WEANING OFF EFFEXOR XR 150MG DID ANYONE ELSE GET EXTREMELY TIRED DURING?

[farmingmother]

I ALMOST FELT SEDATED IT IS DAY 5 OR 6 GOING OFF THE EFFEXOR XR I DID IT COLD TURKEY THOUGH.  I CALLED MY DOC TODAY, I AM STARTED A GRADUAL TAPPERING OFF THOUGH MY HEAD KEEPS DOING THAT ZAPPING THING THOUGH.

[Christy H]

I have a question are you gradually lowering your effexor or did you stop taking it altogether? I will say that effexor is a drug that has extremely bad withdraw symptoms and should never be stopped cold turkey, My friend was on effexor and experienced extreme tiredness and a lot of muscle pain. She lowered her dose 37.5mg  a week until she was off. She also said that she felt like she had no motivation and she also felt like things were out of control. She is now on cymbalta and is doing well. Please please see your doctor so that the both of you can figure out what is the best course of action for you. by the way, why are you wanting to get off the effexor, do you have a plan or med that you are planing on changing to.
Please let me know wnat the doctor says and best wishes
Christy

[minsnotux]

Please get help with tapering off of Effexor slowly and down to the lowest dose you can possibly take.  I am getting off of it my second time and can't believe that this drug is still out there.  I found in incredible website for which I saw an ad on this site - labelmesane.com.  These people will help you tremendously and work with you and your doctor.  This time I only reduced down to 75 mg and have had unbelievable crying spells, dizziness, forgetfulness, anger, loss of patience and just feeling weird!!  After 10+ years of being on various medications for depression, I have come to realize that I am best without them.  Just remember that you may have symptoms that aren't on the "withdrawal" list but they are real to you!!  There is hope and there is an easier way.  Good luck to you.  

[alkie]

You need to come off it slowly, but you can definitely still have those withdrawal symptoms.  Just don't stop taking it altogether...With any of these antidepressants it's best to get off them slowly.

I hated Effexor XR...it was the worse thing ever for me...Stick with the taper though and you'll be fine.

[julesbrain]

Every time I get to the extreme motivation point, I am convinced that I don't need Effexor xr anymore. Considering it was only prescribed two years ago for post pardom depression. Walking around as a parents poster child for The dream child, I have disappointed the world with my suffering.
I get so convinced that I can do it, I can stop taking it completely and I am stronger than anything.
Trust me , it is just a reminder of the the massive breakdown that I suffered when I refused to believe that I had depression to begin with. For some reason , I am learning again that when it comes to mind over matter, It is my mind that does matter, and I need help when trying to get off this incredibly strong medication.
So please don't follow my example and get the doctor to help you( whom you absolutely hate to go see because it reminds you that there is a problem)
Just take in a deep breath and get help closing this chapter in your life.
Good Luck and remember I'm a 30 year old know it all who is still learning :)

[nodrive]

I stoped taking effexor 150mg wich i have been on for 3 yrs.  I ran out last wednesday and i decided it was time to quite.  so i did cold turkey.
It has been 5 days and yes I have the ringing in my head and I swear i can hear my eyeballs moving, i have been having nightmares and now a little diareha.  but i have to deal with it because i have three young kids i do home schooling and day care.  not to mention i have to through a birthday party together for this friday.  how long does the dizzy and diarha last?
  and yes now i feel like a flake, dont have a conversation with me because i will only pick up half of it.

    all in all i better get my sex drive back!

Thanks
no drive

[Baileygirl]

I had gotten extremely depressed close to 5 weeks ago, although i have been on Paxil for many years. My Dr. suggested that i change my meds to Effexor & put me on a dose of 150 mg. Within a few days, the side effects took over. Nervousness, fatigue, headache, diarheah, sweating....the list is endless. I am now being weaned off of it & the withdrawl symptoms are like living in hell. My heart is pounding & the rate has increased. I am unable to leave my house b/c of extreme anxiety & feeling panicky. (I have never had any type of panic problems in my whole life!) I've had bouts of crying uncontrollably, can't think straight & am very agitated. I cannot return to work in this condition & can barely function at home. I've seen my DR about this & he won't give me sick leave. Time to change my Dr. i guess! Anyhow, bottom line is that i would NEVER recommend this drug to anyone. My condition is far worse than it was before i was put on Effexor. It has been one of the worst experiences of my life!

