More about the project--
08.16.04 (12:23 pm) [edit]
To anyone who's reading this--please feel free to continue to post comments about your experiences with Effexor and/or discontinuing it, getting on and off meds, depression, etc. I hope this blog can continue to serve as a support and resource for that.
I also just wanted to clarify a bit about my project dealing with mental health issues, the internet, and communication. I'm looking for specific stories about people's experiences online in relation to mental health issues. These are some of the questions I'm thinking about:
What led you to look to the internet for support? Was it before or after you were "officially" diagnosed, or did you come looking for answers or explanations about the way you were feeling? Did you feel more comfortable talking about this stuff online than IRL (in real life?)? Did you find a specific community or website that you felt especially helped (or even confused or hurt) you, and what was that like? Did you develop relationships with specific people you might have found in online forums and discussion boards? Did these stay anonymous and online, or did they extend out into real life?
I'm not really looking for folks to answer this like a questionnaire or anything, they're just some questions to get anyone who wants to participate thinking on specific types of experience and issues. You can post a sentence or several paragraphs, anonymously or not. It's up to you.
If you decide to participate, thank you so much!
And if not, thanks for visiting, either way.
I also just wanted to clarify a bit about my project dealing with mental health issues, the internet, and communication. I'm looking for specific stories about people's experiences online in relation to mental health issues. These are some of the questions I'm thinking about:
What led you to look to the internet for support? Was it before or after you were "officially" diagnosed, or did you come looking for answers or explanations about the way you were feeling? Did you feel more comfortable talking about this stuff online than IRL (in real life?)? Did you find a specific community or website that you felt especially helped (or even confused or hurt) you, and what was that like? Did you develop relationships with specific people you might have found in online forums and discussion boards? Did these stay anonymous and online, or did they extend out into real life?
I'm not really looking for folks to answer this like a questionnaire or anything, they're just some questions to get anyone who wants to participate thinking on specific types of experience and issues. You can post a sentence or several paragraphs, anonymously or not. It's up to you.
If you decide to participate, thank you so much!
And if not, thanks for visiting, either way.
posted by: beentheredoneit (reply)
post date: 08.29.04 (8:42 pm)
i found your site - thank you so much - because i am accidentally ? experiencing the withdrawal. i've been on 300 mg effexor for over a year, on effexor in general for 2 years. I've recently moved, and since my health insurance and doctor issues are now different, figured I'd taper off. however, I sorta got lost in the tapering and for 36 hours have been nauseous, dizzy, crazy, and emotional... Well, guess I better start keeping track of how much I take every day - at this point, I am pretty sure I've been at least 3 days without any, after trying to take 150 every other day for several weeks.
I do want to say, for those "pissed off" because you didn't know you'd have physical withdrawal symptoms - read your medicine leaflets when you get prescribed a medicine. It's right there in black and white: don't go off cold turkey, there are withdrawal symptoms! I knew it, I just sorta forgot where I was in my tapering and didn't realize I had kinda messed up. Of course, now that I've read the blog and felt the symptoms, I'm scared as hell to even taper off!! Nausea sucks! In fact, for the record, when I first started taking it, I swore I'd never stop because it really really worked well for me and I never, never ever want to go to the depths of depression again. That was much, much worse than nausea and dizziness. Plus, knowing why I have these symptoms helps a lot - and all the good advice from you and from your posters will help me and others for a long long time! Anyway, thanks a lot for posting this site. I took 2 benadryl, had some soup and 2 glasses of water and took my effexor, and hopefully will get back on track.
Sometimes we just have anger and emotions and headaches and rage and such, and it isn't because of a medicine we take, it's because we are human and we have emotions and we have feelings and we have physical reactions. For "Beth" - having teenaged girls is enough reason to have a couple of bad days!! For those who are wondering whether taking effexor for depression is worth the withdrawal - yes, it is if it works for your depression, anxiety and panic attacks. It did for me. I'd keep taking it forever, except now I don't have as good health insurance coverage and don't want to spend the bucks!
In answer to your questions, I pretty much am an internet addict, and come to the internet for answers to everything! After feeling icky all day, it suddenly occured to me that i had goofed up my meds taking, so i googled it to see. Yep, all the symptoms. Of course, my first reaction was to cry hysterically for about 30 minutes - hmmmmmmmm! I feel much better now, and now feel equipped to face the rest of the week. I think my strategy at this point will start with keeping a journal next to my meds to keep track of my tapering off. I went from 300 to 150 to 150 every other day with no symptoms I was aware of, so hopefully setting and following a strategy will keep the withdrawal beast at bay!
about talking to your doctor: it's a great idea when you have a good doctor. I had other health issues before moving that convinced me to just figure it out on my own, since my confidence in my doctor was pretty much eroded away by the other experience. I guess first, have a good doctor in whom you have confidence!! Now that I'm so remotely rural that even finding a doctor within an hours drive is questionable, I'm pretty much on my own (earlier in the day I had hallucinations of leaving here, driving the 3 hours to the nearest metro area and staying overnight in a hotel so I could go to a doctor tomorrow - that has now passed.)
