Effexor withdrawl and symptoms, please help _{Page 60 of 140}

wow, jami, you're my hero, too. i was very happy to hear from you right away. i also should give regent very honorable mention, too. she had alot of very good suggestions, and she went through so much. i keep reading back through the archives & taking lots of notes; i know i'll need all the help i can get. when i read about the problems others have, i feel like mine are small in comparison, & i can definitely beat this thing now that i know what to expect. and as i stated before, i didn't previously have a problem with depression. at least i have that on my side; i've read where some of you have had recurring bouts with depression, even after kicking the habit. i do have an old, but very good natural remedy consisting of a regimin of vitamins to beat depression. i will find the "recipe" & share it with you next week.

today is day 2 of med intake modification plan. this morning i took the other half of the little beads from a 75. tomorrow i don't work, & i plan to skip a dose tomorrow. i had to go to work early today, & i really didn't get enough sleep. i think your suggestion about sleep is a pretty logical one(!); i'm dizzy & my eyesight is worse than usual.

it was interesting to learn that the drug messes with vision; i thought for sure i was going to have to get glasses; i have to have everybody in my family read small print for me; everything is a blur. so my vision should improve after i stop taking the med?

while i was on chemo, i lost 35 lbs. i guess i was lucky i had gained a little extra weight previous to becoming ill, or i probably would've died. i was pleased with that side effect of the chemo, but it's definitely a weight loss plan i wouldn't recommend to anyone else!! unfortunately, i gained almost all of it back, & i thought it was just because i was eating again, but definitely not overeating. now i learn that this damn drug made me get heavy again after i was looking great. does the weight just start to come off once the med is discontinued, or am i gonna have to get cancer again to be thin? jami, i remember it was an issue for you; how are doing with your weight now? what about anyone else? or do you really have to work hard to take it off? i plan to be exercising to release those natural endorphines that are available for the taking...but not today!

my boss needs me to type up something for him, so i must sign off. i know i will have alot more questions for all of you. thanks again to all who help me!

Ruthie

Ruthie,
I cant tell you how much I admire you as well, (there are so many on this site who I admire!) You have been through so much and now you are going to go through something else that is hard on the body and emotions. But I have no doubt in my mind that you will overcome this. You are a strong wonderful person and I know you can do it! Also about the weight gain, I myself gained about 30-35 pounds. I have just started to get some of it off. I lost about 15 pounds so far. And it has been around 6 months since I got off this poison.
As for the vitamens, I would love to know which ones you use!!! Please let me know!! I am going through a little bit of a slump right now so it would be great to find out which ones help!
Take care Ruthie,
and thank you for inspiring me to be strong!

Hugs and Prayers
Elena

Second day off Effexor. Yesterday was bad... went to the store, ran into people several times with my cart, bought 2 wrong items, forgot my wallet at the cashier, (she had to run after me, thank God) almost crashed my car on the way home. After that I stayed home, too afraid to go out. The night was a terror with little sleep. Stayed home today and by this evening some of the dizziness has subsided or I'm getting used to it. Bought some sleep aid, hopefully it will work today. I got to go to the office tomorrow... hopefully it will be a better day.
Thanks to all of you who have written into this forum. I am so glad to know that this too will pass.
Thank you D.

Hey guys...I am glad to see everyone is still sticking with it. It makes me so proud that your doing this for yourselves! Ruthie your right about Regeant (Lori) she has been through so much and she has been an inspiration to myself and others. If your around lori...I have been wondering how you were doing and how things were going or not going with your recent splitup.

Ruthie you were asking about the vision issues. I still have them as far as my eyesight not being great I don't know if this is from the meds or just a weird conicidence in timing.. that my sight went downhill while taking them, but it has not improved (as I sit here and squint at the screen to write this response LOL). I have lost close to 50 pounds now and within about 15-20 of where I want to be but the difference from the 50 is so major that sometimes I forget that I would like to loose 15 more ...then I could fit into all my jeans in my closet! The weight took some excersize to get off but I didn't have to go overboard working out. I think just having more energy and moving around a lot more plus adding in the excersize and all that just sort of came together a few months after my last Effexor dose. I want to say about 3-4 months after I started loosing the weight. Your chemo diet sounds painful and your right that has to be a sucky way to loose weight though you seem to have a good outlook on the experience I think I would pass on that particular diet :)