[calgary67]

My goodness aren't there a lot of us coming off antidepressants.  I started last Thursday to decrease my dose. So far the only effect has been more energy and a new lease on life.  I was a zombie and when I found myself in a fog driving I decided that something was wrong. Thank goodness I found a doctor who listened to me. I am going to be off the Effexor by Xmas.  The buzzing in the head is really worriesome and 'generalized anxious disorder' which I was diagnosed with last year may be a factor but I have decided that exercise might be the answer.  I have always stayed away from exercise which hasn't been to my benefit but I think exercise is better than drugs.  I used to work for the Physed Dept. in Calgary and it sure didn't get through to me.  There were posters in the office TRY SPORTS NOT DRUGS!!!!!!! The other secretary and I sat there typing and smoking.  I can't believe I am telling you this.  I sure don't smoke anymore.  I eat and that isn't the answer!!!!
Mary Ann

[reno1]

Hello,
I am weaning my wife off of effexor, you can't stop at 150mg! You need to go to 75mg for 2 weeks, then 37.5 for 2weeks, then start weaning down from there for at least a month..It's been a Nightmare, but I got the formula down, splitting capsules etc..She has totally lost her sex drive too,I'm hoping it comes back soon!  Taking 10 mg of Prozac is also a way to stop the side effects, you can stop taking it at the same time in the end...She is now on 15mg of effexor and  going down to 10mg tomorrow...Let me know if I can help...99% of all the doctors don't know ****.
Reno
***@****

[Baileygirl]

I AGREE RENO! You have to be CRAZY to go 'cold turkey' off 150 mg of Effexor!! I am doing it in increments & am suffering like mad! (Mind you, i'm not doing it as gradually as your wife, which i should have done.) I am very concerned for 'no drive'. This is serious business. Effexor is an evil, evil drug in my opinion! Hope she gets back to us to let us know what state she is in.
How is your wife coping??

Bailey

[carol lee]

My daughter has been on effexor for 4 yrs.The doctor has been weaning her off.She had terrible withdrawals the last time they tried at 37.5mg. and did again this a.m. going down to 17mg. She immediately acquired a migraine, constant vomiting, also felt like she was having a sugar attack, extreme shaking all over her body and could not function. Her doctor will not see her until next wednesday. she went to the ER and they gave her ativan, for anxiety, told her to go back to 35.5 mg. again., gave her pain pills, nausea pills. She just started a new job. What can she safely take while attempting to go off this terrible drug?? She has fibromyalgia too. Does anyone know what she could do to obtain help.

[MindOMatter]

I was on effexor for a little over a month. I was using it to treat anxiety and depression, my family doctor gave me some samples and said try this, so I did. The first couple days on it I was extremly tired constantly yawning.  Then I moved up to 75mg and basically had the same effects, but really had no motivation and basically slept, which is kind of ironic since when Im depressed I kind of sleep through out the day and feel sorry for myself anyway. I consulted with my physician who told me to wean myself off of the drug and then consider taking wellbutrin. So i finished out the week with 75mg then the next week i jumped down to 35.7 and then I started taking them every other day and then finally stopped after a week of doing that. I thought I would have been fine, but was I wrong. I felt extreme dizziness and nausea nad have been feeling this way for about a week. I decided that It would eventually pass, I consulted with my doctor and he said it may last for 10 days, thanks doc for telling me that! Ive decided, I rather not medicate myself, I rather feel depressed 4 days out of 5 then feel dizzy all the time and not be able to function.  

[mr.lucky66]

I FEEL FOR YOU FOLKS THAT ARE HAVING A HARD TIME GETTING OFF THIS DRUG. I THINK MANY LAZY PAPER PUSHING HMO DOCS JUST KEEP US ON THESE DRUGS TO MAKE THEIR LIVES EASIER. I HAVE NOW BEEN OFF EFFEXOR FOR 2 WEEKS AND NOW FEEL MUCH BETTER AFTER SOME ROUGH TIMES WITH THE "BRAIN BOUNCE" AND OTHER NASTY SIDE EFFECTS. IT HASN'T BEEN FUN BUT NOW IT'S WORTH IT TO FEEL SOME NORMAL EMOTIONS AGAIN . MAYBE SOME PTS. SHOULDN'T FEEL SOME EMOTIONS AND FEELINGS THEY HAVE BUT IT WAS REALL Y HOLDING ME BACK. INEVER EVEN CREID OR GRIEVED FOR MY MOTHER'S DEATH 3 YEARS AGO AND THAT WASN'T  NORMAL. I CRIED FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE SHE DIED YESTERDAY AND MAYBE NOW I CAN GO ON WITH MY LIFE AS SHE WAS THE PERSON I LOVED THE MOST IN THE WORLD. IT'S NOT ALWAYS FUN BUT AT LEAST IT'S REAL AND BETTER FOR ME. ALL THE BEST

