Effexor withdrawl

[YlwRose]

Anyone made it through the withdrawl symptoms yet?
Been completely off effexor (after gradual weaning) for 6 days now. that jolting feeling comes and goes - notice it more in the evening, the nausea has gone away but still have these incredible mood swings. they are different than depression - it's like all of a sudden i am just ANGRY or start crying and can't stop!
when does this end?

[crazygirl01]

oh my does effexsor really do all that... is it really a bad drug to be on?   my doctor just put me on that yesterday and its 75mg a day.  if it is not a good drug i dont want it... i have only took one and i dont like the feeling,  i feel high and confused... i am constantly thristy and i think i am hungry but not sure its like i am totally confused..  i feel like i am going to throw up and just feel so funny... is this normal???

imput very appreciated       crazygirl (jennifer)

[cindy5051]

After reading all these, I am really scared about this.  I've been on 150 mg for about 2 and 1/2 years now since I was diagnosed with SAD.  It helped tremendously, but I am hoping to get pregnant by year-end and everything I had read suggests that this drug is very dangerous to take while pregnant.  

I certainly had my fair share of symptoms when starting up - I remember I was foggy, had brain zaps, bad memory, and dizzy for about 3 days each when switching up.  So I do know the symptoms you all talk about and they are scary.  It's definitely not possible to live anything approaching a normal life while going through them.  

I like the drug - at least, I did before reading all this - it certainly helped my depression and I haven't had a single migraine since going on it, but I really want to get pregnant.  I've got about 7 months until I want to start trying - I've read here that a little bit of prozac helps, and I've read that vitamin D, and Omega 3 will help with symptoms.  I'm willing to try all those things.

Is there anyone out there who can give some positive news about weaning off this drug?  Is it really possible to get off this thing if you wean yourself off slowly and stay off of it with no physical symptoms afterward?  I think my SAD symptoms can be managed going forward with Vitamin D and light therapy, so I'm not worried about that, but I am terrified about how badly weaning myself off this could mess up my life.  I really wish my doctor had told me about this before putting me on it - but I appreciate that I was in a really bad state by the time I went to her and was willing to do ANYTHING to improve the depression.  

I just need to hear some good news from someone and not more of these terrifying stories!

Thanks!,
Cindy

[cheeseface]

I've been on Effexor XR 150mg for about 7 years now and I'm absolutely terrified of coming off them. Both because of the withdrawals and also because I'm afraid I'll collapse mentally without them. So far the longest I've gone without them was 6 days as some kind of self-destructive masochism and it was one of the worst experiences of my life. Constant sweating, fever, those weird brain *zaps*, dizziness, loss of coordination and balance, itchy skin, huge mood swings. I found I became a lot more emotionally aware and found myself on the verge of tears any time anything even remotely sad happened. I was ALWAYS hungry, even 10 minutes after eating a whole pizza I'd be scowering the kitchen for more food, however I didn't gain any weight despite all the food which leads me to believe my metabolism also went ballistic.

I'm afraid I've become to totally dependent on what I'm coming to see as an awful drug, and while I wont deny it helped when I started taking XR I'm not sure it does anything any more other than make me emotionally numb and I'm still not sure whether or not that's a bad thing or whether or not the things I feel when I stop taking them are because of the withdrawals or what I'd actually feel without the drug. I tried dropping down to 75mg for a week and it was almost as bad. I find myself thinking about terrible things, like I'll be walking home from work and just suddenly have an almost uncontrollable urge to scream at a complete stranger or throw myself in front of a bus.

I guess I'm just terrified of anything and everything to do with what has become the bane of my existence.

[FoggyOne]

I was on 300mg a day and because of the weight and sexual side effects decided to switch to Wellbutron.  My doctor gave me instructions on how to cut down and said I would have to be completely off of them for 2 weeks before starting the Wellbutron.  I am currently on day 3 of the two weeks without and the side effects are horrible; loss of balance, nausea, dizziness, sleeplessness, drained of energy, blah, blah, blah.  I have a full-time job and am in my last semester of my Master's degree and this is terrible.  Makes me wonder if I really want to go on another med at all.  I have fibromyalgia and take Lyrica (causes weight gain, too) and have noticiably increased symptoms while cutting down on Effexor.  Thanks for all of your posts, so I know that I'm not imagining all of this and that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

[sportlover]

Hi all.  7 days now without Effexor....each day  gets better and better.  

There was one important thing that I forgot to share with everyone the other day.  The first time I went off of Effexor, it was my last pill and I had none left.  That drug does weird things to your mind....all I kept thinking was....crap...I have no more pills left.  Just knowing that stressed me out big time and sure enough, within a few days I was right back on it.  This time although I have no intentions of going back on this drug I still carry a bottle of 37.5's with me in my purse...for some strange reason just knowing I have some in my purse creates less stress in my mind.  

[kayburger]

I am on Effexor 300 mg a day, Cymbalta 120 mg a day along with oxycotin 120mg a day , ambien nightly, and  and need to take laxatives because of the onxycotin. plus a few other medicarions, well, now my new problem, today is my 10day off effexor, cold turkey due to worker's comp not approving it when I have been on it awhile now, I am afraid of the systoms . Thanks for listening..... Hate the cold turkey withdrawals..