Doris your day sounded so familiar I had to chuckle. Though I know it is not really a laughing matter. I can do that now that I am passed it I guess. I remember once a lady sort of bumped into me in the store and I was about 7 days into my detox and I swear I almost turned around and socked her in the jaw! I don't know if anyone else went through that when they were detoxing but I went through this short tempered point where people in Anger Management had NOTHING on me lol. I think you are right on track Doris...get some good sleep tonight. I still remember those nasty night terrors where I had dreams so vibrant and detailed that I swear I had been asleep hours and after looking at the clock I realized I couldn't have been sleeping more then 20 minutes.

Congrats Elena on loosing that 15 pounds that is great! Youll get the rest off in no time. Stinks to be depressed ..then gain weight and be depressed that your gaining weight :)

Have a great day guys!

Jami

hello everyone.

today is monday, & this is day 4 of my "med intake modification plan". as i mentioned, i had been taking 75 every other night but then starting friday, i took 1/2 of beads in am, as well as saturday in am. i had work on sat, but was tired; not enough sleep. i still slept fitfully sat. night & woke up early on sun. morn. & could not go back to sleep. skipped dose yesterday, but felt ok; stayed in bed relaxing/meditating till about 5pm, my husband brought me dinner, i painted fingernails & toenails; i decided to pamper myself a little; i only get 1 day a week off; i need it!! did not sleep well at all last night; puked about 4am, & took some valium & soma after that to try to sleep, but still slept very fitfully regardless. i am very tired & groggy (at work) today; i was going to try to skip a dose today, but i'm debating about taking a few beads to see if it helps me "wake up", or if i should fight it till tomorrow...

my REAL, biggest fear is, what has happened to me every single time after about a week of discontinuing the med; i start to get very bitchy, to put it mildly; everything & everyone makes me mad & upset; when i can't let it go of the intense anger i feel inside, i start crying, & then i go into a drepression. then i just cry about everything & anything, & work myself into an inconsolable frenzy. 3 weeks ago was my last meltdown; i couldn't even go to work for 2 days, & i almost got fired over that. my boss has had enough of me missing time from work because of my cancer-related appointments, treatments, tests, & surgeries for the past year & a half; he did not care when i told him i was having an emotional breakdown & that i just couldn't be at work in the state of mind i was in. at least i know now that i am not crazy; it's just the meds.

i have the vitamin "recipe" i promised to share that naturally alleviates depression, but i have to leave to go to a dr. appt.
will write more when i get done.

Ruthie

Hi, my name is Tammi I am 32 years old, and I am a victim of the drug Effexor. I I have been on Effexor for at least a year 150mg. I recently decided to try another antidepressant due to the side effects of the effexor, to control the symptoms of OCD. So my doctor agreed, and began to wean me off. Mind you my doctor did not tell me what hell I would go through. He just said that Effexor was one of the hardest ones to get off of. I went from 150mg, to 75mg, then 37.5mg, then none. I started to feel the effects within the first day. I could not figure out what was happening to me. I began to have dizzy spells every 2 seconds, heart palpitations, insomnia, agitation, migrains. I searched on the internet for infomation and found that I am not the only one, and what I was experiencing was withdraw symptoms from the Effexor. I have twitches and ended up in the emergency room two days ago, my 8 year old son could not wake me from a nap. I entered the ER with blood pressure out of control in the 190's, and low respirations, they were unable to wake me or stimulate me with pain. It wasnt until they tried the nasal trumpet that I awoke ready to fend off any nurse that came near me with that darn tube!!! It took awhile to get my blood pressure under control, also I suffered a massive nosebleed which caused me to pass out 3 times.

At this point I have heard it will take 7-10 days to completely get through the withdraw symptoms. However what I have read from other people it could be longer. I want all of it to stop. You have a very hard time concentrating, for example I took off my wedding ring and i realized I didnt have it on, but I could not remember the last time I had it on or when I took it off. It took me two hours to find my ring. Anyways I know what you all are going though and hopefully it will all end soon for me!!!

