Effexor withdrawl and symptoms, please help _{Page 29 of 140}

Dear all,

I wish I could be more supportive and upbeat right now. I'm so glad I got off Effexor, but I'm not happy that I have anxiety and panic now and am very bothered by the physical sensations I'm experiencing. I wonder if I could still be de-toxing from E after all these weeks.

Dawn, my aunt and uncle live right by Northbrook Center (although once upon a time, they lived out in the middle of nowhere). I did feel good on my trip.

I don't know whether to keep posting here. I don't won't to be a downer, but I still need support.

Laurel

Laurel, please continue to post. It is a weight off my shoulders to be able to write what I feel. I don't know if it's the same for you, but don't worry about being a downer.I have been anxious and depressed for the last while too. Bonnie has been feeling a bit of anxiety as well. We are here for ya. And yes it is possible that your body is adjusting to not having effexor and is detoxing. I believe that is why I am having anxiety. I didnt feel real hard emotions while I was on it and now I am and it is quite a shock. I feel anxious alot. But I have faith that I will get through this. I feel the same about all of those on this forum too.
Keep your chin up Laurel.
You are stronger than you think you are. You can and will get through this.
Hugs and Prayers
xoElena

hello friends....
i haven't posted lately, but i do read the posts most every day.
Laurel...one would expect that by now the E is out of your body (however, anything is posssible)...in my readings about G.A.D.(steph's deal) those who suffer from anxiety have some physical symptoms, ex. the frequent need to pee, which we didn't realize, & thought it was do 100% to the E...if i recall, you are still taking another Px...perhaps this, along with just being an anxiety sufferer is what is causing you to feel as you do...Steph feels overwhelmed & we talk alot & she tries to handle "this" alone, but believe me, sometimes i can understand why Px's are taken...there are days when i think she could use the help of a Px, but its not the route she wants to go...we are all intelligent enough to be able to reason out & justify the way our mind works...i become frustrated because i am not experiencing first hand...i guess i am rambling now...& certainly not judging any of you for what you are doing...what i'm really trying to say, is that once you are totally off all Px's you should feel better...they ALL have lousy side effects...the mysteries of the mind...even the homeopathic rememdies may be playing a part...just thinking out loud...my heart goes out to you...it is a hit or miss kind of situation, just not fair...its been almost 2 months for me on this website & some of you are still w/d'ng...what is wrong with this picture??? Could the answer be to try & stop everything?? food for thought...

Please understand i am on the outside looking in & often when we are in the "thick of things" its hard to see the forest for the trees...wanting you to all feel good!
~dawn

Dear scared,

I think Elena's advice on weaning slowly I think is the best way. I followed the same pattern (150, 75, 37.5. and so on) but on a faster track. I wish I had gone a little slower. The tips and tricks really do help. I also have found that a weekly deep tissue massage (followed by the epsom salt bath) has really helped to release the toxins from my muscles. I have seen a huge decline in symptoms after the massage. I'm two weeks without any E and I finally feel great!

When I first found this site, I thought that I would never get through this detox. But the daily support I have gotten from this website has helped me to see that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and it does get better.

Here are some things I found from this forum that have been so helpful for me.
1. Exercise every day
2. Drink at least half your body weight in water everyday. (weight 150lbs - drink AT LEAST 75 oz of water)
3. Cleansing supplements (I use some from Arbonne, but others have posted that the GNC ones are good).
4. Fish oil (my massage therapist recommended it to help with memory, since my forgetfulness was awful).
5. Weekly massages - which I know can be costly, but I know MY personal turning point was after my first massage.
6. Epsom salt baths - wonderful!!!
7. A detox tea (also from Arbonne)
8. Juice plus+ to ensure that I'm getting the nutrition I need.
9. Of course, my daily reading of the postings that helped me to see that I was not alone. Thanks everyone!

Thank you Aimee. Can you tell me where I can find the Arbonne supplements and where I can find the Juice+? I am so nervous about this whole process and am terrified of the brain shivers. I am willing to try anything that will help with the withdrawal symptoms

I feel better about tapering and getting off of the Effexor now knowing that I am not the only one going through this.

