I just wanted to document this experience...

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posted by: Spaz (reply)
post date: 02.10.04 (3:00 pm)

o.o This is actually sort of interesting...Like when someone keeps a diet diary. xD Only probably more effective. o.o;

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posted by: brainzaps (reply)
post date: 02.10.04 (3:58 pm)

hi spaz...yeah, i am hoping other effexor withdraw-ers flock to the site and we can help each other. hope you come back...even if you're not taking this sucky drug.

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posted by: SusanofPudlin (reply)
post date: 02.11.04 (2:10 pm)

Best to you in your journey. I did the prescription drug withdrawal two step. I know the brainzap all too intimately. I have now been off for about a year. To be sure, I had little choice from an economic standpoint. But I do believe that I am better without them.

Best to you....

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posted by: Smokeycat (reply)
post date: 02.12.04 (2:41 pm)

Hey brainzaps:

Know how you feel. I cycled off Navene, Depakote, Paxil. I am incredibly angry I was given such an obscene combo of drugs. I've been off them for 8 years and doing much better. I had brain zaps on them.

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posted by: chailocks (reply)
post date: 02.12.04 (3:46 pm)

Good luck with that. I came of Paxil this year, and the withdrawal was enough to make me never want to get on those type of meds again.

I'm trying something natural now: http://www.lambagin.com

It seems to be working okay.

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posted by: poochi (reply)
post date: 02.14.04 (9:49 pm)

I think this is very kewl, and I wish you the best of luck. I am my self also trying to get off Effexxor. i'm down to 37.5 every 2 days. I did a few days of Brainzaps, before i figured out what was going on. THEY ARE AWEFUL ! So, I campletely understand where you are. Only advice i have for you is taper SLOWLY, your body will tell you just how slowly you have to go. Anyways, again, best of luck to you.

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posted by: lawbot (reply)
post date: 02.15.04 (3:51 pm)

I'm glad someone else feels this way about eff. w/d. I stopped taking mine (75 mg) on Friday and have spent most of the weekend hoping these "brainzaps" go away soon. Info on the internet is generally disconcerting.

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posted by: Celtix1234 (reply)
post date: 02.17.04 (12:14 pm)

Wow! I was going to do a journal just like this when I started to go off Effexor! I haven't started yet, but I hope to soon. I know exactly what you mean about missing a dose for the first time and experiencing brain tremors. I was teaching when they started, and I told my students that I felt dizzy and strange. They got a nurse, who took my blood pressure, and announced that nothing was wrong with me. Hours later, I realized I had missed my first dose in over a year of taking it. So I'm very scared to go off of it. My doctor thinks it's no big deal, and I feel like a whiney baby when I go to him, so I haven't seen him in a year and a half. Sounds like you are experiencing financial difficulty as well, and that is a concern for me - how to afford the extra pills in order to start dropping my dose (150mg). I really feel like I'm between a rock and a hard place here! Anyway, I'm going to keep checking out your site to see what I can expect when I begin my own withdrawal... thanks for posting the details! I think it will be very helpful to many people.

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posted by: newbie (reply)
post date: 08.06.04 (12:03 pm)

Thanks for the info and support. I was on effexor for 2 years, tapered off, and am on day 9 effexor free. I've never felt this kind of hell before, the brainshivers, the anger/irritation/paranoia- I don't even know who I am anymore. I called my doc to tell her about what I am experiencing, and she had the audacity to tell me that she thought they were not withdrawal affects, but something else. I wish I would have done more research before I allowed myself to be lead into the wretched path of dependence, and I wonder if I will come out of it a whole person. . . .

Thanks for the help- it is a comfort, knowing you are not alone in this.

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posted by: newbie (reply)
post date: 10.11.04 (3:02 pm)

hi--
came across this site when typing in "withdrawal symptoms-effexor" on yahoo. oh my god, i am not imagining these symptoms!! i've been off effexor for approx. 1 1/2 weeks due to the fact that i ran out of refills, and don't have an appt. for another week and 1/2. (i take 225mg/day normally).thought i'd be fine, considering i am also on wellbutrin to try to rid myself of those lovely sexual side-effects that effexor gives us! apparently these crying jags and what i have heard more than a few of you referring to as "brain zaps" are not in my imagination!! i thought i was imagining that my face would feel sort of numb/tingly at times, a definite ringing in my ears, and that weird feeling you get when you move your head too fast! after reading these postings i realized i was definitely having w/d symptoms and called my dr. right away!!! thankyou everyone!! i guess i wont be missing any more doses if i can at all help it!! who knows if i'll ever try to even taper off of it in the future--a little nervous, now!!!

