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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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Posted by croessger on August 30, 2003, at 12:33:10
In reply to Re: effexor xr, posted by LeanneF on June 25, 2003, at 13:05:27
Hi, reading your post, my heart went out to you. I suffer many of the same syptoms as you.
I am not an expert but it sounds to me (because of your mood swings) that you suffer from manic deppresion not regular depression. You can be as high as a kite and come crashing down with suicidal feelings. Mine is similar...except I don't get the real highs. I just have very bad mood swings that I can't control. I take lithium now and it works very well. I am also on Prozac and I was told I would be on it for the rest of my life along with the lithium. I have been suffering from this for 13 years now and just for the last 6 years have gotten it under control. I understand how you feel. It's like a nightmare and you can't beleive it's happening to you. If you haven't tried lithium yet, please talk to your doctor and ask if you can. For the first 3 weeks it will be hard to stay on it. They say when you get on this type of medication the side effects that the medicine creates are the same as suffering from accute deppresion and the reason is your brains chemistry is out of wack and it's fixing it. After my 3rd week it was like a miracle. "PoP" all of a sudden I felt better. It was worth all the strain and endurance I went through for those 3 weeks. They say all anitdepressants are like that because your brain chemistry is off wack and it takes time to get it back to normal. I don't know if you are still suffering from this but just in case, you will be in my prayers. Nobody deserves to feel the way you do and nobody really understands unless they actually gone through it themselves. Please don't give up and continue to let your doctor know how you feel. There has to be something out there to help you. Hang in there...your not alone.
Posted by loopylass on September 22, 2003, at 0:28:22
In reply to Re: effexor xr, posted by croessger on August 30, 2003, at 12:33:10
oh my gosh1,i have just stumbled accross this site while looking for info on efexor,i didnt think that so many other people have or having the same things happening to them as i have,i thought it was just me going mad!i am on 75g slow release a day,i went down to 25 at one point but couldnt cope so have been put back to 75,,having read all the other posting has realy scared me,i feel traped,i cant cope with life just now alone but scared to stay on these pills,i will be speaking to my doc this morning but want to thank everyone for alerting me to the wide range of things that affect youwhen you decrease your dose or stop,
loopylass
Posted by ant on September 22, 2003, at 1:09:20
In reply to Re: effexor xr, posted by loopylass on September 22, 2003, at 0:28:22
Hi loop,
How long have you been on Effexor XR for ?.
Hang in there, from what I have read it will get better.
I'm on 225mg daily and haven't tried to drecrease yet, the med is working well for me. I'll tackle it when it comes time.
All the best
Ant
> oh my gosh1,i have just stumbled accross this site while looking for info on efexor,i didnt think that so many other people have or having the same things happening to them as i have,i thought it was just me going mad!i am on 75g slow release a day,i went down to 25 at one point but couldnt cope so have been put back to 75,,having read all the other posting has realy scared me,i feel traped,i cant cope with life just now alone but scared to stay on these pills,i will be speaking to my doc this morning but want to thank everyone for alerting me to the wide range of things that affect youwhen you decrease your dose or stop,
> loopylass
Posted by loopylass on September 22, 2003, at 1:20:27
In reply to Re: effexor xr, posted by ant on September 22, 2003, at 1:09:20
hi ant, thanx for the reply,i have been on them for about 18 month,
Posted by Tracee on September 22, 2003, at 6:52:02
In reply to Re: effexor xr, posted by loopylass on September 22, 2003, at 1:20:27
Hi all, Well, I finally did it. I tapered of the effexor-xr over a two week period and it's now been one week since I've finished.
I am surviving...just. The side effects haven't been fun. The heart racing and feeling of rubber bands twanging under my skin have been the most difficult.
I'm just taking one day at a time and would suggest the same to anyone thinking of going off.
I finally see the psychiatrist next Friday. I think I'll know by then whether I'm ready to try something else or if there is another way through this that doesn't include meds.
The counsellor I've been seeing in the interim to the psych. has suggested that my depression and range of side-effects have increased because I am no longer on a 'therapeutic' dose.
All I know, is that I don't mentally feel any better or worse than three weeks ago, when I was still on 225mg a day.
I don't feel that I'm a danger to anyone and therefore am content to just be me; warts and all.
