Aa
getting of Effexor
If anti-depressents are not additing.....why can't we get off of this stuff easily? Nana
Everyone has had some great points here, and I have a few to add myself. 1st, physical and mental addiction, in my opinion, should not be separated other than by how to actually remove yourself from it. Addiction is addiction no matter what...
However, when it comes to SSRI's, I beleive the addiction is more of a mental one. Sure there are huge "withdrawal" effects from coming off these medicines, but it is not so much an adverse withdrawal but rather your body getting used to absorbing more (the normal levels your body produces) seratonin and norepinepherine.
When I got off of Effexor, I was so done with it and cringed at the thought of tapering...so I did not; however, this was way back when it first came out and the ill effects when stopping were not as well "advertised". I did have many of the symptoms like Goldmoon said they had and they were severe; however, I am glad I didn;t taper. The reason is because when you taper, you still have these effects, and they are less severe, but usually last a lot longer. So tapering = less severe effects, but for an extended amount of time; not tapering = pretty strong effects, but the first three days are the worse, and then it is usually gone by about a week and a half to two weeks. This did cause my panix/anxiety to go up, but I used my xanax to combat that, which worked well.
While I think a person should chose their path according to their comfortability, I think that if I had to do it again, I would do it the same way - akin to just ripping a bandaid off - although I realize that many people couldn't handle this too well and would not advise it.
You will get through it and there are plenty of people here to give support. Good luck!
Mike
However, when it comes to SSRI's, I beleive the addiction is more of a mental one. Sure there are huge "withdrawal" effects from coming off these medicines, but it is not so much an adverse withdrawal but rather your body getting used to absorbing more (the normal levels your body produces) seratonin and norepinepherine.
When I got off of Effexor, I was so done with it and cringed at the thought of tapering...so I did not; however, this was way back when it first came out and the ill effects when stopping were not as well "advertised". I did have many of the symptoms like Goldmoon said they had and they were severe; however, I am glad I didn;t taper. The reason is because when you taper, you still have these effects, and they are less severe, but usually last a lot longer. So tapering = less severe effects, but for an extended amount of time; not tapering = pretty strong effects, but the first three days are the worse, and then it is usually gone by about a week and a half to two weeks. This did cause my panix/anxiety to go up, but I used my xanax to combat that, which worked well.
While I think a person should chose their path according to their comfortability, I think that if I had to do it again, I would do it the same way - akin to just ripping a bandaid off - although I realize that many people couldn't handle this too well and would not advise it.
You will get through it and there are plenty of people here to give support. Good luck!
Mike
I am new to this forum and I couldn't help but respond to your thread about getting off medications, like Effexor as I can relate to what you are going through.
Not long ago, I too was on Effexor XR and it took me a long time to come off of it. I tapered off over a period of 6 months, which is significantly longer than what is typcially "recommended". Even then, I was having withdrawal symptoms....a weird dizzy feeling mostly. Even lowering the dose by 37.5mg proved to be too drastic.
To help me go from 37.5 mg down to 0 mg, I started opening up the capsules and splitting the granules inside the capsule into two parts. That way, I was getting about 18.75 mg per dose. Then after a couple of weeks of that, I would take 1/4 of the granules in one capsule to make it about 9 mg. I kept doing that until I was down to a couple of granules. This strategy worked quite well for me, even though I still felt a bit dizzy for a few weeks after being off the medication.
I am curious, how quickly are you trying to get off Effexor?
Not long ago, I too was on Effexor XR and it took me a long time to come off of it. I tapered off over a period of 6 months, which is significantly longer than what is typcially "recommended". Even then, I was having withdrawal symptoms....a weird dizzy feeling mostly. Even lowering the dose by 37.5mg proved to be too drastic.
To help me go from 37.5 mg down to 0 mg, I started opening up the capsules and splitting the granules inside the capsule into two parts. That way, I was getting about 18.75 mg per dose. Then after a couple of weeks of that, I would take 1/4 of the granules in one capsule to make it about 9 mg. I kept doing that until I was down to a couple of granules. This strategy worked quite well for me, even though I still felt a bit dizzy for a few weeks after being off the medication.
I am curious, how quickly are you trying to get off Effexor?
I could use a "boost" today.....shaky from lowering my dose of Effexor today. It scares me that I won't be able to get off this stuff. Nana
LMAO! IM right??!! Good lord strike the notion! Atleast it was funny, your a crack up JSG and I love ya! :-D
But I do agree with him about atleast one point he made,,, we are all friends here trying to help each other, support one anouther through our darkest hours,, and hanging out to give eachother that supportive boost to hold our head above the water and breath when they need it.
Were really glad your here Nana... Sincerely, Jenn
But I do agree with him about atleast one point he made,,, we are all friends here trying to help each other, support one anouther through our darkest hours,, and hanging out to give eachother that supportive boost to hold our head above the water and breath when they need it.
Were really glad your here Nana... Sincerely, Jenn
Ah! YOU again!
I'm glad you asked that question. The whole concept of "addiction" is, to my mind, very vague. Is Coke addicting? Pepsi? Coffee? Well, if you just gotta have it, then, guess what, it IS! I know people who are not only addicted to Coca-Cola, but addicted to coke in those old fashioned 6 oz bottles -no other way- and actually carry 6 packs in their cars!
