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heatherc · 2005-03-18 08:14:57

Hello everyone,I am really feeling down today,I am on day number 13 of effexor withdrawl hell,I am nauseated,vomitting,my arm,legs and feet are numb,cannot hold anything and its very hard to type so fogive me for the misprints,I am wondering how long does this last,I cannot seem to handle much more anyone have any answers,I refused to go back on the drug and my dr told me well what do you want me to do,well for one tell me when i will feel good again..Please someone help me.

wyfarer · 2005-03-23 15:25:13

My brother took his life 2 1/2 weeks ago, age 42, and as I've been cleaning out his bedroom (he had been living at my parents place the past five years) and other belongings, I've been researching what he was taking in the way of medication (that's how I got here), he was also seeing a therapist. One of the drugs he was taking was Venlafaxine (Effexor) along with I think Prozac (I've got a bottle of that here too).

What I'm trying to figure out is when and for how long he was taking Effexor. He got off meds and quit seeing the therapist the beginning of this year. I talked to my mom today about this and she thinks he went cold turkey when getting off all meds; I was gone for a month overseas and to be honest, really didn't know what he was taking. I feel kind of bad that I wasn't more engaged in his drug therapy. We were tight and had a good relationship, but I just never really questioned him about this stuff; not that I didn't care, but thought enough of the rest of the family asked him about this stuff that he didn't need me asking too.

Since I've been researching Effexor and other stuff he was taking, I am even more sad for him and what he must have been going through. He was obviously trying, and with the pain of his mental illness coupled with all the meds and their respective side effects, I can only imagine the pain he was in. And although I can't feel the pain of you other posters, I'm trying to empathize with you all and what you are going through. I guess my rambling point is that I am trying to figure where he was at in his mental capacity i.e. when he got off the drug, etc. There are some other issues to his mental issues (gambling addiction), but am trying to figure out just what was going on with his medication(s).

Also, I know life can be tough, and I get down periodically myself, but if any of you are considering taking your life, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE reconsider; be honest, tell your loved ones of your problems and feelings. The pain I will feel for my brother is a life sentence; I feel I owe him that, my share of the pain that wasn't near what he was feeling I'm sure. Intellectually I can understand ending the pain my taking one's life, but my brother will never know the effect his taking his life will have on others. I will think about him everyday for the rest of my life. Although it may ease, I will continue to think "I could of, should of, would of done this or that" had he still been alive. Although I know some of you are in a lot of pain, collectively, the pain you will leave behind for others if you take your life will be immeasurable.

For heather: hang in there!!! Call someone if you need to!!!

heatherc · 2005-03-24 05:00:35

I am happy to report I am no longer having withdrawl symptoms by the mercy and love and compassion of GOD!!!!!! I thought I would die,but I pulled through and know that all of you can too! I was vomitting for 17 days straight,couldn't keep any food down,I think I lost about 10 pds,but hang in there,If anyone needs to talk,let me know I have been there!!!! But,I am living proof that you can get off of effexor..Love and peace Heather

heatherc · 2005-03-24 05:09:25

Hi,
I am soooo sorry about your brother,I also have been on prozac and well of course effexor,I tried to commit suicide while using both,thank GOD that I did not suceed! I just want to send my deepest sympathy,may GOD bless you and your family!!! Heather

pinkerbell · 2006-10-04 11:54:01

Hey all! I have been on Effexor Xr for 3 years. The scary thing to me is now that I am going off of it, (and having all the horrible "discontinuation symptoms" I read that the longest they tested the effexor xr was for 1 year! Also the higher dose you were on, and the longer you were on it, the harder it will be to get off of it.
Many people are actually becoming addicted and can't come off of it, not because they want to take it, but rather because the effects of not taking it are so bad, they choose to go back on it rather than deal with the effects!
Has anyone filed a law suit? Are there any class action law suits here? I want to prevent others from going through what I have!
I was never told what to expect with going off of it, but I don't blame my doctors, I blame the drug company! They are the ones who know all the horrible things this drug can do! My doctor prescribed this because I wanted a drug that would not interfere with my sex drive or my weight.
Please, if you know of any law/class action suits, let me know! I want to help other

peagee · 2006-11-24 04:11:06

WITHDRAWAL FROM SSRIs like Prozac etc and SNRIs like Effexor

Please see here as a guide to getting off them and minimising the withdrawal effects as much as possible.

http://www.ssri-uksupport.com/files/haltingSSRIs.pdf

PLEASE NOTE IT CAN BE MEDICALLY HAZARDOUS TO ABRUPTLY DISCONTINUE THESE DRUGS (ie, cold turkey or generally too fast).