Posted by loopylass on September 23, 2003, at 1:14:29
In reply to Re: effexor xr, posted by Tracee on September 22, 2003, at 6:52:02
hi there,just letting you all know i spoke with doc and shes gona help me come of the pills but she has said to do it slowly,she has halfed my 75g dose and sugested i take it at a differant time of day to see if some of the symtoms ease,yesterday was the first of my 35g dose and last night i had real bad nightmares,woke up wet through with sweat(sorry)she has advised me to take the reduced dose for at least 6 weeks b4 i think of reducing again,i have decided to keep a diary of how i feel daily and also give myself targets to aim for.
loopylass
Posted by Tracee on September 23, 2003, at 3:10:35
In reply to Re: effexor xr, posted by loopylass on September 23, 2003, at 1:14:29
You're doing it the right way. Well done! I should have come off a lot slower and wouldn't be having quite so many side-effects but I'm just too impatient.
I'm also keeping a mood chart. It's a great idea. It gives you an idea of how ur really going.
For instance, I thought I was feeling flat all day long, but in fact I have a window period in the day where I feel fine.
It can help put things in perspective a little more.
Good luck Loopylass. :)
hi there,just letting you all know i spoke with doc and shes gona help me come of the pills but she has said to do it slowly,she has halfed my 75g dose and sugested i take it at a differant time of day to see if some of the symtoms ease,yesterday was the first of my 35g dose and last night i had real bad nightmares,woke up wet through with sweat(sorry)she has advised me to take the reduced dose for at least 6 weeks b4 i think of reducing again,i have decided to keep a diary of how i feel daily and also give myself targets to aim for.
> loopylass
Posted by gargurel on September 28, 2003, at 6:58:56
In reply to Efexor XR - Long Term Withdrawal - Anyone Else?, posted by Paul Mokeski on April 25, 2002, at 13:57:24
I am experiencing these types of symtoms too. I have been getting off Effexor XP gradually from 225mg all the way down to 37.5 mg. But, as soon as I was off completely, bang.
How long do these sysmtoms last. I have been on it only for 6 months. Do they ever go away? Is there something like herbal tea that can ease the withdrawal?.
Gar
Posted by Tracee on September 28, 2003, at 7:43:03
In reply to Re: Efexor XR - Long Term Withdrawal - Anyone Else, posted by gargurel on September 28, 2003, at 6:58:56
Hi Gar,
I believe the symptoms will ease as time goes on.
I have been completely off effexor xr for two and a half weeks now.
If your looking for herbal teas, perhaps rosehip or something relaxing might be best. I might try it myself. My G.P. has put me on 5mg of valium twice a day to keep me going for a bit longer as the tension I have had building since I went off has been going into my back. (I have a broad base disc bulge).
It has been helping, but to be honest, I've had about enough of chemical answers to my problems.
Please let me know how the tea goes for you. :)
Posted by emilyd on September 28, 2003, at 10:15:26
In reply to Re: Efexor XR - Long Term Withdrawal - Anyone Else, posted by Tracee on September 28, 2003, at 7:43:03
I only ever made it to 75 mg of Effexor XR and had a horriffic withdrawal. The first day of dropping to 37.5 I thought I had finally begun to go completely insane. My therapist and doc calmed me down. I think I made it back to work for a day or two before I woke up one morning knowing that if I got out of bed I would surely kill myself. I've been on disability ever since. Side effects included dizziness, confusion, loss of short-term memory, headache, nausea, anxiety ans of course suicidal ideation. The severity subsided over the course of weeks if not months. In fact, it's been more than 6 months now, we've tried 6 drugs or so in various combinations and dosages, but I'm still below 50%.
I know my case is extreme. We have concluded that perhaps the diagnosis was wrong and that I'm actually bipolar. I just want people to know that this can happen, and if it does to know that you're not alone.
Posted by gargurel on September 28, 2003, at 14:15:29
In reply to Re: Efexor XR - Long Term Withdrawal - Anyone Else, posted by Tracee on September 28, 2003, at 7:43:03
Thanks Tracy,
I just wish I knew how long to expect these side effects. I didn't have any effexor on Friday, nor Saturday. I took some today just to be sure that effexor was the cause; I took 37.5 and withing 3 hours other than a head acte all the rest went away. This scares me. I know that medicine can be very helpful, but I should have stayed away from this one.
I have heard that vitamin B and a few other supplements can help the brain fonction properly, and this may be a better way out.
Thanks again.
NGB> Hi Gar,
> I believe the symptoms will ease as time goes on.
> I have been completely off effexor xr for two and a half weeks now.
> If your looking for herbal teas, perhaps rosehip or something relaxing might be best. I might try it myself. My G.P. has put me on 5mg of valium twice a day to keep me going for a bit longer as the tension I have had building since I went off has been going into my back. (I have a broad base disc bulge).
