![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 25 of 27. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by mollie on December 5, 2004, at 23:32:10
i have been taking effexor xr since 1999. i was diagnosed with fibromyalgia at that time and the pain from that disease was so bad that i was barely able to function and moving was hard. in about 5 days after i started the effexor one of my co-workers asked me what had happened to me and i asked her in return what she was talking about. her reply was--"you're moving so much more easily." she was right and i've been thankful ever since for effexor.
two years ago, following an assault, i was thrown into a terrible bout of post-traumatic stress reaction/disorder. luckily, i was quickly referrred to a shrink whose specialty is trauma reactions. i ended up having to take two years off work as a result and spent 8 weeks in an outpatient program at a local psychiatric hospital. several new meds were added to my regimine and dosages were adjusted up and down and with good therapy and medication i am getting my life back. recently, i did not have the money to purchase 3 meds at the time they needed to be refilled, so i went about 6 days without them. one of those meds was the effexor. during that time, i experienced a severe migraine, something i had not had in a long enough period that i could not remember the last one (they developed as a result of brain injury from the assault). a friend knew that i had been without the drugs and had done some research on the interenet about withdrawal and effexor. she has been wondering if the migraine was a withdrawal symptom, since the effexor has such a short half-life. i also reached a point where i had fibromyalgia pain again so badly that i could hardly move.
so, all that to say--in reading some of the information available on this site about effexor withdrawal symptoms, i found alot of information but it wasn't really concise enough to be useful to me, e.g. people wrote about brain zaps but i couldn't really get a good idea of what they were exactly and others wrote of bad pain and headache but i couldn't get a feel for what exactly bad pain was or what constituted headache. it would be very very helpful to me if someone or more than someone would make me a list of the specifics of as many symptoms as possible. i can't imagine ever going off the effexor because it is so beneficial to me in terms of improving my quality of life. and we have decreased the dosage from 300 to 150 mg each a.m. and i realize that i can't let that drug slide if i am having trouble being able to purchase them all. i would like to be better educated about the drug and i also wonder what kind of side-effects there may be that i don't know about
i'd appreciate any specific information any of you can offer. thanks in advance. (oh, i was on wellbutrin, strattera, elavil, trazadone, and remeron in addition to effexor. we have reduced the effexor, weaned me off of the strattera, decreased my elavil, decreased the trazadone, and weaned me off the remeron at this time.)
Posted by MKB on December 6, 2004, at 0:36:40
In reply to effexor withdrawal symptoms, posted by mollie on December 5, 2004, at 23:32:10
Personally, I am anti-Effexor for reasons I have stated in my many previous messages. The side effects I experienced were elevated blood pressure, extreme fatigue and excessive sleep, weight gain, hot flashes and sweating, and lack of motivation, among others. The withdrawal was more extreme with a high level of anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, crying, irrational thinking, a severe flu-like illness, and an itchy rash.
However, if you feel Effexor is what you need but you can't afford it, Wyeth-Ayerst has a program to assist patients with that. Check their website for more information. http://www.wyeth.com/about/pmp.asp
The following quote was taken from the section on their site "About Wyeth-U.S. Pharmaceutical Marketing Practices"
"Wyeth provides significant discounts and rebates to a range of government initiatives that reduce the cost of pharmaceuticals for programs that serve needy patients. To provide access to needy patients that do not have drug coverage and cannot afford needed medicines, Wyeth provides free prescription drugs through its Patient Assistance Program. In 2001, Wyeth contributed $94 million (direct price; wholesale value) worth of product for 260,000 patients. These numbers climbed to $117 million for 296,000 patients in 2002, and $163 million for 301,000 patients in 2003."
Posted by MKB on December 6, 2004, at 0:47:34
In reply to effexor withdrawal symptoms, posted by mollie on December 5, 2004, at 23:32:10
Here's a more precise link:
http://www.wyeth.com/contact/contact_assist.asp
Posted by dancingstar on December 7, 2004, at 21:42:19
In reply to Re: effexor withdrawal symptoms » mollie, posted by MKB on December 6, 2004, at 0:47:34
I completely agree with MKB and have had the same symptoms that she has had.
