Effexor withdrawl and symptoms, please help _{Page 34 of 140}

Hi everyone. I am back from Alaska and we had a great time. What a lovely place. I think it is what i picture heaven must be like.
The air was fresh and pure.
We saw some whales, salmon, eagles and even a bear. It was wonderful.
Now back to reality. Elena, I am so proud of you. I hope you are doing ok. Because of you, I took my last dose yesterday morning. I hope I do as good as you have done.
We will see. Tomorrow will be my second day without effexor.
Hello to all you newbies. This place has been so much help for me. I know you all will benefit from it too.
I will write more later as I am very tired. There was a 4 hour time change when we went to the west coast. Catching up with me now.
Glad to be back home and talking with you all.
Bonnie

Hi Im 31 Ive been taking effexor xr 75mg for a year now i weaned off. Im experiencing bad withdraws i need some advice. My head feels like im taking pictures, and when i move my eyes i feel like my head is going to go off my shoulders. What do i do? Is there anything i can take to help? How long will i be like this? This medicine is bad i would not recommend this to noone. Thanks for your help and god bless

Hello all.
My weekend was extremely busy and I did not have a moment to check out the posts. Coco, I am glad that the ginger pills are working for you. They really helped me out as well! My emotions became very strong after getting off the E. I feel very big highs and terrible lows. But that's okay. I will try my best to get through it. Sheila!!! I am SO happy for ya! Congratulations are indeed necessary! I know how you feel, my sex drive has kicked in and let me tell you, it's in over drive right now. Geeze. It is my 11th day off Effexor and I am happy to have the toxins leaving my body * (at least some what leaving!) I know it will take a while before the Effexor is completely gone. But it is worth the wait. My boyfriend bought me a gift certificate to a spa for this past Saturday and he got me a purifying mud bath, an hour massage and a wash and style. The mud bath was to get rid of toxins in your body and the massage after was just the icing on the cake. I couldn't believe he did that for me. Well, I could believe it but wow. No other man in my romantic life has ever done something so thoughtful.
So that was a wonderful morning on Saturday.
I have lost almost 10 pounds, but I think it may be because of stress. I have been running around a lot in the past 2 weeks and my appetite has totally shrunk. I'm not complaining about that. But I better watch out so it doesn’t come back times 2!! I have been having little to no brain zaps. Just had one little one this morning and practically none on Sat and Sunday. Bonnie, thank you for your congrats, I am so happy for you that you have taken the plunge! I know you will do well! Remember that the ginger pills help enormously for the dizziness. Just a warning, you may get really bad headaches! I got ridiculously painful headaches where I thought my head was being cracked with a baseball bat. But no worries, I believe it was just the toxins leaving my body. The people at the GNC health store told me that when toxic products leave our system it can cause headaches. My moods were kinda hellish, but it is totally worth it. I am so glad you had a nice time in Alaska, I have heard from many that it is breath taking. It must have been somewhat therapeutic to get away, and to someplace so pure and beautiful.
Well hang in there Bonnie, and please write when ever you need to! I’m here for ya’ll!
Oh Laurel. I know your down but don’t give up! We are all here for you and we support you. (Don’t mean to be speaking for everyone…) It’s okay if you feel lousy, and down, because I have had some doozies so I know what you mean. Don’t feel bad about crying! Crying can be so relieving for the soul! I find it a relief to let go and cry. But if you start feeling extremely suicidal you should speak to someone. Maybe research some therapists and pick one, just so you can get some things off your mind. Don’t let them prescribe you anything you don’t want. But maybe it would be nice to chat with someone who is right in front of you. I will continue to be here for you online. Not as good as in person but it will have to do! You are an Effexor success story by the way! You got through this, you are off Effexor. Which is really hard, actually it is hell to do! Don’t give up. Keep researching on the panic attacks, and have you been taking any thing herbal, like St. Johns Wort or Vitamin B complex, or milk thistle? Maybe those may help? I know the Vitamin B complex helps me out. Keep on writing to us to let us know how you are doing. You are in my thoughts and especially my prayers. Hang in there!

Big Hugs and prayers to all
xoElena

P.S Kmarcum, read through the posts as best as you can, we have many remedies here that we use to get rid of withdrawls! Episom salt baths with hydrogen peroxide helps detox, drinking lot’s of water, a massage every now and again is great, ginger pills for dizziness, and so on. Remember that this is an occurrence that is common for those who go off Effexor. I haven’t heard of anyone who has gotten off of it without any side effects. Take care!

