1:34:57
The night I wrote my last entry I went to bed and woke up having hallusinations and a panic attach. I decide it was time to tell the doc, what Id done.
Well, I told the doctor, I went cold turkey off the Effoxer and whats been going on. He gave me the most dreadful look and said "do you know how dangerous that is, especially at my high dose." He told me it was released to the public and it was on the NEWS, the dangers of not weaning off effoxer. Not only is it dangerous phsyically to your health, but mentally it is even worse.
So he put me back on 75mg to wean me off, I have felt great, not one panic attack or aggresive outburst since. Ill be weaned off in a month.
Posted by Camille Dumont on July 26, 2004, at 13:25:13
In reply to Re: Effexor withdrawal - Extreme Agression, posted by Kara-beth on July 24, 2004, at 18:19:04
> The night I wrote my last entry I went to bed and woke up having hallusinations and a panic attach. I decide it was time to tell the doc, what Id done.
> Well, I told the doctor, I went cold turkey off the Effoxer and whats been going on. He gave me the most dreadful look and said "do you know how dangerous that is, especially at my high dose." He told me it was released to the public and it was on the NEWS, the dangers of not weaning off effoxer. Not only is it dangerous phsyically to your health, but mentally it is even worse.
> So he put me back on 75mg to wean me off, I have felt great, not one panic attack or aggresive outburst since. Ill be weaned off in a month.
>Really?
*whistles innocently* ... 1 week and one ... no ... 2 days cold turkey from 300mg... haven't killed anybody yet.
So uh ... what can happen, I mean psychologically I can anticipate ... but physically? What can happen? I mean I've had the whole dizzyness, headache, nausea, diarreah, fever type thing ... but is there a risk of something worse happening ... or has it been long enoug that I shouldn't worry about it anymore?
This is the end of the thread.
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