More desperate than words can say

[oasis182]

Hello, I'm in hell.  I've been off of Effexor for 7 days now, at least.  The withdrawal effects are beyond horrific.  I feel extremely agitated and angry most of the time, hopeless, Like I should committ suicide so I don't put my family through the hell of having me in there life.  I know these are not normal  thoughts and I'm not going to kill myself I just need help.  I have a family I want to stay happy for, it's so bad I feel like I'm battling out these thoughts constintly.  I am so depressed I can hardly stand it, terrified beyond words...I really cannot describe how horrible I feel.  I've been on the computer hours now and found almost no suggestions on help from 2008, just so many horror stories.  I'm on Celexa now and Zanax and something else to combat the effects of the WD from Effexor.  Heres whats happened in the last 2 months.  First my family doc told me to stop effexor cold and stop taking Wellbutrin.  Beyond hell that day.  Then I saw a great psychiatrist who tapered me off of effexor, then took me off of wellbutrin and added Cellexa.  The side effects of the Effexor withdrawels were so bad she took me off of Celexa and put me on Prozac for 2 weeks, now I'm off of that, which helped with the extreme anger from the Effexor withdrawels that is so not me!!  Now I'm Back on Celexa, off Prozac, on ZAnax too and something else to help with the anger.  I'm extremely angry, extremly depressed, I hide it from my child, but yell at my husband a lot now..It's not fair to him...Help..please God someone help.  How long will this last? Is there anything I can do to speed up the recovery process.  I feel like I should do my family a favor and committ suicide, but I won't, they say no way...I know it's crazy thinking...please if anyone knows how to help please tell me...

[slattery]

Sounds like it's rough going right now Oasis. With Effexor, I was never able to meaningfuly communicate what I experienced from withdrawal; the bizarre dreams, the anger. I felt more isolated as a result.  I don't know what any of us can say to provide immediate help.  Most of all, trust yourself. I think it's good advice to stay on one med at a time until you're confident you know its effect on you. Then if it's not a good fit for you, switch and try another. Same for doctors, psychologists, counselors, and psychiatrists. I've seen them all and they are just as different from one another as we all are. But if you're not comfortable with one professional, don't wait too long to change.  Again, you must trust yourself, as ridiculous or as impossible that may seem. Finally, know deep down that if you have EVER felt good, you will again, and endure until then. And know that readers of this forum hold you dear to their hearts, because most of us have been there.  Thinking of you.  -Slattery

[Hensley258]

I think part of the problem is that you have been doing a lot of med bouncing over the past few weeks. Been there myself and it can be very rough.

I think right now it's important to stick with the Celexa and give it time to kick in.
When switching meds (even if you taper) there is that few weeks in between when the last med is fading and before the new med has kicked in that are very painful.

Obviously, part of the problem is Withdrawl, but your also now experiencing your depression symptoms too because your Celexa has not yet kicked in.

During my last med change from Effexor to Nortriptilyne, I swear I thought I was going to die! I was super messed up for a good few weeks until the Nortrip kicked in.

Med changes are a *****! No question about it. I dread med changes worse than anything, but sometimes they are nessasary.

You will get thru to the other side. It's just going to take time.

The Xanax can help a bit with the withdrawls, so make sure you utilize it just to get you over the hump.

We'll see you thru it.

[xanweaner]

I'm confused...why didn't you taper off effexor slowly? Were you on plain effexor or the XR version? I have read that this drug is one of the nastiest to get off of, but it can be done!!!!!

I'm glad that you have a psychiatrist there for you, but it sounds like you're struggling horribly...Does xanax quiet any of this? How much xanax do you take?

You mentioned that you were on something else to help with the anger?
All of this med switching is like psychological torture, as I've been there...

I wonder if mirtazapine would quiet you. It's a tetracyclic, is known for its sedative properties as an antidepressant.....how is your sleep? It would help in that area.

Mirtazapine would then be a much easier drug to withdraw off of when the time was right. I don't know much about Celexa, but I thought I'd give you some ideas to discuss with your psych.

I hope that it begins to get better...and I hope that others can help you so you can recover from this ordeal and get your life back...