Sheila, I am so happy for you. I do have more of an interest in sex now, but I am still on zoloft and I don't think I will experience what you have while still taking it. Oh well, one day at a time and one thing at a time.
I hope to be able to get off of zoloft one day also.
I believe in the power of prayer and I will keep on praying for all of us.
This is my second day of no effexor. Sometimes, I forget about it and then I suddenly realize I haven't taken it.
Today I am going to be busy with washing clothes and cleaning up the house. I think keeping your mind busy really helps. I tend to dwell on things.
Glad to be back with my support group.
Love,
Bonnie

I am wondering if chaser would do the same as ginger. Anyone know?
Bonnie

Kmarcum-I think the best thing in the world is to go the natural route, such as ginger pills, milk thistle(a liver cleanse)and later on , I think when more of the E is gone from your system, St Jon's Wort.I have decided to leave my allopath and go to a naturopath. We all expect immediate results form medicines, and I think thats what get's us in this mess. I have lost a great deal of trust in the pharmaceutical companies; it is a big money making business, and they certainly don't give a rat's ass about the effect of their poison on the millions who look to them for the answers to their problems.Keep in touch with this forum; believe me it will make all the difference in the world. Above all, talk ,talk ,talk to someone that will do you the service of just listening.It's tough to do withdraw from E , you just have to believe you can do it.
Love and Prayers,
Coleen

Hey Bonnie- I was reading the back posts and Regent swore by Chaser. It seems to be pretty natural ; certainly worth a shot.
Coleen

Hi to all. I have just found this site and feel like I have so much in common with you all. I have been on anti-depressants for the last 3.5 years, finally to end up on Effexor last summer. I have (had) depression and anxiety issues and the effexor certainly helped, especially after trying Wellbutrin last year to try and curb the weight gain and it almost putting me in the hospital. Well 30 lbs later I have decided i have to come off and what a trip that is proving to be.

I started off about 3 months ago, after a visit to my doctor and a naturopathic doctor. by cutting my dose of 150mg into 2 75mgs, 1 month later I cut the morning dose in half. There was some withdrawal but nothing that stopped me from working or anything and it lasted about 1 week. After that, I had a long visit from family overseas followed by a death in the family so I decided to wait for all that to calm down. Last week I cut the evening dose in half so I am now on 2 doses of 37.5mg.

The withdrawal seems to have gone but I have had 2 anxiety attacks in the last 2 weeks with were quite severe, however it is not detering me and I have made an appointment with the ND to see if she can help me.

One question I have seen asked a few times on this forum is how long does it take to start losing the weight when you reduce or cut your meds? I would love to know when it will start.

I am also looking into EMDR, (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) to help with my anxiety, does anyone have any experience with this?

OK, this is probably a long enough intro....lol. I am glad to meet you all, a little info...I am a mother of 2 living in Southern Ontario, Canada.

Bonnie, welcome back from Alaska. I know you had a wonderful time. Congratulations for taking the final step. I'll be right behind you in three weeks. Also, I agree with Colleen, the chaser is great for the headaches. I've had lots of them recently and am on my third box.

Laurel, hang in there, girl. You have been such an inspiration to so many of us, we hate to see you suffering so. Are you seeing a counselor? If you do, make sure they don't give you anything evil. We would all like to counsel you but that would be the blind leading the blind. But we are here to listen and be a sounding board for you.

Marc, I'm glad to hear that Kelly is doing okay. Just take one day at a time.

Thirsty, you are courageous on going cold turkey. It hurts my head to even think about it.

Welcome to all our new people. Sorry we have to meet this way. But you will get lots of ideas and emotional support from this group. We are all in the same boat, just in different places, and it has really helped to have people understand what you are going through and it is also good to know that "we are not crazy."

Hi, Mum2Two, your anxiety attacks are normal. My first one in 2 years occurred several weeks ago and it was a doozy. Much stronger than I remembered. But remember that when you had them on a regular basis, you coped. I have read and reread every post on this site and I think the weight starts to come off after you are totally off the evil pill. The side effects will continue though. Be patient and try not to gain any more weight. I realize this is easier said than done but I have held off weight gain after the first 15 for over 2 years by exercise and diet. But hopefully it will come off!! Good luck.

I'm feeling good today. - Love, Sheila

Hi Mom2two,
Good for you that you have taken the initiative to stop effexor. I myself gained 30 pounds and I have just noticed that after 11 days of being off E, I have lost almost 10 pounds. {I must tell you, it is a wonderful feeling to have my family and boyfriend tell me I have lost weight: ) }
When you come off it does decrease your appetite somewhat, but I have been exercising for the past two months which must have helped the weight loss move quicker. Exercise has really helped me through this ordeal as well; it is a huge serotonin booster!
I think I noticed that the weight I had gained bothered me alot because I was no longer medicated to feel like my emotions were muted all the time. That’s another thing my emotions are now 100% bigger and more vivid. These are just some reasons to get off this crap. Those damn toxins in our bodies!
Here at this forum we are all here to support one another so if you need any advice just start typing. If you need tips, if you go through the posts you will see some of the remedies we have used to help us out.Oh and I am from Ontario Canada too!

