Effexor 1st day, 1st tab, freak out effects???

Anybody know why I would have the worst reaction of all reactions after taken just 1 Effexor XL. It was the first day and all. Never on them before. Had to pop an Xanax a few hours later and when I did all hell broke loose inside my whole body. You name it and it seemed to have happened over a 24 hour period. I didn't know where I was. To make matters worse I had no choice but to skip the next 2 Xanax times ( I take 3 a day ) because I was sick as a pig. So I had the cold turkey effects of missing the xanax and whatever happened to me after taken that Effexor. If anybody has an answer or has had a similar experience I would be curious to read it. Thanks in advance.

[Jennifer375]

It does sound like the two medicines didnt combine well in your body MrGreen,,, but it 'could' possibly also just have been that you had a huge amount of adrenaline from worry about taking them, and this triggered the cascade of anxiety attack you then experinced.

Its hard to guess since it was a one time event, and I dont blame you in the least for not wanting to repeat it! But,,, it sounds like this is something you should discuss with your prescribing doctor. If you have any doubts about your doctors advice I would ask for a refferal to a pharmacudical psychologist though, who can guide you as to how to proceed though.

*Sincerest wishes that your path to wholeness becomes smoother*

[MrGreen]

Spoke to my Dr on the phone saturday as it was happening and he said ' sure it will pass in a week or so '. I remember thinking ' a week of this, you must be bloody joking me '. My main problem is the fear of throwing up. So shall we say this certainly didn't help the situation. Am eating today. But one nervous eater as it has been less than 24 hrs since things eased off. Doubt if I want to go near those tablets ever again.

[CaliBazzMan]

I started Effexor this weekend also and it was horrible, i am waiting as we speak to hear back from my Doctor as to what to do.  I am out of Xanax pills and I feel like poop!  I have some hydrocodone that i am taking for my back and I think that is easing my anxiety but once the Hydrocodone wears off, i'll be in trouble.  The first night of Effexor I had the shakes and couldn't stop sweating, i also couldn't believe that my doc told me that it would take 7 days to recover from it.  I haven't slept at all bu t i have a lopt of energy, it feels like if i'm in a state of daze.  i can't believe i was prescribed this Drug, it is Horrible!

[shelzmike]

Sounds like you are having the EXACT same experiences that I did when I was first diagnosed with acute GAD with panic attacks in 2001. Luckily my doctor did tell me that it would get worse before it got better. And did it ever. All in all, I say it was the worst 3 months of my life. I am not sure what made me have the reactions that I did. I went from being normal and taking no meds to having a horrible day long rush to the emergency room cuz I think I am having a heart attack panic attack! The doctor put me on Effexor XR, Adavan (3 a day), and tofranil (before bed).

Okay, so the first night i took only the adavan and thought this would help because it is what they gave me in the hospital and it worked REALLY well. However, when I took it at home, my experience was way different. I was hallucinating very severely all night long. It was not too horrible of an experience as they were not bad hallucinations and i had my best friend with me. However, it did not help me too much either. He switched me to Xanax and I was much better.

So I started taking the Effexor the next day and much to my dismay I was sick, restless, VERY anxious, extremely hot, sweaty, and really felt like I was going crazy.

To make a long story short, after a little while (probably a week or so, I started feeling more "normal", well not really normal, but at least not anxious or panicky. It gradually got better and better until I eventually forgot all about that initial bad experience. Your feelings are quite normal and are caused by the very thing that you are using the Effexor to get rid of - anxiety and adrenaline.

But, I must say, and please do not take this as a bad thing and get scared about anything, but I want to be honest with you as a former user of Effexor. I was on it for about 1 year and due to a combination of not having the money to afford it, my utter lack of any emotion or feeling, and my decision to force myself to deal with it without medicine I decided to stop taking it.

There were times when I would lapse two or three days because I did not have enough money to pay for it and I had the WORST withdrawal symptoms I have ever had as compared to anything I have ever done legal or otherwise... I was very dizzy and I would get these buzzing/electric feelings in my body that I could not really explain, but those who have experienced this know exactly what I am talking about. I found myself somewhat suicidal (which is NOT like me at all) and walking into CVS and begging for just one pill like a junkie (believe it or not I must have been so bad because this actually worked a couple of times.)

Now, do not get me wrong, when I was on it, it worked. I had no more anxiety or panic, BUT i had nothing really. I was not happy, I was not sad, I had no feeling or emotion at all, I was just, well...there. That is all.

The Tofranil made me lightheaded when I stood up and very sensitive to sunlight.

I had no complaints about the Xanax really except for the tiredness and the friends asking all the time if they could have some!

One day I decided that enough is enough. I added up all the pros and cons with and without the medicine and decided that no matter what, I was not going to be on medicine for the rest of my life. I would be a slave to it, like I was already. And the truth of the matter is that my doctor was honest with me in saying that it will probably never go away, I will always have it. Therefore, I can keep on the meds, spend a lot of money, have horrible side effects, and be a slave to medicine not really knowing how to deal with the problem myself. Or, i can go through the withdrawal symptoms one last time and work it out myself. There is nothing special about me - the thought of attacking this debilitating anxiety and panic was very scary and almost impossible seeming to me. However, I just did it I really had nothing to lose.

Today, 7 years later I am much better off then I was back then. While I am nowhere near as relaxed and "fine" as I was as a teenager and early 20-er, I am much more functional, awake, and alive than I was in 2001-2002. The only thing I have left medicine wise is .5 xanax, which I take only a half of only when I need it (like if I am driving to a new place, or have to give a speech, etc., or if my anxiety is simply inconventient to handle at the time). My last bottle of 20 lasted me 4 months. Sure I have anxiety plenty that I do not medicate. I use self-talk and simply realize that all it is is anxiety and I will be fine.

Now again, I realize that this may seem like an impossible task with the way you are feeling right now; however, as a Christian, I feel really compelled to send you my story along with advice on Effexor as I know that these types of things made me feel better when I first was diagnosed. Good luck in all that you do and I know that you can get over this, or at least deal with it because I am no more special than anyone else and I did it.

(Now my next big challenge is to stop smoking!)

[Summer123]

I asked my dr. about Effexor.  He said that Effexor is extremely hard getting on and off of it.

[MrGreen]

Thank you all so much for the replies. At least I know now what it was. And here's hoping I never have another day like it as long as I live.

[nana902]

I am weaning off of Effexor xr and can't wait to have it out of my system.  I am shaky everyday till I take a Paxil which is what I am switching to.  It just is a very slow process.  First went off to fast and got very sick...now we are going very slow.  My doctor also said that it seems that Effexor is the worst one to get off of.  It is for me...Nana