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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 57 to 81 of 81. Go back in thread:
Posted by Dizzy in Dixie on April 14, 2005, at 14:28:27
In reply to Re: About the Effexor XR Withdrawal, posted by canadiangirl3 on April 14, 2005, at 13:57:35
See, you make me feel like I am not going crazy with all the side-effects that I had no idea were being caused by this wicked drug! My Dr did offer to put me on something that started with an L but I refused. Honestly, I told him I cry anyway and am miserable and I am taking meds, why bother taking anything! I was on Prozac and it seemed not to be helping and this is when I weaned onto Effexor! And here I am TRYING to wean off. How do you live with the brain zaps??? The sleeping issues I have come to deal with because to not sleep all night, sweat, etc seems normal to me! The weight gain, well, this is a whole nother issue!!! I pray some of it comes off and the ME that I know is inside will come out! I think I have about 18 150 mg capsules left. I hope I can be off of it before I run out because I am not refilling it! I feel like an addict opening my capsules and splitting the little balls into 1/4ths!!!!
Should I keep on going as long as I can before taking a dose? Will my brain eventually not zap?
~Dizzy in Dixie
Posted by Detroit on April 16, 2005, at 6:56:40
In reply to Re: About the Effexor XR Withdrawal, posted by Dizzy in Dixie on April 14, 2005, at 14:28:27
Dizzy-
My suggestion is to use smaller and smaller doses when you break the capsules apart. Another poster here recommended getting the 25mg tablets because they are easier to split up accurately and you don't have to worry about the small, medium, large issue with the beads inside the capsules.
DON'T let the brain zaps get too strong before taking another dose. There are no points awarded for suffering longer - nor does it help from my own experience. Just keep reducing the dose, and take it right when the symptoms appear.
I had no strong brain zaps from the time I started to break my capsules apart until I stopped taking any effexor (1 week later).
My last reduction was from 37.5mg - coming down from 150mg to nothing may take a few weeks.
Since my last dose I have had some small to medium zaps - mostly they don't last long, but a couple of times a little Benadryl did help me.
Keep at it and good luck - but don't let yourself suffer for no benefit.
Detroit
Posted by Dizzy In Dixie on April 16, 2005, at 20:29:41
In reply to Re: About the Effexor XR Withdrawal, posted by Detroit on April 16, 2005, at 6:56:40
Detroit,
Thank you for your post. It is now about 9:30 p.m. My last 1/4th dose was 25 hrs ago. Yes, the brain zaps have started but I was fighting it and trying to stretch out the time! I guess one day I will get the hang of this process! I take it I should now reduce the doseage further rather than draw out the time between doses? I guess I am being stubborn. I refuse to refill my rx! As I reduce the doseage, will the time between doses increase as my body learns to do without this god-awful stuff? The brain zaps just make me feel like a space cadet! I swear I am almost scared to be around people! I have horrors that I am acting as spaced out as I feel! Never again!
Posted by winddancer on April 16, 2005, at 21:47:27
In reply to Re: About the Effexor XR Withdrawal » Detroit, posted by Dizzy In Dixie on April 16, 2005, at 20:29:41
Hi -
I've just managed to get completely get off the Effexor and taking smaller and smaller doses as was suggested worked pretty well - I did ask my pdr for the 25mg tabs and was able to break them in 1/2 and take it in the morning and then when I felt uncomfortable symptoms I would take the other half. A couple days I was late getting up or forgot to take it early and would take it later. Finally one day I left the house early and forgot to take the 1/2 tab and at noon remembered but was feeling ok so I just decided not to take anymore. Last night I felt a little anxious and scared but took benedryl and went to bed. My counselor was amazed when I told her that I had been taking the benedryl during the day and not falling asleep. It just goes to show how the Effexor keeps some people pretty wired and awake. I had not experienced brain-zaps that others mentioned but now that I'm off the drug altogether, I occasionally have these weird sensations in my ears - like a hummm and I think it must be the brain-zaps. I have been grateful for this board - my dr and counselors claim they have not heard of all the side-effects that others mention. Even though I know these chat lines probably don't attract thos people who LOVE Effexor - with as many as describe the symptoms, we couldn't all be making it up or being hypocondrics. Since I've been off for just a few days - I rejoiced that I'm starting to feel some emotions again - I was crying at a sad story and it felt good to cry. Then I was out with a friend and it felt good to laugh again from some deep place - not the tee-hee laugh. I've found some humor that I'm now able to giggle again. I still get these weird sensations (brain-zaps I guess, but the constipation is gone) I'm looking forward to when I have better sensation in my tongue and boths hands.I'll post more info about my particular experience later. I'M GOING DANCING and Celebrate!