Take care,
Hope you all are having a great day!
Hugs and Prayers
xoElena

P.S Where can I get this Chaser Sheila? Is it in health stores like GNC? What is the name of it?

I got the Chaser at Wal-Mart. It is a hangover remedy and comes 10 tablets to the box. I found it on the end of an aisle on one of those hanger things. The name of it is "Chaser." PS: It helps hangovers too"! -Sheila

Ha ha! Thanks Sheila! I'll be able to use it for more than one cause!
Elena : )

Does anyone know exactly how long it takes the body to be completely rid of Effexor?
I'm trying to read back posts, but my eyes are irritated today and I have a nasty headache.
Thanks.

Thanks for your support :o)

I just wish I had the money to sue the makers of this stuff, and who ever it is that tells these doctors that prescribe it that it is not addictive, there will be no withdrawals and it won't make you put on weight. I say they should all be on the med for 12 months and then come off cold turkey.

I have read a few posts where people have stated that it takes them a few days to get withdrawal symptoms, am I super addicted because if I miss a dose, for example my evening dose, then I have the withdrawal start by 10 am the next day. My doctor said there is nothing he can give me because I don't get the shakes (he said that can be helped), instead I get dizzy, light headed, confused etc. I haven't read through the whole site but did I read that ginger will help, I will definately pick up some Chaser next time I am at Walmart.

My last reduction was last week and I was planning on waiting 3 more until I reduced again, do you recommend I lose the morning or evening dose? Oh so many questions...lol, I hope you don't get sick of me.

Colleen, I don't think anyone has ever responded back to this forum to let us know that they are COMPLETELY free of the E.
Regent and Naria are months out there but are still having problems. Some of the older posts never post anymore. I need to go back and see if there are email addresses in their profiles and contact some of them directly.

Mum, there is no way you are going to reduce dosage without side effects. I have been going very slowly (weaning off 75 since April and still on 9 which I cut in half again next week). Benadryl helps the zaps and dizziness, I've only done one epsom and peroxide bath but I am sweating so much during this heat and exercise that I think I am getting the toxins out that way. Chaser helps the headaches and the nausea. Ginger is good for the nausea. I get that in a homemade health tonic I am taking. Lots of water helps, LOTS of water. Just keep some by your side all day. Stay away from caffeine if you can. Take stress vitamins such as C and B complex. I had a lot of blurred vision problems when I started and found it difficult to concentrate on reading all the posts. (My opthalmologist told me that 90% of the people on E with blurred vision will get their vision back and I have.) There are so many stories and remedies on this site. We are here to help each other and we won't get sick of you. In no time, you will be giving advice to other new members of our sick society. Try to read as many of the old posts as you can, It took me about two months to go through them all, you will see the same story, told different ways, in various versions, people in all stages of withdrawal, but that reiteration I feel builds confidence in the quest to see this withdrawal through. Keep on truckin'. I had trouble taking the E at night (I only took once a day) so take mine in the morning upon awakening. Try giving up the night dose first. Your body will get used to it, but since you are dropping by one-half by skipping the night dose, keep to this for a couple of weeks until you can handle the side effects. If you find it better to skip the morning, do that. See how your body reacts. Everyone will help you through it.

There is a class action suit that has been filed in Oklahoma. The web site for that is www(dot)effexorwar(dot)com.

Well I must go to work. - Love, Sheila

Good morning everyone,
I am very sleepy this morning and finding it hard to concentrate. I did have a question though, I seem to be recalling memories from a long time ago,(12 years ago) or more that really bothered me.And then they bother me more.(I was on Effexor for almost 3 years which doesn't make sense why I would be thinking of these memories now because I wasn't medicated then.) And also I am remembering things that happened maybe last September that bother me as well. It's weird, it is as if my mind shoved these memories back and medicated them!
So these disturbing memories are coming back and I am being haunted by them. These memories bother me because they were either times when I was hurt or I was emotional for some reason. Why would this be happening? Has this happened to anyone else?? Or is it just my messed up brain bringing intense emotion up from my core?
Let me know what you think, I would appreciate it!

