Effexor withdrawl and symptoms, please help _{Page 64 of 140}

Hi all,
Well today is day 8 with no effexor and I am doing better. Day 5 seemed to have been the worst. I still have the head spins a little but nothing like the first 5 days. The crying has also subsided a quite a bit. I still get the emotional welling up inside but not to the point of crying as easily. I saw my doctor yesterday (has been 1 month since last appt) and he was very pleased with my progress. I lost 3 pounds and my blood pressure has even come down. The only thing is he said to be careful of the St. Johns Wort because it acts like Zoloft and wonders if it can effect my need for weight loss. He says I need to loose 40 pounds. YIKES !! Thanks alot zoloft and effexor !!! Has anyone heard or experienced any weight issues with St. John's? Mabey I should just stop taking it, only been on it for a couple of weeks so not sure if it is helping or not. My libido though, thankfully, seems to be returning and that is wonderful. My fiance is very happy with that result as well, lol... I am really worried about getting this weight off before my wedding and now he has worried me about the SJW, another thing to obsess about.... Anyhow, glad to hear everyone is doing so well!! Oh one more thing, The last thing my doctor said to me was congratulation and keep going to get this poison out of your system and I thought to myself "Hello !!! You are the one that put me on it!!!"
Kim

i hope everyone is having a good afternoon; I'M NOT!!!

today is the first day of week #5 on "med intake modification". as i stated in yesterday's post, today is my day to take 18.75mg after 4 days off. i also mentioned that the anger management issue was starting to taper off a little over the course of this past week. i think i might just be ready to stop taking this crap for good, because, you know what??!! today i am ready to rip off some heads, stuff 'em down throats, & ask questions later!! i am ready to just lose it right now over about 100 different things & the people connected to the situations!

obviously, between the anger & the "intermittent memory operation", it seems i do worse when i take my weaned-down dose. yesterday (4th day of skipping), i actually started noticing what a filthy pig-sty i've been living in, & decided to do something about it, like get a little more organized. i also started thinking about all the projects around the house i've been wanting to start working on again. i guess these are all good signs, right? then today after taking med, i'm about to go postal.

does anyone think this is a sign it's time to throw away my meds for good? or is it too soon...? i don't want to have another meltdown, but i've been doing ok during the 4 days off. maybe i'll try 5 off this time & see what happens...?

right now i think i need to get seriously intoxicated before i hurt someone!! (but i gotta work!)

later,
Ruthie

Hi everyone, I'm glad to see lots of postive posts. Ruthie, Ruthie, Ruthie . . . my opinion, unprofessional as it is, that after four days off, you're pretty detoxed. Why add something to your system when it's pretty much out of your system by day 5? If I were you, I would just stop this time, prepare yourself for a few sick days since you took another dose. My doctor said it usually takes about 4-5 days to leave your system. If you're getting that far with good results, why keep reintroducing it?

Kim, 40 pounds is a lot of weight to obsess about and you won't lose it in one fell swoop. I also have to lose about 20 pounds or more. Since your libedo is returning . . . I think you can connect the dots. The weight will come off if it's supposed to. Just eat less and move more. Really. It's that simple unless you have an eating disorder. The weather is getting nicer so try and motivate to walk or ride a bike. I also heard that St. Johns Wort doesn't work.

Catch 'all later. Hubbie just called and wants to meet for coffee. . . .

Sending cyber-cheer to all of you. Good times are coming. Think positive thoughts and try to keep yourself away from any triggers. Breathe. Be gentle to yourself.

Ruthie, I totally agree with Sunnyseas, I am now on day 8 and the first 5 days were really cruddy for me but after that things have been looking up greatly. I absoulutely would not even consider taking another one. I too truly believe you should stop now!!!
Sunnyseas, Thanks for the encouragment!! I think I have been taking the SJW believing it was almost I guess replacing the Effexor and helping in some way but I think I am just gonna stick with my B complex and Multi. I have been meaning to get some Omega 3 but haven't as of yet but hear it is supposed to be really good for you and since I NEVER eat fish, YUK, I probrably need it anyhow. I will just really be glad when I am back down to my pre effexor weight and no panic attacks.
Have a Wonderful Weekend !!!
Kim

yeah, maybe you guys are right; i think i did a good job at weaning slowly & doing things to aleviate any negative symptoms. but today i am a miserable bitch.

thank god my work day is over; i'm going to go alleviate some stress.

