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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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Posted by jasonr on January 26, 2004, at 15:13:56
Well, I figured I would post how it is going for me... (getting off effexor-xr that is)
I was up to 300 mg a day. (150 at wake up, 150 at dinner) I am also taking same dose of wellbutrin-sr at the same times so ya'll can keep tabs.
My plan with the p-doc was as follows: Reduce dose of effexor by 75mg every week on tuesdays. So, tuesday nights or tuesday morning is when I reduce a dose.
so, wk: morn/eve
1:150/75
2:75/75
3:75/0
4:37.5/0Tommorow is week 4 tuesday. So let me tell you what I have been feeling...
Week 1:
Tuesday night - Bad dreams, not restful sleep at all.
Wednesday: Dizzy. All day. Hanging on to walls. Afraid to drive. Bad headache in the morning. 30 min after morning dose, headache gone. 1pm headache starts. 3pm headache really bad. 4 advil do nothing. I get some little zaps in my head.. wierd! Feel like skin is crawling. Some times the floor looks like it is tilting upward or downward. Headache and dizziness get much worse until 30min after 6pm dose. Then things get back to "normal". Sleep sucks. I now know that my clock actually counts the hours while I am sleeping, cause I saw them. (I got 1hr naps all night)
Thursday: Same as wednesday, but headaches worse.
Friday: Same, headaches worse.
Saturday: returning to "effexor normal", that is withdrawal effects calming.
Sunday/monday: withdrawal effects pretty much gone. Occasional dizziness - not preventing driving though.Week 2: Same as week 1 for the most part. Dreams are much more vivid and much worse. I am having flash backs of all the crap I did not like in high school (bullies, bad exams, etc). Wed night while I was sleeping I almost punched a hole in the drywall due to a bad dream. (I am just glad I was facing away from my wife!!)
Week 3: Same thing, dreams worse.
Other notes: While on full dose, suicidal thoughts were few and far between. The further off effexor I get, the more the thoughts come on. Not good. P-doc warned me about it. I warned wife abotu it. We are keeping it in check.
Good notes: I am getting some energy back. I get occasional good moods. My sense of humor is returning a little bit.
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Things my p-doc suggested that I did not need to do:She said that if my withdrawal sideeffects were too bad, to get off the drug slower. Either taking reductions every 7-10 days, smaller reduction steps (37.5mg), or both.
She also went through a ton of literature with me about SSRI discontinuation syndrome, official effexor withdrawal reports, and some unofficial reported things that can happen (like listed here).
Now, my withdrawal has not been smooth sailing, and I could have tapered slower, but I need to get this depression thing fixed. I am getting off to try a tri-cyclic, so I am toughing out these withdrawal problems (which are not as bad as some I have read about).
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I should add that effexor did help somewhat in the beginning at keeping things from getting worse, but it has not been successful in getting me undepressed.No sexual side effects for me aside from inability to orgasm for 4wks after increase in dose.
I will post how it goes as I work the rest of the way off this stuff.
-jason
(this was initially a reply somewhere else, i meant to put it here!)
This is the end of the thread.
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