Sleepy, a bit Cranky and fed up,
xoElena

I just checked out that site Sheila. That is great, I am glad to see it is possible for us to fight back. I think I want to get some of the information sent to me, maybe I will sign up...
Hey Bonnie, how are you feeling today? On your second day free of E? How are you finding it? I didn't really get bad side effects until the 3rd day. Hope your doing all right, let me know!
And coco, did ya get rid of that headache? I have been getting them really bad lately let me tell ya!
Oh and Sheila I am glad to hear that you have gotten your vision back complelely. I find that my eyes are a little bit strange, as if I can't focus for long periods and they just move. I better be in that 90% that is back to normal after a while!

Hugs
xo Elena

Elena, in 1994 I turned 50, my son got married, and my mother-in-law moved in, all in the same month. She was a very difficult woman to live with. By the time she died 3 years later (and I was very good to her at the expense of own mental and physical health), I was already on the way downhill. Then marital problems occurred, my back went out, 2 years of pain, then surgery. Just getting back to normal physically when had accident that required hip replacement, then lawsuit over accident. That's when I lost it and started taking the E. While taking the E I would think about how I would have handled things better. But now (and I am not even off the E totally), I am starting to think about all that stuff and starting to have remorseful thoughts about things I said and did (and you know what, we cannot go back and change things--we have to deal with the cards we are dealt, how we play the game is up to us). Just this morning I was having one of those bad choice memories and started crying (hooray for tears finally). I cannot undo what has been done, but I can try to go on with the rest of my life. And that is what you must do. I hope that answers your question of whether or not anyone else has those same feelings of going back in time, the answer is YES.

I just went back and looked at posts from former members of our team we don't hear from any more that truly inspired me in the beginning, as well as the people who still do post such as Naria and Regent. Melissa, ronda, jami, endless night, dreamliner, dirk, and page626, where are you?. They are all off the E. How do they feel? If anyone hears from them, Coco was curious as to how long it takes to finally get rid of the side effect.

Love, Sheila

Thanks Sheila, I really appreciate your support. I feel good having found this website knowing that I can bounce ideas of cutting down and dealing with the symptoms.

I am actually taking supplements, my morning regime is 37.5mg Effexor, 1 multi vitamin and 2 tbsp of Flax Oil (Omega 3) in my shake. The evening is 37.5mg Effexor, B Complex and 1 tspn of Fish Oil (Omega 3). I have definately noticed a difference in my energy levels during the day which is a big help. You should see my kids cringe when they watch me take the fish oil....lol.

The one thing that does worry me is that I was a nightmare sufferer before anti-deressants and I am noticing that my dreams are now becoming more vivid and violent again. Hopefully the EMDR therapy will help, I have made an appt with a psycologist for Thursday.

Hello All!

I just wanted to report some good news!

I am down to 18.75mg (started on 75mg BID, and got down to once a day) and the good news is, I have not had any SEVERE brain shivers or nausea for almost a week now. I dosed down on Saturday, and had not had any horrible withdrawal symptoms since Tuesday of last week!

YAY! I'm just really hoping my body doesn't all of a sudden realize it's getting less of the horrible poison.

I'll keep you all posted. Jus tknowing that others have gone through the same is so helpful and supportive.
Much love,

Sarah

ps. let me know if i can help anyone, just even talking. I use yahoo messenger in the evenings and would be more than willing to lend an ear!

Hello everyone, This is my third day of no effexor. I feel pretty good, except I get so sleepy. Last night I was reading with my granddaughter and I could not hold my eyes open to finish the page. It was a wierd feeling. All in all, so far, I am doing pretty good. I have a little bit of a headache and I have had a few brain zaps. If I get busy and forget about effexor, I think I feel normal. Then it pops into my brain again and I start having some problems.
Anyway hope everyone is having a good day.
Love,
Bonnie

Question for all (especially since most of us have gained weight on E): Do you ingest aspartame in any quantity (such as diet soda, slimfast, light yogurt, crystal light, in your tea or coffee as nutrasweet or equal, any diet products that have it as an ingredient. I just read an interesting website, but need to know if we have a majority of aspartame users among us (I am a user and want to investigate its effect on us with the E). Thanks, Sheila

Hi Sheila, yes I do ingest aspartame.
I spoke too early in my last post. I do have a slight headache or did I say that.
I am hoping it is just sinus.
Bonnie

Hey Bonnie,
Glad to hear you are doing better than you expected.
Not to worry, I have been getting headaches too. Hang in there! You're doing great!
By the way I personally do not ingest very much aspartame.

xoElena

Thanks Elena, how are you doing today?
Bonnie

Sheila,

I generally try to stay away from aspartame or any other type of artificial sweetener. SPlenda included - (it is made using chlorine).

LEt us know what you find!

Sarah