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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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Posted by dancingstar on December 9, 2004, at 23:57:52
In reply to withdrawals and pregnant, posted by mandilynn on December 9, 2004, at 14:49:31
I just checked my email, and I hear that there is a highly reputable firm interested in representing those of us that are miserable about our health being messed with because of this drug.
Please check in if you haven't at [email protected], but only if you are serious cause I don't have the energy to answer tons of curiosity mail.
Thanks,
Bebe
Posted by deon on December 10, 2004, at 8:18:00
In reply to withdrawals and pregnant, posted by mandilynn on December 9, 2004, at 14:49:31
I've been off the Effoxor for over a month now and my symptoms with the "BRAIN JOLTS" are next to none. These quakes will leave. Give it time girl. All will be ok in the near future. I have heard that some cases that the symptoms may stay longer but not nearly as bad as in the begining. You are making the right choice for you and that special little miracle to get off that poison. I feel so much better now. I still have some dream and quakes but my wife has toild me that I am back to the man she once new. Things will be much better. We are all with you on this. It's a tough battle, a battle that will win you the war!!
Good luck and keep us posted.
Have a Merry Christmas.-------------------------------------------------
> Ah, I think I'm going crazy. But it's nice to know I'm not alone. Not only am I experiencing withdrawals from effexor down from 150MG to 75MG for 4 days to 37.5MG for 4 days to nothing...I'm on my 2nd day effexor free, but I'm also almost 6 weeks pregnant. Before finding this site I thought a lot of my symptoms were pregnancy related but now I see they could be from withdrawal as well. I knew the brain shivers and light headedness were from withdrawal because I've experienced them before from missing a dose. But I've also been have very vivid dreams, incredible night sweats, and trouble sleeping, all of witch I was blaming on the pregnancy. Now I see it could be from either. I'm glad to be getting off this drug, both for my baby's safety and mine, but these withdrawals are aful. Not to mention the other pregnancy symptoms I am having. The possible long term withdrawal effects are scaring me though. Has anyone had these brain shivers or any other symptom go on for long term? Is there anyone else going through pregnancy and withdrawals at the same time? Thanks for everyone's support. It's great to know I'm not completely falling apart.
Posted by jubilee on December 10, 2004, at 9:54:38
In reply to Re: withdrawl? Not sure, but I AM depressed again, posted by dancingstar on November 21, 2004, at 17:18:30
If I am still in my 12 year relationship before this is over I will be grateful . I am figity and have angry outbursts where I alomst beat mate up with the telaphone and kicked him out 3 times in one day this last week .. Thought I had a relationship problem but it was nothing. I tried to kill the dish TV people yesterday when my TV broke and explained it wasnt personal but have found myself sayying the lords name in vain for first time in 30 years. I am down to minute amounts 2 times a day and in a 2 weeks I am going on 8 days of prozak and no more effexor after since august 1st. I cant wait till this hell is over but the nausea stopped I I have moved to insanity now. God help you all and try to go as slow as possible so you survive it. I still suggest going off slowly yourself before they take the drug completely away from you and stay in control of how slow. Someone said 4 months and I got hope. It will be 6 months all together. Only peuked 4 times. Dr offered me a reorder of a bottle of zanex which had to be God and I am on alot prer day, but adavan is better and then go off it. That was originally suggested. Gods best to you all . Jubilee
Posted by dancingstar on December 10, 2004, at 13:48:59
In reply to Re: withdrawals and pregnant, posted by deon on December 10, 2004, at 8:18:00
Try to not worry toooo much if you get those brain things for a while. I kind of thought they were gone and was surprised when they reappeared last night, along with a blinding headache, and they have been with me most of this morning...along with the bathroom problem. Does this ever go away???? The brain shaking think is much more mild, but it is the sure giveaway that this has to do with Effexor and isn't something else.
The most annoying thing is that there isn't any real annecdote for the symptoms, besides Benadryl.
It must be so difficult for you being pregnant, but chances are good that your body will heal more quickly during pregnancy than it might at other times. You are being so wonderfully brave!
