Zaps make me crave yogurt.
06.02.04 (12:05 pm) [edit]
Why do they just come and go like this? Why can't they be more predictable?
Why do brainzaps make me crave yogurt?
Why do brainzaps make me crave yogurt?
posted by: newbie (reply)
post date: 06.02.04 (9:39 am)
I went through hell with Effexor withdrawal, took a week out of work, thought it would never end, BUT IT DID. I feel well now, although the brain zaps do return if I abuse my body with sickness or drugs. It took about two months to be totally gone. My doc never believed it either although he did give me a few ativan to shut me up. He also gave me Neuronton which is a drug used for cerebral palsy I believe - I didn't take that one. Good luck!
posted by: myhairhurts (reply)
post date: 06.02.04 (3:59 pm)
OK, it's day 5 and I still feel like I just got off a tilt-a-whirl. This absolutely sucks!!! Thank God it's not emotional or psychological and just physical. wait, what am I saying? I'm MAD AS HELL!!! I have found that activity of ANY kind relieves the zaps, burps, farts and overall out of body experience this w/d is causing. I would love to hear from someone who has been off it for at least a month or 2. Has anyone else felt like your abdomen is getting bigger and harder? I still have not had more than 2 consecutive hours of sleep in 5 days. This is so wrong.
posted by: Toad (reply)
post date: 06.03.04 (8:42 am)
it's a wicked drug i never want to go through that shit again i'm still on it but missed 2 days of my does felt horrible~
posted by: newbie (reply)
post date: 06.03.04 (5:39 pm)
Catalog of noises from Effexor withdrawal: 1: Door slam (usually in the middle of the night - phantom door slams); 2: File drop (the sounds that would occur if you have a stack of files and dropped them on the floor, with their landing flush from about a 3 foot drop; 3) the Swoosh. One of my favorites - frequent occurrence, almost certain with the turn of the head; 4) the crunch - another awake-time fun thing, a crunch which usually occurs in symphony with the swoosh; 5) poop-poop, 24-hour random brain farts. Well anyway, yes, taper off. As quickly as possible, but understand that TAPER you must. Drink water, vegetable juice. When you are down low enough, you will need to just gut it out, terminate Effexor altogether, and the side effects will pass. An occasional 3.75 mg of clorazepate might help with some of the noise and anxiety. Once you taper, if you don't just go cold turkey, you will keep feeding the side effects.
posted by: brainzaps (reply)
post date: 06.04.04 (7:20 am)
hey, myhairhurts - keep hanging in there. it's been a week since my last dose, and it's starting to get a lot better. more later about that on the blog, but just wanted to say hi and drop some words of encouragement. have you been able to talk to your doctor?
posted by: Beth (reply)
post date: 06.04.04 (1:18 pm)
Reply to: myhairhurts
I went off the end of March, beginning of April. It does go away. I had a hard time with my weight (which is why I stopped taking it all together) I had gained 25 lbs or so. I am down about 13-15 now with just eating a low carb diet. My stomach does feel hard and large still. I just assume it is from gaining weight though. I hope you can come out soon and are over the worst of this situation.
Good Luck, Beth
posted by: newbie (reply)
post date: 06.05.04 (5:03 pm)
Reply to: Beth
My dr. gave me 1 10 mg. capsule of prozac to get through the w/d. To say that I was reluctant was an obvious understatement. I took it and do feel a tad better but kind of upset that that's what it took. The zaps and vertigo are still there and come to think of it I did put on about 15-20 lbs. since I started. Thanks so much for the encouragement and I will report back until these @#%&* side effects are gone.
