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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 Dauphine on March 15, 2005, at 14:59:21
Hello everyone,
I have not posted in a long time, but I now have a few questions about effexor WR withdrawal. I was on a low dose to begin with only 75 mg. I have been on Effexor for exactly one year, and with help of therapy and changes in life circumstances I have decided to come off the drug.In the begining I started taking half of my regular 75 mg dose. I did this my eyeballing the beads in a capsule and taking half. I know, not the most accurate way, but my doctor said it was ok. I took about 37 mg for 2 weeks, then I started to take about 17 mg and I did this for 1 week. On saturday morning, I decided that I would drop down to nothing. So it has been 72 hours since I started withdrawal.
I have experienced nausea, vomiting (once a day), vertigo, anxiety attacks, strange mood swings, and this feeling in my head like I'm spinning as if drunk if I move too quickly. My question is, how long do these feelings generally last? Should I expect a week of this? Or more? My anxiety and general down feelings are tempered by the fact that I know this is not me, but is the withdrawal symptoms, still it is not pleasant and I need to start feeling better. How long did it take you to stop feeling withdrawal after having no drugs in your system?
Dauphine
Posted by SLS on March 16, 2005, at 7:43:34
In reply to After taper, how long does withdrawal last?, posted by Dauphine on March 15, 2005, at 14:59:21
Hi.
> How long did it take you to stop feeling withdrawal after having no drugs in your system?
For me, the period of withdrawal syndrome only lasted for about a day, and was relatively mild. However, I continued to taper using even lower dosages than you did. I used a flexible dosing strategy: I took as little Effexor as was necessary to prevent withdrawal symptoms from appearing for 6-8 hours. I used approximately 3mg three times a day for a few days. Then 3mg twice a day for a few days. At these low dosages, once a day dosing doesn't work. If you find that 3mg twice a day does not prevent withdrawal symptoms from appearing and lasting for 3 hours or more, then you can stop completely. With any luck, the withdrawal period will be mild and last no more than a few days.
Using this flexible dosing strategy, I was able to taper from 300mg to 0mg in less than two weeks. I use the same taper strategy with other SRI antidepressants as well as with benzodiazepines.
Since you have already come this far in your withdrawal period, perhaps you should continue as you are. Because you tapered gradually to 17mg a day, you might find that you don't have to suffer for more than a week. If, by the end of a week, the withdrawal symptoms have not lessened, or perhaps even worsened, you might want to take a temporary course of Prozac treatment. A few days at 20mg doses might be all you need to set up for a mild withdrawal period. Prozac has such a long half-life, it exits the system very, very slowly. This equates to an extremely gradual taper.
Good luck.
- Scott
Posted by Dauphine on March 19, 2005, at 20:15:44
In reply to Re: After taper, how long does withdrawal last? » Dauphine, posted by SLS on March 16, 2005, at 7:43:34
Thank you SLS for vigilantly providing your insight and opinion on this board. still feel funny, but no vomiting only that fuzzy/spinny feeling in my head. crying less for no reason and even laughing uncontrollaby sometimes -- nice to experience another side of the emotional spectrum.
Dauphine
Hi.
>
> > How long did it take you to stop feeling withdrawal after having no drugs in your system?
>
> For me, the period of withdrawal syndrome only lasted for about a day, and was relatively mild. However, I continued to taper using even lower dosages than you did. I used a flexible dosing strategy: I took as little Effexor as was necessary to prevent withdrawal symptoms from appearing for 6-8 hours. I used approximately 3mg three times a day for a few days. Then 3mg twice a day for a few days. At these low dosages, once a day dosing doesn't work. If you find that 3mg twice a day does not prevent withdrawal symptoms from appearing and lasting for 3 hours or more, then you can stop completely. With any luck, the withdrawal period will be mild and last no more than a few days.
>
> Using this flexible dosing strategy, I was able to taper from 300mg to 0mg in less than two weeks. I use the same taper strategy with other SRI antidepressants as well as with benzodiazepines.
>
> Since you have already come this far in your withdrawal period, perhaps you should continue as you are. Because you tapered gradually to 17mg a day, you might find that you don't have to suffer for more than a week. If, by the end of a week, the withdrawal symptoms have not lessened, or perhaps even worsened, you might want to take a temporary course of Prozac treatment. A few days at 20mg doses might be all you need to set up for a mild withdrawal period. Prozac has such a long half-life, it exits the system very, very slowly. This equates to an extremely gradual taper.
>
> Good luck.
>
>
> - Scott
This is the end of the thread.
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