Ruthie

Hi Ladies, the weekend is finally here. Thank GOD!
Ruthie, I know exactly what you mean about being miserable. Because I had days when I was seriously concidering locking myself up so I wouldnt hurt someone! LOL Driving was the worst too, I would get SO angry.I am totally with Sunnyseas and Kim. You have been doing really really well, so just stop with the meds, and try for another little bit without them. If you can do 4 days, you are doing great! When I wiened off, I did the lowering of the dose until I was at around 3 beads. Then I stopped all together. It was easier on my body, but it took a hell of a long time! I know you can do this, just put away the E and keep going with out it! Have you tried doing saunas and episom salt baths to detox as well? I love doing that. It is so great for your body. It helped when I was off the E completely. I found it took more of the poison out of me. Kim I am so glad to hear that you are doing better. You are going to be just fine! And the wedding will be beautiful. You have been very strong. I hope that you are proud of yourself! You definatly should be! Now as for the weight loss, dont put too much stress on yourself to lose weight, just keep eating healthy, look at your portion control and exercising when you can. I also heard that St. Johns wort doesnt work! I guess to each their own. You will look beautiful on your wedding day regardless of what you weigh kim! You are finally off this poison that bloats the body! The weight will come off, but it will come off slowly. It has for me! I still need to lose another 15 to 20 pounds. So I am with you! I too have been taking vitamin c and B complex and OFA. I really do believe it has been helping me with my anxiety!
Sunnyseas, I hope you have a lovely coffee date with your hubby, I love your words of calm and serenity. Breath and be gental to yourself. What wonderful words. And the vision of you planting flowers in the garden, what a beautiful idea!! I bet that was very theraputic!
I hope you all have a great day, and I too am sending out positivity and good energy to you all. Thank you guys for being such a haven to come to. It has really helped me to talk to you all.Every day, in every way, we are getting better and better and better! That's a phrase used in the anxiety course I am taking.I love it!
Take care all!
Elena

Just checking in ... still doing really well. My biggest obstacle is going to be the fear of being happy. It's very foreign to me and I get so afraid when I'm happy because, I guess, the fear is that it will be taken away from me. And that causes me deep pain. I'm working with a very good therapist on this and he is very supportive. Next week I have a special session to "talk" to the fear. It's a longer session with no time limit. Hope I meet the monster that is paralyzing me whenever I feel good. My detox symptoms are still non-descript. I feel good emotionally and physically. My husband and I leave for San Francisco tonight and will be back later in the week. He's on business and I'm tagging along to visit with friends. I'll check in with everyone when I return. Please be well and keep the light burning... SunnySeas

Hi guys
Having a little bit of a down day today, but that's okay. Everyone has those kinda days dont they! I'm going to go for a swim and do some laps so I think that will help. How is everyone doing? I hope all is well. Ruthie, i have been taking vitamins on my own, but I was really looking into taking your remedy, the only thing is, I dont know how to measure everything...I am taking vitamin c, vitamin b complex and Omega Fatty Acids, I also take a multi. Would I have to stop taking these things if I was to do your remedy? Just curious, because these vitamins I have been taking have been doing well, but I would love to see if your remedy helps for me too!
Thanks for your time
Elena
P.s Sunnyseas I hope your trip is wonderful!

hi everyone; i am doing much better; i think i am truly done with effexor. i finally feel much better when i have my days off then when i take it.

elena, everything you are taking is almost exactly the same things i listed on my remedy. take your multi, then what the remedy recommends is some additional "megadoses" of certain things. so no, you won't stop what you're already taking; just adjust the doseages; i did list how much extra of each item you should take every day. look it over, & if you still have questions i'll try to help; it does sound like you are doing well; you're on the right track.

i gotta go; work & family issues... more about that later.

Ruthie

Hi I am new to this site and cannot say enough how helpful this is. ... I can hardly put my thoughts into words. I read in the early pages of this post that there are some people who take both wellbutrin and effexor. I would like not to take anything, but I know my priority is to wean off the effexor first. Any replies would be appreciated. So far, I have learned about camimila and also the cleansing product at GNC. Will it really take 3 months to get off this pill?