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posted by: newbie dave (reply)
post date: 10.23.04 (9:31 am)

I just tried quiting cold turkey-the brain zaps and sizziness, neck pain are horrible. % days later no sign of going away. Sleeping a lot quiet darkness is my only respite from this hell-I never knew drugs given to you buy a doctor could cause such withdrawal ahh

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posted by: CambridgeChloe (reply)
post date: 02.01.05 (5:31 pm)

Thanks for this blog! It means the world to me to be able to read others' experiences with Effexor Withdrawal.

Here's my withdrawal story:

My withdrawal symptoms certainly aren't as bad as others' I have read here. Maybe someone can take comfort in my story.

1. I weaned myself down from 150mg to 75 mg about 8 months ago without any problems or side effects.

2. If I forget to take my pill before bed, I feel totally crappy by about 10am the next day. I get a terrible headache, nausea, and light-headedness. Because of this, I was pretty certain I was going to have side effects trying to get off Effexor completely.

3. In speaking to my doc about how to get off Effexor, he suggested taking one 75mg pill every 48 hours instead of every 24. But knowing how I feel when I miss taking my pill, I didn't want to experience those crappy side-effects every 48 hours!

4. So, I decided to try taking one 75mg pill every 36 hours for a few days. That worked to keep the side effects minimal, but disturbed my sleep.

5. Five days ago I took my last pill. I had not weaned slowly at all. In fact I took a pill every 36 hours only twice before stopping altogether. I figured if I'm going to feel crappy I might as well get it over and done with!

6. I have not had the zapping/electric sensation that others talk about. My symptoms are as follows:
-very bad headache which i would call a migraine. It lasted for about the first 24-36 hours and made me feel quite nauseated. Advil did virtually nothing to help.
-light-sensitivity is still happening. I feel better in a dark room or when i close my eyes.
-I am still also light-headed and I feel "fuzzy"....kind of like having a real bad hangover.
-I feel like if I move too quickly, I might lose my balance.
-I have also had a few bouts of feeling very very warm, like I have a fever, where i start to sweat.
-I've had trouble concentrating. I feel kind of "zoned out".
-I seem overly-emotional. I've cried a few times watching something on TV where normally I wouldn't cry.
-I still have what i'd call a mild headache that seems to centre right behind my eyes.

Anyway, these symptoms are what I'd describe as mild to moderate, and for the most part I've still been able to work, except for the first 48 hours. What I'm desperate to know is approximately how long the feelings of light-headedness and dizziness will last. As i've said, I've been able to tolerate these symptoms, but cannot wait to feel back to normal again!

Thanks again for the blog and hopefully this will help others. I want them to know that at least for me, the withdrawal effects suck, but they aren't what I'd call severe.

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posted by: Kat ~ (reply)
post date: 03.23.05 (7:07 pm)

I'm not quite sure if anyone has sent recent comments on this site; they seem to be older ones. Even if
no one if going to read this, I have to write now to keep my sanity.

I have quit Effexor cold turkey (150)
and am on the seventh day or so of not taking my pill. It is taking everything in me to overcome the insanity I am feeling, and to deal with the physical side-effects. These withdrawal symtoms are so
horrible, and I can only imagine the millions of people that can't cope with them, and simply start taking these pills again immediately to stop the "brain zaps", nauseau, vomiting, etc.

I need to hang in there; hope my symptoms only last a week or so longer. I am taking time off from work for this, and feel bad about that. I never miss work, but these
symptoms have got the best of me for sure. I'm so embarrassed to have them, yet so proud of myself to go through this.

I can't wait for the crazy dreams to go away; have had them for 4 years now. I scream in my sleep all the time, and my husband has to wake me up to get me to stop. I can't wait to have passionate sex without the "dry mouth." I can't wait.............

A little disappointed of how often this drug is given to so many without informing them of the horrible withdrawals if they should ever decide to take Effexor for a while to make it through a tough part of their life. I wish I could warn every one to stay away from it. Well, until next time I need to write on this site again.................

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posted by: newbie (reply)
post date: 04.13.05 (7:54 am)

so i shouldnt get on it?

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posted by: noone (reply)
post date: 05.06.05 (11:36 am)

Thanks for the site. It is a service to so many

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posted by: newbie (reply)
post date: 05.25.05 (10:01 am)

Wow, so interesting to see all these similar reactions to this drug. I've been on it for over two years and during that time I became complacent, despondent, and overindulgent, gaining 30 pounds, racking up enough credit card debt that I'm now on the verge of bankruptcy, and becoming increasingly antisocial. When I recently started seeing a new therapist, he strongly advised me to go off, saying that the health issue of the gained weight alone is serious (he said everyone he's worked with on this drug has gained a significant amount of weight). He also said that because this drug gives you the ability to focus on something and follow through with it, it can work with any compulsive behavior lurking in your psyche (thus the overeating, overspending, and oversleeping) to make it worse!

