If you're visiting for the first time (or the first time in awhile)
05.29.06 (10:54 pm) [edit]
I started this blog in February 2004 to document my experience with and research about discontinuing Effexor, an antidepressant I had been taking for about two years. Based on my own experiences with my therapist and doctors and what I found online, I felt that there was a lack of awareness among both patients and the medical community about how serious and scary some of the withdrawal effects were for many people. The process of keeping this blog and having other people read and comment and share their own stories with me was also very therapeutic and validating. It let me know that there were many, many other people out there going through the same thing, and gave me a safe space to vent and sort out the things I was feeling.
I actively maintained this blog until about June 2004, when my posting became much less frequent because, well, I got off Effexor! I'm not sure quite what to do with the site now, but I see that people are still reading and commenting here. There still seems to be a need for this type of resource--something that is both personal and informational. And I continue to hope that psychiatrists and mental health professionals will be more aware of and sympathetic to the seriousness of the discontinuation effects of Effexor (and Paxil, while we're at it). So for now, it will just kind of stay here, and I hope that it will continue to be useful to folks.
To sort of show you around, you can read the first post with my reasons for starting the blog here; definitely read this before you make any serious decisions about quitting any drug; some basic information about things that helped me here and here; and some links and resources (may be out of date) here. There are comments from readers detailing their own experiences all over the site, but a compilation of some of them is here. Finally, my personal decision to top taking Effexor is here, and I am NOT a doctor or medical professional, so don't do anything just because I said it! This is just a personal document and educational resource.
tBlog, the blog hosting service I used to set up this site, upgraded their system fairly recently, so I finally changed the template and updated some things. I might try to do some more tweaking to restore the original header image, but in general I think that while this version is more generic, it is also more readable.
Finally, I wish anyone who reads this lots of better health and peace and feeling better if you're struggling with a med or mental health issue that's making you feel horrible. And I wish for you understanding and patience if you're here looking for information on behalf of a friend or loved one who seems to be going totally wacko on you.
You can also send comments or questions to me at brainzaps at yahoo.com.
The side effects/RX song
04.28.05 (11:44 pm) [edit]
In case you haven't seen it already, here's a funny song and animation about all those wacky side effects and other prescription drug woes. It's called "The Drugs I Need," and the song was written and recorded by the Austin Lounge Lizards as part of a consumer education campaign on prescription drugs:
The site it comes from, which is part of the Consumer's Union (the nonprofit arm of the company that publishes Consumer Reports magazine), also has sections where you can "take action" and email Congress to make prescription drugs safer; learn more about the campaign to improve the RX drug system; share your own story, and more.
Sorry it's taken me so long to get back here and post. I was looking at the stats, and noticed that quite a few people have been visiting, compared to when I first started this blog back in February 2004--an average of about 167 a day during the past month. Most of those are new visitors who get here by searching with keywords like "Effexor withdrawal."
Hang in there, everyone! Take care of yourselves, don't be too hard on yourself, don't go cold turkey if you can help it, and remember that what you're going through is only temporary.
Stopping in for two very important public service announcements...
11.13.04 (12:19 am) [edit]
Since finishing my whole getting off Effexor experience, I have to admit I don't monitor this blog very frequently. Today I checked in to look at comments and see what's up, and I wanted to let y'all know a couple of important things:
1) The free service that hosts this blog (tBLOG) sometimes does wacky things when they do maintenance on the system, so it seems like two to three whole months' worth of archived posts are GONE. When you click on any of the first four links on the left, you'll get a "This entry does not exist!" message. This is really frustrating! I'll try to see what's up. In the meantime, there are lots of helpful resources still accessible through the "Links and Resources" link, and you can also look through the archived posts from April through September to see my journal and other info I compiled while I was tapering off of Effexor.
2) Tapering off Effexor...that brings me to my second very important public service announcement, which is
UNLESS YOUR DOCTOR HAS INSTRUCTED YOU TO DO SO FOR SPECIFIC MEDICAL REASONS, DO NOT QUIT EFFEXOR COLD TURKEY!!! DO YOU HEAR ME??
I know while you're having brainzaps, the yelling hurts your head, so I'll stop. But seriously--have you read the experiences from readers? The worst withdrawal experiences seem to be from people who stop taking Effexor abruptly. Don't do this to yourself, okay?
Please--even if the side effects are becoming intolerable, even if your sex life is reduced to a pathetic memory in the back of your head, even if your cognitive skills are impaired and you can't stand being on this med anymore--do yourself a favor and, if at all possible, taper down slowly from whatever dose you were on. If you've already quit, consider going back to your last dosage before quitting and start taking progressively smaller doses every day, every week, or even every two weeks.
I was having hysterical crying fits and banging my head into walls, I couldn't think straight, I gained a bunch of weight, all that stuff--and I really really really just wanted the drug out of my system. Still, my tapering off process took FIVE MONTHS. I still experienced discontinuation symptoms, especially at the end--but I can't imagine how horrible it would have been if I had just stopped taking it all of a sudden.
If you can't afford to continue taking this medicine, there are a couple of things you can do to avoid stopping cold turkey. This happened to me--because Effexor is so expensive, my health insurance's RX benefits ran out before the end of the year and the prescription ended up costing something like $179/month, which was really prohibitive for me. Here is what you can do:
1) Talk to your doctor, or if you don't feel comfortable with your current doctor, try to find one who seems more sympathetic and helpful. Explain your situation--that you can no longer afford to pay for the prescription, but that you experience intolerable side effects if you miss a dose. Your doctor may be able to give you enough free samples to carry you through the end of the discontinuation process.
2) There are patient assistance resources out there to link up low-income or uninsured patients with prescription meds donated or discounted through drug companies. I didn't know about these organizations during my own saga, but some that looked pretty kosher (disclaimer: I do not officially endorse any of these sites--this is just for informational purposes to let people know what's out there) when I did a search online included NeedyMeds and HelpingPatients.org, and The Medicine Program.
3) I ended up *sigh* charging my last bottle of Effexor on a nearly maxed-out, super high-interest credit card I was trying to pay off. If nothing else works, this sucks, but it's worth your sanity and health.
Please hang in there, whoever is reading this, and spread the word that it is A REALLY BAD IDEA to go off Effexor (or any long-term medication, for that matter) cold turkey. Unless you have a really compelling medical reason to do so.
1) The free service that hosts this blog (tBLOG) sometimes does wacky things when they do maintenance on the system, so it seems like two to three whole months' worth of archived posts are GONE. When you click on any of the first four links on the left, you'll get a "This entry does not exist!" message. This is really frustrating! I'll try to see what's up. In the meantime, there are lots of helpful resources still accessible through the "Links and Resources" link, and you can also look through the archived posts from April through September to see my journal and other info I compiled while I was tapering off of Effexor.
2) Tapering off Effexor...that brings me to my second very important public service announcement, which is
UNLESS YOUR DOCTOR HAS INSTRUCTED YOU TO DO SO FOR SPECIFIC MEDICAL REASONS, DO NOT QUIT EFFEXOR COLD TURKEY!!! DO YOU HEAR ME??
I know while you're having brainzaps, the yelling hurts your head, so I'll stop. But seriously--have you read the experiences from readers? The worst withdrawal experiences seem to be from people who stop taking Effexor abruptly. Don't do this to yourself, okay?
Please--even if the side effects are becoming intolerable, even if your sex life is reduced to a pathetic memory in the back of your head, even if your cognitive skills are impaired and you can't stand being on this med anymore--do yourself a favor and, if at all possible, taper down slowly from whatever dose you were on. If you've already quit, consider going back to your last dosage before quitting and start taking progressively smaller doses every day, every week, or even every two weeks.
I was having hysterical crying fits and banging my head into walls, I couldn't think straight, I gained a bunch of weight, all that stuff--and I really really really just wanted the drug out of my system. Still, my tapering off process took FIVE MONTHS. I still experienced discontinuation symptoms, especially at the end--but I can't imagine how horrible it would have been if I had just stopped taking it all of a sudden.
If you can't afford to continue taking this medicine, there are a couple of things you can do to avoid stopping cold turkey. This happened to me--because Effexor is so expensive, my health insurance's RX benefits ran out before the end of the year and the prescription ended up costing something like $179/month, which was really prohibitive for me. Here is what you can do:
1) Talk to your doctor, or if you don't feel comfortable with your current doctor, try to find one who seems more sympathetic and helpful. Explain your situation--that you can no longer afford to pay for the prescription, but that you experience intolerable side effects if you miss a dose. Your doctor may be able to give you enough free samples to carry you through the end of the discontinuation process.