I stopped taking Effexor because of the weight gain issue and, like you, was surprised that I was as ill as I was. My fibromyalgia, too, suddenly hit the moon. It skyrocketed, I was in such extreme pain.
Even though Effexor seemed to help my pain in the first few months of taking it, looking back now I can see that in less than a year my pain returned and I became extraordinarily tired in a way that I had never been before, and I am tired in that same debilitating way since I've stopped taking Effexor. It also helps that my current physician has tested and regulated my thyroid.
When I recently looked at wyeth.com I happened to see that Effexor actually causes fatigue. No wonder so many of us were complaining about this as a problem.
I'm glad that it works for you, though, and wish you continued good health.
Posted by mollie on December 7, 2004, at 21:54:53
In reply to Re: effexor withdrawal symptoms » MKB, posted by dancingstar on December 7, 2004, at 21:42:19
thanks, dancingstar
Posted by dancingstar on December 7, 2004, at 22:08:47
In reply to Re: effexor withdrawal symptoms » MKB, posted by dancingstar on December 7, 2004, at 21:42:19
I misspoke a bit. I meant to say that my fatigue has gone since I've stopped taking Effexor. I'm sorry if i've confused you at all.
Posted by Smeegle on December 8, 2004, at 20:19:54
In reply to Re: effexor withdrawal symptoms » dancingstar, posted by dancingstar on December 7, 2004, at 22:08:47
Effexor sucked the life out of me. It worked quite well for the depression, but the fatigue and brain fog were overwhelming at 300mg. Taking 200mg Provigil worked wonders but just masked the problem.
Started ramping up on Lamictal the same week I started ramping down the Effexor. (after 3+ years at 300mg, I was petrifed at what I was about to go thru getting off Effexor). Three weeks later I am down to 75mg, with ZERO problems. My moods are swinging pretty bad but I am still not at a theraputic dose on the Lamictal. My main fear (besides the brain zaps) was that I got severe SI when I was so much as late on my Effexor dose. I'm not great, but feel optimistic that it will improve as I increase the Lamictal.
Smeegs
Posted by mollie on December 8, 2004, at 20:47:44
In reply to Re: effexor withdrawal symptoms, posted by Smeegle on December 8, 2004, at 20:19:54
smeegle,
what do you mean by "brain fog?" and i'm not familiar at all with provigil. what's that for? and i'm not familiar with lamictal, either. will you explain that one for me too, please? and what exactly are brain zaps? how do htey look/feel/etc? and i can't think what "severe SI" is, so i need help with that one too. it must be pretty obvious that i'm rather illiterate when it comes to these psychiatric meds.
mollie
Posted by rattled on December 20, 2004, at 10:22:16
In reply to Re: effexor withdrawal symptoms, posted by mollie on December 8, 2004, at 20:47:44
Hi there,
I like Mollie am curious of other's effexor withdrawal symptoms; (as I have often, and just recently had to stop cold turkey due to financial constraints) but Smeegle's posting made me want to share my expreinces thus far. Especially since Lamictal has been recommended to me many many times.
Smeegle - how is the Lamictal? May I ask why your taking it? I've been recommended it by dr's because I'm bipolar II. I don't respond typically to most medications, and am 'treatment resisitant.'
What is SI? What side effects are you experiencing from the Lamictal? What are the advantages?I as of a few months ago was taking effexor 300mg, wellbutrin 300mg, Provigil 100mg, and abilify 10mg.
My history on wellbutrin (which i've been off and on for 6 years) is that over time, it is no longer effective, and if taken alone, keeps me in a very low depression - indefinately. Thus the combination of effexor. Effexor if taken alone sometimes sends me into mild manias.