Hello and welcome Emily,
yes unfortunatly it is a long process to get off Effexor. Going off of it too soon will make you very sick. And you dont want that! Read through the forum if you get the chance and take down some of the remedies we have tried that look good to you. What are you currently taking? Is it a large dose? What were you on those meds for in the first place?
Hope all is well with everyone.
Hugs and Prayers
Elenaxo

Hi everone. Welcome Emily. I'm back from my trip. Still, my mood is good and no aftershocks of my detox. I'm starting to exercise again and that's really making a difference too. Thanks for your support. Take it slow and keep your spirit in control.

Elena,

I so enjoy all the good advice you are giving all the newbies on this site. You and I weaned off around the same time and you are still dedicated to helping people. Keep up the good work!

I just want to tell all of you new folks again to take one day at a time. I am now 8 months out and I feel terrific. I haven't lost the weight I gained (but I only gained 15) and I occasionally have some brain zaps but they seem to occur only when I get up in the morning. But the good health habits I acquired while weaning from the E are what I think is why I feel so good.

I have had very few episodes of anxiety since getting off and even my usual winter SAD was not so bad. I have been able to handle them all. So if I can do it, YOU CAN TOO!

Good luck to all of you and make sure you chew your doctors out about this medication. They need to hear from all of you. Try to keep them from prescribing this so often to people.

That's all I have to say.
Love, Sheila

well, since no one ever replied to my posts, or gave me any advice to hellp me off the E, i had do do it all myself, i must say i dont know what the deal with that was, it seems like every new poster ive seen since ive been checking here has gotten a welcome at the very least. either way, im pretty much at the end of my E experience, ive been off for abour 2 months now, withdrawl symptoms are pretty much completely gone, and im still feeling better as a whole than i have in years. so since no one gave ME any advice or encouragement, the least i can do is say this, for those of you that are feeling terrible, and having difficulty with all the things this drug does to you, especially when your trying to stop taking it, things to get better, and faster than you may think. there were numerous times that i almost caved in and gave up on getting off this medication, but all i can say is that for me, and for alot of the other people ive seen posting its definately worth the struggle, and the discomfort. i never manage to do anything right, or finish most things i start, and if i can do it, theres a damn good chance you can too. best of luck

Hi Vixious, my apologies for my bad manners for not responding or welcoming you. You are as important as anyone else here on this post and hope you accept my apology. Sometimes I focus more on my own personal journey and pain/suffering that I am not always quick to reach out to others i need. We are all working on ourselves and I'm sure no one else was avoiding you but rather searching to heal themselves during a difficult time. I'm glad you are experiencing progress and I hope you continue to do so. Stay positive and be proud of yourself for getting to the beginning of a life without meds. If you experience negativity and/or anger, don't be afraid to admit you might need to return to medication until you do your therapy stuff. Effexor isn't a cure, it's just a "pause" that allows you to work through the stuff that triggers depression. You won't be better until that part is done with hard work on your part. So, with that, good luck and best wishes on beginning your new life using the tools you've learned in therapy while on Effexor. Now your real work begins and you'll need all the courage you can gather.

"Nothing is worth more than this day."

Vixious,
I am so sorry that I didnt see your posts. I honestly must have missed them because i didnt check every day. I was probably preoccupied with my own issues as well. So sorry about that. Cudos to you for doing it on your own. Really. That is incredible. Keep checking in here, and letting us know how you are doing.
I gotta run everyone, but stay positive, even when it seems really hard. Stay positive.
Hugs and Prayers
Elenaxo

