Brainzaps: A Journal of Effexor Withdrawal

Nothing more to report. Took vitamins last night again, no discontinuation symptoms today.

I DON'T take the vitamins, I'm a raging, nauseous, dizzy, sobbing lunatic.

My best personal recommendation as a non-medical professional, to curb Effexor withdrawal symptoms:

Take your vitamins!! I have a feeling that vitamin B complex and a good source of omega 3-6-9 fatty acids might be the best way to go. Ask your doctor first, of course.

I'd like to ask the Google gods where all those pesky Effexor ads went. I'm just curious.

tBLOG, the free blogging host/service that hosts Brainzaps, is partially supported through Google ads. So all the ads you see at the right of the page are from Google, via tBLOG. I don't have any control over what they advertise or who paid for them.

For awhile, probably because of the assumed content of this site, and because the word "Effexor" was indexed on it pretty frequently, nearly all the Google ads that appeared on this page were for Effexor and several shady online pharmacies that sold it.

But now, the ads are for totally different products and services--a lot less intrusive, I might add, which is nice--so I'm just wondering what's up. TALK TO ME, GOOGLE! WHAT ARE YOU THINKING? I LOVE YOU, YOU KNOW!

I had a particularly bad night last night, and I know it was related to the discontinuation--wild mood swings, a little dizziness, uncontrollable crying, rage--yeah, all that stuff that makes me fun to be around. I realized I hadn't taken my regular supplements the night before, and when I finally calmed down, I took them. Today has been OK.

I'm going to see what kind of research I can come up with; if I can find anything to validate the efficacy of vitamins/supplements to help minimize the effects of Effexor discontinuation or withdrawal symptoms. I don't know which one could be helping most, but I have a feeling it's the B-complex and the evening primrose oil, both of which have been shown to support nervous system function and protect the body against stress. Right?

Medical folks, where you at? Can anyone offer anything to help me substantiate my claims?

This info comes courtesy of my fellow tblogger and vigilant Effexor withdrawal supporter smokeycat...check out her blog, "In Her Own Write."

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I totally forgot about it until just now! I went down from 112mg to 75mg last night...and I feel OK. I didn't even remember that I'd taken a smaller dose until just now.

I almost chickened out...but I went through with decreasing the dose. Yay!

Today's link of the day is to an article by "The Kyle Davis:" Antidepressants and the People Who Take Them. Nondescript title and misspelling of "withdrawal" notwithstanding, this is a balanced, articulate, humorous article that begins with the author's own experiences with Effexor and moves toward a clear-eyed discussion of pharmaceutical companies' negligent policies on adequately alerting the public about the possible effects of withdrawal from such ADs as Paxil and Effexor.

Kyle posted this link as a comment on an earlier blog entry, but I can't for the life of me find his email address. So Kyle, dude, I'm hoping you don't mind that I feature your link here. Good article!

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So I'm at 112mg a day, about to go down to 75mg. I realized that I had my recent breakthrough withdrawal symptoms when I'd missed taking my vitamins and supplements for a couple of days--so could that be a factor? I've read one or two anecdotes online from people who said they took certain supplements while discontinuing and did not have withdrawal symptoms. So...dum-ta-da-dum...here are the vitamins and supplements I take every day, for the record:

Vitamin C, 500-1000mg

Selenium, 200mcg

Fish Oil capsules, 1 or 2 capsules of 1760mg

Calcium/magnesium/zinc supplement, can't remember dose

Vitamin B-50 complex, high potency, includes 400mcg of folic acid

Evening Primrose Oi, 500-1000 mg/day

I was also taking an antioxidant complex of vitamins A, D, and E for awhile--just need to get more.

Anyway, I've been more vigilant about taking these during the past few days, and haven't really had any withdrawal symptoms.

Hope all is well out there in Effexor withdrawal world.

This is really something you have to decide with your doctor. According to my therapist and psychiatrist, they have several other patients who have had NO problems getting off Effexor. Just remember to take everything you read online with a grain of salt, my blog included. People are more likely to be vocal and "ask for help" online when their experiences have been negative. Effexor and other ADs have been a lifesaver for many.

That said, you might talk to your doctor about ruling out other causes of depression before initiating treatment with medication. Have they done tests to screen for a thyroid disorder or another biochemical factor that could contribute to depression? Is your condition mild enough to benefit from more natural treatments, such as regular exercise and lifestyle changes?

Finally, you should also consider whether you've been sensitive to other meds or similar meds in the past, and also consider getting a second opinion from another competent physician. Again, everyone is different, don't assume you'll have the same experiences as others--but don't be afraid to be vigilant and vocal about your own health care and ask your health care provider any questions you have about a particular treatment. Don't forget to mention any other meds or supplements you might be taking, as well as bring up any other health conditions you might have, to help your doctor make the right diagnosis and prescribe the right medication.

