Switching from Effexor xr to Cymbaltim

Last November I was taking 60mg Prozac and had been for around 15 years. My obgyn suggested switching to Effexor xr as she wasn't sure Prozac was working for me anymore. I started on 150mg and after 3 months she upped it to 225. For many months I felt great. Recently I have been having some bad anxiety attacks and visited my family doctor. I am not too happy about seeing him and am looking for a more personable/knowledgable practice ( but that's another story). I went to him in tears feeling I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown, I could not stop crying. He said 'Well, your Effexor cannot be working, so I'll put you on Cymbalta 60mg once a day'. He then left the room. I asked the nurse if I could have my thyroid checked while I was there as I take levothyroxine 150mcg daily and I wanted to make sure this was not the cause of my downturn. So I started Cymbalta the next day and stopped taking the Effexor immediately. For the last week I have had dizzy spells, zapping in my head, hallucinations and bad dreams. When I mentioned this to my sister she said you were not meant to stop Effexor suddenly as that could be dangerous. So, as I was feeling so bad yesterday, I started to retake my Effexor ( instead of Cymbalta). I am pretty mad about my doctor and wonder why he would not have suggested tapering off Effexor ? Thank you for your thoughts on this matter.

[Roger Gould, M.D.]

Your sister is right, we usually want you to taper off of Effexor and start Cymbalta while tapering off, starting at lowest dose and increasing as necessary. But the problem is that you are relying too much on medications to manage your moods and anxieties...your feelings can be mastered in much better ways if you want to make the effort, and if you do, you can  just use a small dose or none at all eventually.  Think about talking to a therapist to help you with this.

[someoneouthere]

Sorry to hear about that. I had the same problem coming off effexor and just about ever SSRI I tried, and am on Cymbalta now. It's usually better to taper them, at least more comfortable. But I don't think it's physically life threatening if you don't (unlike some meds).

I would have said that since you were off of the effexor for a week that you try to hang in there, as you were probably past the worst part. But since you took it again, maybe try a very low dose if possible and call your doctor to see what he/she recommends. Did you take the whole dose this last time when you restarted or just a part of a pill?

hopefully at least you're feeling better now either way.

[Barou]

Has the Cymbaltim worked as well as the Effexor? What are the side effects of  Cymbaltim?

Thanks!!