posted by: myhairhurts (reply)
post date: 06.05.04 (7:12 pm)
Reply to: newbie
The last response was me and not newbie...sorry for not id-ing myself
posted by: BrianKBurton (reply)
post date: 12.25.04 (4:09 am)
**EVERYONE, PLEASE READ**
I have been on Effexor for about 2 months (175 mg/day). I left home for about 3 days for the holiday and forgot to take my medication. After the first dose I missed, I began to feel "the zaps". Each hour that went by, the became worse and worse. I contacted my physician and he DID acknowledge that people were feeling this way sometimes as soon as 4 hours of missing dose. I have read about side effects of this drug and have yet to see anything similiar to "zaps" listed as one of the withdrawl symptoms. My concern is twofold: 1.Why aren't we being made aware of the side effect? and 2. Why is a drug, that is apparently causing such an addiction, being marketed without such disclaimers? I can only believe, based on the many posts here, that the pharmaceutical company MUST know about this problem, and failed to mention it. I believe this is neglectful and they have created an addicitive money-making drug that people are in position to hardly live without. I have seen a couple of posts regarding legal action. I am here to tell you that I WILL seek counsel and I WILL look to forming a class-action law suit against the manufacturer of this drug. I do plan to share some of the posts with the attorney I find, but am asking that you please email your stories to the following address with you contact information. This is not a time to be bashful, embarrased, or shy. We need to all be forthcoming with our problems with this drug and contact information even it's only a valid email address where a law firm can contact you to get a deposition. Let's say that we've had enough of a pharmaceutical company "raping" our wallets and putting us all through what is undeniably physical and mental abuse! I appreciate your help in this effort. Please email your story, name, city, and state, and at a minimum a valid email address so I can provide it for purposes of the collection of information. I will not post any information that is emailed, nor will I share it with anyone except the attorney I find to help us all. Please DO NOT post any specific information as to your diagnosis or reasons you have been prescribed this medication. I do not find it necessary for you to share your most intimate of medical history with me. You can do that later with an attorney under the proper legal release and protection provided by a lawyer. I am simply looking for consistent data from people who take this medication and have experienced withdrawl symptoms that have not been published by the manufacturer. Please email information to : effexorcomplaints@yahoo.com.
Again, I appreciate everyone's honesty. Sincerely, Brian K. Burton, Durham, NC 27713
posted by: stobor (reply)
post date: 01.10.05 (7:02 am)
Take a look at the online petition for effexor, if you haven't already:
http://www.petitiononline.com/effexor/petition.html
posted by: help... (reply)
post date: 02.21.05 (11:10 pm)
I tried to taper off my 150mg effexor dosage to 75, then to 37.5, but ran out of pills. It's been 2 days, and I feel like my skin is peeling off of my body, my head is cloudy and as I read through the other blogs, zapping/throbbing. I can't sleep, have nightmares or constant racing thoughts when I do, and then can't wake up, like I'm coming out of a coma. I'm scared of how addicted my body is to this drug, and how it may be or have affected me. And yes, the heartburn and gas, mann. What's up w/that?? I don't work, but need to have energy to take care of my kids who are little, and I'm so irritable. I hate feeling this way. And, I've gained a lot of weight as well. Seemed like I was waiting to finally feel good enough to get on a work-out schedule, that the drug would help me have more energy, but in reality, all I wanted to do was sleep when I took it...
Any suggestions??
posted by: newbie (reply)
post date: 02.24.05 (9:54 am)
wow. thank god for this blog. i have had a really horrible time with this stuff. my dr. had my on 300mg a day for almost two years. i have been weaning myself off of it at 37.5 mg increments for the past 6 months. each time i go down, i have felt these symptoms. i just took myself off of the last of it several days ago and this is one of the worst 'withdrawal' feelings that i have had. i can't concentrate, am moody/emotional, am forgetful, can't sleep well and just don't feel that great, in general. nevertheless, i am NOT going back on that stuff again. i have known several people that have been taken it and EVERYONE that i know has had a bad experience with it. stay away from effexor! and wean yourself off of it very slowly! most importantly-you are not losing it, we have all felt this way.
posted by: L (reply)
post date: 03.14.05 (12:21 pm)
Reply to: myhairhurts
Wow... on a day like today I'm so glad to see these posts in general b/c it's one of >>those<< days today in w/d when I feel like I'm losing my mind and just little things like hearing that someone else's abdomen is getting bigger and harder may seem like nothing to an outsider to this, but to me it's this little burst of sunshine that helps me know that I'm not just nuts! As I sit here bawling my eyes out I'm just thankful to not be alone in this all. Thank you to everyone who posts here... you've been helping me survive days like today...
posted by: newbie (reply)
post date: 03.15.05 (3:08 pm)
Reply to: L
Thank you so much for your entries! I took myself off Effexor and am so thankful that I did. My doctor wanted to double my dose to 150mg to help me lose weight. I said no way and even decided to get off it. I originally went on it for migraines. I weaned down slowly and this past Friday was my last small dose. Ever since I have felt dizzy, nausea, tired, and just plain nasty. I have been on it for 5 years. Thanks for giving me hope that I will begin to feel better.
posted by: MELINDA (reply)
post date: 03.27.06 (10:37 am)
I am weaning myself off of effexor the devils drug....with my doc's help of course. I hate this it is pure hell. I would just as soon kill myself as to have to go through all this pain. Thankfully I have a little boy to keep me going. Just please everyone out there please pray for me.