In some people it can take MONTHS, sometimes a YEAR, to taper off safely. It has to be done to suit EACH INDIVIDUAL and his/her metabolism.

That guide is a general guide - for the average person - but the time scale needs to be adjusted to SUIT each person's metabolism.

The guide shows what are symptoms of withdrawal and how to distinguish them from symptoms of a "relapse" which they are often mistaken as.

PLEASE BE CAREFUL.

peagee · 2006-11-24 04:18:00

EFFEXOR has the shortest half life, followed closely by PAXIL, and so these drugs are most associated with withdrawal symptoms as they leave the body at record speed.

NO psych drug should be day on day off withdrawal, particularly the ones with a short half life.

However long it takes to come off, it should be done that way - suicides in withdrawal akathisia and psychosis are a REAL RISK for people most sensitive to withdrawal.

If there isn't a liquid version of a drug to help accurately reduce by tiny amounts, then a pill cutter for the earlier easy-to-drop doses, then a razor blade for smaller cuts and then in the final reductions, and the lowest doses can be the hardest to come off, a METAL NAIL FILE to reduce over as must time as necessary by filing off the tiniest amount at a time has been used successfully by many.

Too many lives have been lost in withdrawal, please take as much time as necessary and a lot of care.

peagee · 2006-11-24 04:22:09

TO CLARIFY - NEVER go one day on, one day off.

Reduce evenly staying at a reduced dose until stable, then reduce again.

If a reduction causes a lot of withdrawal effects, go back up to the last level you were on, stay on that for a while stabilise again, then reduce by LESS of a drop than you did when it caused trouble.

If you're on a liquid version of the drug then get a GOOD QUALITY syringe (one with markings for small reductions) so that you can accurately reduce by tiny amounts when necessary.

peagee · 2006-11-24 04:26:57

Wyfarer, I am so sorry.

It seems from the date of your message, and that he lost his life nearly 3 weeks earlier and had come of them then at most two months earlier, that it may very well have been withdrawal suicidality.

I am really sorry.

GlamorGirl1 · 2007-01-10 23:57:07

I am 18 and I've been on Effexor since a week before I turned 18 and I turn 19 on March 14th 2007. I didn't think I needed to be on this pill but my mother thought otherwise. She said I was angry all the time but I think Parents just don't get teens. So now I have expierenced skipping the pills by accident and having terrible symptoms. Now I'm off of the for good and not by choice but its cause I can't afford to buy them now and my mom thinks im crazy to think im addicted to this antidepressent. Well Its been 3 days now since I had my last one and I am just waiting for the pain to show up. But I have noticed something in my symptoms that I haven't read from any of yalls post. For one thing my heart skips beats. Its so bad that I actually think its gonna totally stop. I have also noticed I dont have feelings for my soon to be husband. I push him away and dont want him touching me and thats not me cause I really love him and since Ive been on this pill I feel nothing for him at all and thats not a good thing. So im just trying to keep my mind on how I felt about him before i started this pill and he is trying to help me and he is hanging on the best he can. One thing is Before I started taking this pill I was Suicidle and now I'm scared that this withdrawal is gonna make that worse so im thinking about having my fiance to get my mom and dad to take the guns and stuff out of the house. Another thing I have noticed I will yell at my fiance for no reason at times. Even over a stupid dream that i had about him cheating on me and I yell at him for doing it and Ive never done that before. I just hope that the Withdrawals dont effect me as bad as i have read. Because if they do I dont know how much I can handle. I was put on these pills when I was 17 a week before i was 18 all because my mom thought i was too mean toward her and now im worse than what she claimed. I have a life ahead of me and i dont want to stop living it till i finish my dream of becoming a veterinarian. I havent even finished high school. Im on my last year and i have missed almost 2 weeks of school cause the symptoms. I dont know if ill ever get my diploma now. My doctor is such a ***** because everytime i tell her something about a pill she says well theres nothing else i can do for you BULL****!!!!!!! Im tired of hearing everyone say this. And Im tired of people say there is no such thing as going through a withdrawal from Effexor. Because there is and I am feeling it. I have also noticed i have gotten really weak! Lets just hope I can get through this safe and sound. I would really be glad if some of yall stayed in touch. Plz i need all the encouragement I can get. Thanks for listening.