Abilify was added to try to even this all out, and possibly ween me off of the wellbutrin once and forall. Abilify was fantastic at first - I was shocked, the best I've ever responded to any drugs. But after a few months, I noticed that I was withdrawn, sullen, and extraordinarily quiet. Friends would constantly ask what was wrong, was I ok, I didnt seem more than an exterior of myself. I also had no interest or desire to do activities I have always loved - and received very little joy from them.
So as I tend to do, which I DO NOT recommend - as it's dangerous, I stopped taking the Abilify, without notifying my Dr - infact she still doesn't know that I'm not taking it.
I stopped taking the Provigil before that because I was not seeing any real effect from it. (I'd started to help my OVER sleeping and large lethargy problem I am prone to)
So, of wellbutrin, effexor, abilify and provigil, the last few (3) months have been only effexor and wellbutrin, until last week when I ran out of effexor. That was not a fun week. I had headaches, seriously bizarre itching everywhere. Very testy, lots of mood swings, which are not uncommon for me. But several a day instead of several a week.
I know I'm not on the right combination, and am very interested in your/anyone's thoughts on Lamictal. Sorry this got so drawn out.
Posted by LauraBeth on December 23, 2004, at 15:16:22
In reply to effexor withdrawal symptoms, posted by mollie on December 5, 2004, at 23:32:10
I have had an experience with Effexor XR that i would like to share with both those who are currently taking this medication and those who are planning on beginning a regimine.
I was on a stable dose of I beleive 300mg for almost two years when my doctor decided to try me out on WellButrin. I felt that the Effexor XR was somewhat successfull for me in that my depression was lessened, along with my anxiety and restlessness. However, I was still feeling somewhat depressed and was not as happy as I wanted to be, so I decided to try out WellButrin. My doctor happened to have a month's worth of samples in his office, so I was told to immediatly begin to take one 150mg pillof WellButrin a day, and to reduce my Effexor XR intake to 75mg each day for the next week, and then to stop taking the Effexor altogether and continue with the WellButrin.
The week that I was taking the reduced intake of Effexor, I was experiencing mild withdrawl symptoms that included occasional light nausea and mild lightheadedness. However, when I stoppped taking the Effexor altogether, I had severe withdrawls: for the first week and a half, I had severe nausea to the point that I had trouble keeping any food down- I was eating nothing more than dry toast and bagels and ginger ale. It was as if I had the flu, only without the aches and pains associated with it. Also, I had that strange lightheadedness, shaky headache feeling that is hard to describe and that i haave heard other Effexor patients refer to as "brain shakes." These shakes were giving me a headache, and making it hard for me to even move around without getting sick.
Now, I am not what you would call a hypocondriac. I now that these symptoms seem severe, but i must say that I don't recall feeling this sick for a long time.I even missed a few days of school and work as a result of this "sickness." I was assuming that these symptoms would go away within a week, but no such luck. Given, after a few weeks I did feel better and my symptoms were almost gone, but within the last week, they have returned ( I even thought i might have been pregnant!!) and it has been almost a month since I discontinued my use of Effexor. I am still feeling sick right now!!! Does ANYONE have any advice or similar experience? I have asked my doctor and even my pharmacist nd they both said that everyone's body reacts differently to medicine, and that there wasn't much that could be done but wait it out! HELP!!....24 year old female from Chicago.
Posted by dancingstar on December 23, 2004, at 18:21:54
In reply to Re: effexor withdrawal symptoms, posted by LauraBeth on December 23, 2004, at 15:16:22
Well, you are not the first person to experience the nightmare of effexor. Apparently Wyeth has been aware of the problem for a long time.
http://www.socialaudit.org.uk/9425vfx.htm
Bebe
Posted by Tek7 on December 24, 2004, at 7:54:23
In reply to Re: effexor withdrawal symptoms » LauraBeth, posted by dancingstar on December 23, 2004, at 18:21:54
I just wanted to share the effects that I am currently experiencing.
Over the last 30 days or so, I reduced my intake from 150mg to 75mg as to back down off the medication. I ended the intake two days ago... Here is my condition.
