Off of Effexor XR

[liljulie]

It has been 5 days now and I have been off of Effexor  XR. I have been having headaches and feeling dizzy every time I move. What can I take to stop this? I don't want to get back on it. I could be pregnant and that is why I got off of it in the first place. Does anyone have any suggestions?

[Jennifer375]

I just wanted to congradulate you on your recovery drn. It takes alot of courage to go at anxiety head first without a safety net... but its either face the fear (if its soley psychological) or deal with it unconciousely with medicine until you cant anymore.

*Bowing with deep respect and apprication*

[liljulie]

I know it has been awhile since I have been on here. I also just found out that I had responses to my questions. LOL  I would like to say that I have been off of Effexor XR for 2 months now. I had the Brain jolts or whatever they call them. I would call them a really bad headache. I also had 2 set backs but it was more of Depression then anxiety. How I handled that was doing something I enjoyed and that kept my mind off what was making me depressed. I would make blankets, or jewelry. So that kept me busy. My husband would even get me out to walk our dogs. That helped as well. I am no longer on any antidepressants and I pray that I won't need them ever again. If I can do this I know anyone can. Think positive and trust in the Lord above. He really is here for us and he won't let you down. :) I would also like to thank you all for responding to my questions and being there. I am sorry I didn't get back to any of you till now. I am not all that Computer literate.LOL

[drn_73]

i know exactly where you're coming from.  i also loved how effexor xr worked.  it treated my anxiety 100% and allowed me to live happily and care free.  it also gave me the ability to focus and be productive.  things that originally triggered my anxiety were no longer an issue.  it was great!  HOWEVER, this is a very strong drug and i noticed this everytime i missed a dose or even if i took one after my regular scheduled time (normally i would take it first thing in the morning).  i would feel a very slight dizziness until i eventually took my dose.  this was not a good sign for me.  i decided to get off of effexor xr because i didn't like the idea of treating my condition with medication.  and the symptoms i got when i missed a dose were too apparent to ignore.  made me question whether this was the right path or whether i was causing harm to my body as we still don't know the long term effects.  did my anxiety come back when i got the effexor out of my system?  you bet it did! but i decided try a different method for my condition.  mainly, diet and exercise, along with therapy. am i cured?  not yet. i'm not trying to sound like a new-age hippy, but i truly believe that how we treat our body and mind is directly related to our mental condition.  this method  requires much harder work.  i can't say how long it will take, but in the end i believe it will be worth it.  don't get me wrong, i do believe that there are people who really benefit from this med, however i think it should only be a temporary solution while they work on other methods.  i think too many of us choose the quick fix over more involved treatment.  i know, i was one of them!
cheers.

[kalmkidd]

i tryd to go without it for a month and cant im gonna need it my hole life to be happy and ive accepted that EFFEXOR XR I LOVE YOU! lol

[drn_73]

how long were you on effexor xr and what doseage? i hope you didn't quit cold turkey.  sorry, i don't know the effect on pregnancy ( you should ask your dr.)but let me tell you,  going cold turkey is the worst way to get off this drug.
i was on it for 9 months, 150 mg.  when i decided to quit, my dr. had me take 75 mg for a week.  by the end of the week i experienced severe dizzines and 'brain zaps' where i felt something like an electric shock everytime i would blink. i could feel my eyeballs moving in their sockets!  after 5 days of this horrible feeling i went back to a NP and she had me take 75 mg everyday for half a week and every other day for the second half, then 37.5 mg everyday for half a week and every other day for the other half.  this was much better and totally tolerable.  everyone is different.  i knew a guy who quit cold turkey and didn't have any withdrawal symptoms.  i would suggest weening off this drug as slowly as possible.
don't worry, you'll get it out of your system soon enough and it will be fine.  
good luck!