Effexor Withdrawal

[shorty82]

Somebody please help me! I am 23 years old, and have been on antidepressants for about 5 years to treat chronic migraine headaches. I started on Paxil,then went to Lexapro b/c Paxil wasn't working, but I gained about 35 lbs. on it so my Doc put me on Effexor. Now my headaches are finally under control and I am tired of being on drugs! But I cannot go more than a few hours without it! I was taking 75 mg., and I took 37.5 mg for almost two weeks. During those two weeks, I was unmotivated, sad all the time, I could not sleep,dizzy,nauseous,and I was EXTREMELEY angry when I wasn't crying like a baby(sometimes I was both!). I tried to not take it at all today( my doctor suggested cutting the dose in half for 1 week and then going to every other day for 1 week) but I got the brain zaps and actually had thoughts about killing myself(although I love my life and am certainly NOT suicidal) and it had only been a few hours past when I was supposed to take it. After reading others' feelings on Effexor withdrawal, I am relieved to know that I am not alone-but I still gave in and took a pill. Of course now I feel a little better. I am starting a new job in a week, and getting married in October. I have also suffered from severe Psoriasis since I was 14(I think that is probably what caused me to need antidepressants in the first place). I am trying really hard to transform my life- I want to lose weight before my wedding( I need to lose a good 60 lbs that I have gained over the years that I have been on antidepressants) and I want to get my Psoriasis under control(which is stress related) so I can wear shorts this summer and look beautiful on my special day. I want to know others' opinions- if this awful feeling isn't going to get better then I don't think I can do it while starting a new job and trying to plan my wedding, lose weight and get my Psoriasis under control. Another problem is my fiancee- he is wonderful when it comes to my physical appearance-my flaky skin and fat rolls don't bother him- but he doesn't understand that I am not depressed, that my mood swings and recent headaches are beyond my control. He thinks I should just be able to ignore the brain zaps and crazy feelings-but I can't! I think it is probably in my best interest to go back on the Effexor and get back to my life right now- and I'll try again to get off it once my wedding is over. But I am afraid that I will never be able to get off this awful stuff and I won't be able to function and live my life without it! Someone please tell me how to get through this!

[tinman141]

I stopped effexor (300mg/day) about 3 months ago, and I still get some of the symptoms.  I have chronic numbness in my fingertips, and severe mood swings that i did not have before taking the drug, as well.  I still get occasional zaps, and I don't feel like I'll ever be myself again.  I don't know who I am anymore.  Anybody else having similar long term effects?

I wish I never went on this stuff...

[The David]

Well, another newbie jumping in.  I quit Effexor cold turkey 3 days ago.  My head feels like a big soggy sponge.  I dread going to sleep at night because of the bizarre dreams that I can't get out of.  Last night I woke up and didn't know where I was.  My whole body aches, my eyeballs make a little "whirring" sound when they move.  And my stomach is very uneasy.  Not to mention the dizziness, anxiety that comes and goes, and the emotional uprising.  But I think the emotions are because for the last 2 years on Effexor 150 mg, I didn't feel much of anything.  It was like there was a glass plate between me and the rest of the world.  I was "there" but not really.  I was, of course, "comfortable".

I got into this whole thing after having bypass surgery and losing my job and going through bigtime stress.  Now I have a good job and thank God work at home.  I have no idea how I could go to an office job feeling like this.

I have been reading Kevin Trudeau's book, about the drug industry and what "they don't want you to know" about these drugs, and it really pisses me off.  I used to never take any meds, but then had the big surgery and went from 0 to about 6 different pills, Nexium, Toprol, Effexor, aspirin, Xanax, Lipitor.  I have decided to get off all of them.  The Lipitor and Xanax weren't that hard, no major side effects.  But I was totally not prepared for the hell getting off Effexor.

I applaud each and every one of you for trying to quit this thing.  I think that if you have depression and anxiety, as I have had, that sometimes you just have to change your life.  You can't just keep taking a pill.  Maybe I'm wrong, but I have this feeling that I don't ever want to take another pill again, even if I drop dead.  At least I will die with dignity.  