Day 1 Dec 22) - Severe stomach ache/nausea, partial insomnia (couldnt sleep, when I did, woke up early feeling great!.). Brain shimmers (although I have experienced these throughout my time of taking the meds).
Day 2 (Dec 23)- Driving 8 hours through PA, severe brain shimmers, very elevated mood, acting very odd according to my wife! Later last night, severe nausea again. Attempted to go to bed at 11:00pm, yeah right. Could not sleep. Then about 12:30am, while lying in bed, my pulse started to sky-rocket, my breathing was like I just ran a marathon. Brain shimmers are off the charts for me. Itching skin and muscle starting to twitch. I AM SCARED TO DEATH at this point. I check my pulse, 170pbm. NOT GOOD! Sat up to attempt to calm myself, got very dizzy! By now its about 130am. Contemplate waking wife to take me to hospital. Brain shimmers are still crazy, pulse down. At about 3am I start breathing heavy again, can feel my pulse throbbing througout body. Last time I remember seeing clock it's 4am. I woke up @ 8am, brain shimmers again. Feel ? OK ? thought. Still scared. It's now 8:50am, Dec. 24th, I am wide awake btu I feel like going to bed. I am going to fight this off, I will not be defeated by the meds!
Just for the record... Here is my definition of Brain Shimmers.
You're looking at an object, go to turn your head from the object and it is like a Freeze Frame camera. Although the action of changing your view is split second, you see about 30 differnt frames of the action, all very quickly thought. Like a camera taking pictures very rapidly.
Also I feel "electrical flashes" throughout the day. Just a "ZZZZZZZzzzzaaaap" somewhere in the head area, just cant pinpoint. Although this is odd to say, the electrical flashes scare the hell out of me because they are happening and I cant stop them or know when they are going to happen, but in the same sense, feels good.
I'll post again later as to my continuing withdrawal symptoms.
Posted by dancingstar on December 24, 2004, at 14:48:37
In reply to Re: effexor withdrawal symptoms, posted by Tek7 on December 24, 2004, at 7:54:23
If you get tooo much worse, don't hesitate to go to the emergency room as a shot of Demerol, however it spelled, will make you feel better....then go to sleep. Have your wife get you some Benadryl, or if you can't take that, get some other over-the-counter antihistamine. It will help. SAMe seems to help, but it takes time. St.John's wort, definitely seems to work, too. You need vitamins, and it feels like you can't eat; so try to get some in. Potatoes were the best and easiest food for me to eat, still are, really. I don't know why. Maybe it's the potassium.
Write if you need more information; k? I'll post the link to the FDA again, too.
Bebe0217@aol.com
Bebe
Merry Christmas!!!Be sure to report this to the FDA, p-l-e-a-s-e.
> I just wanted to share the effects that I am currently experiencing.
>
> Over the last 30 days or so, I reduced my intake from 150mg to 75mg as to back down off the medication. I ended the intake two days ago... Here is my condition.
>
> Day 1 Dec 22) - Severe stomach ache/nausea, partial insomnia (couldnt sleep, when I did, woke up early feeling great!.). Brain shimmers (although I have experienced these throughout my time of taking the meds).
>
> Day 2 (Dec 23)- Driving 8 hours through PA, severe brain shimmers, very elevated mood, acting very odd according to my wife! Later last night, severe nausea again. Attempted to go to bed at 11:00pm, yeah right. Could not sleep. Then about 12:30am, while lying in bed, my pulse started to sky-rocket, my breathing was like I just ran a marathon. Brain shimmers are off the charts for me. Itching skin and muscle starting to twitch. I AM SCARED TO DEATH at this point. I check my pulse, 170pbm. NOT GOOD! Sat up to attempt to calm myself, got very dizzy! By now its about 130am. Contemplate waking wife to take me to hospital. Brain shimmers are still crazy, pulse down. At about 3am I start breathing heavy again, can feel my pulse throbbing througout body. Last time I remember seeing clock it's 4am. I woke up @ 8am, brain shimmers again. Feel ? OK ? thought. Still scared. It's now 8:50am, Dec. 24th, I am wide awake btu I feel like going to bed. I am going to fight this off, I will not be defeated by the meds!