2) There are patient assistance resources out there to link up low-income or uninsured patients with prescription meds donated or discounted through drug companies. I didn't know about these organizations during my own saga, but some that looked pretty kosher (disclaimer: I do not officially endorse any of these sites--this is just for informational purposes to let people know what's out there) when I did a search online included NeedyMeds and HelpingPatients.org, and The Medicine Program.
3) I ended up *sigh* charging my last bottle of Effexor on a nearly maxed-out, super high-interest credit card I was trying to pay off. If nothing else works, this sucks, but it's worth your sanity and health.
Please hang in there, whoever is reading this, and spread the word that it is A REALLY BAD IDEA to go off Effexor (or any long-term medication, for that matter) cold turkey. Unless you have a really compelling medical reason to do so.
Old posts and info are back up!
09.05.04 (5:16 pm) [edit]
Well, tBLOG has redeemed itself, at least for now. The old posts are back! That means that all the resources and information I had compiled are again accessible through the links on the left.
Yay!
Yay!
Basic things to know about getting off Effexor
09.03.04 (3:17 pm) [edit]
If you came here looking for help and support for Effexor withdrawal symptoms, just know the following basic things:
1. The bad stuff won't last forever.
2. TAPER!! If possible, do NOT go cold turkey. Slowly decrease your dosage little by little (divide your capsules into smaller dosages of beads if you have to) until you're done. It may take a long time (it took me five months), but it's much better for you that way.
3. Drink plenty of water.
4. Get plenty of sleep.
5. Clear Motion herbal anti-nausea/motion sickness capsules helped me a lot with the physical symptoms of nausea, vertigo, headaches, etc.
6. Try to avoid other sources of stress, when at all possible, during your withdrawal/discontinuatio n period.
7. Hang in there and take care of yourself!!
1. The bad stuff won't last forever.
2. TAPER!! If possible, do NOT go cold turkey. Slowly decrease your dosage little by little (divide your capsules into smaller dosages of beads if you have to) until you're done. It may take a long time (it took me five months), but it's much better for you that way.
3. Drink plenty of water.
4. Get plenty of sleep.
5. Clear Motion herbal anti-nausea/motion sickness capsules helped me a lot with the physical symptoms of nausea, vertigo, headaches, etc.
6. Try to avoid other sources of stress, when at all possible, during your withdrawal/discontinuatio n period.
7. Hang in there and take care of yourself!!
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.
A new project.
08.15.04 (11:41 pm) [edit]
After the experience of doing this blog, and also based on my other experiences of looking for information/validation/su pport for mental health issues online, I've been thinking about a project I want to do about mental health, communication, and the internet.
I've been thinking about how people (myself included) seem to be sometimes afraid or confused about talking about this stuff to friends, family, and even doctors, and how the internet seems to offer this double comfort of both anonymity and immediate intimacy. I'm not sure exactly what form the project will take. Part of it is writing a story/narrative of my own experiences, but I'm also interested in gathering other people's stories and insights.
I'm going to start posting exerpts from the story/essay I'm writing as I make progress on it, and I would love for folks to comment on it--both to tell me what you think, and also, if you feel OK about doing this, to share your own stories about this subject. You can do it completely anonymously, if you like, but my disclaimer here would be that by posting your comment, you're giving me permission to use it as part of my project. If you are OK with that, I would love to hear from anyone out there who would like to contribute!
I've been thinking about how people (myself included) seem to be sometimes afraid or confused about talking about this stuff to friends, family, and even doctors, and how the internet seems to offer this double comfort of both anonymity and immediate intimacy. I'm not sure exactly what form the project will take. Part of it is writing a story/narrative of my own experiences, but I'm also interested in gathering other people's stories and insights.
I'm going to start posting exerpts from the story/essay I'm writing as I make progress on it, and I would love for folks to comment on it--both to tell me what you think, and also, if you feel OK about doing this, to share your own stories about this subject. You can do it completely anonymously, if you like, but my disclaimer here would be that by posting your comment, you're giving me permission to use it as part of my project. If you are OK with that, I would love to hear from anyone out there who would like to contribute!
Just stopping by...
08.05.04 (9:53 pm) [edit]
I've been back a couple of times to see if there have been any comments or anything. It amazes me how many people keep visiting, and I'm so happy this site has been helpful to some people!--although I'm not happy that people keep having to go through Effexor withdrawal.
Anyway, I'm doing OK...I continue to have a rough time with mood problems that intensifies before and during my period. Today I actually thought about taking Effexor again and mentioned it to my husband. He said, "Don't even say that." But I remember how awful it was getting off it, so it wouldn't make sense to bring that on myself again. I might consider another med, though.
And also, please, don't think you're weak or "not trying hard enough" if you do decide or have decided to take medication. I think antidepressants are overprescribed, but I know what it's like to reach that point of desperation where you feel like you really need something outside of yourself to keep you from hurting yourself. Sometimes it's the only thing that helps.
Hang in there, anyone who's reading this, please take care of yourself, please be proactive about talking to your doctor, and please, if you can, don't go cold turkey!
Anyway, I'm doing OK...I continue to have a rough time with mood problems that intensifies before and during my period. Today I actually thought about taking Effexor again and mentioned it to my husband. He said, "Don't even say that." But I remember how awful it was getting off it, so it wouldn't make sense to bring that on myself again. I might consider another med, though.
And also, please, don't think you're weak or "not trying hard enough" if you do decide or have decided to take medication. I think antidepressants are overprescribed, but I know what it's like to reach that point of desperation where you feel like you really need something outside of yourself to keep you from hurting yourself. Sometimes it's the only thing that helps.
Hang in there, anyone who's reading this, please take care of yourself, please be proactive about talking to your doctor, and please, if you can, don't go cold turkey!
Swan song
06.16.04 (1:19 pm) [edit]
I think it's time for me to lay this blog to rest. I'm ready to start writing and thinking more actively about other things. This doesn't mean I'll be taking all this info down, though--I'll definitely leave it up so that hopefully it will continue to be a resource to others.
I'll also (hopefully) pop in every now and again to respond to comments, tweak and update old info, and maybe add the stray link and story.
Thank you so much for reading this and being here with me, as maudlin and gushy as that may sound--it made something really yucky kind of cool, in a way.
In the meantime, please visit my new blog! Which is also sort of about health stuff, but also about family life, pop culture, neighborhood goings-on, and whatever else I feel like writing about.
It's called fairytale in the supermarket, and it's at
storyqueen.tblog.com
see you soon!
I'll also (hopefully) pop in every now and again to respond to comments, tweak and update old info, and maybe add the stray link and story.
Thank you so much for reading this and being here with me, as maudlin and gushy as that may sound--it made something really yucky kind of cool, in a way.
In the meantime, please visit my new blog! Which is also sort of about health stuff, but also about family life, pop culture, neighborhood goings-on, and whatever else I feel like writing about.
It's called fairytale in the supermarket, and it's at
storyqueen.tblog.com
see you soon!
Mulling over anonymity, writing, and life without Effexor.
06.12.04 (11:35 am) [edit]
I've neglected this blog for about a week or so--or has it been longer? I've been peeking in now and then to see if there have been any comments, or as though I'm expecting something to change independently of my doing it. Like I think I'll load the page and see a new entry or new graphics or something, even though I personally haven't added any.
I'm officially Effexor-free now--it's been about two weeks since I took my last pill. I'm trying to refrain from being overdramatic or self-righteous about this. It's strange to be on so little medication (just a thyroid med I take once a day for hypothyroidism) after taking a minor constellation of pills and supplements almost every day for so long. At one point, not so long ago, I was taking
It made me feel old--I'm only 27; I'm not ready to be swallowing a handful of pills every day.
I just told you my age, which brings me to something else I've been thinking about. I've been very private and anonymous in this blog, to some degree. If you read everything I've written so far, you'll know that I'm female, that I'm married, and maybe a small collection of little details relating to my experiences with Effexor. But don't think I've said anything about what I do for work, what my family is like, whether I live in a small town or a big city, or even a whole lot about what I've been thinking and feeling. Sure, I wrote about several mini-breakdowns I had during the withdrawal process, about hurting myself and calling a suicide hotline. But aside from reporting those gory details--details which, in this context, call up mighty flames of indignance over the negligence of pharmaceutical companies to make a drug that might cause pain it was designed to prevent--I haven't really spent much time writing about the other personal factors that produce my self-destructive behavior.
So now that I'm done with thing that I was documenting, I'm not quite sure what to do with this blog. Obviously, my problems haven't evaporated now that the FXR is out of my system. In fact, I'm feeling a lot of my old anxiety and neuroses marching back into my brain again. How do I deal with that again? For example, last night I think I MAY have said something unintentionally offensive to someone (who taught a series of workshops that I took) that I really like and respect--and I've been hung up on it ever since. I had bad dreams; I've had a tense, worried, guilty feeling in the pit of my stomach for hours. That didn't happen on Effexor. I just have to figure out how to deal with this "raw" now.