Hello all...Well I just joined this forum, I have been looking everywhere for one that looked helpful and was current. So I found you all.
I went on Paxil about 4 years ago...my symptoms were just that I had a 3yr old and a 1yr old and was watching my sisters kids alot and was just feeling so easily aggravated and like I wanted to explode! I was looking into that new(at the time) drug for PMS that they called "prozac in a pretty package". I can't remember now what it was. Anyway, I talked to my doctor about it and she gave me paxil. I should add that I was never depressed, not even a little, so was Paxil a good idea for how I was feeling??? Well, I honestly don't remember if I suddenly felt that much better but I did lose my appetite and dropped a bunch of weight so that made me ECSTATIC so I probably thought it was working. lol My doctor said after my kids were a little older and weren't driving me crazy, I could get off it.
About a year or so ago, I mentioned to her that my libido sucked and that even though I had great sex and orgasms once I was into it, I was NEVER in the mood. My poor hubby had to really coax me. Anyway, she took me off Paxil and put me on EFFEXOR CR. I wish she had mentioned, "Oh, by the way, if you ever want to stop taking this you're going to feel like hell for a really long time...maybe forever". I think I would've reconsidered! Well, all I noticed with the EFFEXOR was that I was a little easier to convince to have sex, and when I did, let's just say, I had NO problems, it was great!! One day though, I started thinking, I feel like I have PMS for about 2 weeks, my kids (now 5 & 7) drive me more insane than ever, I have no patience, little tolerance, am easily irritated, and Why the heck am I taking this stupid drug?? It's expensive as hell and is it really doing anything for me????
I have to add a side-note here...My more acute awareness of this and what I was putting into my body is because I have what I feel is a bad case of RESTLESS LEG SYNDROME (RLS) which has become increasingly worse recently (Maybe in the last year). I am trying to figure out what could possibly making it worse and when I research Effexor I find that it can cause leg twitching, muscle spasms! BINGO, (maybe). I also recently started taking REQUIP for the RLS which, while helping considerably, comes with its own bundle of side effects including one called augmentation which is causing my RLS to become a 24/7 problem when before it was not so unbearable as annoying. I want off the REQUIP too, which is going to be tough but my plan is to go off the EFFEXOR and see if it possibly helps with the RLS and then maybe I can get off the RLS. I tried not taking the REQUIP the other night and I was up 'til 4am and finally had to give in.

So, today is my third day weaning myself off Effexor. I am on 75mg. and took out about half the beads and planned on doing that for about a week or two. Tonight was the first time I noticed anything. I started getting the worst headache ever, severe sinus pressure, and the inside of my ears hurt. I feel like I just want to put my head in a vice and squeeze it. In fact, when I wasn't typing that's all I was doing was putting pressure on certain points and sqeezing my neck at the spinal cord. I know it's from the Effexor 'cause I took Aleve and that has never not helped and it didn't help at all. So, those are my only symptoms thus far. Can't wait to see what else is in store for me. I can't imagine trying to function in my life while feeling like this but I have to. My husband is being very understanding but it's not like he can take over for me. No one knows I take this so I can't really turn to anyone for help. I'm kind of a big baby when I don't feel good also, I don't just "buck up" very well. I guess I will find out what I'm really made of.
Well, I know this was a very long post and if anyone is still reading at this point, thanks for listening!

Hi Yorkin, I wish you luck on your detox. I think you're weaning too fast and might be heading for trouble although some people can and have made it. Can you see your doctor and get an Effexor weaning kit? It will slowly get to 37.5mg every other day and then, you stop. You will still feel sick for about two weeks, but you might be able to grit your teeth and prepare yourself, you hubby, and your kids that you're going to be sick for two weeks. You'll need their emotional support because you'll be taxed out just trying to hold it together. You'll need to pamper yourself just like you would if you were with a serious flu. You should also be communicating with a doctor during this transition so he/she can monitor your progress.

I was on 300mg for 5 years. In January, I weaned from 300mg to 150mg. Then 150mg to 75mg. Then 37.5mg. I was ready to wean just a few weeks ago. I didn't count beads or any of that. I followed my doctor's advice and, I felt sick as hell, but two weeks later I was back to myself again.

Good luck, and keep posting.