>
> Just for the record... Here is my definition of Brain Shimmers.
>
> You're looking at an object, go to turn your head from the object and it is like a Freeze Frame camera. Although the action of changing your view is split second, you see about 30 differnt frames of the action, all very quickly thought. Like a camera taking pictures very rapidly.
>
> Also I feel "electrical flashes" throughout the day. Just a "ZZZZZZZzzzzaaaap" somewhere in the head area, just cant pinpoint. Although this is odd to say, the electrical flashes scare the hell out of me because they are happening and I cant stop them or know when they are going to happen, but in the same sense, feels good.
>
>
> I'll post again later as to my continuing withdrawal symptoms.
>
Posted by dancingstar on December 24, 2004, at 14:52:08
In reply to Re: effexor withdrawal symptoms, posted by dancingstar on December 24, 2004, at 14:48:37
Here's the link to the FDA when you have the health, time, and inclination to fill out the form. Please tell them what has happened to you so that others don't have to go through the same thing.
https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/medwatch/
Thanks!
Posted by Tek7 on December 24, 2004, at 21:42:53
In reply to Re: effexor withdrawal symptoms, posted by dancingstar on December 24, 2004, at 14:52:08
Well, now it's about 1040 and all is somewhat well. Brain shimmers a bit throughout the day. I noticed that whenever I moved my eyes, it happened. Very weird. But I'm feeling much better. Had a nice dinner no problems. feeling OK right now, just the occassional shimmer.
All have a good night & Merry Christmas.
Posted by Stryker88 on December 26, 2004, at 5:41:18
In reply to Re: effexor withdrawal symptoms, posted by Tek7 on December 24, 2004, at 21:42:53
I am on 150xr and I want off it to, but you guys are scaring the crap out of me. I have gone off Zoloft before but the Effexer hell withdrawl stories sound terrible. I asked my pharmacist and he said Paxil and Effexor are the two worst to get off!!! He said one of his patients went BLIND yiikes from stopping Paxil!!! OH DEAR THIS IS SERIOUS HEALTH CONCERN
Posted by Tek7 on December 26, 2004, at 9:51:43
In reply to Re: effexor withdrawal symptoms, posted by Stryker88 on December 26, 2004, at 5:41:18
And to think that they promote damn med as one with very limited and mild side effects... Yeah, OK! Tell my body that!
Just an update on my withdrawal:
Last night, 25th, much better, no large incidents other than the continuation of the Brain Shimmers. I am beggining to believe some of the news I read that these will continue for some time, as I understand it, the brain is trying to re-connect some sensor areas and since the paths were for the most part tore up by the Effexor, they are firing hard to re-create, re-map those regions in the brain.
I suppose I could learn to accept this, as they are just an annoyance, but it is sad that after the studies they still cant accept that this is happening to us. Although I did read on the Wyeth site that they are somewhat stating they happen:
"Sensory disturbances (including electric shock sensations)"Wow, I found an actual medical term to associate the Brain Shimmers with, although some do not directly refer to skin:
Parasthesia - a sensation of pricking, tingling, or creeping on the skin having no objective cause and usually associated with injury or irritation of a sensory nerve or nerve root
Hmmm. Usually associated with injury or irritation of a sensory nerve....
Stryker88 & Mollie, I hope my posts help you with what I was going through to prepare you for possibly the same.
GOOD LUCK.
Jim
Posted by joolstag on December 28, 2004, at 0:16:26
In reply to Re: effexor withdrawal symptoms, posted by Tek7 on December 26, 2004, at 9:51:43
Hi, I'm new here, I just found you all after googling "effexor withdrawal"...I've been taking 75 mg a day for like 5 months now, and I went 4 days without my pills, and was having some tingling in my lips and left arm. It happened once or twice before, and if I put it to a calendar and memory, I bet I'd find I was a day or two off my pills. I finally got my husband to pick up my meds, took 2 immediately, and the tingling stopped!