I think I'll be fine; I think I'll be better. But I'm still up in the air about what to do with this space--the blog. Of course I'll still leave it up--but part of me wants to not keep coming back and adding to it. I want to get over this yucky little section of my life.
What do you think?
I'm officially Effexor-free now--it's been about two weeks since I took my last pill. I'm trying to refrain from being overdramatic or self-righteous about this. It's strange to be on so little medication (just a thyroid med I take once a day for hypothyroidism) after taking a minor constellation of pills and supplements almost every day for so long. At one point, not so long ago, I was taking
- 300mg/day Effexor
- .112 Synthroid (I now take 150 Armour)
- 60mg/day Strattera (for ADD-like symptoms)
- Glucophage (don't remember dosage; was for suspected
- Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome)
- Evening Primrose Oil
- Fish oil capsules
- Selenium
- Vitamin B complex
- Calcium/magnesium
- Vitamins A,C,D,E
It made me feel old--I'm only 27; I'm not ready to be swallowing a handful of pills every day.
I just told you my age, which brings me to something else I've been thinking about. I've been very private and anonymous in this blog, to some degree. If you read everything I've written so far, you'll know that I'm female, that I'm married, and maybe a small collection of little details relating to my experiences with Effexor. But don't think I've said anything about what I do for work, what my family is like, whether I live in a small town or a big city, or even a whole lot about what I've been thinking and feeling. Sure, I wrote about several mini-breakdowns I had during the withdrawal process, about hurting myself and calling a suicide hotline. But aside from reporting those gory details--details which, in this context, call up mighty flames of indignance over the negligence of pharmaceutical companies to make a drug that might cause pain it was designed to prevent--I haven't really spent much time writing about the other personal factors that produce my self-destructive behavior.
So now that I'm done with thing that I was documenting, I'm not quite sure what to do with this blog. Obviously, my problems haven't evaporated now that the FXR is out of my system. In fact, I'm feeling a lot of my old anxiety and neuroses marching back into my brain again. How do I deal with that again? For example, last night I think I MAY have said something unintentionally offensive to someone (who taught a series of workshops that I took) that I really like and respect--and I've been hung up on it ever since. I had bad dreams; I've had a tense, worried, guilty feeling in the pit of my stomach for hours. That didn't happen on Effexor. I just have to figure out how to deal with this "raw" now.
I think I'll be fine; I think I'll be better. But I'm still up in the air about what to do with this space--the blog. Of course I'll still leave it up--but part of me wants to not keep coming back and adding to it. I want to get over this yucky little section of my life.
What do you think?
It does get better.
06.05.04 (11:04 pm) [edit]
I'm feeling decidedly better. No yelling at innocent voter registration volunteers. I had some zappy moments today and a minor breakdown, with screaming, when my dog peed on the couch and a freshly-washed blanket today--but aside from that, much better.
I even did some drinkin' last night; an activity which was seriously curtailed while I was taking Effexor, since more than about two drinks would almost put me straight to sleep. I had four drinks, which of course made me a bit tipsy; but aside from that, I was fine. I'm definitely not saying drinking was a great idea--but my (lack of) physical reaction to it is sort of a weird benchmark for my progress.
I'm also appreciating the semicolon today; a type of punctuation that, if you're prone to run-on-ish sentences like me, can really come in handy.
I even did some drinkin' last night; an activity which was seriously curtailed while I was taking Effexor, since more than about two drinks would almost put me straight to sleep. I had four drinks, which of course made me a bit tipsy; but aside from that, I was fine. I'm definitely not saying drinking was a great idea--but my (lack of) physical reaction to it is sort of a weird benchmark for my progress.
I'm also appreciating the semicolon today; a type of punctuation that, if you're prone to run-on-ish sentences like me, can really come in handy.
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?
I yelled at some poor man for no good reason.
05.31.04 (10:18 pm) [edit]
So I had a really bad night last night, but awoke feeling a little better and determined to make something of my day. I wanted to get some exercise, as others posting here have suggested it helps a lot with withdrawal effects. And I just need to exercise more in general.
This morning I took this herbal anti-motion sickness/nausea stuff called Clear Motion (some info is at http://www.outletnutrition.co...). I found it at the drugstore when I was looking for Bonine, another (non-herbal) anti-nausea medication which has also been recommended by readers. I liked the idea that it wouldn't cause drowsiness, and I've been taking it regularly (2-3x/day) for the past three days or so and it really seems to help.
Feeling vaguely dizzy, but fortified (at least psychologically, anyway) by my supplements, a non-quease-inducing breakfast, and a forced-on good attitude, I set off on my bike to a nearby strip mall to buy some fabric for a project. Riding my bike felt pretty good while I was doing it, but as soon as I stopped I felt dizzy and queasy. That may have partially been from not having ridden for awhile and being out of shape. :oops: But I tried to stay in motion--walking seems to help a lot too.
Two or so hours later, I felt ready to go home, and also really withdrawal-ish. I don't know if the Clear Motion stuff or the endorphins from the bike ride wore off or what, but I suddenly got into full brainzap, waves of face numbness, paranoid, burst-out-crying withdrawal mode. Unfortunately, I was in the middle of a busy grocery store lugging around a basket of produce when this happened. I started feeling claustrophobic about being in a place with so many people around, and also really anxious about the idea of having to ride my bike home in this state, and tried calling my husband several times from my cel. Grrrr!!! No answer.
I ditched my basket of groceries in the health and beauty aisle, bought a bottle of water, and left the store. I had to get out of there. I was feeling increasingly crazed and panicky. I was afraid I was going to burst out crying in front of all these strangers. I found a bench outside and sat down to rest and figure out what to do next. Two other people eventually came and sat down on the bench as well, which freaked me out--I didn't even want to be NEAR any other people--and I got up and started walking.
This is the part that freaked me out. I'm normally more or less a stickler for politeness with strangers, even if it's just tight-lipped little smiles if I accidentally make eye contact. I've never been one to heckle people or cuss out the car window in traffic; if I become annoyed with someone in the checkout line, I'm more likely to do something passive-aggressively rude than anything else (loud sighs, unfriendly tight-lipped little smiles, a subtle nostril flare). Anyway, this man had been standing around in front of the grocery store trying to get people to register to vote for the past several hours. He'd already asked me once (I'd politely declined; I don't vote due to religious beliefs.). I imagine he'd seen so many people walk by that day that he wasn't remembering specific faces--so as I walked by, he asked me again.
"Ma'am, can I register you to vote today?" he asked. I kept walking, turning my face towards him only slightly, mostly staring straight ahead the whole time, and YELLED--yep, almost at the top of my lungs; I heard my voice echoing louder with each word, bouncing off the metal and concrete of the strip mall walkway--"No, and you ASKED ME ALREADY ABOUT TWO HOURS AGO!!!"
I immediately felt pained, stupid, hot with embarassment. It was like opening your mouth to talk and burping really loud instead--but worse. I walked faster, staring straight ahead, wondering how many people had heard and were wondering what was wrong with the crazy bitch with the red backpack. The man was saying, not angrily, but firmly, surprised by my outburst, "I'm sorry, I have a bad memory." He said something else, but I don't remember what it was. I was mortified--nobody standing on their feet for hours in public doing something constructive deserves to be yelled at like that. I wanted to cry, and get away from all the people before I did something else crazy.
I felt too unstable to ride my bike home. I had brief visions of myself getting angry and throwing myself into traffic. I walked back to the sidewalk through the parking lot instead of back through the walkway; I was too embarassed and angry and freaked out to walk past the poor voter registration guy again. I considered catching a bus, but then I'd have to be around people. I decided to walk home instead. Walking would calm me down, hopefully, and it wasn't that far.
It helped. By the time I got home, about twenty minutes later, I felt a lot better. I took another Clear Motion and some evening primrose oil, drank a bunch of water, told my husband about what happened, and tried to relax.
As long as I sit still, I'm OK. Anything stressful makes it worse. I'm hanging in there. I just want this to be over. I'm going to bed soon.
Good night.
This morning I took this herbal anti-motion sickness/nausea stuff called Clear Motion (some info is at http://www.outletnutrition.co...). I found it at the drugstore when I was looking for Bonine, another (non-herbal) anti-nausea medication which has also been recommended by readers. I liked the idea that it wouldn't cause drowsiness, and I've been taking it regularly (2-3x/day) for the past three days or so and it really seems to help.