Good luck with your detox Yorkin, it is a long and difficult process, but very worth it.
Take your time, and as Sunnyseas has said, be kind and gentle to yourself. Everything will be okay.
Sheila, so glad to hear you are doing well. I am very happy for you. Please pop in ever once and a while to give some updates! I miss all of the forum originators! LOL
I just was looking up some remedies on Seritonin boosters and I came across this 5-HTP, does anyone know anything about it? Has anyone tried it? It of course sounds too good to be true. And I may have seen someone on this forum discussing it, I just can't rememeber for goodness sake!
Anyway, all of you have a great day! TGIF everyone!!!
Hugs
Elena

Hi all,
Elena, my sister has been taking 5-HTP for about a week now and seems to be doing well. I took it for a day (2 doses) and had a really bad reaction to it. My face felt like I had the worst sunburn ever and it made me feel almost like day 2 or 3 off the effexor, needless to day I didn't take it again. Well today is my 2 week mark off the effexor and I think I am doing ok. Still get a little dizzy and weepy but for the most part I am doing well. Hi Yorkin, When I weaned off the effexor I went from 150 mg to 75mg for a few months then to 37.5mg for 2 weeks, then 18.75mg for another week then stopped. It has been rough 5 weeks but somehow I have made it, but really felt awful the whole time. I still seem to have a few rough days but then again I am only 2 weeks off and I have a ways to go before this is over. The good news it that I have managed to loose 6 of the 40 pounds I put on being on this garbage. Yeah!!! Vixious, I have only been on here for about a month and sincerley appologize if I missed your posts, I know joining this forum and talking with everyone has made my journey alot more bearable. Again I appologize!! Hi sunnyseas, that is great that you are beginning to exersize again, I have been wanting to start as well but as of yet haven't. My energy seems to be starting to come back and the weather is finnally warming up so I am hoping to, at the least, start walking the dog again. I know she would enjoy it as much as I. I always loved walking but with the cold winter months and the lack of wanting to to anything over the last year, I guess I just slowly stopped, probrably aided in the 40 lb weight gain, lol... Emily, welcome. Yes, it does take time but do it at your own pace, just don't try to rush it. I'm glad to hear everyone is doing well!!
God Bless all of you!!
Kim

hi everyone,

welcome to newcomers yorkin & emilyj.

and a special apology to vixious; i'm sure i am on the same page with elena & sunnyseas when i tell you that sometimes we get wrapped up in our own drama; sometimes the forum really is a place to just vent, and at least you know you'll be understood. i think that if you had some very serious problem or question that someone else felt they could truly help with, it would've happened. i learned alot myself just from reading other people's posts, & taking advice i felt might work for me. i also offered general advice (to be taken by anyone just reading along) that might help or be inspirational. i think that's probably what we all do, to some degree. i think you must have done the same; in that you read others' posts, & took a little piece here & there that eventually helped you overcome your effexor addiction. i'm happy that you're doing well now, but i feel unhappy that you feel that we, on the forum, have failed you on a personal level. (maybe your name scared us! hee hee, just kidding!)

elena, i thought i read about 5-htp somewhere in the archives of this forum (or maybe it was another effexor-related site?) when i first started with my modification plan. later, i was telling a friend at work about my anticipated withdrawl, & to not take it personally if i get too cranky. well damn, if she didn't jump in her car, drive to the health food store, came back, ran up to me & handed me a brand new bottle of 5-htp, & told me it would help. i smiled & told her i read somewhere that it might; she smiled back & told me that we must be psychic!

it is described as a psychoactive; a precursor to the neurotransmitter serotonin, causing increased serotonin production & release. it is homeopathically recommended to help with depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, & obesity, to name a few. it also contains magnesium, which is also recommended to help with the crap we are all going through. it does sound like a bit of a "wonder remedy", i guess; i've been taking it every night since i started my my "med intake modification program". i'm sorry if i withheld that piece of information from you all, but the 5-htp was a trial for me at that time, too. today is the first day of week 6, and my eighth day of being totally effexor-free, i might add!! i took everyone's advice, & stopped taking it altogether after having a really bad day the last time i took my weaned-down dose. as some of you know by reading my (mostly) positive posts, i have been doing pretty well with my gradual withdrawl. maybe the 5-htp has been instrumental, but there have been other factors involved, too.