Bebe
Posted by tbone64 on December 16, 2004, at 19:29:40
In reply to Ever tried cold turkey?, posted by Camille Dumont on November 8, 2003, at 19:48:05
> You have no idea how much it scares me to read all the withdrawal stories about Effexor. I've been on it for about a year now and I dread the day I'll have to go off it.
>
> I remember when I was only on 75mg and I went cold turkey for 2 days and it was pure hell. Now I'm no 225 and I'm so very very afraid.
>
> I wonder wether its better to tamper it off and get less brutal side effects but over a long period of time or to take two weeks off, lock oneself in one's room, flush the pills and wait it out.
>
> Has anybody ever tried going cold turkey and succeded?I don't know if anyone has succeeded, but I am going to give it a hell of a try. I went two days (inadvertently) and thought I was going crazy! I then figured out my symptoms were from not taking my Effexor, and the symptoms went away after taking it again.
After learning all I could from the internet (the information pamphlet that came with the Effexor only stated not to suddenly discontinue the medication) I realized the severity of the symptoms that I could have from this withdrawl. I finally decided to take the whole bottle and flush it down the toilet. I know I am going to suffer for a while, but I have decided that I will not continue to poison my body with this crap.
I will have to find some other solution to my depression, but I will no longer take any of the short-acting SSRIs.
Good luck to all of you, my prayers are with you.
Posted by Jiggitykid on December 16, 2004, at 20:54:24
In reply to Re: Ever tried cold turkey?, posted by tbone64 on December 16, 2004, at 19:29:40
I DID IT!!! I cold-turkeyed it and made it. I felt just like you, one year ago now. I couldn't face going slowly - I did not want to draw out the agony. So, I stopped. That does NOT mean that it is the right thing for everyone. Withdrawal was hell, pure hell, but I did it and I'm glad I got it over quickly. It has been a year and I'm back to me. My marriage is now saved. My home is happier. Effexor was the problem, not the solution. If only I'd tried counseling, exercise, group therapy, etc., instead of going to the doctor for that pill.
Now, before anyone yells at me ;-), I'm not dogging antidepressants. At one period in my life, prozac and zoloft saved my life. Truly saved it. But, I was given information about those drugs. I was not given ANY information about the side effects and the hellacious withdrawal for Effexor.
Take care of yourself. Don't drive at night. Take benedryl for the brain zaps. Avoid loud, bright areas for a while, because you'll be on sensory overload for some time. If sleeping scares you like it did me (because of the nightmares that were more like hallucinations), sleep with the lamp on. That will help with re-orientation. Pain killers, used with caution, can help. Don't make ANY major or important decisions until your emotions are more stable. Give yourself a month before you do anything major with money or relationships.
Hang in there. You CAN do it. I did, and I'm better.
Posted by sillyme on December 16, 2004, at 21:03:15
In reply to Re: Ever tried cold turkey? » tbone64, posted by Jiggitykid on December 16, 2004, at 20:54:24
That's good advice. Sensory overload is right! I gave up with the withdrawal because it hadn't gotten better and I had to study/take exams. After tomorrow, and my last exam, it's back to no Effexor. I've been taking about 1/4 of the balls in my 37.5 mg XR capsule (I throw the rest out and put the capsule back together) every 48 hours. It isn't much, but it's enough to keep me sane and able to study. By the time winter break is over I ought to be over the worst of the withdrawal.
Again, good advice about not making any decisions or anything while you're in withdrawal. Also avoid sensory overload, take tylenol for headaches, sleep a lot. I think people should be educated about Effexor before going on it. It wasn't the first SSRI I took, but I still think there were other, better options available.
Posted by ht on December 26, 2004, at 2:47:54
In reply to Re: Ever tried cold turkey?, posted by sillyme on December 16, 2004, at 21:03:15
Yes, inadvertently, after being on effexor for over two years, my prescription ran out without a refill. My Doctor didn't let me know about the withdrawal! I have had no side effects from the drug, but the ringing and popping, the dizziness, sweats, the fatigue and sleeplessness, among other things (as well as just having had a wisdom tooth cut out) are making for a miserable Christmas time. I thought all of the symptoms was related to an infection from the surgery, but now I see it's not. It's been four days and I just took two of my wife's 75mg caps from an old script she didn't finish (I think mine were 150mg), if anyone knows of any other relief, HELP!