winddancer
Posted by Detroit on April 17, 2005, at 11:55:01
In reply to Re: About the Effexor XR Withdrawal » Dizzy In Dixie, posted by winddancer on April 16, 2005, at 21:47:27
Dizzie-
I think smaller doses is better than increasing the time between doses. It was suggested to decrease your dose so that the symptoms start in about 6-8 hours (who knows what the "right" answer is - just experiment and see what works best for you).
Again, I found no benefit to enduring the symptoms for any period of time - just take some small dose whenever the symptoms start, and keep decreasing the dosage. Benadryl did help with the brain zaps, but I didn't use it until after I was off the Effexor.
Good luck
Detroit
Posted by Detroit on April 17, 2005, at 12:06:16
In reply to Re: About the Effexor XR Withdrawal » Dizzy In Dixie, posted by winddancer on April 16, 2005, at 21:47:27
Windancer-
I've had bad versions of both the brain zaps and the ear-buzzing. They are definitely separate symptoms.
You may be one of the really lucky ones if you never experience one!
I've tried to find a good description of a brain zap so I could explain to my wife. Nothing I've seen (or come up with on my own) do them justice. The closest I've seen is this: if you are watching TV and the electricity flickers, the picture on the screen starts to disappear then reappears. A brain zap is kind of like the whole world doing that (not just the TV). Kind of like there is a power flicker in your brain.
In my case the zaps came 10-12 at a time at the peak and were painful, not just disorienting. They happened whenever I moved my eyes from side to side. I didn't have to actually move my head as others have suggested, and they did happen even if my eyes were closed - although much less severe.
Anyone else have a good description?
Detroit
Posted by Dizzy in Dixie on April 18, 2005, at 7:23:30
In reply to Re: About the Effexor XR Withdrawal, posted by Detroit on April 17, 2005, at 12:06:16
For the last two or so years I have called the "Brain Zaps" as I now know them to be Vertigo! I finally realized they were a result of me missing a dose. Another way I tried to describe them was that when I moved my head and it stopped moving, my brain kept on sloshing around! (It is like trying to descibe the flashing lights of a migraine to someone!)
Posted by Dizzy in Dixie on April 18, 2005, at 7:34:08
In reply to Re: About the Effexor XR Withdrawal, posted by Detroit on April 16, 2005, at 6:56:40
OK. I will now start taking a small dose as soon as the brain zaps start. I am down to 1/8th with my last dose at 6:00pm last night. I sure do think someone needs to inform the medical community about this drug and how difficult it is to come off of. How come they do not tell you this when they put you on it?!!!
Again, thanks to everyone for their input here! This really is trial and error process!
p.s. I am not crying all the time like I was on the effexor! Strange huh?
Posted by canadiangirl3 on April 18, 2005, at 15:02:31
In reply to Re: About the Effexor XR Withdrawal, posted by Dizzy in Dixie on April 18, 2005, at 7:34:08
Hey all,
I've been off the Effexor for about 10 days now. I am still on 20mg of Prozac though. I have started to exercise again. Don't feel like to I need to eat everything all the time, etc. As for 'brain zaps', if that's what I'm still experiencing, I will try to describe it. I get a buzzing sensation all over my body, it seems, several times throughout the day when I'm moving around (taking the stairs, putting on coat etc). It definitely starts at my head. It is a much milder form than I experienced when I was on actual withdrawal....but still....I wonder how much longer this will last? I enjoyed reading all your descriptions. It is very hard to describe but I have a feeling we are all talking about the same thing. It's like trying to describe how it literally feels when you're drunk. Everyone has a different experience with it.