(NOTE TO NEWCOMERS; i did say GRADUAL withdrawl!! yorkin, i'm with sunnyseas; you might be going too fast. emilyj, you didn't mention what dosage you were on, but i've noticed that everyone on the higher dosages suffered alot more, & had a much longer detox period. i also combined my slow, weaned-down withdrawl with exercise & a natural vitamin remedy to treat/alleviate depression. i was afraid of having an adverse reaction as a result of too sudden of a withdrawl, because i did in the past. this time i took extra precautions & did things alot more slowly!)

i'd probably be doing great, but i've been having some very real family-related problems that have been troubling me this week. i've been trying to remain strong & not have a meltdown due to the inner turmoil i've been dealing with. it has not been an easy week.

my story goes like this: on monday afternoon, my ex-husband kicked my 16 1/2 year old son out of his house, called me & told me he was dropping him off at my house. he's been getting straight D's & F's in school, drinking, smoking, getting arrested, & i guess the final straw came when he trashed my ex's house when they got into an argument. we decided it might be possible for him to do better in a new environment; different home, different (better) neighborhood, different parenting style, different (better) school in attendence with his sister (who lives with me & my present husband). now let me say, my ex has never done this before; it took us all by surprise & put us on the spot. so i told my (present) husband that he had turned my life & my daughter's life around, & had been a good parent to her, especially when i was very ill. i told him i felt he could turn my son's life around, too. he was skeptical to say the least; we stayed up all night discussing (mostly me pleading) with him regarding accepting the challenge, & "stepping up to the plate" & doing the right thing. (we made no progress.) still, the next morning, i was prepared to get my son enrolled in school here, when my ex called & renegged; he spoke to my son & convinced him to go back to his "former" (unsuccessful) life. this new morning drama was unbeknownst to my current husband; he woke up in a rage & started screaming that he said "NO!!", he doesn't want that kid living here, & if i let him move in, he's leaving me. i told him to lower his voice; because he'd already gotten his way anyhow, but to pack his stuff & don't let the door hit him.... i brought my son back to his old school, his old life, etc., & cried all the way home. one, because i feel i failed my son when i had a chance to do something, and two, because i saw my current husband's true colors; he would bail on us before he'd help me try to turn my son's life around. after i didn't come home much for the next few days, he changed his story, & said next time we'll do things under the right circumstances, & plan & discuss things properly. we are still not really talking or anything else, & i am still in alot of pain over this.

my boss has also been very un-understanding, & told me i have too many personal problems to have a job! he reminded me again of how he has put up with my crap for the past year & a half, & he's sick of my sh*t. in a very quiet voice, i asked him how many people he knows that fought cancer for a year & a half, and lived...! he was silent for a moment, & then barked "well, that's the only reason you still even have a job here!" DUH....! i guess if i had died, i WOULD have probably lost my job (ya think??); it doesn't seem financially feasable to keep the deceased on the payroll! i hate this job so much; between that & my family issues, i am quite surprised i'm still functioning at this point, but i'm also not feeling quite right either.

take care everyone.

Ruthie

Ruthie,
I am so sorry you are going through such a bad time and the timming couldn't be worse for you as you are going through detox. First of all your boss is an IDOIT!! How people can be so incredibly unfeeling is beyond me. Boy I think I would have had a hard time not telling him to cram it where the sun don't shine!! As for your husband, maybe he just over reacted at first and just needed time to think about the situation. From what you have said he sounds like a wonderful man and he probably really feels awful now. Then there are the dreaded X-husbands, I have one as well and he is a jerk as well. He doesn't have a whole lot to do with my kids, maybe once a month for a day or two but boy does he have an opinion about how I am raising them. I have a 16 year old as well who has gotten into trouble a few times lately as well, cut school, stole another students IPod (he didn't like me to much when I marched him up to the principals office and made him turn it in, lol..)and have caught him smoking (once that I know of). I think it must be the male race, they just can't seem to get it together, lol.... Are you and your son close? Just keep talking to him. When I took my son up to the principals office he had a wonderful talk with him and surprisingly enough my son actually seemed to be listening. Talked about the juvenile system and what can happen to you life if you end up in it and that you only have one childhood, Make it a good one. Parenting is definatley a challenge sometimes and having x's that don't support you makes it even worse. I really hope all works out for your son and he changes the path he is on. Hang in there, You are doing Awsome and if you can beat all you have beaten in the last year then hopefully this is just a minor stepping stone and things will look up before you know it.
God Bless
Kim