Posted by dancingstar on December 26, 2004, at 11:37:11
In reply to Re: Ever tried cold turkey? » sillyme, posted by ht on December 26, 2004, at 2:47:54
I quit 150 mg just over three months ago, and I am just now returning to normal. I think you should opt for a tapered dose, or some doctors like to add Prozac in to make you "feel" better, something about it being a longer-acting drug and not being difficult to stop taking later.
Barring those options, Benadryl or something similar might be your best bet for relief with the addition of SAMe and St. John's Wort, perhaps, and possibly L-tryptophan, but I don't take it cause I didn't react well to L-tryptophan. Most people recover in a week to a month, but I didn't. Every time I thought it was over, I got sick again. Nausea, vomiting, colitis, brain shivers -- still get this and the paresthesia, uticaria, migraines, massive pain everywhere so that I could barely move, sweating, freezing, fever, extreme anxiety, panic attacks, inability to be around people even if you are normally really social...any and all of those are probably withdrawal symptoms.
It's been three months, and for the first time yesterday I went rollerblading at the beach...want to go again this morning. I'm beginning to feel like myself again. It was one rough road!!! You will have to take extremely good care of yourself and ask your wife for infinite patience as you will be mighty difficult to live with...most say this is so. If you are going to go cold turkey, tell her you love her now, tell her nothing, absolutely nothing will change this no matter what you say or do...or don't do.
I'm putting together a class action against Wyeth for not letting people like me know how horrible this was going to be and also for not letting us know about the possible side effects of Effexor/XR. If after you are done you find yourself interested in joining our group, you are welcome to drop me a line :-).
Best of luck to you!!! Happy New Year!!!!!!!
Posted by Wanda C on December 26, 2004, at 14:37:35
In reply to Re: Ever tried cold turkey? » sillyme, posted by ht on December 26, 2004, at 2:47:54
If you can get to your pharmacy and let that pharmacist see you and the withdrwls you are going through, they will probably give you enough until your prescription goes through. Make sure you bring in your empty bottle also, they will put the pills in that. Your doctor may not have known about the severity of our withdrawls so that is probably why thay didn't tell you. Unfortunately, I have gone through the same thing you are going through right now when might meds would run out and the insurance would screw everything up. I would end up going without meds for four days to two weeks at a time. Talk about a roller coaster. Then I got a new insurance company and a better pharmacy. Good luck to you and keep in touch with all of us at this web site so we can be there for one another. Quick question before I go, How are your dreams? gorry? descriptive? scary? make you sad or mad the next day? I ask because when my meds get messed up, I have all the listed above descriptions in my dreams and I want to know if it may be related to effexor. Again good luck and have a Happy New Year!
From
Wanda
Posted by dancingstar on December 26, 2004, at 14:54:16
In reply to Re: Ever tried cold turkey? » ht, posted by Wanda C on December 26, 2004, at 14:37:35
That might be a good idea, Wanda. When I stopped, my pharmacist gave me two pills to get through the weekend, just in case I got in trouble when after three days he saw that I looked like a decomposing heroin addict. I didn't want to take them, though, because I figured it would all be over within a week or so and I thought it was all nearly over and didn't want to have to go through the pain all over again. Besides I knew I had an appointment with my doctor by the sixth day of withdrawal and that he would surely make it all better...boy was I wrong.
About the dreams, I think that if you can sleep through the beginning stages of withdrawal, you are very lucky. Funny, besides the brain zaps and things like the room moving in stages when I turned my head and the insanity brought about by the severe physical pain, I didn't have any other purely mental experiences. I couldn't sleep because I was dizzy, had headaches, was shaking all night long, was throwing up and couldn't leave the bathroom; so there were no bad dreams, good dreams, or any dreams that were left in my memory banks by the time I caught a few winks
:-)....glad it's over....
Posted by Larry Hoover on December 26, 2004, at 15:39:09
In reply to Re: Ever tried cold turkey? » sillyme, posted by ht on December 26, 2004, at 2:47:54
Ya, it's pretty good in a sandwich with mayonnaise.
Sorry. Couldn't resist.