Anyway, I just thought it was very interesting I found that I'm not alone with this oddness...I figured I needed to visit a chiropractor for an adjustment, or DH was right and it was a bizarre allergy symptom.
Thank goodness I wasn't on a higher dose! "Forgetting" my pills for a couple days was bad enough, I'm not relishing the thought of going off them anytime soon (oh no...my dr. promised no weight gain with these...dangit, no wonder I'm not losing any weight :(...well, I'm sure there's too much computer time involved that's more of a culprit, lol, but still...sigh).Glad I'm not completely off-base with my strange symptoms, but it still kind of sucks.
Thanks for being here!
Julie
> "Sensory disturbances (including electric shock sensations)"
>
> Wow, I found an actual medical term to associate the Brain Shimmers with, although some do not directly refer to skin:
>
> Parasthesia - a sensation of pricking, tingling, or creeping on the skin having no objective cause and usually associated with injury or irritation of a sensory nerve or nerve root
>
> Hmmm. Usually associated with injury or irritation of a sensory nerve....
>
> Stryker88 & Mollie, I hope my posts help you with what I was going through to prepare you for possibly the same.
>
> GOOD LUCK.
>
> Jim
Posted by dancingstar on December 28, 2004, at 1:22:22
In reply to Re: effexor withdrawal symptoms » Tek7, posted by joolstag on December 28, 2004, at 0:16:26
You haven't been feeling tired during, say, the last two months and kind of achey, have you? Whatever you don, don't begin to think that you have fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue or that your stomach is beginning to do terrible things because you are getting older or that you have high or low blood pressure when it has always been normal or....be careful :-) Glad you were reading sooner than I was.
Posted by joolstag on December 28, 2004, at 7:40:28
In reply to Re: effexor withdrawal symptoms » joolstag, posted by dancingstar on December 28, 2004, at 1:22:22
> You haven't been feeling tired during, say, the last two months and kind of achey, have you? Whatever you don, don't begin to think that you have fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue or that your stomach is beginning to do terrible things because you are getting older or that you have high or low blood pressure when it has always been normal or....be careful :-) Glad you were reading sooner than I was.
Ugh, what a nightmare for you! Thank goodness, no. I know my Dr. knew it might make me tired, as he definitely told me to take it at night...but fortunately I haven't had any weird symptoms except for the withdrawal stuff. Yuck!
Posted by april8 on December 28, 2004, at 18:43:20
In reply to Re: effexor withdrawal symptoms, posted by Stryker88 on December 26, 2004, at 5:41:18
It is something to worry about but everybody is different. I have heard of people getting off of effexor without horrible side effects. Myself, I did get off of paxil a year ago and felt suicidal while switching to Effexor but once the effexor kicked in I was okay.
I tried to switch from Effexor to 5htp a natural aide and have heard that can help people ALOT When they go off of it. How-ever for me the black depression was too much so I decided to wait until the summertime. You may check into holistic things that can help you with the withdrawal, also, go off of it REALLY slowly, like lower the dose a tiny bit each month. VERY slow is the way to go. And let us know how it goes okay>?
Posted by Dave001 on December 29, 2004, at 20:35:11
In reply to Re: effexor withdrawal symptoms, posted by Stryker88 on December 26, 2004, at 5:41:18
> I am on 150xr and I want off it to, but you guys are scaring the crap out of me. I have gone off Zoloft before but the Effexer hell withdrawl stories sound terrible. I asked my pharmacist and he said Paxil and Effexor are the two worst to get off!!! He said one of his patients went BLIND yiikes from stopping Paxil!!! OH DEAR THIS IS SERIOUS HEALTH CONCERN
What you read here about Effexor withdrawal is not representative of what happens to most people. You must consider that the Effexor patients experiencing the worst symptoms of withdrawal (many of which symptoms may not be causally linked to Effexor) are probably also the most likely to voice their opinion and seek support for their experience. Thus, extrapolating from only one cohort of Effexor users -- the one's experiencing the worst withdrawal, combined with the usual complications of drawing conclusions from a non-controlled environment, is bound to give you a very exaggerated perception of what to expect.