Okay already!!! I am so SICK and tired of reading these posts and what that crappy drug is doing to us all, WHY CAN'T WE DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS TOGETHER? Is anyone out there a lawyer or in the media so we can SAY something about all this horrible stuff we went/are going through? A newspaper article, or a letter to the drug manufacturer, etc? I feel helpless reading what you are all going through and does anyone else feel that we should do 'something?' Thanks and all the best to you all. Cathrine

good afternoon to all.

i came back from my dr. appt; a follow-up with my radiology oncologist, & gained another pound! wonderful. she saw me 3 weeks ago during my last meltdown, & at the time suggested psychological counseling. she is not the one who prescribed me the effexor, but she does know my other oncological dr., the one who did, very well. when i saw her today, i told her all about what was really wrong with me, and the evils of effexor. she asked if i had told my other oncologist, & i told her i had an appt. with her on thurs. she told me that the other doctor prescribes it ALOT!! i told her that i plan to tell her everything on thurs, & recomend that she never ever prescribe it to anyone else & ruin a life again. i'm sure she has no idea, but i think she'll believe me; the dr. i saw today did, & was shocked. let's see what happens then.

elena, jami, & everyone else who has managed to quit effexor, but still suffers from occasional bouts of depression...
years ago when i was married to my first husband, he treated me like dirt, but was worse to me when i was pregnant, it seemed, as i guess i was the most "vulnerable" at this time. after the birth of my 2nd child, i suffered from post-partum depression, but i didn't want him to have any knowledge of it, because i was afraid he would use it against me somewhere down the line that i was "mentally ill", & try to take my children away or worse. so what was i to do to cure myself without him finding out? back then i was very heavy into homeopathy & holistic healing; i was a health nut, cooked averything from scratch; no sugars, no salt, no chemicals, etc. did all my shopping at a health food store. i picked up a copy of one of the free magazines on the way out that said "can depression make you sick?" i took it home & read the article & followed the vitamin supplements & additional suggestions to the letter. within a week i was feeling a little better; within 3 weeks i felt great, & got even better from there. i was so great that my husband's evil behavior didn't even phase me anymore. about a year & half later i met my current husband, dumped the other jerk, who incidentally, cried his eyes out ever me for a very long time. still could not have come close to all the tears i shed over him though... for the most part, i have been living happily ever after; i think i did eventually stop taking all the vitamin supplements after a year or so, but i stayed well. however, i have saved this magazine for over 13 years, just in case!! i guess sometimes your body gets depleted of certain nutrients; it was just a matter of replacing them until i was in balance again.
anyway, it reads like this:
"increase these supplements in your routine vitamin/mineral program:
1) vitamin C: increase by 4 to 6 grams daily.
2) evening primrose oil: increase to 6 to 8 capsules daily.
3) max EPA (fish oil): increase to 6 capsules daily.
4)b-6: 250mg with breakfast and lunch.
5) niacin: start at 25mg. increase to 50 to 100mg daily as skin flushing subsides."
additionally, it is also suggested to:
1)eliminate sugars & refined foods.
2)avoid chemical additives, preservatives, food coloring, & artificial flavorings.
3) avoid alcohol, caffeine & tobacco.
(a note on this one; i used to drink a bit before i started, but after following this regimen, i lost most of my desire to drink, especially to excess. i later read in a homeopathy journal, that a very similar program is recommended to help with alcoholism.)
and one more very important thing is recommended:
exercise!! the goal is at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise per day, 5 to 6 days a week.

i gotta run; please, i encourage anyone still suffering from depression, but afraid to go back on anti-d's, to try this "program". (it certainly can't hurt!) It worked for me 13 years ago; i've been great until now, with the effexor withdrawls, so guess what? i'm going back on the program too, in hopes to kick the depression before it starts in again, as i wean myself of the med.
i'll keep everyone posted as to my progress as i combine the 2.

oh and guess what else?! i did manage to stave off the urge to eat some beads earlier today, as i mentioned in my previous post. i'm proud of myself! i was a little emotional at the dr's office, though, as i told her my plight, but everything else is ok so far!

good luck to you all; if i help even one person today, then it's a good day! :-)