Hi my name is Kim and I had been on 150 mg of effexor for 3 years till about a month ago. I went to 75 mg daily for one month then to 75 mg every other day for 2 weeks and have not had any for 6 days. I complained to my doctor about the extreme fuzzyness and dizzyness in my head as well as stomach problems and he gave me an RX for 37.5 and told me to take it every other day for 2 weeks and then take 1/2 of one every other day for 2 weeks and it will be easier. Is this true? Or am I almost there after being free of the drug for 6 days.

Dear Scared,

I get my Arbonne supplements from my sister b/c she is a distributor here in Atlanta. I know you can go to their website, arbonne, to order. The Detox tea is $12.00 and the herbal colon cleanse is I think $18.00. I did see a type of Detox tea at Wal-mart the other day. It was in the vitamin section. I'm not sure how it compares to the Arbonne brand.

I'm a distrubutor of Juice Plus+ but you can order it on their website -juiceplus It is 39.75 per month. Not cheap. That's the reason I became a distributor so I can get it a little cheaper. If you are not familiar with Juice Plus, it is a whole food (not a vitamin)that contains the nutritional essence of 17 different raw fruits, vegetables, and grains in a capsule form. I like it. I have a hard time eating all the daily recommended fruits and veggies in a day so I feel good that I'm getting what I need when I take my Juice Plus. Check out the website and see what you think. The website gives lots of information including research studies on the product.

Now, the brain zaps can be very scary. My wedding anniversary was in the middle of my detox. I didn't feel like going out at first, but my husband encouraged me. This was when I felt like the brain zaps controlled me. Nothing seemed to help, so I tried drinking. Perfect night for it since we were celebrating. I got pretty tipsy and the brain zaps were still there. I thought "I'm going to lose my mind!!!!!!!" That's when I felt like I couldn't live like this forever. I got very depressed over the next few days thinking that these symptoms will always be here. I searched on this forum looking for someone to say "yes, the brain zaps will stop, be gone forever and never come back". I didn't find that anywhere. What I did find is that people still have them long after taking E, which made me even more depressed.

I'm here to tell you that they do fade and become much milder. Now, I can barely notice them. Just tell yourself that the zaps will decrease. It will be hard but you can get through it. It does get better. Stay strong!

Aimee

Laurel, I agree with Elena. We need your feedback. I don't want to sound selfish about this, but we need to know what may occur in the future with this. Your telling us about how you feel prepares us for what may or may not happen. Please, let us know. Plus, we like you!
Kim, if you are doing okay with total withdrawal, I won't say a word. But, gradual withdrawal is easier on the body.
Scared dizzy, I am just going to call you dizzy. Hang in there. We will all get through this. I am almost there, make sure you read everything.
Well, my week on 9 has not gone as well as I expected. After my last post (in which I said I had had no zaps or anything), guess what! The rest of the week has been hell. But I will get through it. Bonnie and Elena, you have just been through the 9 and I have read all that you have gone through. I will not be doing the 4 until the first of August because I have to work the last 2 weeks of this month.
Had a major anxiety attack on the golf course of all places. I got in a fairway sand trap and couldn't get out and freaked out. The girls that I was playing with told me to just pick up the ball and go to the next hole. I took a LOT of deep breaths and carried on. I am such a trouper! (Joke).
By the way, what does LOL mean.

Love, Sheila

To the folks who are trying get off of effexor. I too have joined you. I am really tired of the weight gain, the irritability, and the ups and downs experienced with this "drug" I wish I had never started on it. The max dose I have taken is 150 mg. So I guess I am lucky, judging by some of the posts I have read so far. The thing is though, it does not seem to matter how much you took, this stuff really does not want to let you go! Talk about your "designer" drugs, this has to be more addictive than opiates, and It is LEGAL! I had a bad experience with it once. I ran out of my prescription when I was assigned to China. I could not get any more, and I could not get any more shipped to me because of "red" tape. I had to go fives days without it. (75 mg) to zero. Advice, do not fly 15 hours on an airplane while going through the withdrawals... Talk about vertigo!!! Anyway, I will talk to my Doctor, once I get back home (took plenty with me this trip) and I will show him these postings. He did not believe me the first time I asked him to get me off of this med. I like tequilla, and I like to take a PUFF occasionally, does this really help? All I know is that I want to be myself again, I was not that F'ed up before I started, and I would just like not to be dependant on anything.