Sincerly,
18 year old suffering!! email: MaryKay_Lena@msn.com

Plz email.

Last edited by GlamorGirl1 (2007-01-11 00:05:22)

mtngirldcm · 2007-02-21 07:21:01

First things first-our general practitioners SHOULD NOT be writing these prescriptions for us! But the drug Rep waltzes in to these offices every week and sings the praises of these meds. Granted, we may all suffer from generalized anxiety or some form of depression at some points in our lives.These symptoms, if truly interfering with our daily lives, should be evaluated by a psychiatrist. These are the physicians who can root out any physiological connection to what our brains are doing. I really don't feel that our GP's are trying to be neglectful in their duty to us. This is just not what their area of expertise falls in. The diagnosis and treatment of mental illness is a muddied pond, to say the least.Not the least of which, many of us don't want to participate in our own treatment.It WOULD be great if there was a pill to make it all better, for EVERYONE. But there isn't. I took low dose Prozac/Xanax a number of years ago, to get through what was a very rough post-partum. I wrote the letters to my kids and everything.I was ready-almost.The drugs, along with some counseling and martial arts pulled me through.I started to have an interest in MY life, again.Fast forward,2003. Insomniac extreme. Granted, we had a lot of transition and some challenges we were going through.I had an occasional anxiety attack.These were familiar, though, and not devastating. The GP's I saw here were useless. Most of the doctors I saw were pretty useless. Found great cardiolgist, great ob/gyn. Was desperate for sleep so one prescribed ambien, one-rozerem--at different times. Not much help at all. Find a GP who prescribes xanax, effexor, ambiencr. Felt like crap on effexor-so he doubles the dose and takes away the xanax.The xanax was the one thing that DID make me feel better.But not once during our tx, was a recommendation made to see a psych. Just keep changing meds-getting MUCH worse. Thought I was really losing my mind-felt like some weird hypochondriac. SSOO SSIICCKK!!Found webpages relating others stories of this med (effexor)OMIGOD!When I told my cardio- he was dumbfounded, wanted me off ASAP-though an impossibility b/c of the withdrawal-that was even worse than the med itself-culminated in my not sleeping -literally-for 5 days. Approx 6pm on day five of 79 mg/day i had horrible seizure-in front of the family on pizza/movie nite-cracked my head on the kitchen counter and remained unconcious for a half hour.My husband and little boys truly thought I had died. Very low bp, whisp of a pulse. Was turned to side and eventually choked/gagged awake (kinda).Put my fingernails through the flesh of my hands and had to have staples in my head.Meanwhile, doctors grasping at sttraws, trying to find something I , myself may have dome to bring on this seizure.Finally, after meeting with my neurologist, he said, very matter of factly, that these drugs HAVE been known to cause seizure activity, and if combined with other (certain) medications can cause seratonin syndrome.But they don't have to be.
Be very mindful of the questions your GP asks.I was going in for the insomnia and it was assumed the insomnia was related to my anxiety and this was possibly caused by a generalized depression/anxiety disorder.If a GP is putting phrases like that at you, it's time to bring in the psyches. Don't be afraid of a second or even third opinion. Not all doctors and patients are a good fit. We owe it to ourselves. And if insurance is an issue, please try to find a clinical study group,support group, something.These drugs are very, very dangerous. Some do help some of the people some of the time, and that was their intent.But drug companies see dollars when they hear their GP's have patients with anxiety, etc. If you are making the step to get better, make it the right one.