Ruthie

You are so right Jami, being depressed and having a relapse of anxiety - why I went on effexor to begin with- is no fun.I have been losing weight because of stress, and also I think because it is easier to lose it now. I know I will get through it, it is just going to take a little time. I just have to stop doubting every little thing in my life and trust myself.
Ruthie,sorry you had a rotten day. I know it will get better for ya and your boss is just having a hard time understanding whats up. He/she has not experienced what you have.Which sometimes leaves a person confused on how to react. And thank you so much for that vitamin potion! I just may try that. I hope it will help. Do you think it will help with Anxiety too?
Anyway, to all, have a great day and thank goodness we have found a place to help us through our troubled times!
Hugs and Prayers
Elena

You are so right Jami, being depressed and having a relapse of anxiety - why I went on effexor to begin with- is no fun.I have been losing weight because of stress, and also I think because it is easier to lose it now. I know I will get through it, it is just going to take a little time. I just have to stop doubting every little thing in my life and trust myself.
Ruthie,sorry you had a rotten day. I know it will get better for ya and your boss is just having a hard time understanding whats up. He/she has not experienced what you have.Which sometimes leaves a person confused on how to react. And thank you so much for that vitamin potion! I just may try that. I hope it will help. Do you think it will help with Anxiety too?
Anyway, to all, have a great day and thank goodness we have found a place to help us through our troubled times!
Hugs and Prayers
Elena

Hey good morning everyone. I am glad you got through another day from your detox and yes all doctors should know exactly how this drug might affect someone trying to get off it before they prescribe it to someone. I fear they have very little knowledge of exactly how horrible it is.

Catherine there is a petition that I signed online here is a link...youll have to cut and paste it http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?effexor&25... it is up to 10000 signatures yes thats right ten thousand and I think last June when I signed it was only at 5,000!

Ruthie I think I may try your reccomended homeopathic regimen...only thing there that scares me is the cutting out of refined sugars that thought alone depresses me HEHE LOL!!!

Ruthie I know that business has to go on but jeesh I sure hope your boss doesn't end up with cancer that alone is enough to put some people into a spiraling depression.

I went back to read some of my previous posts because it is all sort of fuzzy now but I think once I had my last dose of effexor ..that about 14 days later I was feeling MUCH better but I still had some issues and some days were worse then others. I think physically I felt better by then but thats when the psychological things seemed the worse ..the anger. I swear I thought my head was going to spin around and green stuff spew from my mouth at any moment then. Then I got really long winded...and well I don't think that has stopped LOL but you will find yourself giving very long explanations for very simple tasks...it is enevitable :) Then the sex drive returns and everyone is smiling :) :) :) !!!

Tammy welcome to the forum. We will be here if you have any questions or just wana yell about something. Your trip to the ER sounded pretty nuts though it is unfortunatly not the first time I have heard about people who are weaning to have to go to the ER. SAD SAD SAD. Hugs and Welcome!

Also I do know that some doctors prescribe a couple less intense anti D's to help buffer the withdraw. While I was certain I would rather have gouge out my own eyes at that point then to look at another depression med. It probably may be helpful and of course if you have been on any other anti d's you know that most of the others are easy to stop taking. SOOO just wanted to throw that out there though I hate even saying it aloud.

I gottta take my son to school then I wanted to say a couple other things so I shall return!

Jami

Jami,

Last summer when I noticed that Fruitbat had not posted in a while, I checked her email address in her profile. She had one, I emailed her and told her we all wanted to know when the baby arrived. She never responded. My email didn't come back so I guess she got it. Since that was in June, she may have changed her address by now. Her profile says her email address is sarafruitbat at msn dot com. Maybe you will have better luck. I hope everything was going well for her.

I'm glad that all of you who were weaning when I did have started to lose weight, I haven't dropped an ounce. And I am exercising and eating healthy. Oh, well, one day at a time.

And that is good advice to all of you going through the process now. ONE DAY AT A TIME!

Thank you for welcoming me! It is nice to find some people that know exactly what I am going through and that I am not crazy. I had a job interview today I hope I get it, I tried to sit as still as possible. Now my vision is a mess I wear contacts and am having to squint to read things, does this get better or return to normal. I am now on day 9 of withdraw!!!