FWIW, I cross-tapered from 450 mg/day Effexor to another drug in a matter of a few weeks, and I did not experience any noticeable discontinuance symptoms. Any pharmacist who would tell you that one of their patients (pharmacists don't have patients, BTW) went blind from discontinuing Paxil is incredibly irresponsible. You might want to ask your pharmacist why there has never even been a case report of blindness following SSRI discontinuation, as such would be quite interesting to the medical community, to put it mildly.
Some people even feel great after stopping their meds; maybe you will too.
Posted by remar on January 1, 2005, at 2:03:19
In reply to Re: effexor withdrawal symptoms, posted by Dave001 on December 29, 2004, at 20:35:11
hi all, this is remar. i went off effexor about five weeks ago, went down from 75mgs to 35mgs for a week then was off it completly to start cymbalta. i was on it for over 4 years. i'm still having the tingling in my arms and around my mouth sometimes, this started when i cut down on the effexor. is anyone else having this problem after being off effexor for more than a month? i'm also tapering off the cymbalta because it's making my anxiety worse. could it be the combination of quitting the effexor so quick and tapering off the cymbalta also? i just want the withdrawal to end if that's what is going on. please let me know if any of you are going through this. take care. remar
Posted by Miss S on January 2, 2005, at 2:18:10
In reply to Re: effexor withdrawal symptoms, posted by remar on January 1, 2005, at 2:03:19
I was on Prozac for maybe a year or so and after awhile it wasn't really helping, if anything it seemed to be weighing me down and my doctor suggested Effexor...said most people liked the effects of Effexor a lot better than the Prozac. When I started out at the 37.5 for a couple weeks and then on to the 75 and finally the 150 dose per day I felt great! After being on it for a few more weeks I noticed a would not sleep. The longer I took this medicine, the worse my sleep deprivation got. I would stay up all night and then sleep a couple hours and try to do my work without much sleep. Then I was sleepy trying to work at the computer and it was a vicious cycle. I also was VERY Hot most of the time. People would be cold and I would be sweating. I hated that being hot all the time. I decided to stop the Effexor "cold turkey" a couple of days ago, not knowing you should be weaned down slowly. I am feeling really sick. I am very sleepy, VERY, VERY nauseated, loss of appetite, dizzy (and also had been dizzy while taking this medication), I am hearing a noise especially when I move around or even move my head around or up and down. i also have had lots of itching of the skin. I don't think I ever would have started this medication if I knew the side effects of withdrawal were going to be this bad. I am actually against taking medication since within the last couple of months all the bad reports about (not sure if these are the drugs taking off the market...Celebrex, Vioxx, etc. etc) Anyway, I am getting behind in my work because of the side effects of this horrible drug. I do not recommend people to take Effexor. I am thinking this will be the next drug to be taken off the market, and I will be one of the first to take on a law suit for this company to distribute such a drug with such heavy side effects and making people feel so VERY SICK!! This drug is not worth using, TRUST ME!
Posted by Youngwoman on January 3, 2005, at 16:11:48
In reply to Re: effexor withdrawal symptoms, posted by Tek7 on December 26, 2004, at 9:51:43
Hey, Tek7. Sorry to hear about the bad side effects. I have been on 150mg for a few years. A few weeks ago decided to bring it down to 75mg. I am doing it VERY GRADUALLY because I have heard how hard it can be. So far, some withdrawls, but ok.
My reason for posting is to say thank you to you & the other folks who posted. It helps to know other people out there face the same struggles (not that I want anyone to struggle). Tek7, your ability to articulate your symptoms were so useful (like the brain shimmers). I get the 'shimmers' too & have such a hard time trying to explain it to my sygnificant other & doctor.
I really appreciated your honesty & I am glad there is a forum for people to share their experiences because you won't get the REAL TRUTH from the manufacturers or doctors.
Best of luck to you all.
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