regarding your question about coming to the internet for support, my only other mental health support forum was actually a forum dealing with relationship issues (which pushed me over the edge originally). My experience in depression forums, etc., wasn't good - too many different paths to depression and back, and I didn't find any common ground there. Getting specific - discussing my specific relationship problem with folks who also had it, this specific website about Effexor withdrawal - is more helpful for me.
sorry for the long post, I must be feeling better. thanks again for sharing your experience with us.
posted by: bbchil (reply)
post date: 11.15.04 (5:03 pm)
I was prescribed effexor for depression and as a 'help for pre-menopausal symptoms', and I have thought for 2 years, "man, if this drug is helping, how bad would it be without it?" The hotflashes (powersurges) were never really relieved, though I tried to convince myself they were worse before I got on the meds. I had been on Zoloft, Prozac, and had gained 25-plus pounds in the previous 2 years. None of that weight came off, though I didn't put on any more. Then recently, another air force doc told me to take birth control pills to ease the menopause symptoms (I'm only 42), and to stop taking the effexor. I told him I had weird headaches when I withdrew from it, so he said to go from 24 hours between doses to 36 for a week, then 48 for a week, then 72, etc. I would have felt better to just go postal. My husband then took my pills to the pharmacy (he works at the hospital), and he has put me on a 50-day taper, from 50mg (I had been taking 75mg and had tapered down to 50), so, from 50mg to zero over 50 days. He took out 1mg a day. I STILL HAVE THE BRAIN SHIVERS, but they aren't nearly as bad as when I was just stretching out time between doses. I'm SURE hoping these go away. I haven't had the severe nausea or vivid dreams I seen discussed, but it doesn't bother me that I only have ONE annoying side-effect rather than three or more! So, all this to say, I definitely agree with you that cold turkey is NOT the way to go! Do it as gradually as you possibly can.
posted by: BooCat (reply)
post date: 01.27.05 (11:09 am)
I have been taking 150mg of Effexor daily for over 2 years now. It literally turned my life around, a wonder drug of sorts. But now I am ready to start a family and do not want to be on this medication while pregnant. My doc. put me on a tapering schedule, 110.7 for 2 wks, 75mg for 2 wks, 35.7mg for 2 wks, then stop. Well, let me tell you, I thought I was going crazy!! I tried to call my doctor, but she did not call me back.I had no idea what was going on with me. After about 3 days, I went back to 75mg daily. I feel much better with the Effexor in my system, but I still want to stop completely. I'm so happy I found this web site because now I know I am not crazy. I feel much better knowing that I am not the only person experiencing withdrawal symptoms. I had vertigo, brain surges (Of course, I didn't know what those were until I found this site), nausa, headaches. I was also agitated, irritable and emotional. In short, I was miserable. But now that I know these symptoms are not a backslide to my former anxiety disorder, I am going to try again to wean myself from this medication. Knowing what I do now, I would never consider being on this medication and being pregnant. Thank you for this web site, it has given me the information and support I needed to discontinue effexor!!
posted by: newbie (reply)
post date: 02.06.05 (10:36 pm)
Hi--I'm glad you're here.--
Sounds like you've been having a hard time. Your blog is a great constructive idea. I'm online because I can be honest. I can interact with the world in a black & white method. I agree with your statement concerning fear of talking about this with friends, family, etc. This is far less complicated.
I quit cold turkey last weekend. Yes, I went through the "wanted to die thing." I knew it was the Effexor talking.
I started taking Effexor for PMS & perhaps to stop smoking. I felt 100 times worse on this drug! Even with the withdrawl symptoms, I feel like I have my life back.
Hope you're feeling 100% soon!
posted by: newbie (reply)
post date: 04.22.05 (6:18 pm)
Was only on Effexor caps 37.5 mg, and have been tapering for weeks, but still have felt SO ROTTEN could not trust myslef to go to work yesterday or do much driving. I feel that I have the worst jet lag, a sensation that things suddenly SNAP into focus with this odd achey feeling in my head. Will this last for weeks, days or months? It's been about a week. (PS, was on that low dose because was considered a possible relief for menopausal hot flashes, and now I have flashes again, too).
NW
posted by: no one (reply)
post date: 05.06.05 (11:55 am)
I was led to the internet because overall, the anecdotal information on a blog like this is much more than any GP out there knows. At times chat rooms have helped. I've experienced a lot of stigma over this and the anonymity helped me open up and tell what was really going on.
posted by: brainzaps (reply)
post date: 05.07.05 (8:00 pm)
Reply to: no one
thanks for your response! i'm glad this blog was helpful to you.