About to start weening off effexor....

So I'm about to cut down my dosage from 150mg to 75 mg...... and I am terrified! There have been a few days in the past 2 years I have been on effexor that I have forgotton to take my pill..... and the side effects were nothing short of hell. Thank God for this website -- it is just so comforting to know that this is "normal" and there are other people out there who can support me (and each other). These side effects are so bad that I almost feel cheated that I ever was prescribed this drug in the first place. The symptoms are so bad that it makes me question why I  even went on it in the first place. Terribly nausea, pounding headaches that don't go away, weird cravings, and just living in a fog that makes doing every day things seem painful and difficult. How on earth am I going to work???? I can't just take off work like everyone says -- I am a chef, and you just can't do that.

Does anyone have any homeopathic or natural things that help combat these symptoms? Maybe something I could eat?? anything woiuld be helpful, and of course it would be even more helpful if these things were inexpensive since effexor has effectively robbed my and my family for years -- and seriously, it is robbery. My God, how do they sleep at night charging what they do.


Anyway, I appreciate any advice. Thanks!!!!

P

[hava]

To help you wean off effexor, start doing this pranayam - breathing techniques, daily, twice a day.Let me know your progress periodically, so others may benefit from your experience.Your concentration on cooking will improve with pranayam.
Build up your timing gradually.If you feel tired or dizzy, stop and resume after one minute.
Kapalbhati pranayam -(Do it before eating) Push air forcefully out through the nose about once per second. Stomach will itself go in(contract in). The breathing in(through the nose) will happen automatically. Establish a rhythm and do for 20 to 30 minutes twice a day. Children under 15 years – do 5 to 10 minutes twice a day.
Not for pregnant women. Seriously ill people do it gently.
Anulom Vilom pranayam –
Close your right nostril with thumb and deep breath-in through left nostril  
then – close left nostril with two fingers and breath-out through right nostril  
then -keeping the left nostril closed  deep breath-in through right nostril
then - close your right nostril with thumb and breath-out through left nostril.
This is one cycle of anulom vilom.
Repeat this cycle for 15 to 30  minutes twice a day.
Children under 15 years – do 5 to 10 minutes twice a day.
You can do this before breakfast/lunch/dinner or before bedtime or in bed.Remember to take deep long breaths into the lungs.You can do this while sitting on floor or chair or lying in bed.

Bhramri Pranayam -Close eyes. Close ears with thumb, index finger on forehead, and rest three fingers on base of nose touching eyes. Breathe in through nose. And now breathe out through nose while humming like a bee.
Duration : 5 to 21  times.
October 11, 2011

[sara12345]

Hi,

I wasn't quite clear why you are cutting down on the Effexor.  Are you aware that there's a far cheaper generic available for it?  Are you aware that if you have had depression problems for years, that when you go off of it, then suffer from depression and try to treat it again, that is takes longer and is harder to get the anti-depressant to work.

You should be plenty worried about cutting down the dose without medical help.  Keep in mind that to even decrease Effexor can cause major emotional and physical problems.  My doctor said that when he tried to get off of it, he experienced terrible pain.  In advising me how to switch from Effexor to another anti-depressant, he wrote out a gradual switch, but said that if I felt like "I was going to die", add back in more of the Effexor.   Just to WARN YOU.

Please let me know how you are doing, as I'm about to switch from Effexor to another anti-depressant and am plenty worried myself.  Please respond back to me.