So, addiction is a slippery kind of thing and long over-due for an overhaul. Meanwhile, let me offer this: there's the kind of addiction that drives you to have something because you NEED it very much. Then there is the kind that drives you to have something because it hurts if you don't have it. It is a highly technical distinction, I think, that really doesn't mean much if you are the person who is involved.
Jennifer, whose wisdom I really find to be quite intimidating because she is always right about everything, has it nailed. So I'll just say, "What SHE said." And I will add this:
For panic people especially, we are whipsawed from one thing to another, and no matter what anyone SAYS about addicting or non-addicting, our experience is our experience. And the botom line is: it ain't easy.
Thats when we turn to our friends for support to get that little extra push we need.
And that's why we are here for each other.
I'm glad you asked that question. The whole concept of "addiction" is, to my mind, very vague. Is Coke addicting? Pepsi? Coffee? Well, if you just gotta have it, then, guess what, it IS! I know people who are not only addicted to Coca-Cola, but addicted to coke in those old fashioned 6 oz bottles -no other way- and actually carry 6 packs in their cars!
So, addiction is a slippery kind of thing and long over-due for an overhaul. Meanwhile, let me offer this: there's the kind of addiction that drives you to have something because you NEED it very much. Then there is the kind that drives you to have something because it hurts if you don't have it. It is a highly technical distinction, I think, that really doesn't mean much if you are the person who is involved.
Jennifer, whose wisdom I really find to be quite intimidating because she is always right about everything, has it nailed. So I'll just say, "What SHE said." And I will add this:
For panic people especially, we are whipsawed from one thing to another, and no matter what anyone SAYS about addicting or non-addicting, our experience is our experience. And the botom line is: it ain't easy.
Thats when we turn to our friends for support to get that little extra push we need.
And that's why we are here for each other.
Thanks for the message. Sometimes there are days when you just need to hear some positive stuff and today is one of them. Nana
they are addicting emotionally, if not physically Nana.. when your minds not comfortable in the body that carries it around because the body is acting weird... or worse still the thoughts are not what the logical part of your mind says they should be, one feels helpless to act to remove them from the body for fear the problem might get worse.
Isnt it strange that some medicines (ssris and its relatives) can sometimes seem to confuse your thoughts,, and yet somewhere wayyyyyyyyyy back in the back of your head, there is this 'other' voice (the real you, your soul or whatever you want to call it) that cries out back there saying... this isnt right, why do I feel this way,, why am I having those thoughts, why is my behavior weird, why do I feel so different from most of the people around me?
Really that can go on with or without prescriptions....... for alot of reasons. Trama in your life like a sudden death, abuse, injury or other shock can all cause imbalances when they throw our sense of 'rightness' into a tail spin. In those instances there are medicines that can possibly help bring back a sense of normalcy and balance when you need it most. Unfortunatly I think there are some meds like the one they are testing now on PTSD called MDMA,, which have shown to be FAR more effective at helping one reach a more balanced state of mind with just a single experince/dose in office visit..... but thats not profitable so who knows if it will ever actually be marketed to therapists and psychologists as a tool for their cabinets.
I think when your really ready, when you feel a real sense of balance has returned,, and so long as you dont have a physical condition of some kind that prevents your body from taking back the steering equipment when its ready... you will be able to just taper them out of your life for good. I did with benzopines, caffine, and nicotine not nessasarily in that order. I was only on benzopines for about a year (multiple times daily for six months) but caffine for probably 15 years and nicotine for 20. You walk away when you come to the point where the harm overtakes the good the substance provides,, or it makes you ill.
*Bows in respect to you for questioning the subject*
Isnt it strange that some medicines (ssris and its relatives) can sometimes seem to confuse your thoughts,, and yet somewhere wayyyyyyyyyy back in the back of your head, there is this 'other' voice (the real you, your soul or whatever you want to call it) that cries out back there saying... this isnt right, why do I feel this way,, why am I having those thoughts, why is my behavior weird, why do I feel so different from most of the people around me?
Really that can go on with or without prescriptions....... for alot of reasons. Trama in your life like a sudden death, abuse, injury or other shock can all cause imbalances when they throw our sense of 'rightness' into a tail spin. In those instances there are medicines that can possibly help bring back a sense of normalcy and balance when you need it most. Unfortunatly I think there are some meds like the one they are testing now on PTSD called MDMA,, which have shown to be FAR more effective at helping one reach a more balanced state of mind with just a single experince/dose in office visit..... but thats not profitable so who knows if it will ever actually be marketed to therapists and psychologists as a tool for their cabinets.
I think when your really ready, when you feel a real sense of balance has returned,, and so long as you dont have a physical condition of some kind that prevents your body from taking back the steering equipment when its ready... you will be able to just taper them out of your life for good. I did with benzopines, caffine, and nicotine not nessasarily in that order. I was only on benzopines for about a year (multiple times daily for six months) but caffine for probably 15 years and nicotine for 20. You walk away when you come to the point where the harm overtakes the good the substance provides,, or it makes you ill.
*Bows in respect to you for questioning the subject*
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