Help Now Please

I am coming off Effexor XR.  Just took my last does of 37.5mg yesterday, started weaning a few wks ago from 150mg.  I am nauseated tonight, severely, I feel like I have a fever but don't, I have a terrible headache and I just had a HUGE anxiety attack.  Please tell me if this is the effexor withdrawl (withdrawal).  I started on Prozac and it was making me feel better but tonight with this panic attack IM SCARED!!! REALLY SCARED!

[anotherfinemess1]

Yes yes, this is effexor withdrawal  Very typical. You have weaned down nice and slowly, but you are still getting w/d symptoms.  Please check with your doctor  to see if you should continue to wean or jump off from here and deal with the w/ds for a few days.  perhaps he can give you some clonidine or valium to get you through.  

[LisaAnn678]

Thank guys, I ended up going to the Emergency Room last night with that anxiety attack.  It was one of the worst I've ever had.  They ended up giving me 3 mg of Ativan so I was pretty loopy.  Are either one of you sure that I had a panic attack?  Is panic attacks common with Effexor withdrawl (withdrawal)?  I was so scared I still am fearing that I will have another one.  Lisa

[anotherfinemess1]

OMG, I KNEW you went to the ER when you didnt write back!  Same thing happened to me.  If you can get some Ativan (or any long-acting benzo), it will see you through for a week or so until the anxiety disappears. Panic attacks are very scary.  If you get one again, lean over with your hands on your knees and breathe, it will usually pass.

[LisaAnn678]

Thank you so much.  It means so much to be able to get reassurance.  So you do think that my panic attacks are caused from effexor withdrawl (withdrawal)?  I had another one tonight.  My psych told me to start back on a small dose of effexor until she decided what to do but I dont' want to do that and then have to do this again, if Im already half way through the woods then I dont want to go back and try to come off again.  What do you think?

[Jennifer375]

I think you should just stay off the effexor and wait for the prozac to kick in because otherwise your just seesawing your levels of the effexor which will keep you in withdrawls longer.

*Blessings and apprication*

[anotherfinemess1]

I agree-  tapering off at this point will only delay the inevitable.
try herbal anti-anxiety stuff such as valerian root, calmes forte', chamomile, etc,
keep us posted,
lisa

[LisaAnn678]

Thanks for your info guys.  I got really, really, bad last night and today and decided to take a 37.5 mg effexor to see if it eliminated some symptoms that Im having.  Psych told me that she dosent think it is Effexor withdrawl (withdrawal) because it usually only lasts a day or two and usually isnt this bad after tapering like i did.  She thinks that I may be bipolar and is taking me off Prozac for the wkend and having me take 37.5mg effexor through the wkend and she will re-evaluate on Monday or Tues.  She is talking about taking me off of everything all together and starting treatment all over.  The prozac will prob work after I get the effexor out of my system if they symptoms im having are in fact withdrawsl.  That way I could just stay on prozac and wean much more slowly off the effeoxre.  So it all depends on if going back on the effexor eliminates my symptoms or not.  It looks like after only one dose that they have alleviated some.  I hope that it was withdrawls, that way I can stay on the Prozac and try to keep it working instead of starting from scratch.  Ive been so bad the last two days that I wanted to die.  I hate to say that.  Thanks for any more input that you ahve and tahnks for taking the time for me.

[mimizmama]

first of all, i'd like to say best of luck to you. i can understand what you are going through as i am also currently trying to quit effexor xr. and i want to tell you that there is hope. there is light at the end of the tunnel.

i was prescribed this drug (street drug in my view) around 12 yrs ago, by a very close relative. here i am, 12 yrs later. firstly, i was never really depression free and anxiety free on effexor. i was just numb. i never learned to deal with my crappy family, their crap problems and just numbed the pain and avoided the inevitable.  during my 12 yrs on effexor, i couldn't get pregnant. with no apparent physical problems, i was still unable to conceive. a few months ago, while smoking marijuana once a week with friends i suddenly got pregnant. now my doctor says i have to stop taking effexor as it is dangerous for the baby. i'm still in my first trimester. i don't drink or smoke. and haven't smoked marijuana more than 3 or 4 times in life.

10 days ago i stopped taking effexor after talking to my relative psych doctor. i have no support for him as he completely denies knowing about any withdrawals from effexor. he keeps saying (very nicely) that its actually all in my head. and other people who report it are also not reliable sources of info because they are all disturbed to begin with. so with no emotional support from my doc, my family, even my husband, i started on the venture. thank god i read online about bridging with prozac. i had tried twice to get off effexor cold turkey and could never do it past 2 days. this time, i got prescription for 10 mg prozac. i was already on the lowest dose of effexor 37.5 mg every other day for the past 1 year. so one day i just switched to prozac and instead of effexor i took 5 mg (half a pill) of generic prozac. took prozac 5 mg for 3 days and then stopped all meds. i got withdrawal symptoms but atleast 80% less severe. i have slight nausea for the last 10 days, occasional brain zaps which were more the first few days now down to once or twice a day, worst of all i got insomnia. for  the first time in my life, i can't sleep more than 4 or 5 hrs every night. i wake up in the middle of the night, get nightmares and lay awake for half an hour then go back to sleep. its actually a pleasant surprise for my hubby that i wake up early in the morning as i was a notoriously heavy sleeper while on effexor for 12 yrs. i could sleep at least 10 hrs a night.

slowly but surely, things are getting better. less brain zaps, less nausea (nausea can also be my pregnancy symptom), lesser hopeless feeling. one thing that helped me the most is prayer. i pray day and night, and whenever i feel weak. and it really really helps. i hope i'll be able to stay off these medicines forever. i hope my baby won't be effected by these meds or their withdrawal symptoms. i have to do it for my baby and me. i feel good not taking any medicine every morning. thats the biggest reward. thats my sunshine at the end of the tunnel. i wish you'll be able to get through this too. all the best and sorry for the long reply. i just have no one else to talk to about this. keep us updated about your progress and ask your doc about using the "prozac bridging" technique. you can find out more on internet about this.