> It has been helping, but to be honest, I've had about enough of chemical answers to my problems.
> Please let me know how the tea goes for you. :)
Posted by Tracee on September 28, 2003, at 19:58:41
In reply to Re: Efexor XR - Long Term Withdrawal - Anyone Else, posted by gargurel on September 28, 2003, at 14:15:29
When I first went off, against all advice I went off cold turkey. Big mistake. 3 days went by with the dizziness,dry mouth, nausea and other side-effects all increasing. The worst effect was a physical one. It's difficult to explain. My body was numb inside. I had elastic bands twanging under my skin and I couldn't focus my eyes or my brain properly. At the slightest bit of adrenalin my heart would begin to palpatate and felt like it was going to explode out of my arm.
I then took the smallest dose available to me which was 75mg, and this eased a lot of the symptoms. I then found that if I took one 75mg capsule every three days I could hold off the side effects just enought to keep sane.
My body hadn't figured out that it was supposed to make its own seratonin again and freaked out basically.
The only personal stress I've had coming off them, is that my anxiety attacks and social phobia symptoms are starting to appear again. The medication did help with these, but not with the depression itself.
I'm not happy with the fact that effexor is a relatively new drug and therefore not tested long enough to note and understand all the the side effects and how long they will last.
We are guinea pigs in this particular laboratory and I'm not happy about it as noone offered me that choice.
I take a vitamin B and C supplement every day, I don't know whether it has any effects where the effexor is concerned though.
Good luck in coming off them. Personally I think the doctors/chemists should give us more information at the time of starting any new medication. I was given some, but nothing prepared me for what I would go through coming off this stuff.
I have my first psychiatrist appointment this Friday and I'm not sure whether I'm willing to try any more antidepressants after my experience with the effexor.
It's a rollercoaster ride that I'm not sure is worth getting on.
I wish you all the support you can get through this time. Any friends and family that offer you support, take it. Time out for yourself is very important and so is moral support. Good luck. :)Thanks Tracy,
>
> I just wish I knew how long to expect these side effects. I didn't have any effexor on Friday, nor Saturday. I took some today just to be sure that effexor was the cause; I took 37.5 and withing 3 hours other than a head acte all the rest went away. This scares me. I know that medicine can be very helpful, but I should have stayed away from this one.
>
> I have heard that vitamin B and a few other supplements can help the brain fonction properly, and this may be a better way out.
>
> Thanks again.
> NGB
>
> > Hi Gar,
> > I believe the symptoms will ease as time goes on.
> > I have been completely off effexor xr for two and a half weeks now.
> > If your looking for herbal teas, perhaps rosehip or something relaxing might be best. I might try it myself. My G.P. has put me on 5mg of valium twice a day to keep me going for a bit longer as the tension I have had building since I went off has been going into my back. (I have a broad base disc bulge).
> > It has been helping, but to be honest, I've had about enough of chemical answers to my problems.
> > Please let me know how the tea goes for you. :)
>
>
Posted by pixygoth on October 1, 2003, at 7:11:27
In reply to Re: Efexor XR - Long Term Withdrawal - Anyone Else » gargurel, posted by Tracee on September 28, 2003, at 19:58:41
I'm at 75 down from 225, and at the moment *lots* of vitamin B (all kinds together) has helped me a surprising amount.
S
Posted by sallyjane on October 7, 2003, at 4:26:10
In reply to Re: Efexor XR - Long Term Withdrawal - Anyone Else, posted by pixygoth on October 1, 2003, at 7:11:27
Im not feeling real good after reading all of this. I have been on efexor for 6 years dose varying from 37.5 to most recently 150 mg. Have cut back dose & now stopped for 3 days. Side effects horrendous with the vertigo & dizziness. Surely some people have not experienced the side effects to the lengths that the previous writers have? I need some hope that this will be gone and soon!!!
Posted by gargurel on October 7, 2003, at 4:48:34
In reply to Re: Efexor XR - Long Term Withdrawal - Anyone Else, posted by sallyjane on October 7, 2003, at 4:26:10
Since my last message, I first killed all non-food medications espect for effexor. I have been taking 37.5 mg every second day. Bu the end of the second day, I start to feel the symtoms, but they are endurable.
I am now at the third day and the symtoms are simular to yesterday - the point is, they haven't gotten worse like my first try. The difference: I took Vitamin B last night before going to bed. I was taking it in the morning. I don't know if this is what's causing the comfort, but it is worth a try.