PS- I wouldn't recommend breaking up with your boyfriend throughout this- He's the reason I withdrew in the first place. He never knew me off Effexor. And the low libido was an issue. But I guess that is for another board:)
Posted by gardenia girl on April 18, 2005, at 20:45:30
In reply to Re: About the Effexor XR Withdrawal, posted by Detroit on April 17, 2005, at 12:06:16
Regarding brain zaps:
For me it sounded like the light sabers in the Star War's movies. Kind of a mid-to-low range zzzzzzt, zzzzzzt. With the noise in my head, there was almost a time delay or short circiut in my consciousness. I felt as though I had a ton of electricity stored up in my body. About 15 years ago I tried to push a wire back onto a spark plug on a lawn mower when the mower was running (yep, pretty stupid) and got a hefty electric shock. I can still remember the icky feelings throughout my body, and these brain zaps have that same sensation, but to a lesser degree. Head movement, eye movement, something or someone moving in my peripheral vision, basically anything that stimulated my brain could cause them to happen. They were at their worst when I was using the day-skipping method (every 2nd day for a month, then every third day for a month, then 4th...)which I DO NOT RECOMMEND!! Like clockwork, on the evening of the third day the zaps started and got progressively worse until I was throwing up. About three hours after I took an Effexor it stopped.
I am now at about 8 grains plus 1/2 benadryl each morning. I have not needed the evening dose in quite some time. Some days are good, others not so good. I usually have about three good days then one day when I feel like I am walking around drunk. My husband and my co-workers have all learned to quickly recognize my "drunk" days and they all try to keep me from harm's way.
I have often wondered what this syndrome must look like to others, and how to describe it adequately. I thought I was surely about to have a stroke until I found this web site, then others. It is not like anything else I have ever experienced in my life. I hope to never experience anything like it again.
Wednesday I am dropping to 8 grains. I need to make a trip back home to Texas, but I cannot imagine being in a car for a 12 hour road trip until this nightmare is over. I'm getting a little impatient. On the one hand it is kind of nice to have that emotion back, on the other... I never was really good at waiting.
Posted by Dizzy in Dixie on April 19, 2005, at 7:27:47
In reply to Re: About the Effexor XR Withdrawal » Detroit, posted by gardenia girl on April 18, 2005, at 20:45:30
It is truly amazing to read these posts and see that I am not alone! Please tell me why the Dr's tell you to do the every-other-day method of tapering when it so obviously is NOT the way to taper? I too had the major nausea at the end of my first week of tapering when I tried to push the length of time in between doses. I began this process on 4/2. Hit rock bottom 4/8 with the brain zaps and nausea as I was trying to follow Dr's orders. I then found this site and began cutting the doseage. I am now taking about a 16th as soon as I feel the tightening in my head which is followed shortly by the zaps. I have also cut out alot of the benedryl. I am not using Prozac or anything else to help with the taper. So far, so good...
Posted by dr_laura on April 27, 2005, at 22:44:06
In reply to Re: About the Effexor XR Withdrawal, posted by tinytasha on April 6, 2005, at 2:42:18
I just finished coming off Effexor XR myself after 5 years of being on it to combat depression. I am experiencing the exact same symptoms you are. I was on 150 mg and had to taper down. The brain buzz, diarrhea, nausea and dizziness are lessening with time (4 wks), but I still experience these symptoms in smaller doses. It has been one week since I have been totally off the meds. I am taking the supplement 5-HTP which is a pre-cursor to serotonin. I take 50 mg 2x/day. I notice less intensity of symptoms after I take it. I've only been taking it for the past week that I have had no Effexor in my system. It appears to be helping, but that may be part pyschosomatic. Hope this info helps you. I get my 5-HTP off Puritan's Pride website; they frequently have buy 1 get 2 free and they ship quite quickly. I believe 1 bottle of 60 tabs cost me $15. I do not work for this company, I have just found them to be the most economical and order all my supplements from them. Good luck!