[onthegogirlnow]

I weaned myself off due to insurance/financial issues, but I had been wanting to get off of them anyway (Effexor). I was on 150 mg. and would skip a day, then two days, etc. which is not the best looking back but at least I didn't stop cold turkey.My biggest side affect is extreme fatigue, and digestive irritability; I kinda feel like I ate something that didn't agree with my stomach, but all the time. I am doing a lot of research as to what kind of foods to eat that will help with this transition and I work with a holistic chiropractor to see what supplements will help as well ( will post this later). I am having very vivid dreams and it is difficult for me to wake up in the morning. I am glad that I don't have too many psychological symptoms, other than being frustrated that I feel so crappy right now. If this is as bad as it gets then I can deal with it (for a little while at least). I suggest exercise, as it is a mood buster, leaning on friends, and if you are spiritual, pray alot because you will get through this!

[yarmi]

I didnt get really sleepy, but i did get very dizzy and nauseous

[blueeyes47]

Hello,
I was taking 150 mg's of effexor and went down to 75 every other day. I was taking it for hot flashes. It helped somewhat, as long as I didn't eat alot of white sugar. I felt so mean and teary
eyed and my stomach was upset and kinda of crampy. I have colotis so that wasn't so good. I went ahead and stopped all together. Does anyone know how long these side affects last?

[Catbri34]

I am in the process of weaning off the effexor but mine is 75.5 mg and the doc put me on 37.5 and i am done with this dose but oh my i am having the dizziness and the light head and very moody, crying more, nightmares, sweating, and tiredness, oh and yelling more and i hate that i dont like to yell, seems like these things will never go away, and the other person is right the sex drive is way back. This is strange what these meds do to our bodies, but i would like to know how soon this will all be done because i am at the point i may get back on something but i dont want to because i cant lose weight with these meds i get fatter.

[Catbri34]

Oh and i forgot also to that i never cried either when i was on this medication, it makes all your emotions gone, but please i just want to never take this stuff again so i need someone to tell me how long this will go on with the these side affects.

[Denyel1978]

Hi, I had been taking effexor 75 mg a day for approx. 6 months. My husband I argued about whether or not it was having any beneficialv effects or not. I  felt as though things were not too bad,however there were side effects, like bouncing my knee up and down if I sat for any lenght of time, teeth clenching, snapping at people especially the little ones ( I have 3 kids). And the real kicker, coming from someone who has never had a blemish, not even during, puberty, I started to develope massive ammounts of pimples around my mouth and chin,Effexor made me sweat , ALOT, during the heat of the summer, basically any physical activity be it dishwashing or tying my shoes,created a virtual waterfall on my face, this then caused my huge , scarred, infected mounds of pimples yuck! Well as of Thursday (this is 5 days ago now) my husband refused to refill my prescription saying that I need to get off of this drug. Although his move was very agrivating to me Ialso thought maybe this wasn't the right thing for me. So now we are at day 5 and I feel like a complete loony tune. The electric pulse feeling when I move my head around is so disorientating. I need to hold onto the wall to steady myself when walking around, I have absolutley zero patients for my kids , I have diarhia, nausea,inability to concentrate(ergo housebound, unable to drive), I am rocking and shaking and having muscle cramps and tremors in my limbs and extremities.My mouth is dry,my emotions are completely out of wack (watching my dogs play makes me cry!!) I am sweating alot, again, yeah!! I can't talk properly either, the words I want to say sound nothing like the garble coming out of my mouth or I mix all the words up. I am really glad to have found a forum withothers describing similar symtoms,(my husband says its all in my head) so I know I am not creating some weird melodramatic  mood myself. O just a small note about libido, this drug did not interfer with that, in fact I think my libido went off the chart when on this med.Anyhow at this point I need to know how long these horrid withdrawal systems will last. I need to get back to life. Thanks to you all!