Feeling vaguely dizzy, but fortified (at least psychologically, anyway) by my supplements, a non-quease-inducing breakfast, and a forced-on good attitude, I set off on my bike to a nearby strip mall to buy some fabric for a project. Riding my bike felt pretty good while I was doing it, but as soon as I stopped I felt dizzy and queasy. That may have partially been from not having ridden for awhile and being out of shape. :oops: But I tried to stay in motion--walking seems to help a lot too.
Two or so hours later, I felt ready to go home, and also really withdrawal-ish. I don't know if the Clear Motion stuff or the endorphins from the bike ride wore off or what, but I suddenly got into full brainzap, waves of face numbness, paranoid, burst-out-crying withdrawal mode. Unfortunately, I was in the middle of a busy grocery store lugging around a basket of produce when this happened. I started feeling claustrophobic about being in a place with so many people around, and also really anxious about the idea of having to ride my bike home in this state, and tried calling my husband several times from my cel. Grrrr!!! No answer.
I ditched my basket of groceries in the health and beauty aisle, bought a bottle of water, and left the store. I had to get out of there. I was feeling increasingly crazed and panicky. I was afraid I was going to burst out crying in front of all these strangers. I found a bench outside and sat down to rest and figure out what to do next. Two other people eventually came and sat down on the bench as well, which freaked me out--I didn't even want to be NEAR any other people--and I got up and started walking.
This is the part that freaked me out. I'm normally more or less a stickler for politeness with strangers, even if it's just tight-lipped little smiles if I accidentally make eye contact. I've never been one to heckle people or cuss out the car window in traffic; if I become annoyed with someone in the checkout line, I'm more likely to do something passive-aggressively rude than anything else (loud sighs, unfriendly tight-lipped little smiles, a subtle nostril flare). Anyway, this man had been standing around in front of the grocery store trying to get people to register to vote for the past several hours. He'd already asked me once (I'd politely declined; I don't vote due to religious beliefs.). I imagine he'd seen so many people walk by that day that he wasn't remembering specific faces--so as I walked by, he asked me again.
"Ma'am, can I register you to vote today?" he asked. I kept walking, turning my face towards him only slightly, mostly staring straight ahead the whole time, and YELLED--yep, almost at the top of my lungs; I heard my voice echoing louder with each word, bouncing off the metal and concrete of the strip mall walkway--"No, and you ASKED ME ALREADY ABOUT TWO HOURS AGO!!!"
I immediately felt pained, stupid, hot with embarassment. It was like opening your mouth to talk and burping really loud instead--but worse. I walked faster, staring straight ahead, wondering how many people had heard and were wondering what was wrong with the crazy bitch with the red backpack. The man was saying, not angrily, but firmly, surprised by my outburst, "I'm sorry, I have a bad memory." He said something else, but I don't remember what it was. I was mortified--nobody standing on their feet for hours in public doing something constructive deserves to be yelled at like that. I wanted to cry, and get away from all the people before I did something else crazy.
I felt too unstable to ride my bike home. I had brief visions of myself getting angry and throwing myself into traffic. I walked back to the sidewalk through the parking lot instead of back through the walkway; I was too embarassed and angry and freaked out to walk past the poor voter registration guy again. I considered catching a bus, but then I'd have to be around people. I decided to walk home instead. Walking would calm me down, hopefully, and it wasn't that far.
It helped. By the time I got home, about twenty minutes later, I felt a lot better. I took another Clear Motion and some evening primrose oil, drank a bunch of water, told my husband about what happened, and tried to relax.
As long as I sit still, I'm OK. Anything stressful makes it worse. I'm hanging in there. I just want this to be over. I'm going to bed soon.
Good night.
no rest for the weary
05.31.04 (10:36 am) [edit]
This is my fourth day off the good old FXR. I had a really bad night last night--exhausted but couldn't sleep well, tossing and turning, crying crazily over tiny things (like a moth that flew into our bedroom!?!). My husband handled the whole thing in a truly saintly fashion--he tried to chase out the moth, made me tea, gently reminded me several times that it was the withdrawal effects, not me, and was generally comforting and awesome.
Anyway, the tea really helped me go to sleep--it was tilo tea, also known as linden tea. (http://store.cubanfoodguy.com...)
This morning I'm feeling better--still really tired, but not as dizzy.
Anyway, the tea really helped me go to sleep--it was tilo tea, also known as linden tea. (http://store.cubanfoodguy.com...)
This morning I'm feeling better--still really tired, but not as dizzy.
Vote! I say, Vote! ...to make my blog a featured tblog...
05.29.04 (7:35 pm) [edit]
So this is sort of lame, but I wanna do this--I'm trying to get my blog to be a Featured Blog on tblog. Just click on the admittedly obnoxious "VOTE FOR ME!" on the left under Links. Please??
Experiences from readers
05.29.04 (6:58 pm) [edit]
I've compiled readers' stories of their experiences with getting off of Effexor from the comments posted on this blog since I started it in February. I didn't edit any grammar, sentence structure, etc. - only snipped out little bits here and there for clarity and conciseness. For example, if a reader said something like, "Love the blog!" I took it out, just to keep it relevant only to the topic of readers' own experiences. Thank you to everyone who has posted here--you have been great company during this process!
And here they are:
I was on Effexor XR for 5 weeks. I started for a week on 37. 5 then did 75 for 2 weeks but felt weird, so went back down to 37.5. By the second week back on 37.5 I was feeling even weirder, and then went off it completely two days ago. I felt fine yesterday but today I feel horrible! Nauseated, moody, headache. I just did a search for Effexor withdrawal and now I am freaking out. I have been having nightmares too. I didn't realize it was so bad. I do not want this stuff in my body. I wonder if I will suffer for weeks with this withdrawal crap. If I knew it was like this I would never have started it. I am so mad...I wonder how long I'm going to have to suffer.
- pissed off
This has got to be the worst possible experience of my life...I'm actually starting to think that my depressed, pre-medicated life was better than this withdrawal stuff. It is NOBODY'S idea of fun...the brain surges make me feel like I'm in an altered state, very surreal, and I definitely dropped 3 glasses of iced tea at work today...soaked my shoes/apron...glass went everywhere...and when I try to fall asleep at night; I'm scared to...because I have these, I don't know if they're nightmares or what, but I feel like I'm paralyzed and can't breathe, but I can see everything around me, like my room and stuff. The brain surges are the worst, though, and I'm even afraid to drive. I ended up getting sent home from work today, and my manager told me not to come in tomorrow if I'm still feeling ill. I can't live like this, I have to work! I can't miss shifts because of a stupid medicine that I'm NOT taking anymore! And how do you explain it to people around you? The fact that there has to be a blogspot for the withdrawal effects of a medicine is SICK. Not about you who made it...the fact that there has to be one. It's disgusting that a medicine can make you feel like this... AFTER you're off of it! But I don't want to be on it...it wasn't helping, and a new study has linked Effexor (and other drugs) to increased suicidal tendencies. Fabulous, right? Grrrr this is absolutely dreadful, and I want it to STOP!!!
-blondeonbroadway
.. I've been planning on getting off Effexor. Currently I'm taking 150 tab.. I tried last month to skip a day each week until I was off it (Dr. Recommended).. I WAS MEAN!!!.. That's not me, never has been. One day I was mean as hell the next I was crying my head off... I'm so mad now. I started taking the drug full strength again because I'm afraid... What has it made me. I have a 2 and 4 year old so I was just a little run down and have only been on Effexor for around 6 months. it helped but now due to my life being more organized and the kids getting easier I wanted to not be on a prescription... HELP ME
-Bluerhonda
i quit pretty much cold turkey, about three weeks ago. i'd quit prozac in the past, cold, with only a couple weeks of mild side effects, so i thought i'd be fine toughing this out. i still think i'll keep going cold turkey, because judging from yours and other accounts, tapering off isn't a breeze either. i had a cold/flu for this past week, and only now i'm starting to realize my continued dizzy head/vague nausea are not part of that, but symptoms i felt before the cold, after going off effexor. so i went on good old google to see more about what i could expect in my withdrawal. though, thankfully, i don't seem to have symptoms as severe as other effexor-kickers (probably because i was only on the drug for about 6 months), i find it reassuring to see there's a definite reason for the brain shiver/queasy unease... good luck to you and all your other readers!
- kristi
I have been taking 225mg of effexor for the past year. In January I decided I didn't want to take it anymore so I dropped myself down to 150mg. When I returned to my Dr I told her I no longer wanted to take it so she gave me trial packs to ween myself off. I dropped down to 75mg/day for 3 weeks and finally down to 37.5mg/day for 3 weeks. I just finished my last pill on Thursday. Today is Monday and I feel horrible. I have been getting constant "brain zaps" and have been sooooo tired ALL the time. Does anyone know anyway to help without returning to effexor?? I would never recommend anyone to take this!
