Posted by fairnymph on March 14, 2003, at 23:27:28
In reply to ANYONE who has taken Effexor and since stopped..., posted by Andy Drinkard on March 14, 2003, at 19:56:25
> 1) How long did you take Effexor XR?I actually took IR, because ER gave me headaches and made me sleepy. I had no troubles with IR. Took it twice, once for 5 months and the other time for 2.5 months.
> 2) What was the highest dose taken?
450 mg
> 2) Why did you stop the medication?
Because it stopped working for me.
> 3) Did you "taper off" or stop "cold turkey"?
I did a VERY LONG taper! Especially since I had to come down from such a high dose.
> 4) Did you experience withdrawal symptoms (Y/N)?
Yes, usually tolerable.
> 5) If so, was "brain shivers" one of these symptoms (Y/N)?
Is that like electric shocks? If so, yes, but usually not severe.
> 6) If applicable, what was the single most unpleasant withdrawal symptom?
Electric shocks. They were annoying. They were bad when I went running -- every step was a jolt up my body!
> 7) How long did the withdrawal symptoms last from the time of stopping?
After about 5 days completely off (following a long gradual taper).
> 8) If applicable, did you consult a medical professional about the withdrawal symptoms? What was his or her advise?
No, actually, I did it on my own. I did some research and most of all just listened to my body.
> 9) Are the withdrawal symptoms enough to make you wish you had never started Effexor (Y/N)?
No, not at all, I still found it to be a worthwhlie drug for the time I was on it. I think that people who answer 'yes' to this question simply didn't do a long enough taper.
>
> (The point of this is that there has been a lot of discussion about Effexor's during-treatment and after-treatment side effects, but it has been difficult to figure out overall what portion of Effexor users go through withdrawal symptoms.)-fn
22 yr old female, OCD
poster:fairnymph
thread:209176
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030314/msgs/209284.html