Catgranny (Sheila) Good to hear from you again. I will give Fruitbat a holler! You havent had any luck loosing the weight huh? That stinks. If I remember correctly you were of a mature age correct? I know it is supposed to be harder the older you get to loose weight so maybe it is a metabolism thing. I know even at 29 it is not as easy as it was in my early 20's for sure!

I just started selling products from this great company and we released a weight loss line a year ago last April and so far close to 4,000 pounds have been lost just by employees alone. All products are herb and botanically based ...no caffeine in the weight loss stuff. We also have some great vitamins if anyone is interested. The skincare stuff is to die for...no nasty petroleum or mineral oils.....sorry I got side tracked I am so enjoying the products I am like a walking billboard lol.

Anyways I must run. Tammi good luck on the job interview and congrats on another day of withdraw!

Talk to you all later!

Jami

Day 4 of no E. The day started rough, lots of vision problems, and those darn dizzy spells. Driving is the toughest... just leaving a parking spot is dangerous for me... bumped two vehicles trying to back out, all ok, but thought I better get my butt home before I hurt anybody or some thing. Went to my Dr. who did cranial work and felt 80% better, specifically my vision problems. She told me about Sam-e and I did lots of research about it and it sounds like a miracle supplement. Will let you guys know how that works for me. Actually laughed today!!! hurray.... One more week and I meet up with my hubby... hopefully much better by then.
D

Hello everyone,

WoW...there is a stronage feeling of calm coming over me as i read through the many websites now regarding Effexor and the process of coming off of it.

I have been on it for 2+ years and have really felt 'called' by some inner voice to come off of it. That perhaps it has served its purpose...however now after reading I'm not sure it even works....

I suffer from debilitating migraines and have not worked properly for 2 years. My life has been missing. As I look back I realize now that I have still been depressed all this time and the headaches have actually gotten worsel.

I have all the strange symptoms (that are not so strange NOW after reading others) that include the jolts in my brain that scare the heck out me, the various experiences the brain seems to be having; a complete lack of energy, motivation or interest. I sleep alot and feel that I live a very isolated life. I am nervous to drive for some reason. One symptom I haven't heard many share (only a few) is waking up in the middle of the night (if I am lucky enough to sleep)....waking up choking and gasping for breath...this VERY SCAREY.

I think what I am feeling tonight (oh and that's another symptom - no feeling...just crying if I miss a pill or run out of my prescription before getting to town) but what I am feeling tonight is that all this time I have not TRUSTED my body REALLY...I mean I have been concerned and keep telling my partner...its the symptoms of these crazy migraines...they are wearing me out and I am just exhausted. I have NOT REALLY valued my inner messages....that something is not OKAY...it's like I have been willing to go on like this...some kind of imaginary reassurance that it will be okay and work itself out eventually. WHAT A REALIZATION?

I have continued to think...well, the depression is obviously worse than any of us thought and....not eating, not sleeping, not moving, not interested, not working, not keeping our life going etc. I have been trying to come to terms with..ie...SEVERE depression obviously.....and thinking well what's next? More drugs? more therapy? A miracle? Leave my relationship? thinking there must be an answer OUT THERE!!!

This is where I finally get it! the answer is INSIDE OF ME...and all these wierd things happening are NOT normal (just because everyone has TOLD ME THAT THEY ARE)....I have
never twitched in my life. I have always been famous in my family for being able to see down the highway reading road signs for miles....NOT ANYMORE...I have to wear glasses to read and road signs are history.

I can see how many of the symptoms can be misdiagnosed in my case. I am a 47 year old female and so EVERYONE IN THE WORLD IT SEEMS, puts many of these symptoms down to menopause and although I have saying, well...I don't think so....I have given my power away and let them LEAD me TO beleive THEM and not Me. Such incredible lessons are coming from this.....

And I am so grateful for whoever posted that very first post to this site!