[kimmy11]

When splitting the Effexor xr what do you put the dose in?  I asked at a pharmacy if I could do this and the pharmacist said that she could not advise such a thing.  She mentioned that the xr referred to the control release of the drug and splitting capsules would not guarantee the correct amount of the little balls per dose.  She also mentioned that the capsule itself might have some type of determination in how the medication was dispersed.  

[hondo1]

I have had success on effexor XR.  I went on it a year ago.  Man I needed it.  I was in the middle of the biggest crisis of my life.  I had a successful business that was paying the bills and was doing good, then all of the sudden within 4 months, my business turned upside down, I was kind of forced to sell and was left $500,000 in debt.  I was a little stressed and obviously I needed something to get thru.  I have never been a person who needed help with anything.  I don’t get colds, I don’t ever go to the doctor for anything.  But one day, I decided to just go home and get drunk.  As a 40 year old, I have never ever did that.  I called my mom and told her that I did this and that I needed help to cope with my situation.  She told me to go see a doctor.  He prescribed Effexor XR.  He started me on the starter pack that slowly ramped me up to 75MG.  Wow what a difference.  Within a few weeks, I was able to cope and take control of my situation.  Like I said, I needed it.  The wildest thing in reading all the posts is I had an opposite reaction.  I couldn’t eat or couldn’t drink.  I actually made sure I had a yogurt for lunch and a bowl of soup for dinner.  If I went out with friends, I needed to force myself to drink a beer.  I had no desire, what so ever to eat or drink for at least 60 days. I lost 40 lbs in 100 days.

Sex was weird.  The medication made me numb emotionally as well as physically.  If I had a spouse that wanted staying power, MAN I WAS THE GUY!!!  I could perform but couldn’t complete the job.  I was desensitized. This lasted for at least 6 months.

I will say that during the first 6 months I went from being an emotional guy to being a guy who was “present”.  I follow my kids sports.  I found myself sitting and watching the game instead of watching and cheering.  This was something I didn’t like.

Something I really did like was the fact that I was able to focus more on my job.  I am a little scatterbrained.  I like to say that I am a pinball in a pinball machine.  That describes my day.  The medication helped me with that.

My history with the meds is, I went from the intro pack to 37.5 mg. to 75 mg up to 150 mg. over 6 months.  I only went to 150 because I wanted to continue my weight loss when I thought I hit a plateau. (and I did)

I did drop back to 75 mg without much of a problem.  No brain sparks or anything like that.  The only time I had a huge issue is once when I traveled.  I took a day trip from Detroit to Phoenix.  I packed 1 pill incase of problems.  WELL,,, there were problems. It took me 4 days to get home.  I was literally stranded in the airport for 4 days.  As you know, 24 hours after taking your last pill, weird things start to happen.  Especially the brain sparks.  I sat in the airport trying to find a flight for 3 days and I was an emotional wreck.  I cried in the corner, I yelled at people, I felt TERRIBLY OUT OF CONTROL. It was absolutely awful.

I continued on at 75MG for a while and decided I was ready to discontinue. I dropped to 37.5.  The wild thing is on the lower doses, if I missed a dose or was 3-6 hours late on a dose it was HELL!!!  Way worse than when I was on 150 and missed or was late on a dose.

I read all the blogs and stuff and decided not to go cold turkey.  I took my last 5 pills and broke them up.  I started lowering my granules.  I went from 25 to 20 to 15 to 12 to 10 to 8, etc.  The finally decided to plan to go cold turkey on the weekend.  It ended up I took 8 granules on Friday morning.  My brain sparks were out of control Saturday Afternoon.  I took 2 granules Saturday afternoon to help.  This was on November 10th.  The sparks stopped.  They came back on Sunday, but not as bad.  They continued every single day but they have been tolerable.  I am sitting here on November 19, 2007 and can tell you, that they do continue but are diminished.  They are worse in the afternoon.

I realize that I am more emotional.  I cry more, I yell more, I am more alive.  I have to still determine if this is a good thing or bad thing.  I think right now, it is a good thing.  I feel alive for the first time in a long time.  If things change, I will let you know.