Lar
Posted by Jiggitykid on December 26, 2004, at 16:38:29
In reply to Re: Ever tried cold turkey? » ht, posted by Wanda C on December 26, 2004, at 14:37:35
The dreams are part of the withdrawal. Many folks have posted here that they are afraid to go to sleep, because the dreams are so horrifying and real.
Posted by ht on December 26, 2004, at 16:43:53
In reply to Re: Ever tried cold turkey? » ht, posted by Wanda C on December 26, 2004, at 14:37:35
The dreams were "wierd", being lost, strange situations, etc. All left me waking with heart palpatations and sweats. Taking the two 75's last night seems to have cleared up the WD symtoms, and to tell you the truth, I would rather stay on the stuff than go through this total disfunctionality. The Pharmaceutical companies get the MD's to get us hooked on these things and reap the profits there of, legal pushers!
Posted by dancingstar on December 26, 2004, at 17:03:25
In reply to Re: Ever tried cold turkey?, posted by ht on December 26, 2004, at 16:43:53
I'm as tough as they come on the medical community...but after seeing my own internist's reaction, with they way he thought he knew what to expect with my withdrawal, thinking that he has read up on Effexor and what it does and not realizing how many others of us were out there with really bad reactions until I personally showed him all the data;
Since I had been treating with him for all of the problems that have now subsided since I stopped taking Effexor for two years and neither of us could have known this because the info has been withheld from both patients and doctors to a great degree, I can't blame all the doctors for thinking that Effexor isn't that bad especially since more and more of them are prescribing it all the time.
Even though I loathe the doctor that put me on Effexor originally as he did some really, really bad things to me, I think that Wyeth needs to take full responsibility for causing so much harm to so many people. They've been leading all of us down the garden path. From what I can gather, so much information is being withheld from doctors that it's hard to blame them for what they don't find out until their patients begin to show up with these bizarre and unexpected symptoms, which I think is just starting to happen. (It's my opinion that sales of Effexor have increased significantly in the last three or so years, but I haven't verified this in any way.)
If anyone ever reads this that has ever worked for Wyeth or that has access to the informaton that I need to help prove my assumptions beyond a reasonable doubt and would consider helping me with or without disclosing your personal information, I will do whatever you need me to in order to assure your anonymity. I could sure use some "accurate" inside data and stats to test the validity of my theories.
Thanks,
Bebe - [email protected]
Posted by ht on December 26, 2004, at 17:31:48
In reply to Re: Ever tried cold turkey? » ht, posted by dancingstar on December 26, 2004, at 17:03:25
I don't blame the Doctor, then the PA, then the Nurse Practioner (that's the progression of care I received) for Wyeth's activities. The Pharmaceutical Co.'s try to get as much mileage out of their product before it can go generic as possible.
My Doctor put me on effexor over two years ago when I was going through anxiety over career change and finances (I was pushing a heart attack from stress). I have been fine on the drug, no side effects, but if I have to go through weeks of WD like the sample I just suffered, that's addiction! My little "red" pills would be costing me $5 ea if my wife didn't have great insurance where she works, as is, I'm only paying $25 for a month's script.
And yes, by observation, effexor has become the med of choice by Doctors because of the "less prevalent" side effects. I beleive this was on the news recently.
My wife can't take antidepressants, they depress her even more.
Posted by dancingstar on December 26, 2004, at 17:49:56
In reply to Re: Ever tried cold turkey?, posted by ht on December 26, 2004, at 17:31:48
> I don't blame the Doctor, then the PA, then the Nurse Practioner (that's the progression of care I received) for Wyeth's activities. The Pharmaceutical Co.'s try to get as much mileage out of their product before it can go generic as possible.
>
> My Doctor put me on effexor over two years ago when I was going through anxiety over career change and finances (I was pushing a heart attack from stress). I have been fine on the drug, no side effects, but if I have to go through weeks of WD like the sample I just suffered, that's addiction! My little "red" pills would be costing me $5 ea if my wife didn't have great insurance where she works, as is, I'm only paying $25 for a month's script.
>
> And yes, by observation, effexor has become the med of choice by Doctors because of the "less prevalent" side effects. I beleive this was on the news recently.
>
> My wife can't take antidepressants, they depress her even more.