- Lisa
My doctor is putting me on Celexa instead [of Effexor - ed] (mainly b/c I find SSRI's help me better with my depression than Effexor does) and she has no idea how bad the withdrawl is. She suggested that towards the end I should take 75mg (I used to take the 150s) one night and none the next day. Well let me tell you, it is pure HELL. I feel like I am dying, literally. So your section about how to tapper off is really interesting especially the part where they suggest we buy those empty gel caps and put half of our dose in it. I will definitely try that this week because my doctor's so-called method is crap.
I personally think doctors should be more informed about the withdrawls because they don't seem to know very much about it. I was already taken off Paxil and that was a nightmare. Back then my doctor had only given me about three weeks to tapper off (before I switched to Effexor) and it was awful. I personally think that Paxil withdrawls are a lot worse than Effexor's.
- unnamed user
...I have been tapering my dosages of Efexor for about 2 months now. I had only been taking about 37.5 mgs for the past year or so ( I started experiencing extreme chest pain after about a year of 100 mgs, so my Dr. lowered by dosage). I experienced no problems with that change, but I have come to the point where I am trying to go completely off of the medication and I am experiencing the dizziness (which I expected) and also a feeling kind of like my heart skips a beat or "flutters" or something. I have not seen anyone mention this on any of the websites I checked, but was wondering if it was what people were describing when they mentioned feelings like electric currents running through their bodies. I am just a bit concerned. Any one with similar symptoms, please let me know.
- cawola
I took my last effexor on April 3. I was feeling much better, now I am wondering if it was that I felt so crappy that anything was better. When I get super agrivated I get very dizzy immeditely and that scares me. ...Just when I thought I was really over this I am starting to notice myself feeling super dizzy imediately when I get agitated. I don't know if this is still part of the withdrawl process. I also am having very strange cramps in my legs and abdomen. If anyone has had this please respond and let me know. I don't know what else it could be. Also I am feeling agitated frequently and I cant stop it. HELP!!
- Beth
I'm in tears reading about everyone's experiences with Effexor withdrawal. I had been fine when I was on 37.5, then I went down to 1/4 of a 37.5 tab and was fine. I figured I was good to go off and this is day 3 or 4 (I'm not really sure...the days have all blended together). I'm having a terrible time. I'm super dizzy, with shock-like sensations in my ears and head, plus I'm super tired and emotional. I'm hoping to tough it out until I get over this phase, but I don't know how much more of this I can take. Good to know there are others out there with the same issues.
- dizzyhead
...My 21-year-old daughter told her doctor on Tuesday that she wanted to stop taking [Effexor]. Her doctor wrote out a 3-week tapering schedule, and then basically told my daughter "Goodbye". I came to the internet just to check what we might be in for ... and I've cried for 2 days now. I don't even know how to tell her what's in her future. We are going on our first-ever family cruise at the end of May ... her 3rd week "off" the drug, if she follows the doctor's tapering schedule. After reading, I'm thinking it might be wiser to slow WAY down on that schedule. Maybe take 2 (or even more) weeks on each lowered dose, instead of the 1 week the doc suggested?...
- Emilie's Mom
I quit cold turkey. I ran out and didn't have the money to get it refilled (which happened quite often) and just decided I was so tired of the side effects and quit. I went through 3 weeks of pure hell, but I'm doing great now. Believe me, there were days I was crying, even hitting my head because I wanted the brain zaps to go away. But, they do...
- heatheranne
I've been off for 2 1/2 weeks now. I realize now that the first week was pretty bad. I had vertigo, lightheadedness, and zaps pretty much all day. I also experienced some weird emotional stuff: agitated, irritable, obsessive about certain things, emotional exhaustion (that feeling of being on the verge of crying because you haven't slept in days). Finally, it started to go away. I would wake up feeling fine, but would start to get lightheaded etc later on. The good feeling lasted longer each day until it only comes if I've stayed up too late.
Feeling good this week, just making sure that I still avoid overstimulation and get to bed early enough. Trying to eat right, drink enough water, and taking it easy. I'm almost there!
- SBDivemaster
...I'm in the throes of effexor w/d & didn't realize it until just a few days ago... I thought I was "going crazy" you know? At any rate, FINALLY doing some research & checking tic tic tic off the items & yep, there's each&every one. I'm about 1 1/2 weeks in (I tapered to 37.5 for a week then the same every other day for 2 weeks & then stopped) and it is HELL... but I figure I'm this far I may as well just keep riding it out.
- tiger
I'm on my 4th day of no Effexor. I had tapered down from 225 to 0 over a 2 month period and thought it was going pretty well (aside from the constant crying). Now I'm getting the physical stuff though which as you all know is not fun! Zaps, headache, chills and insomnia. Has anyone else had neck pain? Probably not connected but it's killing me!
- liafail
I'm thinking about going off Effexor (I'm on 225 mg, been on the drug itself for 2.5 years). I tried one time after weaning a little, but the brain zaps, tears, and fear of "what the hell was happening to me?" were too much to handle. I only made it one day.
- karenwoman
I also stopped taking the effexor last week. I have been vomiting since thursday and today is the first day I feel even partially normal. My husband thinks I have lost my mind. I can hear someone banging foil in my head????? How crazy does that sound? These symptoms are real and a real drag. I have stopped completely taking it now. My question is about Wellbutrin...Anyone have problems stopping that one? ... I cannot even get my Dr. to return my phone calls. I had no idea that coming off this drug was a problem. I did start off quickly and now am on my 5th day of hell. Although today is much better. Every day I seem to improve by 50%. I am not going back to take more, this drug is ridiculous. Hopeful that tomorrow will bring less "foil" ringing in my ears. I have not vomiting in 36 hours now. Happy about that.
- Beth
My doc is suprised that I have any withdrawal symptoms. I think they are misinformed. She told me I should not have any problems if I just skip a day but I have proven that to be incredibly false.
- Bumblebee
i've been off this S.O.B. drug for 2 days and it's driving me crazy. i'm doing research on the web and have found that most of the people experiencing these withdrawals (which seems like everyone!) suffer for 1-2 weeks, although most get the zings up to 3 months after quitting. i'm currently on wellbutrin right now, and it's helping me with my energy levels, but i can't stand the nausea / vertigo / zings. i'm afraid of losing my job and failing in school - and there isn't much i can do except tough it out.
... from what i've been reading - it doesn't really matter how much you taper down, you're still going to feel the withdrawal. :( i have been completely off of the drug for 4/5 days now (everything's pretty much a blur and it is hard to concentrate, among other things) and i just need to stay away from this P.O.S. My doctor tells me to take Benedryl for my nausea - and to just tough out the other symptoms until they go away. He also seemed surprised that I had withdrawal symptoms. Do you think he's playing it stupid, or is he just an idiot?
- mikemike
I am also coming off effexor after nearly 18 months at 150mg per day. I cut the dose down to 75mg per day - no problems - then after around a month I stopped altogether. The withdrawal effects are simply horrendous. The worst part is the 'electric shock' problems that I am experiencing. From your temples to the middle of your chest, you experience an electric pulse so severe that it almost knocks you off your feet. Absolutely horrendous - avoid !!!
- Bazaa
i went off of effexor completely five days ago after a very quick weaning off scheduled by my psych and the past five days have been mind numbingly cruel. i reached true despair this afternoon and took a 37.5 pill and am now going to try a very very slow weaning process. when i explained how i was feeling to my psych, she suggested that i might have an inner ear infection. how could she not recognize my symptoms as effexor withdrawal?? she said that i must be extremely sensitive. what a confusing time this has been. i just want to be free and in my own mind and body, not controlled or "reliant" on effexor. i am going to take the vitamins as well. thank you for posting this. please post any other suggestions. my doctor has recommended that i take 37.5 every other day for two weeks and i am really scared to do the day without for fear that the vertigo will come back.
- minnow
I have been on Effexor XR for close to a year (150mg /day) and was recently "dosed off" by my physician at a schedule of:
75mg for 7 days, then 37.5mg for seven days.
These "withdrawal" symptoms are really disturbing. I am experiencing extreme dizziness, vertigo and sensory disturbances. I called my pyhsician and he explined to me that there was nothing I can do.
Does the maker of Effexor have any information as to how long these withdrawal side effects last?
I am so frustrated that I am close to looking into legal recourse.
- chase
I'm also trying to get off of Effexor. My doc told me to taper off and that's what I've been doing over the last 4-6 weeks. I'm at the point now (at 37.5 mg) of needing to take a pill about twice/week. But your idea of reducing the beads in a capsule is a good one! I haven't taken a pill for a week now and since last Fri. I've had the woozy head and slight nausea. Missed worked today because of it.