[jainohio]

Weaning off Effexor XR and Xanax !!!!I  I had been on anti depressants for the last 8 years.  I have been taking Xanax for 8 years to help me sleep, in combination with Effexor XR for the last 3 years.  My Psychiatrist told me I would be on these medicatios the rest of my life, I needed them to help me through all of the aniexty issue I had gong on.  (Too numerous to go into. ) Anyhow, I went off both the Xanax and Effexor.  Fist the Xanax, tapering it down until I took none over a 2 week period,  then the Effexor,  I tapered the Effexor from 187 mg. per day down to half of one of the 37.5 time realesd capsule once per day.  I started counting out the granules to further reduce the dose, and got tired of it, and  then just stopped taking it.  I did all of this over a 2 week period.  I started taking Chinese Mood elevator during this 2 week period. Once completely off the Effexor, I continued with the Chinese Mood Elevator, added HTP-5, and Same-E. along with lots of water, to flush the **** out of my system faster ,multi vitamins and exercise 5 times a week.  I had 2 very bad weeks with no sleep, night sweats, nightmares, crying a lot, no concentration, zapping in my head, almost like a humingbird flying by at 100 miles an hour,    weird !!!!  vertigo, and being just mean. I continued to go to work, babysit my grand children, run a business, and just get through it.  I did, and am feeling, yes finally feeling a whole lot betterI am a widow, have been for the last 8 years,  I am running in a half Marathon next week, and am 60years old.  People, take control of yourselves and your own helath and lives,  get off of these anti-depressants now., they are killing us.  It is difficult, but not that difficult.  Be tough and just do it.  


JA in Ohio

[redneckgirl]

for depression I used  300mg effexor xr since 2000 plus xanax to sleep. in 2006 was robbed and 60 celexa was added. between those years I now know that I was emotionally and physically NUMBED. Which I guess is what this medicine is all about.  I DO RESENT this tho. I lost my job, I am in a divorce, My emotions are out of wack
right after starting effexor, my blood pressure went up so I was given medicine for that, (Not knowing it was the effexor) then my cholostral went high, (given medicine for that) lately now my blood sugar is high
(not knowing its the effexor) so in December of 2007 my new doctor decided to change me and wean me off of effexor and to take celexa only. OH MY GOLLY.  the first week, while driving I had a brain freez and almost had a wreck, but was able to pull over and stop until brain worked again. then I was so dizzy at times, that I actually fell on my head and knocked myself out.  my body was soo very sore, for I am not a young woman. The side effects or so long and I had them during the use of effexor as well as since going off.  they do not stop for me.
while on effexor I just thought WOW  just think what it would be like if you were not on medicine.  I googled    petitiononline/effexor  and signed in and daily read others comments just to validate myself.  I am not crazy, its true.  here it is almost April, and i forgot to say that mid January it all was so awful that I decide to stop all medicine and just cold turkey.  I could not take another day thinking about another pill.
I am mentally up and down hourly but at least I have emotions

[effexor300]

I have been taking Effexor for about 10 years at 300mg's a day. I started at 75mg but was getting brain zaps. Everybody thought I was pulling there leg. Until my dose was increased up 300mg. I suffered for 2 years from night sweats to mood swings and the inability to think straight or to properly articulate a conversation as I would either get lost or my words would be blocked in my head. My life even though it was horrible while being chronically depressed was a nightmare while I got use to Effexor. I suffered horrible leg cramps and nightmares. Now I am diagnosed with Diabetes which I suspect is related to Effexor as well as no matter what I take as Diabete's medication it seems to never control my diabetes. I hate the extreme tiredness, I notice it more on weekends (which is very strange) I am so tied that I could cry and literal need to sleep - not sure if this is effexor or diabetes. I am over feeling this way. I am separated because of my illness and just want to now be a good dad to my 7 year old son. But can't because I am so tired. Please help - I need medical evidents that proves to my doctor that I am experiencing side effects from effexor. I need peace and my health back.

[remar]

i think you are probably having tiredness from the effexor, their were times when i could barely walk when i was taking this drug. my blood pressure went up, my cholesterol went up and i was so very tired. once i quit taking it those problems went away. i would'nt be surprised if it caused the diabetes. alot of people on this site hate effexor. maybe you should think about getting off of it. remar