Hope that helps.

Withdrawal effects are back after only three days at 112 mg. I want to cry. Actually, I did cry. I'm having trouble typing, I feel weak and dizzy and my lips and face feel kind of numb and weird.

I just took 14 little beads from a capsule, I don't want to go back up on my dose. I was doing so well, not feeling barely any effects.

This sucks. I guess it had to happen eventually.

Maybe I need to go eat something, I think that would help.

Oh wait--I just realized I had 2 cups of coffee this morning--I think that makes it worse. I need to follow my own advice. My hands and wrists feel wobbly and hard to control.

Hey y'all--in response to Colleen's request for clarification, and in case anyone else was wondering, titrate seems to basically be a medical term for slowly modifying the amount of your dose in small increments. Like if you're upping your dose a little at a time, you're titrating up. If you're decreasing your dose a little at a time, you're titrating down.

I am legit on getting off Effexor now--I have the blessing and guidance of my psychiatrist, who is awesome even if she is a little casual about prescribing medication. Since I've reached the insurance maximum for my pharmacy benefits and Effex is insanely expensive, she gave me some sample pills in the various dosages needed to go down slowly. I think I'll still end up taking out beads at the end, if I'm still feeling bad.

Here is the titration (see! I can use it in a sentence!) schedule she gave me:

Week 1: 75mg and 37.5mg daily
Week 2: 75mg
Week 3: 37.5mg
Week 4: 37.5mg every other day

As always, hang in there, fellow Effexor withdrawal sufferers, and good night.

I've been bumped to page 2 of search results for "effexor withdrawal." Darn.

In other news, today I took 7 little beads out of my capsule before taking it. I still feel OK.

I've been taking my vitamins and supplements and drinking WAY less coffee--mostly tea instead. I think that helps. Last time I took my dose late, I drank a bunch of coffee in the morning as usual, and it felt like my brain was peeling off of the roof of my skull--or something extremely uncomfortable like that.

I eat this at home a lot for breakfast or as a snack, and it occurred to me that it might be a good thing to eat if you're dealing with the nausea, upset stomach and general malaise of discontinuing a med like Effexor--as well as dealing with a mood disorder in general.

Ripe bananas can help soothe the stomach--some women eat them during pregnancy to ease morning sickness. Their potassium and magnesium content can help prevent and minimize aches, cramping, muscle pain, and fatigue. On top of that, they have all kinds of nutrients known to support good mood and nervous system function--including vitamin B6, B12, and tryptophan. Eating yogurt with acidophilus is said to promote the growth of friendly bacteria in your digestive tract and aid digestion. And flaxseed is one of the best sources of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which are essential for optimal brain function as well as other body systems.

Finally, this is cheap and way easy to throw together--cooking is the last thing you probably feel like doing in the throes of Effexor withdrawal.

1 ripe banana
1/2 cup plain yogurt
Honey to taste
Flaxmeal (ground flaxseeds)

Slice up the ripe banana into a small bowl. Put a few spoonfuls of the yogurt on top. If desired, toss on a spoonful of the ground flaxseed. Top with a swirl of honey. Voila! Super healthy, it tastes good (at least to me), and it might help soothe your tummy.

And I feel totally fine. Is this blog getting boring?

I finally followed my own advice and last night I got a ton of sleep--like almost 12 hours. (Which for me is a ton of sleep.) And today I went for a long walk and then went to the beach with some friends who are visiting. And I finally made an appointment with my psychiatrist for next week.

I think stuff like that really does help.

Take heed, Effexor withdrawal sufferers!!

(Gotta get in my search engine bait for the day.)

Some notes on antidepressant discontinuation symptoms from Dr. Bob's Psychopharmacology website:

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I've read that in order to reduce discontinuation effects even more, some people may have had some success tapering down even more gradually than the standard 37.5 interval by actually opening their Effexor capsule and removing incrementally larger amounts of the little "beads" inside the capsules each day. For example, day 1, remove one or two beads, and put capsule back together before taking; day 2, take out three or four beads; day 3, five or six beads, etc.

So I'm trying that--today I took out two beads. I'm sort of determined to do it this way even if my pdoc prescribes the 37.5mg capsules for tapering off, because I just finally broke down and put the ridiculous $179.00 for a regular month's prescription on my credit card (I'd been on the, uh, layaway plan--paying for only 4 or 5 pills at a time, since that's all I could afford), and now I have 60 150mg capsules. Apparently I met my yearly maximum on prescription drug coverage through my health insurance, so the days of reasonable $20 copays for meds se acabaron--they're over. Effexor has been such an expensive, inconvenient drug.

Anyway, today I felt OK for the most part--I felt a little headachy, woozy, and edgy for about an hour in the afternoon, but I went for a nice long walk and felt much better.

Tomorrow I'll take out three beads! (What's the right name for those things, anyway? Any pharmacists out there?)