As for the "less prevalent" side effects, please go to www.wyeth.com and look under Effexor. It is important that you read about the side effects for yourself.I don't think that they list "weight gain," which seems to be a common side effect, but they do address fatigue and depression as well as all the rest; colitis, arthritis, pain, fatigue, liver and kidney problems, constipation, heart problems, cholesterol, high blood pressure, low blood pressure...well, you can read them for yourself. It's better that way as it's quite an extensive list :-)
Posted by Jiggitykid on December 26, 2004, at 23:08:48
In reply to Re: Ever tried cold turkey?, posted by ht on December 26, 2004, at 16:43:53
Do you feel "normal?" I felt dulled down, lethargic and disconnected while taking it. I can't tell you in strong enough terms that staying on it is a bad decision. You will need more and more, and the anxiety will build. Get off the stuff as soon as you can. The withdrawal symptoms DO stop. It takes a while, but it can be done. Hang in there!
> The dreams were "wierd", being lost, strange situations, etc. All left me waking with heart palpatations and sweats. Taking the two 75's last night seems to have cleared up the WD symtoms, and to tell you the truth, I would rather stay on the stuff than go through this total disfunctionality. The Pharmaceutical companies get the MD's to get us hooked on these things and reap the profits there of, legal pushers!
Posted by Jiggitykid on December 26, 2004, at 23:12:39
In reply to Re: Ever tried cold turkey?, posted by ht on December 26, 2004, at 17:31:48
I can't tell you how much it distresses me to read of people put on antidepressants for life changes. There are so many other avenues of coping, yet our society throws pills at us. Yes, there is a time and place for drug treatment, but the medical community is handing them out for anything now. It's a terrible, dangerous trend.
There is a better way to deal with life changes.
> I don't blame the Doctor, then the PA, then the Nurse Practioner (that's the progression of care I received) for Wyeth's activities. The Pharmaceutical Co.'s try to get as much mileage out of their product before it can go generic as possible.
>
> My Doctor put me on effexor over two years ago when I was going through anxiety over career change and finances (I was pushing a heart attack from stress). I have been fine on the drug, no side effects, but if I have to go through weeks of WD like the sample I just suffered, that's addiction! My little "red" pills would be costing me $5 ea if my wife didn't have great insurance where she works, as is, I'm only paying $25 for a month's script.
>
> And yes, by observation, effexor has become the med of choice by Doctors because of the "less prevalent" side effects. I beleive this was on the news recently.
>
> My wife can't take antidepressants, they depress her even more.
Posted by ht on December 27, 2004, at 8:01:49
In reply to Re: Ever tried cold turkey? » ht, posted by Jiggitykid on December 26, 2004, at 23:08:48
As I said, I saw no change in myself except the things that were causing me to be so anxious, I have been able to sit back and realize God will take care of it. It's been over two years and I haven't seen any need for larger doses.
I'm 50 yrs old and have never been "addicted" to anything (except maybe coffee, which I've been drinking since I was 4). I've got too much going on right now just making ends meet to be debillitated for an extended period of time going through WD.
And you are quite right, Physicians today would rather throw pills at symptoms than take care of the cause.
Posted by ChestersMom on December 29, 2004, at 11:59:20
In reply to Effexor withdrawal symptoms!, posted by Becky on October 2, 1999, at 22:03:30
I have been off Effexor for just over a week and I still have the terrible symptoms of the withdrawl. I took Effexor for 2 years, 75 mg/day. I also did the gradual withdrawl but still feeling lowsy. I hope this goes away soon. I don't think I have ever felt this bad. I hope you are doing better.
> I have been on Effexor for about one year and for the last month or so have been tapering down to get off completely. My doctor had me on 27.5 mg (about as low as one can go!). I have just finished one week on this low dosage and this is the third day off. I still have horrible withdrawal symptoms! Nausea! Body aches! Dizziness! Help! How long does it take?????
