How long is Effexor withdrawal supposed to last?

[7essa]

A little over two months ago I stopped taking Effexor after slowly weaning off of it.  I had horrible withdrawal symptoms: nausea, fatigue, and dizziness.  After two months I don't feel any better.  Needless to say, I'm really scared.  I can hardly function at my job and am very frustrated and angry.  This medication has ruined my life.  Waking up in the morning is the worst part of my day.  All I have to look forward to is dizziness, fatigue, and attempting  to function.

How long did you symptoms last?  Are they supposed to last this long?

[birdie0907]

Gould was a MH doctor  -  
by Roger Gould, M.D., Jul 18, 2005 12:00AM
You have to make sure that your weight gain is fat gain or water retention, if in fact, your caloric intake is as low as you think.  Its impossible to gain real fat without an excess of calories so be sure that you are counting everything. The other explanation is that the emotions of withdrawal sometimes lead you to change of your regular habits, i.e. caloric expenditure.  Have you been exercising less or been sedentary more.  The other explanation is a consequence of large doses for a long time since the appetite hormones are regulated in part by the dopamine, and serotonin, which are the targets of Effexor.

This will not be a lifetime pattern and you will get over it.  If it is an emotional eating issue...eating as a form of self medication, then go to www.masteringfood.com

[agitatedandbeyond]

RedApple,
I know what you mean about the rage.  With the help of a psychiatrist (ironically the one who put me on it 14 years ago), I was able to wean myself off over a 4 month period.  Instead of trying to reduce the contents of the capsules, though, he prescribed a tablet form that could be easily cut down and also prescribed Clonazepam to take daily.  I've been off it for almost a year but the meanness and snippiness has not gone away.  Recently, minor events (similar to your husband's opening his mouth) have triggered an intense rage that is indescribable bordering on suicidal and homicidal.  My short-term solution is to just sleep as much as possible, like 15 hours a day although with a 4-year old you won't be able to do that.  I have multiple calls into Northwestern and my psychiatrist (who has since moved) to see if going back on to a low dosage will eliminate the meanness and rage.  I'm willing to do that rather than continuing to be so awful to everyone.  I will keep you posted.  

[joylynn1970]

Thank you for a positive note....reading all of the negative I was actually terrified....with only being on this drug for not yet a month I thought it wouldnt affect me so bad....wrong!!! I am only dealing with the lightheadedness & nausea...cant believe that in only a short time of taking this medicine it can cause so much sickness...I am on day 4 & thanks to you I am now feeling better about the next few days....never again will I put myself thru this....I will deal with my issues without meds & with GOD!!!!

[Mira619]

Hi, I'm currently coming off of effexor also, and saw your post. I know everyone is different, but everyone I know has has horrible weight gain with celexa.

Before taking effexor, I was on prozac, but had a severe adverse reaction and lost about 20 lbs in a month. My doctor then switched me to celexa and I gained almost 60 lbs in three months. A friend of mine was put on celexa around the same time and also gained significant amounts of weight in a short time.

The weight gain was too much for me and I was switched to effexor and have been on it for 10 years now. With effexor, I gained a little bit of weight, maybe around 20 lbs, but was never able to lose any weight no matter what diet or exercise I tried. I even trained for and ran two half marathons and lost about five lbs total, which quickly returned.

You may not have such a bad experience with celexa, as everyone is different, but I just wanted to let you know that if weight gain is a concern you should definitely research it and know some of the possible problems.

I wish you the best of luck!

M

[kittypr02]

My story is way different then yours i was 2 an a half yrs on effexor 300mg
clonozepam 2mg 3 times a day,clorazepate ,navane and ambien xr yeah not nice but then one day i sad hell with it ...for real got tired to many pills.
so i stop first the navane and then clorazepate 3 x bye the clonozepam,well lets say every thing sucked but hey i kept on going from 300mg of effexor i sad lets do 150mg and yes i had ocassional headaches
but then i said no more lets quit cold turkey and u no what people im still alive no pains cause its was all in my head...but the sad part of the story is that i feel like crap again ,sad,low,depressed and i need all my pills again..so please talk to ur dr before turkey style

[trosen0]

I am on day 14 of being completely off of Effexor XR (150MG Daily).  I went from 150MG for five years, to 75MG for a week, then to 37.5MG for one week, then nothing, following my doctor's advice.

I really enjoyed reading everyone's comments about the withdrawl effects.  I had most of them in the last few weeks. It gets better.  Two small pieces of advice.

1.  Watch your spending during this time frame.  I put $10K onto one of my credit cards in the last two weeks.  (I can afford it, but that is not typical for me).

2.  Resolve that you won't make ANY relationship decisions for at least a month.  The second day I was off Effexor I thought I wanted a divorce from my wife of many years.  I didn't voice this or act on it, but it would have been a mistake.

I feel a little better everyday now, and I'm looking forward to feeling normal again.  My wife said it was like being married to Spock, hope she likes the new me because I'm definately feeling some stuff.  Good luck to you all.