Thanks for your information, it is good to know, I am not alone anymore...
Dyno-

Hi Everyone! Well, two days on 112.5 and getting through it but with some zaps, anxiety, and very short temper. On my first day, I threatened my husband with divorce! He knows that I am not myself right now and is being very supportive. Anyways, I have been taking the supplements as many of you recommended and have been drinking lots of water! I plan to stay on 112.5 for at least 10 days. I plan to taper very slowly and carefully. Thanks to all of you for your support. I wish you all continued strength and courage.

Hi All

I am very new memebr of this forum, but as everybody is telling their experience about Effexor, let me add to it. I was put on Effexor by my Dr. last year, but after I took the drug for 1 week, I had very itchy rashes all over my body. So, I stopped it, and realised that these anti-depressents are not to help me, but to make me feel even more depressed (even if I am not ). I think, mental health can be altered by your thoughts. There can be only one thought a time in your mind, try to make it positive as much as you can. It is inner, why to depend on external drugs. If you can't help Urself, who else will? With all these thoughts, I decided not to have anti-depressenta again, and focus on yoga and meditation. If I am not very best now, I am not worse atleast.

With Best Wishes to All.

Hi Everybody...

This is my first post...but from reading your posts, it seems I have a lot in common with you all.

For my own sanity, I was wondering if any of you find your depression worse while going off effexor than before you started it?

Is this normal?

I also have a really bad stomach...nausea and I don't know how to put this nicely...diareaa. Is this normal?

Finally, am I understanding you all right that when I'm completely off of it...is when I will get the worse symptoms?

I have been slowly decreasing my dose for the last 5 weeks. I assume I have a few more weeks before I'm completely free of "E". Just wondering if the worse is really yet to come.

Thank you all so much for your input.

Hi, This is my third attempt to get off Effexor. The first two times I went cold turkey and it was awful. The symptoms were like having the flu with brain zaps and feeling my eyeballs move. This time I am tapering down by cutting each dose in half when the symtoms start to clear up. I open the capsules and count out the beads. I am down to approximately 9mg or 25 beads. So far so good. I am taking chaser and ginger for the nausea, and I take extra vitamin B on top of a mult vitamin. I have been on E for 9 years for post partum depression. This stuff is really hard to get off of but I really think if you stick with it you can do it, just take it slow. One day at a time.

Hi, I have been so emotional the past 2-3 days. It is awful. I cry about everything and feel like nobodys loves me. I even feel like my grandchildren don't like me anymore. Could this be withdrawls too. Oh, I will be so glad when I am free of this sh**. Sorry, but I am so miserable right now. I feel so alone.
We just got back from New York Saturday night. It was very nice, but glad to be home. This coming Saturday we leave for our trip to Alaska.
I really hope I am in a better frame of mind.
My husband does not understand my feelings. Why should he, I don't either.
:(
Elena, how are you feeling these days. This is just awful. I refuse to turn back now, because I know it is just a matter of time and I will be bettter.
Hope everyone had a great weekend.
Bonnie

Elaine, I wanted to tell you that I have had all the symptons you are experiencing.
Everything you have mentioned, we have all experienced. So yes it is normal to feel the way you do.
Hope this answers your questions.
Bonnie

Bonnie, I am so sorry to hear that you are so miserable. You must hang in there. I know that it seems that everything is magnified. You know your grandbabies love you. You are just being sensitive. I am beginning to start getting sensitive to what I consider imaginary slights too, but I am trying to suck it all up. Turn it around. Someone posted awhile ago about trying to duplicate a sensation or something to retrain our brains, I can't remember exactly what the post said but I have been trying to do that and it has helped.
Elaine, welcome to our site. I hope you get as much help and support as I have from this motley crew. Your complaints sound right on target for the withdrawal. Some days are better than others. Keep busy and take the helpers like the chaser and sea bands, etc. Lots of exercise and water help too.
Marti, welcome to you too. I am also at 9 and will stay there until the end of the month. I have a part time job and I have to work the last two weeks of July and must be able to function. I'm curious as to how you feel right now. I am constantly dizzy, feeling unbalanced (although I am hitting the golf ball really well-go figure). Slight nausea, inconsistent bowel function, hungry and I have had some really bad anxiety attacks. I don't remember having them this bad before the E but it could be I just coped better when they were part of my life and now I have to get used to them again. Also, I ramble a lot and I am having a lot of problems expressing my thoughts--the words come out all wrong!
Anyway, time to stop babbling and get some work done around here.
Love, Sheila