Posted by Jiggitykid on December 29, 2004, at 17:56:14
In reply to Re: Effexor withdrawal symptoms!, posted by ChestersMom on December 29, 2004, at 11:59:20
If you follow the path of most folks here, you have another week to "endure," but then you'll begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel. After about two more weeks, you'll begin to feel like yourself. It takes a while, and requires understanding of that on your part. I often have thought that the fact that I was one of the "early ones," here on this board, I was lucky in a way, because I didn't have any kind of idea about length of symptoms. I had to face it on a day-by-day basis, and I strongly recommend you face it that way, too. Give yourself LOTS of lattitude, understand that your temper is likely to be short, your emotions are significantly more fragile right now, and that you need to be careful about making major decisions for a while. Please help those around you to understand what is going on. If you haven't, send them here and let the peruse the archives to see what the reality of withdrawal from this drug is. Now, don't take this as a license to misbehave :-), but you will have to give yourself room.
I went cold-turkey. I've read here where folks have done the graduated step-down, and I've not seen any major difference in withdrawal, exept perhaps in severity of symptoms. Once it is out of your system, regardless of how few you take, you still have to ride the rollercoaster until it stops.
Please know that you (and anyone reading this who is going through the same thing) are in my prayers. For me, as a Christian, the strength that kept me hanging on was knowing that through it all, God was with me, He was loving me, and He was encouraging me to learn something from this. Now, I participate in this board to hopefully help folks who have just stepped off into the wilds of withdrawal. Please, take care of yourself. Please continue to check in here. Please go sign the petition at http://www.PetitionOnline.com/effexor/
Remember, there is a class action lawsuit in the works. [email protected] has all the info. Only email if you are seriously interested in joining. What can help now is if you write down everything you've experienced with effexor and the basic timeline. I'm not a litigious person. I don't jump into lawsuits at the drop of a hat. However, Wyeth knows about this, and needs to be held accountable in their lack of releasing information to the medical community and the consumers about the withdrawal effects of this medication.Hang in there!
> I have been off Effexor for just over a week and I still have the terrible symptoms of the withdrawl. I took Effexor for 2 years, 75 mg/day. I also did the gradual withdrawl but still feeling lowsy. I hope this goes away soon. I don't think I have ever felt this bad. I hope you are doing better.
>
> > I have been on Effexor for about one year and for the last month or so have been tapering down to get off completely. My doctor had me on 27.5 mg (about as low as one can go!). I have just finished one week on this low dosage and this is the third day off. I still have horrible withdrawal symptoms! Nausea! Body aches! Dizziness! Help! How long does it take?????
>
>
Posted by dancingstar on December 29, 2004, at 18:13:56
In reply to Re: Effexor withdrawal symptoms! » ChestersMom, posted by Jiggitykid on December 29, 2004, at 17:56:14
...what a perfect post!!! <<<applause>>>
Posted by justjamie on December 29, 2004, at 20:21:25
In reply to Re: Effexor withdrawal symptoms! » Jiggitykid, posted by dancingstar on December 29, 2004, at 18:13:56
Does anyone know anything about "zaps"? I went to my doctor today and described this electric shock feeling in my head that I get when I try going off my Effexor. She didn't know what I was talking about. Infact no one knows what I'm talking about. I thought I was going crazy until I found this web site.
Posted by Wanda C on December 29, 2004, at 21:30:17
In reply to Re: Effexor withdrawal symptoms!, posted by justjamie on December 29, 2004, at 20:21:25
I am glad you found this web site. It will answer a lot of your questions, I know it sure has helped me. As far as the "ZAPS" yes that is a very common withdraw symptom. Some people refer them to brain jolts, it's not the name that matter's though, it is making sure we are all there for each other. Read the threads from Bebe, she has a lot of information that will be very useful for you. I know I say this over and over and doctors probably don't like it, but Adavan is a good medicine to take if you are having really bad withdrawls and you need rest. I know just from experience, that was the only thing that saved me from HONESTLY killing myself. I have three kids, those kind of emotions and thoughts shouldn't even be going through my head, and it was all caused from effexor. I used the adavan to just help me sleep. They are very addictive so I only ask for five at a time, but you only need one maybe two on a bad day. It is just really nice to have them in there when you can't take another minute of the suffering. Good luck to you sweetie. We are all going through it on this thread of Dr. Bob's web site. So if you have anymore questions, I am sure one of us will write you right back.
Have a happy New Year!!
From,
Wanda
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