Tapering off Effexor.

[jmgjr83]

Hi

I am a bit scared right now and was wondering what others' experiences were tapering off.  Here's a bit of my background:

A year ago I began having anxiety attacks.  I've always had depression but a year ago it got to the point where it was unbearable and then the anxiety started.  I went to my family doctor and  he gave me Lexapro.  After a month, after telling him I was having trouble sleeping he gave me Seroquel 100 mg and after reading what it was for I freaked out and decided I didn't want it so I went to a psychiatrist and she put me back on Lexapro and Ambien Cr. Two months later, early this year she switched me to Effexor 37.5 for a week, then 75 for a couple of months then 150.  I was not told anything about the bad side effects I've been reading about.  

It helped me come out of that black hole, abyss I was in, but then it made me feel like **** and so sluggish and unmotivated and she gave me Wellbutrin XL to help me with that.  It helped a lot!  I've been taking Wellbutrin XL for 2 months now along with 150 mg of Effexor XR and I don't feel depressed, a bit sluggish and unmotivated but not so depressed.

Today I went to my dr again and she took my blood pressure and it was extremely high.  I have been taking 1.5 mg of Xanax for the past two months too let me mention.  She think the high bp is caused by the Effexor and is concerned and decided to take me off and now I am petrified of coming off of it because of the side effects.  I've never tried before and now I must.  She is tapering me down to 75 mg starting tomorrow for a week while I begin Lexapro again tonight at 10 mg.  Then after a week she wants me to go down to 37.5 mg of effexor and continue Lexapro 10 mg.  She increased my wellbutrin xl to 300 mg as of tomorrow.  

She eventually wants me to take me off effexor in a months' period time while increasing Lexapro and Wellbutrin.  Is this normal?  I know it worked when I tapered off lexapro into effexor but I had no side effects then.

I am scared!  What can I expect from effexor withdrawals?

[bkaye86]

i am coming off effexor as well.... i was put on 187.5mg and felt nothing but side effects. the stuff made me more anxious and nervous than ever before. i started taking it in august and have felt no benefit so i have been tapering off it. today i am down to 37.5mg effexor and 10mg lexapro. i am happy to know that there are others out there feeling what i am feeling becuase what i am going through is horrible. I dont want to do anything literally...i am so tired and irratable.. i just want to stay in bed and that is what i have been doing for the past few days. Coming off it has been hard and i kinda knew it was going to be like this. i have been taking .5mg clonopin do deal with the head aches and the strange thougghts and sweats and palpatations..i feel all of your pain and will let you all know how i feel once i am finally off.

[Heather C]

I am now experiencing withdrawals from effexor.  If you see my post from a few days ago, it may help you.  Today is my 3rd day with no effexor and I am very exhausted,  dizzy, irritable, having eye twitches, and small brain zaps (above all these are the worst).  I am coping with meclizine (antihistamine for dizziness) and benadryl.  At least you can't get hooked on meclizine and benadryl (that i know of).  I only have to take a pediatric dose of benadryl to get the symptoms to decrease in severity, but I try to only take it at home or at night because of how sleepy it makes me.  Meclizine doesn't help as much, but it helps enough to get thru some of my day.  Coming of effexor is making me "lazy" though, I just don't feel like doing anything because i'm so exhausted