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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 3 of 3. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by jodigirl on March 5, 2005, at 13:08:38
My psych said I should withdraw from Effexor XR in order to be able to start Cymbalta. I was successfully on maintenance dose 150 mg Effexor XR (with 300 Topamax) for treatment resistant major unipolar depression. I was in remission for 5 years. (Yeah!!!) Then one event snapped me and the Effexor XR was not effective at an increased dose. I tried to withdraw last year after 4 years remission and I had all of the classic horrible side effects. (But I did get down from 350 to 150 mg!!!) Here is what worked for me --- (1) One week before I started the tapering, I started every morning taking (a) 280 mg Milk Thistle extract, (b) a capsule of GNC (no, I do not work for them lol) PepZin GI and (c) three times a day, I drank ginger root tea (using the actual ginger root -- not commercialized tea). (2) Then, the day I started tapering, I used "Nux vomica" for motion sickness every morning and throughout the day as needed. I found it in a homeopathic product by Hyland's called "motion sickness." (3) I initially tried Benedryl for motion sickness but Benedryl makes me sleepy and did not take away the motion sickness. Some people swear by Benedryl. You might want to try that at night. (4) I also drank tons of water and green tea to get rid of toxins and flush my body. The first time I tried to get off Effexor, I used over the counter "flu" products. But this time, I consulted an actual chinese doctor for advise. The motion sickness (nux vomica) stuff is awesome. It stops the "spins" and the wacky sick stomach feeling. Amazing.
GO FOR IT!!!
Posted by Readersleaders on March 8, 2005, at 15:36:37
In reply to How I finally withdrew painfree from EFFEXOR XR, posted by jodigirl on March 5, 2005, at 13:08:38
I'm confused, your subject line says, "How I finally withdrew painfree from EFFEXOR XR", but you say you got down to 150mg. Did you continue to lower your dose from there?
Being at 150mg from 350 is great progress, but if you haven't gotten completely off then your subject line is misleading.
Posted by jodigirl on March 8, 2005, at 15:52:29
In reply to Re: How I finally withdrew painfree from EFFEXOR XR, posted by Readersleaders on March 8, 2005, at 15:36:37
Sorry for the confusion. When I withdrew last year (the hard way), I went from 350 to 37.5 and it was horrible. Then I went back up to 150. So I consider last year a taper from 350 to 150 but I hated every moment and I threw up and my head was spinning and I felt like I was going nuts. This time, I thought it out better. I knew I *had* to withdraw because I needed to go on another med. So I focused on the symptoms that bothered me most - the crazy electric feelings in the head. I believed those electric feelings made me sick to stomach and caused the vomiting. I talked to my doc about that feeling and he said it was a type of "motion sickness." And . . . I took it from there. I went from 150 mg to 0 mg Effexor XR in two weeks. NOTE: I was completely symptom free this time whereas last year I started feeling negative symptoms at 75 mg. Again, sorry for the confusion.
This is the end of the thread.
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