As I mentioned I have been on 225mg
for 2 years. I felt inspired at the beginning of February to start to come off. I had heard horror stories of cold turkey with antidepressants and so I thought okay...I will just come down slowly....so Feb 1 I dropped my dosage from 225 to 150 mg. Needless to say all the reading I have done tonight explains the insanity of the month of Feb. I think it may have been too much of a drop. The migraines have been steady, the dizziness, loss of any OOMPH, needing to lay down alot, pretty much spent the whole month in bed with wierd limitations including nausea and feeling like heavy cement.

I actually ran out of my pills and my husband didn't get to town until today and so I have been without them for 2 days. I thought I would move now from 150 to 75 and take another step. By the time he had returned I was wasted. Could not stand or sit in a chair, had to lay down, the migraine cranked itself up, the bad taste in my mouth is becoming unbearable and a general feeling of 'somethings wrong' inside my body.....Instead of 75 I took 150....I just grabbed them thinking I need to take 150 because this is more like 3 days without....

Thank you so much for listening to my long story.....

From a homeopathic perspective (which interestingly enough) I have also been getting a little whisper to check out....in the examples I have read thus far...are people doing the remedies AND the effexor at the same time or is it AFTER the last effexor has been taken? Is there something I can do now?

You also mention to avoid dairy and yet for some strange reason (and I have not had cheese for years with the mgiraines) I am craving cheese and tea. I have always been a coffee drinker but for some reason the tea is comforting me.....

I am also experiencing heartburn which is completley new to me. Plus no sex drive, no housekeeping drive, no social drive, no gardening. I have developed a much more spiritual connection than ever before...that would be the ONLY thing I would be thankful for....

Besides finding this group.....
Thank you so very much.
If anyone has any input for me
I am very open and would love to
hear any suggestions.

with love,
Finallygetit!

Dear Finallygetit,
I don't have too much time to write but I just wanted to say that I am very sorry that you have gone through all that horrid stuff. I know how you feel experiencing relief after not knowing what the hell was up with your body. This is a very good step to take in your recovery/healing time, as we all have some remedies to share and we all lean on one another.
You are not alone!
Take care
Hugs and Prayers to all,
Elena

dear finallygetit.
Glad you found this forum, I know it helps me in so many ways.
Your story sounds so familiar. I had only been on effexor since this past November, went from 75mg to 150mg and only did the latter for one month. Tried the cold turkey thing that really scared me. I would not suggest that to anyone. My Dr prescribed a slow weaning, dropping from 150 to 75 to 37.5 in two week increments, then half of that every other day. That seemed to work for me. The last drop is just plain difficult and the longer you can half the dose the better it is. I found that it generally took 1 week before I noticed some side effects from dropping down half a dose, and after the second week it seemd to have stabalized. I am now on day 5 completely off E and I think I can deal with it ok, still aware that I have not complete vision back and that my judgement of space and time and reasoning is still somewhat impared and I feel very anxious at times, but getting slightly better ever day. My Dr. put me on SAM-E by Jarrow as of yesterday and I found right away that it somewhat calmed me. Have you talked with your Dr. about what you are doing? Mine was very supportive, she is a DO and has been treating me with cranial sacral work and accupuncture.
Hang in there, it will get better!
D

Hi all,
I am new to this forum but not unlike the rest of you have been searching for any and all info on getting off this miserable drug, effexor. I have spent days reading through the posts on this sight and have found it very helpful and comforting that there actually can be an end to this madness. I have been weening off the effexor, 37.5 mg a day, for the past week and have been down right scared to death. Yesterday I just started crying for no reason at all. I don't sleep very well, have a constant headache and nervous stomach. I was put on effexor for bad panic attacks almost 3 years ago, which I believe was the result of a very bad 2nd marriage, he thrived on mental torture, which by the grace of God and alot of help from my family I found the courage to end. I have 2 teenage boys whom I just adore and I have found the most wonderful man alive and I just want to be me again. I have gained 40 pounds in the last year, no sex drive, memory loss, etc.... Anyways, I am very thankful for this forum and somehow just knowing there are others out there that have made it through what I am just beginning is a great comfort. God Bless all of you!