My therapist advised me to go down from my 75 mg dose by alternating it with a 37.5 mg dose until I was able to transition to 37.5 mgs a day. After that, rather than trying to divide the contents of the gel caps, I just took one 37.5 mg dose every other day for a couple weeks, and then for about 2 weeks took it every third day. This worked so much better than my first try of going off cold turkey, which resulted in the dizziness, agitation, dreams, and anger others have reported here. I had a few really short (like 5 seconds) dizzy spells, but nothing in comparison to what I had experienced before. Finally, I am off and my energy is back! I'm now on Wellbutrin, which does not have the same withdrawal issues and which is actually anti-compulsive in nature (people trying to quit smoking often use it).

One very important thing to note is NOT to drink at all during the tapering off process with Effexor. My therapist told me this and actually followed by saying, "I don't want you to wind up in the hospital." Despite this, I had a drink one night with friends, and was slammed by the worst depression and crying fit ever. So he was absolutely right – DON’T DRINK! Not one cocktail! Not one beer! Not one glass of wine! Seriously!

I'm appalled by the lack of information doctors seem to have about this drug. My MD didn't say anything about the effects of drinking to me, and he didn't give me info on how to go off, either -- I had to get that from a PhD instead. It's not right.

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posted by: sspainter (reply)
post date: 07.08.05 (12:29 am)

Thank you for creating this website. I tapered off of Effexor and have not had any for 6 days now. It has been incredibly terrible. I feel like I can keep going, though, now that I know my situation is anything but unique. If the dizziness and swooshing phenomenons will just keep decreasing, then I'll be alright, I believe. Again, my thanks for your courage in sharing and for creating a place for dialog.

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posted by: Mad as hell... (reply)
post date: 07.31.05 (10:54 am)

I was diagnosed with depression 7 years ago, and my Psychiatrist prescribed Effexor, 75 mg. The first time, I stopped "cold-turkey" on my own, and after the second day I was literally falling apart. I cried almost nonstop, dizziness, roaring in my ears, and extreme fatigue. I went to the urgent care clinic and demanded thyroid and low blood-sugar tests, among others. The test results were all normal... I then called my Psychiatrist asking if stopping the Effexor was causing me to feel so horrible. He said to take an Effexor and if the symptoms subsided it meant I was experiencing withdrawal symptoms. I did and the symptoms went away within two hours. I assumed that I still needed the drug and out of fear of feeling this way, continued taking it. A couple of years later I told my doctor that I wanted to wean off of this drug so he prescribed 37.5 mg. and instructed me to take one pill/day for one week, then one pill every other day for one week, etc. The second day on the 37.5 mg. dose, I was at work and started feeling withdrawal symptoms again. I was weepy most of the day for no reason, I was dizzy, and it sounded like I had a roaring ocean in my ears. It was scared because it felt like I was sliding into a state of being a non-functional human being... I was a single Mother and could not afford to lose my job. Out of the need to survive, I went back to the 75 mg. and once again assumed that I must REALLY need this stuff or I wouldn’t be so sensitive to stopping.

Today, I have another reason to stop taking this drug. In the past few years, I have developed Periodic Limb Movement Disorder which is affecting my sleep as well as my bed partner’s. It seems to be getting worse. I just finished with a sleep study and the neurologist has prescribed Mirapex, a drug used for Parkinson’s disease. Basically, MIRAPEX belongs to a class of drugs known as "dopamine agonists." It works by mimicking the action of dopamine in the brain. This sounds scary as well, so while researching PLMD, the name Effexor reared its ugly head as being linked to playing a role in this disorder. My research led me to this site, and I am stunned at reading the comments from Effexor victims. I am really terrified at the prospect of starting the withdrawal process again! This is a horrible betrayal by the manufacturer, and I am definitely in favor of fighting these greedy bastards!!

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posted by: sspainter (reply)
post date: 08.04.05 (12:14 am)

Reply to: Mad
Hi. I wanted to check on you with that limb disorder and see how you are doing. I also want to let you know that I jerked and had muscle spasms every night, just as I would start to fall asleep. A neurologist I went to called it "myoclonus," which I later learned is a very generic term that really meant they did not know what it was. I had an EEG, and it came back normal. So, I just learned to live with the "night jerks," as my husband and I called them. However, what I want to share with you is that I have been off of effexor now for 2 months exactly, and I have no sign of these uncontrolled movements anymore. I hope that may help you to know that, and I pray that will be your experience, as well. I am so sorry you are going through this, but, as you can see by the comments on this website, you are definitely not alone.

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