Posted by FREDDY on May 18, 2005, at 19:33:59
In reply to Re: About the Effexor XR Withdrawal, posted by dr_laura on April 27, 2005, at 22:44:06
I was on Effexor XR for about 6 months, and had leveled off at 150mg. When I decided to withdraw, my shrink suggested reducing the dosage by 37.5 for a week at a time until I weaned down to zero. So, it took me 4 weeks to get off the drug. It went pretty well until I took the last 37.5 mg dose. Starting the next day I began to have what others are calling brain zaps. That is, whenever I move my eyes to look in a different direction, I hear clinking sounds which feel like a zap in my head. I usually get 3-5 clinks before it stops, but it starts again immediately when I move my eyes to look in another direction. Its almost like short fast electric zaps. It also has some quick dizziness related to it. I have been off the drug now for 15 days, but I am still getting the eye movement clinking reaction described. My question is, how long does it take before it stops? I find it annoying, but can tolerate it as long as I know it will eventually stop. One would think that after 15 days the drug should be completely out of your system. So why is it still happening to me? Anyone know if this is a normal reaction for such a long time? Thanks
Posted by Dizzy in Dixie on May 19, 2005, at 7:50:48
In reply to Effexor XR Withdrawal- BRAIN ZAPS, posted by FREDDY on May 18, 2005, at 19:33:59
>...My question is, how long does it take before it stops? I find it annoying, but can tolerate it as long as I know it will eventually stop. One would think that after 15 days the drug should be completely out of your system. So why is it still happening to me? Anyone know if this is a normal reaction for such a long time? Thanks
Hey Ya'll, I am with Freddy on this! I have been "weaning" from 150mg per day to just a few grains (balls-maybe 15 or so) a day since the beginning of April. I still get brain-zaps so bad at around 24hrs that I have been unable to break from this drug! What to do and how long will it last? I just dont think I can deal with the brain zaps. I hate losing days to feeling bad and we all know this is one bad feeling!
~Dizzy in Dixie
Posted by SLS on May 19, 2005, at 9:03:11
In reply to Re: Effexor XR Withdrawal- BRAIN ZAPS, posted by Dizzy in Dixie on May 19, 2005, at 7:50:48
I found that dropping from 37.5mg to 0.0mg was too rapid a decrease to prevent withdrawal symptoms. I ended up splitting up pills and dividing my daily dosage; taking very small amounts of Effexor 3 times a day. I think dosing several times a day is preferable to once a day because you don't allow for such low troughs in blood levels.
You might want to check out some of my previous posts regarding a flexible-dosing strategy to discontinue Effexor. It seems most applicable when one reduces the dosage below 75mg.
If I were in your position, I might elect to take a short course of Prozac. You might only need to take it for 5 days or so. It has such a long half-life, that it acts to "naturally" and more gently wean you from the serotonergic mechanisms.
- Scott
Posted by Dizzy in Dixie on May 19, 2005, at 9:08:33
In reply to Re: Effexor XR Withdrawal- BRAIN ZAPS » Dizzy in Dixie, posted by SLS on May 19, 2005, at 9:03:11
Thanks Scott. I guess I have just put off asking my Dr for Prozac because I dont know if he will understand why I am asking--although he had offered to put me on something else (Lexapro??) and I refused stating I wanted to be done with all of this! I thought that since I was taking such a tiny tiny dose @ 24hrs that eventually I would quit "zapping"! NOT! I want to be free!
~Dizzy
Posted by SLS on May 20, 2005, at 7:51:45
In reply to Re: Effexor XR Withdrawal- BRAIN ZAPS, posted by Dizzy in Dixie on May 19, 2005, at 9:08:33
> Thanks Scott. I guess I have just put off asking my Dr for Prozac because I dont know if he will understand why I am asking--although he had offered to put me on something else (Lexapro??) and I refused stating I wanted to be done with all of this! I thought that since I was taking such a tiny tiny dose @ 24hrs that eventually I would quit "zapping"! NOT! I want to be free!
> ~DizzyWhat you might want to do is to take minute amounts of Effexor several times a day, using it only when the zaps appear. You would be using it almost like aspirin for a headache. As long as you monitor your daily intake and establish a maximum daily dosage you would be operating a true taper strategy. I used to carry around with me a tablet with me and simply bit off very small pieces as needed.
Do you have tablets to work with or only capsules?
