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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 2 of 2. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Girlnblack on September 6, 2005, at 12:56:40
This is to all the people who are afraid to get off Effexor because of the side effects (as I was about 2 months ago) Obviously the side effects will be more severe depending on the dosage. The key to taking any drug is to take the smallest dosage possible to get a good result. That's what I did when I started taking Effexor. I was on 75 mg per day. A couple months ago I wanted to stop the drug for many reasons (weight gain, lethargy, interrupted sleep, etc) In conjunction with my internal medicine doctor (not the therapist I fired a year ago), I began 75 mg every other day and 37.5 mg on other days. The next week I did 37.5 everyday, the next week 37.5 every other day. After that I was finished. The only side effect I experience was dizziness. That was during the weeks of the step-down method. I never experience symptoms after that. Maybe I'm just one of the lucky ones, but I know everybody can't have these horrible withdrawals that I see on this website. Effexor helped me find "myself" again and I'm happy I took it for 2 years. My therapist also wanted to increase the dosage and I refused. Remember - you don't have to increase a dosage just because a doctor tells you to.
Posted by SLS on September 9, 2005, at 8:00:38
In reply to Effexor withdrawal is different for everyone!, posted by Girlnblack on September 6, 2005, at 12:56:40
Actually, I am amazed at how consistent the withdrawal syndrome is between individuals. It is very predictable.
You were very fortunate that you did not experience anything intense or long-lasting. Of course, you are not unique. Some people can discontinue these drugs quite easily.
You were also very fortunate that you had the type of disorder for which 75mg of Effexor was adequate. This is not true of most people with major depressive disorder (MDD), particularly when it is severe or otherwise treatment resistant. 300mg is not at all an unusually high dosage.
- Scott
This is the end of the thread.
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