Posted by Leo on March 22, 2001, at 8:29:37
In reply to Re: 7 WEEKS--EFFEXOR FREE » Leo, posted by Janie on March 22, 2001, at 0:25:17
Janie,
I'm glad to hear that you are doing better. Keep the positive comments coming. I'm sure that we can all benefit from what you have to offer. I took a moment and read through all your previous posts and thought I'd attach them so everyone could read what your experinces have been. I'm curious though, did the experiences you wrote about really occur or were they just defined by your mindset? I suppose that the hundreds of us that have been writing about our bad experinces with effexor would like to know if what we have been going through is a manifestation of the mind or have they actually occured? Or are these experiences just merely a difinition of our mindset?
Regards,
LeoHere are your previous posts...................
> Leo and All
> I am now OFF the bloody drug (4-week withdrawal), and with VERY FEW side effects, I might add. I did a slow, hour-by-hour taper and only experienced slight ringing in my ears, and some mental fuzziness. If the withdrawal effects became tooooo bad, I just popped a little 37.5 mg cap and kept on going. I already feel lots better, more energy and passion for life, and don't expect to suffer permanent damage. May I suggest that ones MINDSET regarding the withdrawal experience may, indeed, DEFINE the actual experience you have. My joints are now OK, and I trust the condition will only get better.
>
> Janie, RNHi. I have just the opposite problem. I can't get up in the mornings and feel lethargic all day. I'm starting today on a wean from 75mg to 37.5mg. It's nice to have the anxiety controlled, but what good does it do if you're too apathetic to get dressed and go out?--Janie
Hi. I have just the opposite problem. I can't get up in the mornings and feel lethargic all day. I'm starting today on a wean from 75mg to 37.5mg. It's nice to have the anxiety controlled, but what good does it do if you're too apathetic to get dressed and go out?--Janie
Hi
Glad you mentioned this problem. I've been taking Effexor since June of last year, and actually lowered my dose from 75mg to 37.5mg/day because of the somnolence. I STILL can't get my butt out of bed in the mornings. What good would it do to take it at night? If one is still sleepy 24 hours after ingestion, could you ever get up just 8 hours later? Thank God I'm a nurse and work the evening shift!!! Is anyone else experienceing the sleepiness on such a low dose...and also fatigue, I might add?
Thanks,
Janie
Hi guys. I'm rolling through these Threads again because I have been on a reduced dose of Effexor XR, 37.5 mg/day since last October, and I think the lethargy and sleepiness gets worse over time. I am also considering weaning off the drug. I have to FORCE myself to go to the gym, I rarely leave the house on off-days, wash my hair about once a week, and have no interest or motivation for doing anything except sitting in front of the computer, smoking cigs. That's another problem. My smoking has increased, and I have NO motivation to control or stop it. Sometimes I feel like I've been reduced to an infantile state again...just eat, sleep, and veg out. This has got to stop...there must be more to life, and perhaps a little anxiety is what I need to get me moving again.
Pocahontas
I met with my MD last week, and am also beginning to withdraw from 37.5 mg/day over a 7-8 month period. I am an RN, and here is my plan of action. I am decreasing the dose literally by hours, beginning with taking 37.5 every 36 hours instead of 24. I have already had some of the withdrawal symptoms you describe, but very mild. The next step will be to go to 37.5 every 48 hours. If this goes well, then I will move to 25 mg of regular Effexor for a period of time, and then down to 12.5 mg until I can finally withdraw totally. I agree, the drug SUCKS!! But I'm lethargic and sleepy all the time on it, so hope my energy picks up. It can't go down.
Leo and All
I am now into my 3-4 week of weaning off the Effexor XR, tapering down from 37.5 mg/day to just taking a dose when I REALLY can't function, which is now about every 4-5 days. I am very interested in feedback on joint pain, mentioned above. I have been on aspirin for many years for arthritis. The joint pain became worse while I was taking Effexor, and I have recently been placed on Celebrex to control my arthritis. Have others experienced complications involving the joints? I did not make the connection until reading this post
WOW!!! My complications pale in comparison to what you describe above. So far, my withdrawal has been tolerable, but then my daily dose was only 37.5 mg. Is there a correlation between severity of withdrawal and daily dosage? I don't know. My joint pain was most severe in the lower back, but I just felt achey all over, and had no motivation to work out in the gym...joints or apathy? Who knows. Lynn, how long was your daughter on Effexor before you noticed a deterioration in her health?
poster:Leo
thread:13781
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010319/msgs/57149.html