- Colleen
I went off Effexor last year but I was allowed to titrate. It was still one of the worst experiences (long, too) I've ever had. I fought my new pdoc on taking this, and took it only 2 weeks this time before I had a seizure (caused by a different med). I had to stop everything cold turkey. Well, guess what, the choice is whether to be alive or dead and I went against the docs orders. I've been counting beads. Yeah, I had only been on it 2 weeks this time with a max dose of 75mg, but the withdrawal is still horrible and lasting too long. A couple of days of severe "head zing" and I wanted to disect my brain. Started taking beads...not many, not every day, but it's still not working so I will need to take more to get to a state of no zing...then titrate. Otherwise, I need to be hospitalized and conked out until it's over. My pdoc doesn't know and doesn't understand my withdrawal problem with Effexor. He prescribes it to all, even speaks at seminars to other docs about it. He thinks it works the best and probably does. But he needs to understand that the withdrawal for some is totally hellish.
- Lianne
i'm on day two of absolutely nothing after tapering off for two weeks from 150 mgs. i'm so nauseous i can barely sit up to type this msg. i'm determined not to go back to the crazypill and am holding on to .5 mgs of a lorezepam (or however you spell it) for insurance.
- george
I stopped cold turkey 2 days ago and feel like I've been run over by a cement mixer. ***HOW LONG DOES THE VERTIGO/DIZZINESS LAST?***
- PJ
i dont know if im doing this right but i just wanted to hear that someone else knows what im going through and that the dizziness, trails, and the feeling of pin pricks or electicity in my body is real. id be grateful for anyone who can tell me what to do about this. i have not taken effexor for about 2-3 days now and im afraid to drive or even try to walk. i guess these are symptoms of withdrawl from effexor, at least that's what i've been reading.
- wendy
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! - Celtix1234
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.
- lawbot
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 ! ...
- poochi
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.
- SusanofPudlin
And here they are:
I was on Effexor XR for 5 weeks. I started for a week on 37. 5 then did 75 for 2 weeks but felt weird, so went back down to 37.5. By the second week back on 37.5 I was feeling even weirder, and then went off it completely two days ago. I felt fine yesterday but today I feel horrible! Nauseated, moody, headache. I just did a search for Effexor withdrawal and now I am freaking out. I have been having nightmares too. I didn't realize it was so bad. I do not want this stuff in my body. I wonder if I will suffer for weeks with this withdrawal crap. If I knew it was like this I would never have started it. I am so mad...I wonder how long I'm going to have to suffer.
- pissed off
This has got to be the worst possible experience of my life...I'm actually starting to think that my depressed, pre-medicated life was better than this withdrawal stuff. It is NOBODY'S idea of fun...the brain surges make me feel like I'm in an altered state, very surreal, and I definitely dropped 3 glasses of iced tea at work today...soaked my shoes/apron...glass went everywhere...and when I try to fall asleep at night; I'm scared to...because I have these, I don't know if they're nightmares or what, but I feel like I'm paralyzed and can't breathe, but I can see everything around me, like my room and stuff. The brain surges are the worst, though, and I'm even afraid to drive. I ended up getting sent home from work today, and my manager told me not to come in tomorrow if I'm still feeling ill. I can't live like this, I have to work! I can't miss shifts because of a stupid medicine that I'm NOT taking anymore! And how do you explain it to people around you? The fact that there has to be a blogspot for the withdrawal effects of a medicine is SICK. Not about you who made it...the fact that there has to be one. It's disgusting that a medicine can make you feel like this... AFTER you're off of it! But I don't want to be on it...it wasn't helping, and a new study has linked Effexor (and other drugs) to increased suicidal tendencies. Fabulous, right? Grrrr this is absolutely dreadful, and I want it to STOP!!!
-blondeonbroadway
.. I've been planning on getting off Effexor. Currently I'm taking 150 tab.. I tried last month to skip a day each week until I was off it (Dr. Recommended).. I WAS MEAN!!!.. That's not me, never has been. One day I was mean as hell the next I was crying my head off... I'm so mad now. I started taking the drug full strength again because I'm afraid... What has it made me. I have a 2 and 4 year old so I was just a little run down and have only been on Effexor for around 6 months. it helped but now due to my life being more organized and the kids getting easier I wanted to not be on a prescription... HELP ME
-Bluerhonda
i quit pretty much cold turkey, about three weeks ago. i'd quit prozac in the past, cold, with only a couple weeks of mild side effects, so i thought i'd be fine toughing this out. i still think i'll keep going cold turkey, because judging from yours and other accounts, tapering off isn't a breeze either. i had a cold/flu for this past week, and only now i'm starting to realize my continued dizzy head/vague nausea are not part of that, but symptoms i felt before the cold, after going off effexor. so i went on good old google to see more about what i could expect in my withdrawal. though, thankfully, i don't seem to have symptoms as severe as other effexor-kickers (probably because i was only on the drug for about 6 months), i find it reassuring to see there's a definite reason for the brain shiver/queasy unease... good luck to you and all your other readers!
- kristi
I have been taking 225mg of effexor for the past year. In January I decided I didn't want to take it anymore so I dropped myself down to 150mg. When I returned to my Dr I told her I no longer wanted to take it so she gave me trial packs to ween myself off. I dropped down to 75mg/day for 3 weeks and finally down to 37.5mg/day for 3 weeks. I just finished my last pill on Thursday. Today is Monday and I feel horrible. I have been getting constant "brain zaps" and have been sooooo tired ALL the time. Does anyone know anyway to help without returning to effexor?? I would never recommend anyone to take this!
- Lisa
My doctor is putting me on Celexa instead [of Effexor - ed] (mainly b/c I find SSRI's help me better with my depression than Effexor does) and she has no idea how bad the withdrawl is. She suggested that towards the end I should take 75mg (I used to take the 150s) one night and none the next day. Well let me tell you, it is pure HELL. I feel like I am dying, literally. So your section about how to tapper off is really interesting especially the part where they suggest we buy those empty gel caps and put half of our dose in it. I will definitely try that this week because my doctor's so-called method is crap.
I personally think doctors should be more informed about the withdrawls because they don't seem to know very much about it. I was already taken off Paxil and that was a nightmare. Back then my doctor had only given me about three weeks to tapper off (before I switched to Effexor) and it was awful. I personally think that Paxil withdrawls are a lot worse than Effexor's.
- unnamed user
...I have been tapering my dosages of Efexor for about 2 months now. I had only been taking about 37.5 mgs for the past year or so ( I started experiencing extreme chest pain after about a year of 100 mgs, so my Dr. lowered by dosage). I experienced no problems with that change, but I have come to the point where I am trying to go completely off of the medication and I am experiencing the dizziness (which I expected) and also a feeling kind of like my heart skips a beat or "flutters" or something. I have not seen anyone mention this on any of the websites I checked, but was wondering if it was what people were describing when they mentioned feelings like electric currents running through their bodies. I am just a bit concerned. Any one with similar symptoms, please let me know.
- cawola
I took my last effexor on April 3. I was feeling much better, now I am wondering if it was that I felt so crappy that anything was better. When I get super agrivated I get very dizzy immeditely and that scares me. ...Just when I thought I was really over this I am starting to notice myself feeling super dizzy imediately when I get agitated. I don't know if this is still part of the withdrawl process. I also am having very strange cramps in my legs and abdomen. If anyone has had this please respond and let me know. I don't know what else it could be. Also I am feeling agitated frequently and I cant stop it. HELP!!
- Beth
I'm in tears reading about everyone's experiences with Effexor withdrawal. I had been fine when I was on 37.5, then I went down to 1/4 of a 37.5 tab and was fine. I figured I was good to go off and this is day 3 or 4 (I'm not really sure...the days have all blended together). I'm having a terrible time. I'm super dizzy, with shock-like sensations in my ears and head, plus I'm super tired and emotional. I'm hoping to tough it out until I get over this phase, but I don't know how much more of this I can take. Good to know there are others out there with the same issues.
- dizzyhead
...My 21-year-old daughter told her doctor on Tuesday that she wanted to stop taking [Effexor]. Her doctor wrote out a 3-week tapering schedule, and then basically told my daughter "Goodbye". I came to the internet just to check what we might be in for ... and I've cried for 2 days now. I don't even know how to tell her what's in her future. We are going on our first-ever family cruise at the end of May ... her 3rd week "off" the drug, if she follows the doctor's tapering schedule. After reading, I'm thinking it might be wiser to slow WAY down on that schedule. Maybe take 2 (or even more) weeks on each lowered dose, instead of the 1 week the doc suggested?...
- Emilie's Mom
I quit cold turkey. I ran out and didn't have the money to get it refilled (which happened quite often) and just decided I was so tired of the side effects and quit. I went through 3 weeks of pure hell, but I'm doing great now. Believe me, there were days I was crying, even hitting my head because I wanted the brain zaps to go away. But, they do...