Well, I'm just venting.  In fact it is hard to even write this, because my eyeballs are really "buggin'", and my hands are so swollen and aching I can hardly type!

Does anybody have any idea how LONG it takes to get clear of this nightmare?  I'm planning to tough it out, no matter what.  I just hope I don't go beserko before things calm down.

Later.

[ABCMomof3]

I can tell you without a doubt that if I were in your shoes; starting a new job, worried about handling stress and employment situations, I would keep taking the effexor too.

Effexor has it's down side; mainly the withdrawls and the fact that I expeienced a decline in my *heart health*, but it worked so well for me; it took away my depression, I had absolutely no anxiety attacks, I felt more confident and I could concentrate (which is very important to me, because I am an avid reader, I read anything I can get my hands on and being depressed made it very difficult for me to read or retain any information from anything I read)

My hope is this; once I get my heart health back in order, if I ever get to the point I need to take something for depression again, that I would be able to take effexor xr, even if its just a low dose for maintence purposes. I don't oppose the drug, I know that many people have different reactions to most everything in life. Hopefully, if I ever need to take it again, I will, but for only 6 months at a time with 6 months off. I seem to have seasonal depression; I have had 3 major depressive episodes all taking place in the autumn over the past 12 years.

When I would get an episode, I would get treated with antidepressants for about a year and a half and then stop taking them with no reoccuring depression for at least 3-4 years. So, I'm hoping, since I am depression-free right now, that maybe I can go 3 or 4 years before I get hit by it again. But if I get hit by it again before that, I will not hesitate to get treated aggresively again with effexor, and once the initial depression is over, then if I needed to stay on meds, I would switch to something else for maintence of my depression.

I think you are doing the right thing, and I praise your efforts in taking extra special care of yourself and doing what you feel you need to do to stay mentally healthy while you go through adjustment in life.

I'm really happy for you too, for securing a job. Wow, I miss working, I've been off work since Nov. (laid off) and I Really look forward to getting back to work. With spring just around the corner and the sun shining longer each day, I'm feeling more confident that I can go back to work; eagerly.

take care, stay well, be good to yourself, And God Bless you.

[shorty82]

I admire anyone who can stop taking Effexor, as I have still been unsuccesful. After attempting to wean myself off of it once and feeling the way I did I am seriously scared to try to do it again. I just started my new job around a month ago and I am afraid I won't be able to handle the stresses of working and trying to get off the Effexor. I am sorry there are so many of ya'll going through the same things I have been through, but I am glad to know that I am not the only one. Best of luck to everyone!:)

[ABCMomof3]

I can relate. I'm on my 8th day of no effexor xr. I had terrible withdrawls from it, but nothing I couldn't handle. The worse withdrawl was the tiredness and zaps and snaps in my head. I could even feel the zaps in my arms and hands.

I went off effexor because it raised my blood pressure and my cholresterol. I was on the medication for 1 year and 5 months and had always been a very healthy person, it wasn't until I took effexor and had a dr.s appointment a couple weeks ago that I found out all these results of my blood tests and my declining health. I'm too young to have bad health!!!

I have to admit that effexor was one of the best antidepressants I ever took, it worked and it worked well. But I had other things to consider in my life; and regaining my health is a big issue to me.

IF I ever need to take it again, I will, because I know it works. Coming off the effexor is difficult and there were times I thought about taking a pill because I knew as soon as I did the withdrawls would go away, but I perserved just like you and went through the pains and yucks of being without it in my system.

I feel healthier today. The sun is shining and my crying spells have ceased (I had crying spells too) I feel hopeful and I'm not depressed at all; lets hope it stays that way.

I hope you have a blessed day.

[Lionness]

Well it is now over 9 days since going off the Efexor and what a shocker today has been.  Terrible stomach, back aches and agitated and walking around in circles not able to devote myself to the one task and there are many to do.

I have decided to persevere so let's hope I am nearly there to feeling normal again.

Wake up very very tired from a night of very little sleep, finding that I finally fall asleep very early in the morning and cannot wake up properly until nearly lunch time.

Can anyone else relate to this.

Weary, Lionness