Off of Effexor, and vommiting in the morning

[bladerunner2000]

Hi there,
Ive been reading alot on this site lately to try and figure out what is going on with me, and dont quite understand it.
I've been on effexor xr for about 3-4 years, and recently have come off it completely.  I tappered off slowly, and encountered some problems along the way, but not too bad for the most part.  I've now been completely off the effexor for 30 days now.  For the first 25 days I felt great, and was functioning pretty normally, but for the last 5 days, I wake up every morning at the same time and toss and turn in bed, then i finally roll out of bed and almost immediately have to vomit.  I also had this happen from time to time while i was on my meds, but not too often.  Im 28 years old, and am really trying to move on with my life, but this morning sickness really messes up my whole day.  My appetite is never good when I start the morning puking, and generally feel pretty crappy during the day. Could this be the meds still acting up in my system, or is my chemistry still all messed up?
I really dont want to start drugs again, because id like to beat it naturally, but things just arnt working out.  Can anyone help, or make any suggestions as to what might be going on?  When I had these morning pukes on the pills, they would normally go away after 3 days, but im going on day 6 or 7 today of puking every morning.
One thing that tends to help me alot, especially when my appetite is down, is smoking some marijuana. I'v pretty well smoked daily for the last 10 years.  I dont think its been adding to my anxiety, but rather helping it.  Does anyone have any opinions on this?
I've been reading that extra B complex 100, mutivitamin with lutein & lycopene, omega 3 fish oils, valeran, melatonin, chamomile, hops, and skullcap, and st johns wart could all help comming off the pills, but are they good to take now that i've been off the pills for a month??
Sorry for all the questions, i'm just getting extremely frusterated, and know that i need some help.

Thanks for listening,

[Paxiled]

Drug stores carry a lot of these kinds of things, but I don't trust their products.  I'd find the best health food store around you and go there.

[bladerunner2000]

Thanks again for the responses.
It sounds like seeing a naturopath will definetely help, so im going to try and find one to see.
I'm completely off the effexor now, so I would like to try some of these natural remedies, and vitamins to help me along the way.  Today was the first day in 7 days that I didnt vomit first thing.  My day went good and I was eating normal again, all the way up to the end of my work day.  Its amazing how short my fuse can be sometimes, and the smallest thing can set me off. I got myself a bit worked up and am feeling crappy again, but trying to hold off the puke.  I hope this is just a part of getting off the pills.  I dont think i suffered from depression, just anxiety, but lately with everything going on, im definetely getting a bit depressed.

As for the diestive enzymes and aloe juice.....can i find those at the pharmacy?? or do i need to go to a speciality store?
I appreciate all the help,

Thanks

[Paxiled]

There are different cleanses.  There's blood cleansing, liver cleansing, colon cleansing, etc.  For having stopped medication, the most important is liver cleansing.  As to the morning puke, try taking digestive enzymes before you go to bed and drink some aloe juice -- it's often helpful because anxiety sufferers get a lot of digestive problems.  Meds mess up our system because serotonin is the main neurotransmitter in the digestive tract, and because they tend to interfere with magnesium absorption.  As to the herbs, St. John's Wort can be helpful if your problem was depression, but not so much if your problem was anxiety.  Passionflower and hops are very safe relaxants, and green oats can be a total system relaxant.  It's also wise to support your adrenals with herbs such as holy basil, eleuthero and ashwagandha.  Helpful amino acids can be taurine (makes GABA in the system) and 5-htp (makes serotonin).  If you're still on medication, this info doesn't apply -- don't want to escalate the effects of meds.  If you're off, these can be helpful.  And a naturopath is a great idea.  The effects of strong meds such as Effexor can last a while, but you're doing pretty well if that's the worse thing you have, so you'll be fine.

[RubyWitch]

It's good you're seeing your doctor again. I'd sure discuss the puke problem..............too bad we don't have a Puke Forum!
No, there's no test for anxiety. It's pretty much a "rule out" disorder.......meaning rule out everything else and if anxiety is the only card left in the deck, then anxiety it is.
I'd say that if your doc just wants to put you on meds, try the naturopath and just see what he/she has to say. If your insurance will cover it,  go for it.
But you're wrong about one thing. If you ARE dx'd with anxiety, you do not have to just learn to cope with it. You have anxiety for a reason and to figure out that reason you need therapy and possibly some meds to get you through really bad spells. But meds will only mask the symptoms, they won't cure the disorder. And I'm assuming you'd rather cure this live with it the rest of your life. Find the root cause of the anxiety and work on that.........it's a rocky road, but one worth walking.
As for the clense thing...........there is great debate over them. Depends on what kind you're talking about. Some have real pros and cons connected with them. I'd get some really professional advice before I tried that.
You have an open mind, which is really good, and will serve you well while seeking out your answer.
I wish you well and hope you stay in touch. We're open just like 7/11...............
Peace
Greenlydia  

[bladerunner2000]

Thanks for the quick response. I am going to see my doctor again soon, just to go over a few things, and hes well aware of the pot smoking, and doesnt see it as a big problem either. I was thinking about seeing a naturopath too, i guess it couldnt hurt. I'm not concerned about the money, and I think I have coverage for that through my work. At this point i'm willing to try anything.
Thats the problem with "Anxiety", nobody really knows for sure about it, and theres no clinical tests that can tell me whats wrong with me.  I just have to learn to cope with it.
Someone else mentioned about trying a clense. Do you think that could help?
I've always been a puker....i guess that the way my body deals with nervousness and anxiety, so i'm pretty used to it, but it still ***** every time it happens.

[RubyWitch]

Wow! This post has stumped the panel. Well, it's stumped ME and I'm certainly not the whole panel.
Unfortunately my answer is simple...........I don't know.
Yeah, some help, eh?
I have heard that some meds can hang out in our body fat for years, but I don't really know how much that can affect us. I've also heard some ppl say saunas help to rid it by sweating it out. I have zero proof of that, but it sounds fairly logical and it certainly couldn't hurt you.
That you smoked pot while on the med and now off the med........I can't see where that would create this problem of puking, but again, I just don't know but I promise you that some here will blame all your problems on the pot.  
Starting on vitamins/herbs and various suppliments may help you, but even tho they are "natural" products does not mean they can't harm you. I think it's a good idea that you want to try a more natural approach to feeling better, but I wouldn't just start taking all this stuff at once. Even in the world of "natural" remedies, there are some things that are contraindicated. I would advise speaking with a naturopath and have them work out a plan for you or if you can't afford that, talk with a reputable health food store on where to begin.
But my ultimate advice is to see your doctor and let him/her know what is going on. And don't leave out the pot smoking. (They can't arrest you!)
There are also some folks who think these meds can permanently mess up our brains chemistry, but I have no proof of that either.
So, I'm afraid I've not been of much help to you, but I stand by my advice of seeing a doctor. Something is going on and you need to find out what.
I wish you the best
Peace
Greenlydia