- heatheranne
I've been off for 2 1/2 weeks now. I realize now that the first week was pretty bad. I had vertigo, lightheadedness, and zaps pretty much all day. I also experienced some weird emotional stuff: agitated, irritable, obsessive about certain things, emotional exhaustion (that feeling of being on the verge of crying because you haven't slept in days). Finally, it started to go away. I would wake up feeling fine, but would start to get lightheaded etc later on. The good feeling lasted longer each day until it only comes if I've stayed up too late.
Feeling good this week, just making sure that I still avoid overstimulation and get to bed early enough. Trying to eat right, drink enough water, and taking it easy. I'm almost there!
- SBDivemaster
...I'm in the throes of effexor w/d & didn't realize it until just a few days ago... I thought I was "going crazy" you know? At any rate, FINALLY doing some research & checking tic tic tic off the items & yep, there's each&every one. I'm about 1 1/2 weeks in (I tapered to 37.5 for a week then the same every other day for 2 weeks & then stopped) and it is HELL... but I figure I'm this far I may as well just keep riding it out.
- tiger
I'm on my 4th day of no Effexor. I had tapered down from 225 to 0 over a 2 month period and thought it was going pretty well (aside from the constant crying). Now I'm getting the physical stuff though which as you all know is not fun! Zaps, headache, chills and insomnia. Has anyone else had neck pain? Probably not connected but it's killing me!
- liafail
I'm thinking about going off Effexor (I'm on 225 mg, been on the drug itself for 2.5 years). I tried one time after weaning a little, but the brain zaps, tears, and fear of "what the hell was happening to me?" were too much to handle. I only made it one day.
- karenwoman
I also stopped taking the effexor last week. I have been vomiting since thursday and today is the first day I feel even partially normal. My husband thinks I have lost my mind. I can hear someone banging foil in my head????? How crazy does that sound? These symptoms are real and a real drag. I have stopped completely taking it now. My question is about Wellbutrin...Anyone have problems stopping that one? ... I cannot even get my Dr. to return my phone calls. I had no idea that coming off this drug was a problem. I did start off quickly and now am on my 5th day of hell. Although today is much better. Every day I seem to improve by 50%. I am not going back to take more, this drug is ridiculous. Hopeful that tomorrow will bring less "foil" ringing in my ears. I have not vomiting in 36 hours now. Happy about that.
- Beth
My doc is suprised that I have any withdrawal symptoms. I think they are misinformed. She told me I should not have any problems if I just skip a day but I have proven that to be incredibly false.
- Bumblebee
i've been off this S.O.B. drug for 2 days and it's driving me crazy. i'm doing research on the web and have found that most of the people experiencing these withdrawals (which seems like everyone!) suffer for 1-2 weeks, although most get the zings up to 3 months after quitting. i'm currently on wellbutrin right now, and it's helping me with my energy levels, but i can't stand the nausea / vertigo / zings. i'm afraid of losing my job and failing in school - and there isn't much i can do except tough it out.
... from what i've been reading - it doesn't really matter how much you taper down, you're still going to feel the withdrawal. :( i have been completely off of the drug for 4/5 days now (everything's pretty much a blur and it is hard to concentrate, among other things) and i just need to stay away from this P.O.S. My doctor tells me to take Benedryl for my nausea - and to just tough out the other symptoms until they go away. He also seemed surprised that I had withdrawal symptoms. Do you think he's playing it stupid, or is he just an idiot?
- mikemike
I am also coming off effexor after nearly 18 months at 150mg per day. I cut the dose down to 75mg per day - no problems - then after around a month I stopped altogether. The withdrawal effects are simply horrendous. The worst part is the 'electric shock' problems that I am experiencing. From your temples to the middle of your chest, you experience an electric pulse so severe that it almost knocks you off your feet. Absolutely horrendous - avoid !!!
- Bazaa
i went off of effexor completely five days ago after a very quick weaning off scheduled by my psych and the past five days have been mind numbingly cruel. i reached true despair this afternoon and took a 37.5 pill and am now going to try a very very slow weaning process. when i explained how i was feeling to my psych, she suggested that i might have an inner ear infection. how could she not recognize my symptoms as effexor withdrawal?? she said that i must be extremely sensitive. what a confusing time this has been. i just want to be free and in my own mind and body, not controlled or "reliant" on effexor. i am going to take the vitamins as well. thank you for posting this. please post any other suggestions. my doctor has recommended that i take 37.5 every other day for two weeks and i am really scared to do the day without for fear that the vertigo will come back.
- minnow
I have been on Effexor XR for close to a year (150mg /day) and was recently "dosed off" by my physician at a schedule of:
75mg for 7 days, then 37.5mg for seven days.
These "withdrawal" symptoms are really disturbing. I am experiencing extreme dizziness, vertigo and sensory disturbances. I called my pyhsician and he explined to me that there was nothing I can do.
Does the maker of Effexor have any information as to how long these withdrawal side effects last?
I am so frustrated that I am close to looking into legal recourse.
- chase
I'm also trying to get off of Effexor. My doc told me to taper off and that's what I've been doing over the last 4-6 weeks. I'm at the point now (at 37.5 mg) of needing to take a pill about twice/week. But your idea of reducing the beads in a capsule is a good one! I haven't taken a pill for a week now and since last Fri. I've had the woozy head and slight nausea. Missed worked today because of it.
- Colleen
I went off Effexor last year but I was allowed to titrate. It was still one of the worst experiences (long, too) I've ever had. I fought my new pdoc on taking this, and took it only 2 weeks this time before I had a seizure (caused by a different med). I had to stop everything cold turkey. Well, guess what, the choice is whether to be alive or dead and I went against the docs orders. I've been counting beads. Yeah, I had only been on it 2 weeks this time with a max dose of 75mg, but the withdrawal is still horrible and lasting too long. A couple of days of severe "head zing" and I wanted to disect my brain. Started taking beads...not many, not every day, but it's still not working so I will need to take more to get to a state of no zing...then titrate. Otherwise, I need to be hospitalized and conked out until it's over. My pdoc doesn't know and doesn't understand my withdrawal problem with Effexor. He prescribes it to all, even speaks at seminars to other docs about it. He thinks it works the best and probably does. But he needs to understand that the withdrawal for some is totally hellish.
- Lianne
i'm on day two of absolutely nothing after tapering off for two weeks from 150 mgs. i'm so nauseous i can barely sit up to type this msg. i'm determined not to go back to the crazypill and am holding on to .5 mgs of a lorezepam (or however you spell it) for insurance.
- george
I stopped cold turkey 2 days ago and feel like I've been run over by a cement mixer. ***HOW LONG DOES THE VERTIGO/DIZZINESS LAST?***
- PJ
i dont know if im doing this right but i just wanted to hear that someone else knows what im going through and that the dizziness, trails, and the feeling of pin pricks or electicity in my body is real. id be grateful for anyone who can tell me what to do about this. i have not taken effexor for about 2-3 days now and im afraid to drive or even try to walk. i guess these are symptoms of withdrawl from effexor, at least that's what i've been reading.
- wendy
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! - Celtix1234
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.
- lawbot
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 ! ...
- poochi
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.
- SusanofPudlin
Going for broke
05.29.04 (4:12 pm) [edit]
I haven't updated in awhile--I apologize. Nothing much was going on to document. However, I've decided to go for broke and bring this long saga to an end. (Yeah, melodrama.) My last dose was approximately 17mg on Thursday at around noon.
So it's been about 53 hours since my last Effexor. Good riddance!
I feel kind of woozy and dizzy. The nausea isn't too bad, but my head feels strange and achy inside--like as though every time I move it from side to side, I have to regain my balance. I occasionally feel numbness in my lips, too. It's true, though--the less you focus on it, the less you feel it.
So it's been about 53 hours since my last Effexor. Good riddance!
I feel kind of woozy and dizzy. The nausea isn't too bad, but my head feels strange and achy inside--like as though every time I move it from side to side, I have to regain my balance. I occasionally feel numbness in my lips, too. It's true, though--the less you focus on it, the less you feel it.
Ack! What's going on with the comments?
05.20.04 (7:23 am) [edit]
Looks like the comments are disabled or something right now...I think tblog is doing some maintenance or transfering to a new server or something. If anything seems out of wack or anything with the blog, or you can't use the comments function, it's probably because of that.
Also...
# of beads taken out of my 37.5 dose of Effexor so far: 10
Also...
# of beads taken out of my 37.5 dose of Effexor so far: 10
Oh no!