worriedintampa · 2007-05-17 20:20:50

Hi, Kimberly here. I had a hysterectomy two days after my b-day in February of this year, I'm 36. I became really depressed and along with being put on Enjuvia 1.25 mg for my hormones, my regular doctor put me on Effexor xr starting at 37.5 for a week, then went up to 75mg then within another week 150mg. It's now May 18th. My insurance ran out and I am currently looking for a job now that I am physically well. However Monday I took my last effexor. Not having insurance, no job...I can't get it refilled. Wednesday night I started having horrible nightmares, my Fiance wakes me up to comfort me, or but as soon as I go back to sleep the nightmares start immediatly. I wake up gasping for air, or maybe the nightmare was so bad I wake up sounding like I am gasping for air...I don't know. Sometimes I wake up with extremly sharp pains in my head like a knife being pushed in my skull....I know this sounds crazy. Another thing is when I am awake, I feel like my body is like pulsating mainly in my head...and I cry and feel lkike I want to just hit something...all I want to do is stop the craziness...but I don't know how to get anymore effexor or if I should.but this sh*t is scaring me. I am an educated woman with a Securities License and have worked for MAJOR Financial Firms in the bay area...so I'm not NUTS.....I am just starting to feel like I am heading that direction.... I have two teenage kids, a daughter 15 and son 13...two sweet great regular teenage kids...they just love to aggravate mom ya know...and I usually give it right back to them. My Fiance and I and the kids love to see who can get who last and the best...just being silly...However since Wedneday my son said he's afraid to say anything to me cuz I scream in a rage at him.....PEOPLE THIS IS NOT ME....our family play and tease and have fun...but what would normally make me a little irritated and I would just get them back better and then we would all laugh. That's not happening right now. It scares me. The tone of voice that came out of me when I yelled at my son "JUST STOP IT THATS ENOUGH NOW I MEANT IT"....oh my word you would have thought the girl from exorcist walked in the room, and I'm not catholic!!! I'm not making light of it, just want to paint the picture for you. I had to go take a walk, I could not believe I just yelled at my son for something we do all the time..play, aggravate and have fun...thats us..until Wednesday. I need to know cuz ok, now I'm crying, I am really scared, I need to know this rage, these nightmares I am having, do I need to go stay with my mom and dad till I can get this withdrawal or figure out how to get the drugs?? I feel like an addict trying to find her fix so the pain, nightmares and rage will go away. THIS SUCKS!!!!!!!!! I really don't know what to...I am scared, my fiance thinks I should see a thrapist, but I have been fine until I took my last effexor..... Any Advise..I'm afraid to go to bed, John, my fiance is asleep already...then I get in there and THE NIGHTMARES START and the screaming and crying and gasping...this is just too much. SO ANY HELP< ADVICE.....should I send my kids to my parents till we know what we are dealing with with these withdrawals? I just don;t want to hurt my kids or anyone....I have heard that some drugs can make people do horrible things like hurt people and I think I am going to send my kids to their grandparents for a nice weekend. Maybe I can figure something out till then.

I'm going to try and stay awake tonight...I hope someone has some advice

Aconite · 2008-06-23 07:07:35

I have been off Effexor completely for almost five months. I'm still having withdrawal symptoms. My main problem is that my brain seems to have almost stopped working. I cannot think, concentrate, I have trouble forming coherent sentences, I have trouble comprehending things I use to have no problem understanding, I can't write stories like I use to... It seems like I have brain damage or something. I haven't found any doctor that knows what is going on. Is this permanent? I have heard of other people that felt like their I.Q. dropped too after going off this med. And I did taper. I cannot live this way. I cannot live with being a complete idiot. Does anybody know anything about Effexor causing brain damage, and if it is reversible? Thanks.

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#26 2005-03-18 08:14:57

Re: Effexor Withdrawal

#27 2005-03-23 15:25:13

Re: Effexor Withdrawal

#28 2005-03-24 05:00:35

Re: Effexor Withdrawal

#29 2005-03-24 05:09:25

Re: Effexor Withdrawal

#30 2006-10-04 11:54:01

Re: Effexor Withdrawal

#31 2006-11-24 04:11:06

Re: Effexor Withdrawal

#32 2006-11-24 04:18:00

Re: Effexor Withdrawal

#33 2006-11-24 04:22:09

Re: Effexor Withdrawal

#34 2006-11-24 04:26:57

Re: Effexor Withdrawal

#35 2007-01-10 23:57:07

Re: Effexor Withdrawal

#36 2007-02-21 07:21:01

Re: Effexor Withdrawal

#37 2007-05-17 20:20:50

Re: Effexor Withdrawal

#38 2008-06-23 07:07:35

Re: Effexor Withdrawal

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