Hello everyone. I hope you are all doing well.
Ruthie, I am dreadfully sorry to hear of the hard time you are having. You know sometimes things happen in life that are just really hard to understand. Like to me I can't believe such a wonderful person could have had such hardships. But you are so strong, and I sense that about you. I know that it may not seem that way right now, but it's true. Your husband could of just blown up out of frustration and over reacted. He must feel awful- I agree with Kim. You sound as though you are fabulous as communicating with people so wait it out and see what happens. Dont give up hope. As for your boss, well he is an unrealistic and insensitive prick. If he expects you to be perfect and all smiles all the time then he should hier some robots to work for him! You hang in there, and hopefully he will get that stick out of his arse eventually. You deserve better than to be treated like that from your pig headed boss. Grrr that makes me so angry!! Whew, sorry. But it does.
Please vent whenever you need to. That's what we are all here for.
Kim and Ruthie thank you very much for your responses to my question. Im not quite sure whether I should try it or not.....
By the way Kim and Ruthie you both sound like amazing mothers, and your children are very lucky to have you, just as much as you are them. Ruthie do not feel you have failed your son. You have not. You are a good Mother and this will all be sorted out soon.

So on that note,
take care all and have a wonderful weekend.
Hugs and Prayers
Elenaxo

I'm new here, I started on effexor xr 9 months ago. previously I'd been on zoloft, and had been increasing dosage 50 mg for 2 years as needed, till I was just about at the max dosage. My dr perscribed me effexor, and as always, I'd researched it. I saw the horrible withdrawl symptoms before I'd even taken a pill, but I figured I needed it, and I would just have to deal with it when the time came...

well the time has come. I forgot to take my pills for a couple days, and I started not feeling well, today is day 4 and it took me until now to realize it's the effexor. I'm not weaning becuase my moods are more stable than they have ever been on a pill, and I don't want to ruin that to lessen my physical symptoms. I decided after a withdrawl like this I needed to quit. I'd started drinking jb scotch again, which I hadn't in 3 years since before i had my daughter. I'd also started smoking again to help deal with the anxiety. the funny thing is now that it's been a few days of not on the effexor, i don't want either of them. At first I thought I just drank too much scotch and I was having stomach problems again. Then I thought maybe I was preg. It felt like an ulcer, or the starting of one. Everything or the thought of everything would just turn my stomach more. laying down quiet would settle it, or having bland things like potatoes, or what have you. Then i realized today how long I've been off the effexor, and I started getting the shakes. So I went online again, to refresh my research. right now I'm having the shakes so bad I can barely type. My fiance and I are laughing about it tho. I remind myself of dave chapelle's crack addict character skits. I've been suffering night sweats so bad I wake up with my sheets soaked and I'm covered in sweat, but because I'm so wet, I'm freezing. It was worse last night. Today I had to put shorts on inside the house. now to know me, and the word shorts, this is an oddity. I live in mi, and I will only wear shorts if it's 80 out. otherwise I'm always freezing. My stomach doesn't feel so acidy today, but I still feel so nausious. I've been craving fresh veggies. Not canned or frozen. Fresh veggies are the only thing that sounds good to my tummy. I also noticed drinking water is helping in that area. I took a magnesium suppliment this evening called natural calm. it's a powder you mix into hot water, and it fizzes. I had it before but never took it, and decided that would be a good detoxer. I've also started with the brain zaps today. sleep doesn't sound as good as it did when I was on the effexor. I hated that it made me want to sleep 14 hours a day. I also notice a hot shower, as hot as I can stand at the moment helps reduce symptoms for a bit. but only for a bit. I had a shower about an hour ago and here I am with the shakes again. I was on 400 mg of effexor xr. and in all honesty, it was ok for the first few months, and then my moods went down hill. Today for the first time in a long time, I went to the park with my daughter, and I smiled, and laughed, and wasn't short and frusterated with her. which I was even tho I was on my ad. I feel today, better than I ever did on zoloft or effexor. I honestly honestly want to know how this drug got approved by the FDA. I would like an FDA rep. knowledgeble of all the side effects, and withdrawl symptoms to answer me this, and look me in the eye. This drug should never have been approved. It is a dangerous drug.

well that's about all for today, I'll most likely be back on tomorrow.