Gar
Posted by markwb on October 7, 2003, at 6:03:48
In reply to Re: Efexor XR - Long Term Withdrawal - Anyone Else, posted by gargurel on October 7, 2003, at 4:48:34
Hi Gar
I am about to consider coming of Efexor again after many trys so far. I am taking half a 37.5 tab each morning and have also had the symptoms expressed in this thread. The drug is a pain and I feel I will need to take a few weeks off to do the withdrawal safely. My eyes play up and I get the electric sensations.
I would be interested in seeing how you go over the next few weeks.......your input will be invaluable in assisting me when I start my withdrawal.
Good luck :-)
MarkWB
Since my last message, I first killed all non-food medications espect for effexor. I have been taking 37.5 mg every second day. Bu the end of the second day, I start to feel the symtoms, but they are endurable.
>
> I am now at the third day and the symtoms are simular to yesterday - the point is, they haven't gotten worse like my first try. The difference: I took Vitamin B last night before going to bed. I was taking it in the morning. I don't know if this is what's causing the comfort, but it is worth a try.
>
> Gar
Posted by gargurel on October 7, 2003, at 17:50:58
In reply to Re: Efexor XR - Long Term Withdrawal - Anyone Else » gargurel, posted by markwb on October 7, 2003, at 6:03:48
I will keep posting my progress. At the present time, I am on 37.5 every two mornings, and I have been taking vitamin B once a day. I have been trying to eat as much fruit and vegies as possible, and a lot of exercise.
But, whem I here of people having side effect even a year after stopping, it scares me. I also can't wait to see my own outcome.
Gar
> Hi Gar
>
> I am about to consider coming of Efexor again after many trys so far. I am taking half a 37.5 tab each morning and have also had the symptoms expressed in this thread. The drug is a pain and I feel I will need to take a few weeks off to do the withdrawal safely. My eyes play up and I get the electric sensations.
>
> I would be interested in seeing how you go over the next few weeks.......your input will be invaluable in assisting me when I start my withdrawal.
>
> Good luck :-)
>
> MarkWB
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Since my last message, I first killed all non-food medications espect for effexor. I have been taking 37.5 mg every second day. Bu the end of the second day, I start to feel the symtoms, but they are endurable.
> >
> > I am now at the third day and the symtoms are simular to yesterday - the point is, they haven't gotten worse like my first try. The difference: I took Vitamin B last night before going to bed. I was taking it in the morning. I don't know if this is what's causing the comfort, but it is worth a try.
> >
> > Gar
>
>
Posted by Jane Austen on October 8, 2003, at 14:19:19
In reply to Re: Efexor XR - Long Term Withdrawal - Anyone Else, posted by sallyjane on October 7, 2003, at 4:26:10
As far as I can tell from my own experience the only way to ease the withdrawals is by taking something else. Codeine helped me (but not with the nausea). Someone else took a small amount of Prozac (fluoxetine) and her results sounded good. Another person said they got rid of the dizziness with an anti-histamine (ask your doctor which one would be good to use).
Posted by Nutbar on November 5, 2003, at 2:30:42
In reply to Re: Efexor XR - Long Term Withdrawal - Anyone Else?, posted by Phil on April 27, 2002, at 7:28:08
I just started on Efexor-XR today. I came off Paxil (Aropax in Australia) a year ago and I am terrified after reading all your posts that I'm just about to put myself through all that again. I don't want to be on meds, and I don't want to go through withdrawal again. I feel like there's no point to meds if they're only going to ruin your life.
Posted by sallyjane on November 5, 2003, at 19:08:00
In reply to Re: Efexor XR - Long Term Withdrawal - Anyone Else?, posted by Nutbar on November 5, 2003, at 2:30:42
Nutbar - efexor does work. It did the job for me. But when its time to come off thats when it gets tough.
Ask your doctor about alternatives, e.g. cipramil has far fewer side-effects according to information I've read (though I don't believe everything I read anymore).
The doctors and psych. people I'm talking to have NO idea about the intensity of side effects we're talking of...they are bad so I would strongly recommend looking at all the alternatives first. Good luck
Posted by Tracee on November 7, 2003, at 20:30:02
In reply to Re: Efexor XR - Long Term Withdrawal - Anyone Else?, posted by sallyjane on November 5, 2003, at 19:08:00
Hi all, I haven't posted for a while, because I haven't been doing so good.
I made the mistake of coming off effexor XR 225mg cold turkey. It was awful! I freaked out and my body couldn't handle it. I was a mess. I ended up taking 75mg every three days, until I stopped altogether. I did this over a two week period. Still came off too quick though; but I was aware of the consequences and decided to do it.
About two weeks later, I had my first panic attack in months.