Good morning, all, and welcome to all our new friends. Wow, no computer access at home currently means coming to work to find a big batch of posts. This is such a great forum.!!!!!

(LOL means "laughing out loud")

I realized that the Epsom salt baths were irritating my skin, so I had to stop doing that. :-( But increased skin comfort reduced some of my anxiety. :-) I'm taking oatmeal baths now but keeping up all the other protocols we all seem to be using. And lots of meditation. Note: that says mediTAtion not medication. :-O

More later,
Laurel

Welcome to all those who have just joined us. Withdrawal from Effexor is not an easy thing to deal with. That's why we are all here, to support one another and give tips that can help out. I recommend that all the new folks to read up on as many past postings as possible and you will see that what you are feeling is normal. There are many tips and types of remedies to try. We will all get through this. Try to keep in mind when you are feeling really low that the effexor is doing this to you and your body and mind are trying to recuperate. I know at times it seems very hard to stay positive and remember that you know why you feel this way. But we are all going through this together, and we are here to help each other. I feel it helps to post when I feel depressed or scared, and get things off my chest. Because I know that all of those in this forum will understand what I’m going through.
Bonnie, I am so sorry you have been feeling so rotten. I felt that way this past week. I was crying and feeling just miserable about things that I hadn’t thought about in a while! They just popped into my mind to make me feel like s**t. It was as if my mind wanted to torture me. I was emotional, and feeling guilty for the smallest things, like I forgot to take out the garbage and I was the worst person in the world. The emotional stuff has been so hard it’s not even funny. I can’t believe some of the pain and anxiety I have experienced. I have been in a bizarre mood and my boyfriend doesn’t understand it, nor do my parents, sister, or friends. But that’s okay. We aren’t alone because we do have each other. This forum is truly a blessing. We can’t expect those we love to understand us completely right now. Even though I would love that and I’m sure all of us would.
I am now on 6 beads. What about you Bonnie? Are you off it completely now? I will be there soon. The w/d from the drop from 9 mg to just 6 beads was nuts. I really took a beating from that! So I have been taking the baths, exercising and trying to sleep as much as possible. Let’s see what happens when I am completely off the Effexor. That does scare me. Oh well.
Chin up Bonnie, and I hope very much that you enjoy your trip. You so deserve it.
Oh and Sheila, I have had to present material to my boss, and I can hardly get the words out! Good thing she has a good sense of humour! Yikes!
Hugs and Prayers,

xoElena

Elena, I am still taking the effexor. I think I am taking about 4 maybe sometimes 6 beads still. Those little devils are like a magnet when you more them out. I have even dropped some on the floor.
Yes, this has been a very bad emotional time for me. I can't beleive how sensitive I have been. I am trying to block negative feelings, but sometimes I just can't do it.
Yesterday and today, I feel like I have the flu. I get cold chills and then I am hot.
My granddaughter has strep throat and I ate after her before I new she was sick last weekend in New YOrk. So, I really dont know what I have.
I can't completely stop taking it until we come back from vacation. Then I really am, because this is getting awful for me and I just want to get it over with.
It is really scary for me because I am taking zoloft and I would have thought that would help me some. This effexor is awful.
Oh well, thanks so much to everyone for being here and helping. It makes me feel a little better, knowing others have the same feelings. The ups and downs are terrible. I know I am driving my whole familt nute including my grand kids. Can you imagine what they must think of my actions. Now I feel bad for making them feel bad.
I gotta do a lot of praying this week. I need to feel better for my trip.