- Scott
Posted by Dizzy in Dixie on May 20, 2005, at 8:40:46
In reply to Re: Effexor XR Withdrawal- BRAIN ZAPS » Dizzy in Dixie, posted by SLS on May 20, 2005, at 7:51:45
> What you might want to do is to take minute amounts of Effexor several times a day, using it only when the zaps appear. You would be using it almost like aspirin for a headache. As long as you monitor your daily intake and establish a maximum daily dosage you would be operating a true taper strategy. I used to carry around with me a tablet with me and simply bit off very small pieces as needed.Scott,
I have and carry around a few capsules. If I have put off taking any and the zaps get too much to handle at work, I open the capsule and get a few "grains/balls". I did put in a call to my Dr yesterday and asked for Prozac. I am waiting to hear from him. I do not know if he will do this or not as he is the one who told me to do the every other day thing! I think I may be on the verge of a break through! I was due to take a dose last night around 8 p.m. I was not home and was busy and the night got even busier. I have not taken any yet and it is 9:40 am. I feel ok! Maybe I am coming towards the end?
~Dizzy in Dixie
p.s. I am only taking tiny tiny amounts and this is when I start zapping. Until now, the threshold was around 24 hrs....
>
> Do you have tablets to work with or only capsules?
>
>
> - Scott
>
Posted by SLS on May 22, 2005, at 20:53:23
In reply to Re: Effexor XR Withdrawal- BRAIN ZAPS, posted by Dizzy in Dixie on May 20, 2005, at 8:40:46
Hi Dixie.
> I think I may be on the verge of a break through! I was due to take a dose last night around 8 p.m. I was not home and was busy and the night got even busier. I have not taken any yet and it is 9:40 am. I feel ok! Maybe I am coming towards the end?
Unbelievably cool...
I am thrilled to hear that a flexible-dose strategy has worked for you. Keep up the good work. You will, of course, reach a point where no further dosage reduction will be accepted by the body without the appearance of withdrawal symptoms. However, they should be relatively mild and short lived. I doubt you will be one of the people for whom withdrawal effects last for weeks. (This might be because you will not have kindled a persistent withdrawal syndrome).
Please post again to describe your progress. I am excited to see what happens with you.
Keeping my fingers crossed...
- Scott
Posted by Dizzy in Dixie on May 23, 2005, at 7:38:36
In reply to Re: Effexor XR Withdrawal- BRAIN ZAPS » Dizzy in Dixie, posted by SLS on May 22, 2005, at 20:53:23
Scott,
I think I have done it! I think I am finally through tapering! I have still not had ANY Effexor since last Wed pm! Occasionally I will feel a small, tiny, tiny zap but it is fleeting! It is funny to open my cabinet at home and see my little plate with my effexor on it! I almost feel like a junkie, I dare not throw it away for fear of the zaps coming back! Please let this be the end! I never did hear back from my Dr regarding Prozac. Actually, I did not think I would. (He is just an MD) I had already decided I would find it somewhere if it came down to it!
Looks like I may be ok afterall!!! Never again will I take anything until I know the withdrawal effects, etc. Good luck to everyone!
~Dizzie in Dixie (hopefully no more!)
Posted by SLS on May 23, 2005, at 8:58:40
In reply to Re: Effexor XR Withdrawal- BRAIN ZAPS, posted by Dizzy in Dixie on May 23, 2005, at 7:38:36
> I think I have done it! I think I am finally through tapering! I have still not had ANY Effexor since last Wed pm!
:-)
That put a smile on my face.
- Scott
Posted by zelia on June 2, 2005, at 1:19:00
In reply to Re: About the Effexor XR Withdrawal, posted by dr_laura on April 27, 2005, at 22:44:06
i know this is a really strange tip..... but if it will help anyone i am going to share my experience. read through to get to my long rambling point.
in one of my worst depressive periods i was using alot of street drugs to drown myself, specifically extacy. one time, i used way too much and did some real damage. (yes, im sure using it in the first place did damage) anyways, the result of my self medicatiing was this horrible brain zap that lasted for almost a month. i seriously thought shooting myself would have been better then living with it. i really could not walk more than five paces without becoming dizzy and had to turn my whole body just to look at something.
my luck changed when one night, my dear brother invited me for dinner. i jjoined him and his family for dinner and stayed over that night since the roads were icy and i really wasnt able to drive since i couldnt look in any direction without wanting to throw up. my brother lit a fire in the living room where i was sleeping to keep me warm. i stared off into that fire for like 2-3 hours.i couldnt look at anything else because if i moved my eyes my brain would zap itself. the next morning when i woke up, the mind zaps were almost gone. not just a little less, but almost completely gone! they continued to diminish over the next week until they stopped. i don't know if it had run its course or if it was the fact the i stared blankly into the fire, but they went away.