Hi everyone...Thanks for all your words of encouragement. Well, it is now Sunday night and well, I guess this is my 6th day of my weaning off process. The first time I wrote it was the third day and I had the most splitting headache I had ever had. That was Thursday night. Well, I got up Friday and felt absolutely fine. I had a ton to do, it was my son's birthday party at school and I had to shop, put goody bags together, etc...Well, I accomplished everything and felt great! In fact, I have been really busy all weekend, I have company coming on Monday and my house is getting appraised on Tuesday so I'm trying to get the place spotless. I stayed up 'til 5am cleaning on Friday night, caught up on my sleep on Saturday and then went out to dinner with friends on Saturday night. I still felt great with no withdrawal symptoms. I also drank when I was out and didn't feel any different than usual with that either. I got home so late Sat. nite I didn't even take my reduced dose of Effexor and I'm not going to tonight either. So I guess it's been 48 hours completely off of it. I guess anything could still happen but so far so good. I didn't think this was possible to get through this so easy and i feel so fortunate. Also interesting is that I don't feel any different emotionally than I did when I was taking it. To be honest, I don't think I ever needed to be on it in the first place. I'll bet everything I was feeling was probably hormonal. I had two little ones and had just finished breastfeeding and wasn't used to being home instead of working. Who knows. Well, I hope it continues to go well. Does anyone know if I could still have delayed effects that just haven't hit me yet??

Well, I'll keep you posted on my progress. Good Luck to you all and thanks for your support!

Hi there everyone!
Lilbearsmomma, welcome to the forum, your comment about Dave chapelle's crack addict character skits just killed me! That is so true! That is how I felt too! LOL Good for you for having a sense of humour about all this. Life does need humour. It can’t all be serious right? Good for you for continuing on this detox even though the physical symptoms are uncomfortable. You are doing the right thing for your body! I can recommend a hot bath with Episom salts was so amazing for me, and it may just be for you too! The shakes were a bit of a problem for me, but I took non drowsy gravol which is basically ginger tablets and that helped me immensely! Just try to stay positive and keep your humour about this! Everything will be alright! And feel free to vent and post whatever is on your mind!
Hi Yorkin!
I am really happy for you too for doing so well! You may just be one of the lucky ones that doesnt have too many w/d symptoms! Plus maybe the fact that you have been in such positive spirits has helped you too! I dont know whether you will get delayed side effects but you know that after 7 months of being off of Effexor I had a couple of them return. But nothing that can do me serious harm. Dont fret about that. Just take one day at a time. And be proud of yourself for doing as well as you have.
Vixious, how has it been lately for you? You have been clean of Effexor for a good while now. Do you find you still have the side effects of it? I am guessing not since it has been around 2 months for you. But I found I had side effects for a little while after. Hope you are still doing well.
I have been feeling alot more positive lately. And I am finding it easier to be positive naturally. And not force myself. The vitamins are great and my sleep patterns have gotten back to there normal state. I still have my rough days, but they are getting lesser. I am really pleased. I have my worries, but I don't want to let them control me. Plus I don't want to get back on Effexor even if my doctor insists it will be better for me.
I was told it would take a little over a year for my brain to produce seritonin on its own properly. And for my moods to settle down. So it has been 8 1/2 months since I have been clean of it. Wow. I havent been relying on Effexor for that long. I guess that is pretty good! I want to be able to control my anxiety and worries on my own, and without the aid of medication. I want to at least give a hell of a good go at doing it on my own. I dont disagree with all medication, I just disagree that doctors are so quick to perscribe it. When I first went on the Medication no one recommended that I take any classes or gave me any methods to try and relieve it aside from my family. But I thought that the doctor knew best. And it did help me for a bit. But I realize now that I can't smooth over my problems with medication. I have to try to help myself too, even if it is a hard task.
Anyway, enough of my ranting.
I hope you all have a great day, and I send out greetings and well wishes to all the newbies and oldies of this forum!
Bonnie and Lori and Jami and Shelia! I miss you guys! : )
Hope all is well with you!!
Cheers!
Elenaxo