Withdrawel from Effexor

[Betsy1954]

I am at the end of 2 weeks of tapering off Effexor.  It has been tough.  I thought (until later on in the afternoon today) that I was going to have my first good day and then I started hearing these 3 high pitches in my head every so often.  I was so out of it I started yelling (a thunder storm was in progress) "just take me" and I even got in the shower hoping it would strick me in the shower.  After that I thought it best to take a nap.  The depression is bad.  But what I just noticed was I am up 10 pounds in two weeks.  All I eat is salads and I have enjoyed having a V8 juice.  I am trying to drink lots of water.  Is weight gain another withdrawel problem??  Is there no end to this.  How can I gain weight when I feel sick to my stomach from being dizzy?

[Tink70]

Betsy, Betsy, Betsy...You poor thing!  Look up a thing called SSRI Discontinuation Syndrome on About.com-BiPolar Disorder.  It's alittle known fact that your PDoc won't readily discuss with ya' and Effexor is the WORST!  It is the single WORST SSRI to discontinue and that's because it works on ALL the neurotransmitters! Noripinephrine, Dopamine, AND Serotonin (all the HTPs whereas some of the SSRI's only target specific ones such as Lexapro and Celexa)  Wellbutrin and Paxil are right behind Effexor for being number 2 on the "Most Nasty To Stop Taking" list.   Your poor brain is going through some ROUGH waters right now and your intestinal track is too!  You have neurotransmitters in your intestinal track as well and when they get messed up it throws your digestion off which throughs your appetite off which throws your metabolism off.  A good probiotic/acidofilus supplement for awhile might help.  Garden of Life Ultimate Probiotic Capsules work great and they do not contraindicate any meds.  But check with your doc. just in case.  I take topomax/seroquel/multivitamin/extra vit c/extra calcium supp and the Probiotic with each meal.  No problem.  God Love Ya - Hang in There and Don't Fire your Doctor!

[triedeverymed]

I understand your feeling coming off Effexor. It was the single worst drug I was ever put on. I felt like **** on it and when they took me off it, there was very little tapering. I was off in 2 weeks but I felt horrible, just like you describe. I was also terrible to be around, very snapy. It wasn't until I went on Abilify that I started to feel better. In a month I was back to full steam ahead. I didn't gain weight going off it but I lost weight on it. Maybe your body couldn't eat while on it and now it's making up for the food it didn't get?
Once you find another medication that works, this will go away. Actually this should pass in another week at the most because you will have all of it out of your system. Have you ever been on Lexapro or Celexa? They are fairly mild and well tolerated for the most part and they treat depression just like Effexor.
Best of luck to you, see you doc about a new med, and hang in there this will pass.
Erin

[Tyzer33]

i take 375mg of effexor and 300mg of seroquel each day and ive noticed the weight gain coz im quite skinny and i dont really eat that much, i get the crazy dreams and nitemares with the effexor ive even been unlucky enough to be 1 of the 1 in 10,000 that gets seizures from taking it, its no fun shoving a load of pills down ur neck every day just so u can be semi normal, i look 4ward to the day i dont have to fight myself just to stay alive, its no way to life your life