Hi All,

I need some encouragement I am having a very bad day. I cant see worth a crap almost rear ended someone today. I feel like everyone is after me today for something. I am so forgetful, and some much for OCD now what was that. I cant even concentrae on one thing!!! I have some good news though my son is being honored here by MAST for his 911 call to help his mommy, he is 8 and was so calm and collective when he had to spring into action. If any of you are in Kansas City watch the news Monday night. Maybe also an idea if anyone else is in the area maybe we could start a little support group, meet for coffee of something and see the faces we have been hearing from.

Tammi

I have been off the E for about 2 weeks now. The brain spikes have now complelty stopped and I have my HR down to lower levels. I feel much better now but E had my body going crazy for a few months. So far so good..feel muuch better..

Welcome to all newbies entering the forum. You will find this place is really helpful and very reassuring when you are going through such trama. We are all here to share advice and express ourselves and rid ourselves of effexor.
To Trixie, i know that this is hard but you will get through this! Try to stay positive (as hard as that is sometimes)We are all here for ya and you are doing a great thing for yourself by getting off effexor.The days can be rough when you are detoxing but every day is a another day off of E. Be proud of yourself for what you are doing! And congrats for your son!! Good for him and bless his little heart.
Hugs
Elena

Hi its me again,
umm I was just wondering, how long do you think it really takes to be completely free of Effexor? I have been off of it about 6 months, but I feel like i am having the withdrawl symptoms again! Dizziness, nausea, headaches, funny feeling in my brain it seems like. Regent? How long did it take you to no longer feel the symptoms? I feel like i have totally had a relapse or something! Is this possible? I am feeling really scared right now. Jami? What do you think? Catgranny? Naria?
I would really appreciate some advice or if anyone knows about it!
Thank you,
Hugs and Prayers,
Elena

Elena I would guess it could be feasible that you still have occasional withdraw symptoms.

My NEW doctor explained how these meds work so bear with me a moment while I try to explain and maybe it may help or maybe not...he said that our brains have these neuro transmittors and often times when a person is depressed doctors think that some of the transmittors have sort of shrunk down and are not functioning optimumly and the meds help to stimulate them to sort of either open up and function or help the brain grow more and at the same time help it produce or transfer the happy chemicals our brain makes around to critical places. So it sort of is like a switch board and its firing off all different ways. So when we leave the meds sometimes it is adjusting how it gets these chemicals and messages around. He did warn me that people with a past history of depression can in affect be "cured" only to have the transmittors shrink back down and become faulty again. That is why you can actually be fine for awhile then have to have the meds again...I hope that makes sense. He of course was better at explaining it.

But to me your symptoms sound more like just some rocky withdraw and function adjustment then a relapse. Who knows how long it can take each of us to be fully recovered from using the meds I would guess it is individual to each of us but in my opinion not unlikely that it is still lingering side effects. How long were you on the meds and what dose? I was on 300mg for over 2 years and I still have some issues on occasion with vertigo and the lil shocks...it seems more noticeable if I am coming down with some ailment like the flu..not sure if there is any connection but that is my limited medical thoughts for ya and it was FREEEEE!! Weee hooo. ::see disclaimer on bottom of this page LOLOLOL:::

Jami

Thanks so much Jami,
I appreciate the info. I was on 75mg for 3 years. It may not sound like much but I am really sensitive to meds and such. I dont like to call myself weak, but I think I have a weak body.
I guess I should just hold out for a little while and see what happens. I don't want to go back on the meds, so I hope that I can just get through this with some yoga, and episom salt baths, and saunas combined with working out! I guess I am just a little tired of doubting myself and my sanity!! LOL
I guess since I was at such a low,and my body was feeling such fatigue, maybe I began to get a couple of the withdrawal symptoms back.... not sure.
I just have to be positive. I hope that some day I will be in the place of mind you are in! I am so happy for you! I am also so grateful for your advice, thank you for maintaining contact with the site, you are a cherished member of the E group! LOL
Hugs and Prayers
Elena

Hi there,
I have been doing alot of reading about natural products and I was wondering if anyone has heard of or tried inositol. It is a form of b vitamin that helps with the receptors in the brain. I guess they have had sucess in depression and panic attacks. I am comming off of effexor because I hate the side effects but was put on it for panic attacks and I am really scared of the withdrawl symptoms and the return of the panic attacks. Any input would be greatly appreciated.
God Bless,
Kmh522