effexor - paxil help

I have been taking effexor for about 15months - the last 8months trying to quit.  I get the usual withdrawal symtpoms and cave in..Down to 12.5mg every other day.  About six weeks ago, my doctor started me on prozac every other day to dull some withdrawal.  All the sudden I feel extremely bloated.  I had thought there was a change in the size of my breasts when I started Effexor - I actully only began piecing it together now.  But with the prozac my stomach, breasts, everything feels HUGE.  I quit the prozac yesterday and am determined to kick the effexor.  The question is "Is this bloating normal and will it ever go away?????????????????????????????????????????????"

[Roger Gould, M.D.]

If it is from the prozac, it will go away.  Try the three week withdrawal pattern which means lowering the dose each week as far as possible, then every other day for three times, then every third day for three times, then stop.

[boss1]

sorry guys -- headline should read effexor - prozac withdrawal -help!!!

[FizzyFizzFizz]

Has anyone seen this?

dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.0020392

"For example, Pfizer's television advertisement for the antidepressant sertraline (Zoloft) stated that depression is a serious medical condition that may be due to a chemical imbalance, and that “Zoloft works to correct this imbalance” [5]. Other SSRI advertising campaigns have also claimed that depression is linked with an imbalance of the neurotransmitter serotonin, and that SSRIs can correct this imbalance (see Table 2). The pertinent question is: are the claims made in SSRI advertising congruent with the scientific evidence?"

How many people know that these ads are kind of misleading????

[littlemonster]

fizzy, i believe there's a lawsuit that was just brought against pfizer (or one of 'em) this very issue- about their commercials and marketing techniques--propogating false or misleading information to the public to sell their product.  they are presenting the "cause" of depression as hard science when in fact it is not.  lots of correlations between neurochemistry and depression but no hard core causations.

[ladybuggy02]

Hi I've been taking effexor xr 75mgs for over 3 years. and basiclly stoped working for me last oct. i got down to 37.5 it was hell so i stayed here for the past months and am tapering down i'm soo sick this is awful if it was still working for my depression and anxity i would stay on it but it isn't.My brain feels soo choppy and the dr. wants me to start prozac in the moring and stay on the effxor for a few more weeks but i'm afraid to.At this point i'm doing 37.5 every other day this will be my 2 does tomarrow .but i've not heard of taking both at the same time .Has anyone here done that? does it work?
Any info. Please
Thanks

[wLa2]

HOW IN THE NAME OF ANYBODIES GOD OR LACK THEREOF IS THE TOXIC EFFEXOR STILL BEONG PRESCRIBED!

[wLa2]

The FDA ought to be drawn and quarted for allowing Effexor on the market!

[wLa2]

"first do no harm" ... LOL!

The AMA ought to be forced into full disclousure concerning gifts and perks from pharma sales reps to doctors who push these ssri / snri toxins and criminal charges ought to follow post haste!

[wLa2]

My last comment (unless my posts are pulled)

SEEK LEGAL ADVICE!

A company admitted

[kitkat1004]

I am a 43 year old female and I did the prozac/effexor thing at the same time and did not have any problems.  I had originally been on Prozac for about two years and it seemed to stop working for me, so my dr. started me on effexor.  I started taking low doses of effexor while still on prozac.  My dr. increased my effexor dose while tapering off of the prozac.  Eventually the prozac was stopped completely and now for the past 18 months, I have been only on effexor(225 mg).  I have done well with the effexor.  The side effects haven't been that bad on the effexor.  However, I too have experienced some minor withdrawal flu-like symptons if I forget a dose of effexor.  As long as I am continuing to do well, my dr. plans for me to be on effexor another six months or so and then we will try to wean off to see how I do.  He will wean me off effexor the same way I went on it.  I will go back on prozac while weaning slowly (ever so slowly) off of effexor.  When I get off of effexor, I will wean off of prozac.  My dr. says prozac is easier to wean off of by itself than effexor.  I am terrified of weaning off of the effexor after reading all the posts from others and my minor experiences with missed doses.  I can only imagine what it will feel like.  My dr. seems pretty confident in this method of going off of it.  I guess I will see in a few months.  But after four years or so of being on some kind of medication for depression, I would like to try to be myself without it.  Hopefully I can do it!!

[ladybuggy02]

Hi Kitkat thanks for the info i've been alternating sence sunday. I called the  pharmacy they told me I could take benadryl to help me sleep I finally did last night!Tthank god it worked! I still have the prozac 10 mg to start than i think after 1 month i go up to 20mg I'm just soo scared cause this effexor xr is very wierd to stop!!so i wonder if prozac would be to?