05.17.04 (1:50 pm) [edit]
Did I turn everybody off with that snot comment? I apologize. Anyway, I'm still sick. Ugh. Now I have no voice--or at least just a raspy croak of sorts.
Just wanted to update a bit. I haven't added any informational links in awhile--I'll try to come up with one today.
Just wanted to update a bit. I haven't added any informational links in awhile--I'll try to come up with one today.
Of snot and pills
05.13.04 (12:03 am) [edit]
tblog is way slow tonight--it took me forever to just get into my account.
Anyway, I'm sorry I haven't been updating as regularly lately. I've been really busy, and fortunately for me, things have been fairly uneventful on the Effexor front. This is in part because I went back up to 37.5 just to stabilize, and I've decided to take out one bead per day until I'm done with the damn things. I realized that at this point going down half a dose is too tricky and too stressful--so hopefully this way will be better.
Meanwhile, I stop taking my vitamins for a few days (mostly just flakiness) and I get a bad cold! In just a few hours, I've blown my nose into almost an entire roll of toilet paper. Yes, this is gross, but if I'm gonna talk about my antidepressant withdrawal symptoms here I can also talk about my snot. Right?? Both are unpleasant and personal...but I'd rather deal with the snot over the Effexor withdrawal any day.
I hope everyone is doing OK out there. Thanks for the comments recently. It makes me feel good that this blog is useful even for a few people. For what it's worth, my stats indicate that today I've had 5500 visits to the blog! Based on the comments alone, I know those are not all unique visitors, but that's still pretty cool. Thanks for visiting, y'all! And I hope you start feeling better to the point that you have NO compelling reason to visit very very soon.
Anyway, I'm sorry I haven't been updating as regularly lately. I've been really busy, and fortunately for me, things have been fairly uneventful on the Effexor front. This is in part because I went back up to 37.5 just to stabilize, and I've decided to take out one bead per day until I'm done with the damn things. I realized that at this point going down half a dose is too tricky and too stressful--so hopefully this way will be better.
Meanwhile, I stop taking my vitamins for a few days (mostly just flakiness) and I get a bad cold! In just a few hours, I've blown my nose into almost an entire roll of toilet paper. Yes, this is gross, but if I'm gonna talk about my antidepressant withdrawal symptoms here I can also talk about my snot. Right?? Both are unpleasant and personal...but I'd rather deal with the snot over the Effexor withdrawal any day.
I hope everyone is doing OK out there. Thanks for the comments recently. It makes me feel good that this blog is useful even for a few people. For what it's worth, my stats indicate that today I've had 5500 visits to the blog! Based on the comments alone, I know those are not all unique visitors, but that's still pretty cool. Thanks for visiting, y'all! And I hope you start feeling better to the point that you have NO compelling reason to visit very very soon.
Hello there.
05.07.04 (12:36 pm) [edit]
I've been really busy this week, and haven't updated in a few days. I probably won't be posting much during the next couple of days either, as I'm visiting family, but I've been doing relatively well. I'm trying harder to maintain a daily routine and exercise regularly, and I think those are both healthy things no matter what--and even more so during a more stressful time like this.
I hope everyone out there is doing well. If you find a helpful resource online, or know of any books, magazines, or articles that have been particularly helpful to you on the subject of depression, mental health, medication, alternative/integrative medicine, etc., post them in the comments. I check out all recommendations and consider them for inclusion in the links and resources section of this site.
Hang in there! Don't forget to drink lots of water--it helps!
I hope everyone out there is doing well. If you find a helpful resource online, or know of any books, magazines, or articles that have been particularly helpful to you on the subject of depression, mental health, medication, alternative/integrative medicine, etc., post them in the comments. I check out all recommendations and consider them for inclusion in the links and resources section of this site.
Hang in there! Don't forget to drink lots of water--it helps!
Friday + Saturday=
05.02.04 (10:35 am) [edit]
Bad, bad, bad.
Not each whole day, but really bad moments during those days. Maybe I still need to be on this med. Sometimes I wonder if I'm bipolar. Is anyone out there bipolar? If I were, is it possible to be in therapy for four years and have psych treatment for three and still have no one pick up on that?
Not each whole day, but really bad moments during those days. Maybe I still need to be on this med. Sometimes I wonder if I'm bipolar. Is anyone out there bipolar? If I were, is it possible to be in therapy for four years and have psych treatment for three and still have no one pick up on that?
I promise--I'm filtering like crazy, yet the pharmacy ads keep coming!
04.30.04 (1:51 pm) [edit]
Look. I am not necessarily anti-Effexor or anti-prescription drugs. I just don't think ads for those things are appropriate for these pages. I've been filtering sites like a madwoman in my Google ad settings, yet new batches keep cropping up--don't want to take Effexor? Take Valium! How about some diazepam? How about a whole crop of drugs with lots of D's and Z's and P's and and T's in the names?
I know ads are automatically served to the site based on its content and the repetition of certain keywords, so if I stopped using some of these words entirely, maybe these types of ads would be replaced by other types of ads. But if I have a huge long list of pharmacy/prescription drug URLs in my list of filtered sites, wouldn't SOMEONE or whatever technology they're using to determine which ads are placed here get the idea that I don't want those types of ads?
I love you, Google, don't get me wrong, and I've been hearing a lot of stuff on the news about you lately about how smart and lucrative you are, but you've just been letting me down. You're still my favorite search engine, but I expect more from you, you know?
Well. I can imagine some readers might be thinking that Effexor withdrawal should be the least of my worries, since addressing entire blog entries to a search engine, which is admittedly an inanimate object of sorts, is clearly symptomatic of far deeper problems...
I know ads are automatically served to the site based on its content and the repetition of certain keywords, so if I stopped using some of these words entirely, maybe these types of ads would be replaced by other types of ads. But if I have a huge long list of pharmacy/prescription drug URLs in my list of filtered sites, wouldn't SOMEONE or whatever technology they're using to determine which ads are placed here get the idea that I don't want those types of ads?
I love you, Google, don't get me wrong, and I've been hearing a lot of stuff on the news about you lately about how smart and lucrative you are, but you've just been letting me down. You're still my favorite search engine, but I expect more from you, you know?
Well. I can imagine some readers might be thinking that Effexor withdrawal should be the least of my worries, since addressing entire blog entries to a search engine, which is admittedly an inanimate object of sorts, is clearly symptomatic of far deeper problems...
Coffee makes it worse.
04.28.04 (4:02 pm) [edit]
When I drink too much coffee, the withdrawal stuff is worse.
In other news, I am holdin' it down at about 1/2 a dose of 37.5mg.
I see my psych doc tomorrow and will fill her in on all the drama that's ensued since last time, and may even tell her about this blog. I think she's one of the Good Guys, just underinformed.
Hope everyone is hanging in there.
In other news, I am holdin' it down at about 1/2 a dose of 37.5mg.
I see my psych doc tomorrow and will fill her in on all the drama that's ensued since last time, and may even tell her about this blog. I think she's one of the Good Guys, just underinformed.
Hope everyone is hanging in there.
Better emotional weather report
04.25.04 (11:46 pm) [edit]
Well, no crazy outbursts today, thank goodness.
I responded to this in the comments earlier today, but I wanted to thank again the people who have offered support and reassurance. It's nice to know there are others out there who have been through the same thing, offering knowing sympathy and advice. It means a lot.
I've been a bit more careful about my caffeine intake. Also, I started taking Rescue Remedy (which is a popular type of Bach's Flower Remedies) again when I feel an anxiety attack coming on, which I think is helpful.
You'll notice I'm being kind of an ad-whore and have put an Amazon ad for this stuff on the right. But I really have been using it, and it really has been helping--so if you feel like supporting this site, and you want to try something very natural, gentle and uninvasive for dealing with anxiety and extra stress, it's definitely a good click-through option for both of us.
Anyway, thanks again for the encouragement, and I hope anyone else who might be out there reading this right now, all zappy-headed, dizzy, and miserable, is hanging in there.
I responded to this in the comments earlier today, but I wanted to thank again the people who have offered support and reassurance. It's nice to know there are others out there who have been through the same thing, offering knowing sympathy and advice. It means a lot.
I've been a bit more careful about my caffeine intake. Also, I started taking Rescue Remedy (which is a popular type of Bach's Flower Remedies) again when I feel an anxiety attack coming on, which I think is helpful.
You'll notice I'm being kind of an ad-whore and have put an Amazon ad for this stuff on the right. But I really have been using it, and it really has been helping--so if you feel like supporting this site, and you want to try something very natural, gentle and uninvasive for dealing with anxiety and extra stress, it's definitely a good click-through option for both of us.
Anyway, thanks again for the encouragement, and I hope anyone else who might be out there reading this right now, all zappy-headed, dizzy, and miserable, is hanging in there.