after getting help for my depression i was prescribed effexor. i am now in the throws of tapering down and can attest to the fact that the mind zaps are just as bad as that incident i had years ago. at times they seem worse because they are more intense and exhaust my entire body. i figure since both drugs have an effect on the seretonin levels in the brain is why the similarity. ive spoken to my doctor who says everyone goes through this; that it will pass. believing that he himself has never experienced this pain; will never know the frustration and overwhelming sense to pinch your own eyes out of your head just to make it stop.
hang in there and seek out every unconventional approach that might work for you. try the fire, i will be in a month when i am on the last dose and can visit my brother. try anything that will relax your eyes or brain or both... maybe meditation, maybe even wearing a blind fold (when you are safely tucked into your bed) and listening to soothing music.
i know how bad it is and how hopeless it can make you feel. i thought i would never experience it again and already just starting to taper i realize i am about to experience something worse. hang in there, it passed that one time for me, and everyone seems to be having a similar experience with the effexor. try to find something that will work best and relax you and your brain. good luck :)
Posted by firefly99 on June 29, 2005, at 15:29:22
In reply to Re: About the Effexor XR Withdrawal, posted by zelia on June 2, 2005, at 1:19:00
I have just begun to take Effexor XR for generalized anxiety disorder. I have just finished taking the lower does 37.5 for one week and will be going up to 75 tomorrow and so far have been experiencing very positive effects. For the first time in my life, I feel this calmness inside and have more energy. At first I was reluctant to take it, but my symptoms of anxiety become overwhelming sometimes, especially during PMS, that I get pretty desparate and am willing to try anything. I have now come across this board and after reading all these terrible experiences with withdrawal, I am very concerned now about continuing taking the Effexor wondering if those withdrawals are the norm.
Posted by Detroit on July 1, 2005, at 20:15:51
In reply to Re: About the Effexor XR Withdrawal, posted by firefly99 on June 29, 2005, at 15:29:22
firefly-
Effexor played a very important role in my life at one time. I also had tried several other medications before getting to Effexor - all with bad results. After taking it about 5 years, I reached a point where I felt it was no longer necessary. I do NOT say that I wish I hadn't taken it, but I do say I wish I knew more about the incredibly short half-life and the potential for pretty severe withdrawals.
I had some pretty bad experience with the withdrawals - mostly because I didn't know they were coming.
You are forewarned and forearmed!
Don't be afraid to take a medication if is needed, but also be aware there are effects from putting any chemical into your body - some positive and some negative. Only you with the expert guidance from your doctor(s) can decide.
My non-expert advice is in three parts:
1) take it if you need it, but don't take it if you really don't... Sounds simple right?2) if you take it, ask for two or three times a day dosing (37.5mg twice daily rather than 75mg once daily). It will help cut the peaks and valleys in your system daily due to the short half life (even in the XR version).
3) if/when you decide to come off the medication, do so with a careful approach designed to minimize the symptoms (what has been referred to on this site as a flexible dosing strategy worked well for me, and even better for another person I advised).
Good luck to you
Detroit
Posted by wildkitty510 on October 3, 2005, at 17:02:03
In reply to Re: About the Effexor XR Withdrawal » SLS, posted by winddancer on March 15, 2005, at 20:36:02
Hello everyone
I found this site while trying to find out some info about the whole withdrawal thing from effexor. I tried to wean off one time before about a year and a half ago and it wasnt pretty. I ended up going back on cause I couldnt stand the withdrawal symptoms. I am ready to try again. I was on 75mg and started 37.5 this saturday. I have been reading the previous posts and trying to get as much info as possible. I have the xr capsules. So after a week on 37.5 then what? Do I break open the capsules and take say half of the grainules? Read a little about that but wasnt quite sure about it. If anyone has info on this I would greatly appreciate it. I am not looking forward to the brain fog and zapping feeling again and would do anything to avoid it. thanks for any help you can give.
This is the end of the thread.
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