Thanks again everyone.
Bonnie

Sorry once again for my mistakes. I meant I am driving my whold family nuts.
:)
Bonnie

Hi, So far so good at 9mg. This is just the second day. I am a bit lightheaded and having trouble concentrating, and I am very tired. Could be a lot worse. I am taking extra vitamin B and fish oils, I have ginger tablets for the nausea. I am determined to get off this stuff.

Good for you Marti. I am doing the same, taking lot's of vitamins such as V.B V.C Essencial Fatty Acids and a Multi. You are right though, it could be much much worse. I am currently at 6 beads of Effexor. I have opened the capsules and started just dividing them myself. I can't wait to be off of this. But next week I will go to the extreme and go down to 3 beads. Then I will go off it for good. Personally the w/d has been so bad, I wanted to spare myself any more pain. So I am doing this slow.It worked for me so far!
Take care everyone!
Hope you all have a great day!
Hugs and Prayers,
xoElena

hey everyone: Bonnie, Elena, and
Granny..as i have written before, i came to this site to help me understand what my wife would be going through when she tried to come off effexor..so that i could be supportive and help her as much as possible..i feel terrible reading your posts about only taking a few beads a day..ladies, i feel that you might be causing extended torture to yourselves..i cannot know what it feels like to be going through this, but i think it is time for you to take a few days off and quit for good. it will be 3-5 awful days, another 3-5 where you sort of rebound, some ups and downs shortly after, and then spotty headaches, tiredness, and shortness of patience..kelly will be at 3 weeks tomorrow, and she is doing so much better than i thought she would..it has re-c reated our marriage, given her more esteem and desire to lose weight, i just can't explain the wealth of positives for her, and for us..i wish all of
you ladies and gentleman the best..i just hate to see any of you dragging it out..i want you all to be YOURSELVES again! Good luck, and God damn all anti-depressants!

Marc, thank you for your kind thoughts, but unfortunately not all of us can take the time to do the 3 to 5 days of major withdrawal and then another week of major suffering. Many of us have jobs and children and do not have a wonderful spouse who can take the time to sit by our sides and cater to all our needs while we go through the misery. As least tapering down as we have we were still able to function in the real world, performing our daily tasks.
I think you and your wife were very courageous to do what you did, but you had to make the time to do it and got it done. You were lucky that it happened so rapidly.
If you read through all the posts (all 29 pages) you will find the consensus of opinion is to taper slowly. Many people have tried the cold turkey method and have resumed the E because they could not handle that method of withdrawal. I'm sure there are people out there who will stay on the E because of the horrible withdrawal. Even with tapering if you stay on one dose long enough, all the symptoms go away.
Anyway, cold turkey worked for your wife, but it doesn't work for everyone. When you first talked about the withdrawal, did you give her any other option or was it your decision to do it that way. I'm curious. - Cat

Hello everyone, Well today, I am a little better. Not as sensitive as I have been. I guess I am getting used to the amount I am taking now.
I am hoping that I can stop effexor after I get back from Alaska. I don't want to change anything right now.
I wonder if I will have the same type of withdrawal as someone that did this cold turkey. I guess everyone is different and I will have to wait and see. I do know that each time I have reduced the amount that there is a period of adjustment.
Hope everyone is having a good day.
I have been trying to clean my bathrooms today. I start and stop, etc. :)
Bonnie

Bonnie, I have to laugh at your cleaning, (start and stop), that has been the pattern of my housecleaning for the entire time I have been weaning. I painted my master bath before I started weaning, bought new mats, but decided to put them down when I scrubbed the floor thoroughly. The floor is about 2/3rds done. Mats are still sitting on my bedroom chair. Four months! Okay, but I have been doing other stuff. (I do have a very busy life.)
I hope you have a wonderful vacation in Alaska! If it is anything like our cruise you will. There will be enough time to vegetate while you are on the ship. Make sure you bring rain clothes for Ketchikan and Juneau. (We bought some disposable ponchos at the dollar store that were 2 for $1. That will work. I don't know what your itinerary is, but make sure you do the Mendenthal Glacier in Juneau. On the way, look at the streams, you may see spawning salmon! It is quite a sight. Bring warm clothes for when you are out of the rainforest. Have a wonderful time!!!
Love, Sheila