My anxiety & social phobia were back! It seems that the med. worked in that area, even though it didn't help with my depression as much.
About a month later, my DR put me on Avanza because I was spiralling downwards, fast.
I took 15mg for two days , then stopped.I was sleeping for 16 hours and then still groggy for another two hours.
When I saw my counsellor a couple of days later, I told her what had happened and she rang a chemist for advice.
He said that the medication I take for my back(tramadol), mixed with the Avanza and caused me to mini overdose.
By this time I was suffering from constant suicidal ideation, and was pretty flat all round.
My counsellor walked me up to the emergency room of our local hospital, where I was given the choice of staying voluntarily or ending up scheduled and in the psych. ward of our city hospital.
I chose to stay, although unwillingly. The doctor changed my back medication and put me on Zoloft. Also, she has put me on an anti psychotic Zyprexa, while I am getting settled on the Zoloft.
I am currently up to 150mg every morning, and so far so good.
My advice to anyone thinking of playing about with your meds, even if you think you know what you're doing just isn't worth it.
I had to stay in hospital away from my family, which upset my 2 yr old and 5 yr old very much.
I finally get my first psych. appointment on the 13th of this month.
Hoping to feel normal again soon. :)
Thanks for listening to me ramble on. I find it helps to share with others who understand.
Posted by ceecee on November 9, 2003, at 17:40:56
In reply to Re: Efexor XR - Long Term Withdrawal - Anyone Else?, posted by Tracee on November 7, 2003, at 20:30:02
wow!
it really helped me finding this page!!
i was on efexor for almost two years, last on 275mg/d.
it helped me a lot through tough times but times got more tough about a month ago.
so i had to choose between increasing the efexor again (with more side-effects like sweating and obstipation) or changing to something else. i agreed to change and therefore started to reduce the efexor.
i think i don't need to explain what started happening: a nice mixture of all side-effects you've been describing in your mails....
and me - thought i was running mad - untill i found this page. thank you everybody!
before i red this i thought of going back to efexor rather than trying another drug with other risk...the devil you know is better than the angel you don't know...
therefore: can anyone tell me anything about
cipralex(escitalopram)???
(it's the drug i wanted to change to)
i'm a bit confused on what to do
Posted by cassie74 on November 9, 2003, at 21:29:22
In reply to Re: Efexor XR - Long Term Withdrawal - Anyone Else?, posted by ceecee on November 9, 2003, at 17:40:56
I'm currently on medication that is called Cipramil, so I'm not sure if that's the same drug (cipralex)that you mentioned. I'm REALLY fortunate that i happened to find this site only a couple of days after starting Effexor so I went to the doctor & had my medication changed straight away. I have had absolutely no problems with the Cipramil. The only thing i did notice that around the same time each afternoon i would start to yawn a lot, but that has stopped now & it was never really a problem anyway. I had much worse side-effects with the Effexor & Avanza. Anyway, so far so good. I'm feeling a lot better, but I still have my rough periods but I'm sure that it would be a lot worse if I wasn't taking the Cipramil. Hopefully this will be the one that will work for me. All the best!
Posted by ceecee on November 10, 2003, at 13:58:36
In reply to Re: Efexor XR - Long Term Withdrawal - Anyone Else?, posted by cassie74 on November 9, 2003, at 21:29:22
thanx for answering quick!
i've checked online-informations about it.
seems i have almost the same med like yours.
something that might be intresting for you:
Lundbeck, the CNS specialists, launched Cipralex as a follow up to their first SSRI Cipramil. Cipralex differs from Cipramil in that 'Escitalopram is the therapeutically active component of Citalopram [and is said to] significantly improve symptoms and quality of life.' The data from pooled studies suggests that Cipralex leads to a greater improvement in depression symptoms over Cipramil and these differences were more significant in those patients suffering from severe depression.
(this info is from google)anyway. it gives me hope that this could finally help without lots of side-effects (after a three-years-research through hope and disapointment-stages with different kind of products...)
Posted by cassie74 on November 10, 2003, at 15:09:03
In reply to Re: Efexor XR - Long Term Withdrawal - Anyone Else? » cassie74, posted by ceecee on November 10, 2003, at 13:58:36
Thanks for that info. I might ask my doctor about it & maybe change over. The Cipramil is working well & like I said, i have no side-effects at all, but the mood swings are still there although not as bad. I guess they can't work miracles though & I shouldn't rely totally on medication to try and fix that. I really do recommend it though as i have had a LOT of problems in the past with the side-effects from different tablets, but this one seems fine. :-)
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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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