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GOING SLOWLY DEMENTED
Bradford, UK
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Judged:
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Others will chime!! Love it Terri...we are all on this site to try to offer support and I am sorry that Terri has had flack..not fair...I found this site after a long time trying to find people like me, trying to get off it and if I was the only one getting brain zaps!! Relief and hope!! I am in touch with the manufacturers because I have never heard of any drug that is worse to get off despite our doctors doing what is necessary and poor people like us have to find other users to sort it ourselves, it is not right!! 6 weeks after the slowest wean ever, I am still getting the zaps every minute, so I went back to my doctor and told him I was going back on caps to take grains out..I think he thought I was losing the plot..But I am desperate and will try anything...I am so happy to have found this site and all the people that offer advice and have been thru the same..we are all different and all have been on different dosages for different times and I think we should all try what we feel will work for us...We are all suffering, so trying a different method can only help..But I am so angry that I am in touch with the people who did the clinical studies..It shouldn't be up to people like us suffering for months or longer to devise our own plans..this drug should be banned or at least the doctors should be armed with the REAL side effects and withdrawl difficulties and wean people much slower...Good luck to everyone xx Fingers crossed for myself on removing beads LOL xx
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GOING SLOWLY DEMENTED
Manchester, UK
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Judged:
1
I have already posted loads..but I love you!! I have been trawling the net for months about this HORRENDOUS drug and when I heard your method, I went right back to my doctor who was dumfounded by the fact I want to go back on the cruddy thing and was going to remove grains every day..I don't care..After the longest wean ever..and 6 weeks without them..I am still being zapped every day, almost every minute and I am desperate so this advice is golden to me...Painstaking and ludicrous that we should be doing it..the manufacturer's should be hung!! But I am delighted that I have found something to try..people like me and a bit of hope for a zap free life..not happy to be back on the stuff but least I have hope and starting tonight..those beads are tiny and I don't think I have lost one yet!! I have counted 240 in my first 75mg..and I am halving them to start with and one bead a day since I aint took the stuff for 6 weeks..wish me luck and thank you thank you xx
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btds
Oshawa, Canada
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GOING SLOWLY DEMENTED wrote: I have been on 150mg slow release capsules for 18 months for agoraphobia and GAD (anxiety)and decided I wasn't happy with the pro's v/s con's. While on them, I had the usual nightmares, vivid dreams, sweat dripping off me and tremors but the worst thing was having agoraphobia, I sometimes didn't pick up my script and being late was HORRENDOUS!! The brain judders/ zaps cannot be explained..they have to be experienced to realise the debilitating effects and nobody took me seriously so I asked my doctor to swap me to something else. After the recommended switch to 75mg and then wean off over a week, I was still being zapped and felt suicidal so I stayed on the 75mg for 4 weeks after consulting my doctor. I aint had them for 6 weeks now and have been going out of my mind!!! Getting zapped every time I moved and every minute or so, therefore I sought solace surfing the net. I wondered if anybody else experienced these odd sensations because of late or skipped dosages...So relieved when I knew it wasn't just me, but then worried as it seems nobody can get off these EVIL drugs!!! I hate these tablets and there is no mention of zapping on THIS or any other SSRI but it seems VENLAFAXINE is the worst after trawling the net for 6 weeks. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate the advice about taking a few grains a day...I have reluctantly gone back on them and am starting my regime today...It is painstaking and tedious ..One slight slip and they are evrywhere!! BUT.. if it is the only way to stop being zapped, I am prepared to take on the challenge...thank you so much and anybody else suffering should try it..it seems the only rational way...I HATE the manufacturers of this medication, there is no way they have done clinical trails with not any person mentioning these zaps as it is obvious that it is a massive withdrawl symptom and common and so awful that we get back on ""the gear"" . My doctor looked at me like I had lost the plot when I asked to go back onto them, only because I want to wean off them!! And simply so I can take 3 grains a day out!! I don't care..I want and I really need a zap free life and I honestly wish we could put the manufacturer's onto this tablet and see how they get on thru the weaning process!!! I must admit that on a small dose, it is helpful with depression, not so good for anxiety unless you are on 225mg at least as then in kicks in as an SSNI...No way will I risk that!!!Wish me luck on my grain stealing days!!THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU TO WHO EVER STUMBLED UPON THIS IDEA..LOTS OF LOVE XX One slight slip and they are evrywhere!! This may help. Fold a paper in half pour the beads in the fold get a ruler measure how much you need to take may require some math :) There is actually a video of this on utube. I would suggest you taper differently but whatever. You may want to search taper below and read Reasons to taper slowly Effexor taper schedule... I like this taper as it gives you time after a drop for you body to adjust. I have posted my other reason already.
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btds
Oshawa, Canada
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GOING SLOWLY DEMENTED wrote: I have already posted loads..but I love you!! I have been trawling the net for months about this HORRENDOUS drug and when I heard your method, I went right back to my doctor who was dumfounded by the fact I want to go back on the cruddy thing and was going to remove grains every day..I don't care..After the longest wean ever..and 6 weeks without them..I am still being zapped every day, almost every minute and I am desperate so this advice is golden to me...Painstaking and ludicrous that we should be doing it..the manufacturer's should be hung!! But I am delighted that I have found something to try..people like me and a bit of hope for a zap free life..not happy to be back on the stuff but least I have hope and starting tonight..those beads are tiny and I don't think I have lost one yet!! I have counted 240 in my first 75mg..and I am halving them to start with and one bead a day since I aint took the stuff for 6 weeks..wish me luck and thank you thank you xx Effexor capsule do not all have the same number of beads in them you need to count or measure the ones you are taking not the other way around.
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btds
Oshawa, Canada
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Hopefull wrote: I am finanally off of effexor. It has been 3 days, weaning myself from 75mg to 37.5mg to 17mg over a two month period.
I am dizzy and not sleeping well but functioning enough to go to work.
I have tried in the past to wean myself off effexor and can say that skipping days is the worst way to do it. I agree that doctors should tell you about the addiction it creates and the side effects of withdrawal. Mine prescribed it to me for anxiety and never mentioned the addiction. I started going to a hormone doctor for change of life and no sex drive issues. She explained the effexor could be the cause of the no sex drive. This was my motivating cause of getting off of effexor. I am able to manage my anexity with yoga and breathing. Too young (and married) to not have sex, 54.
Good luck. I can't wait until I am completly rid of the withdrawal effects of effexor. By my estimates this is a too fast taper a too fast taper can cause protracted withdrawal which means it lasts a long time. Please read reasons to taper slowly and effexor taper schedule.
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btds
Oshawa, Canada
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btds wrote: <quoted text>
"I do agree with you, the slower the taper the better off Effexor, which is exactly what the beading method is. It's the slowest taper there is and the most effective method out there IMO. "
Perhaps it is time to take this on as why and why not and some reasoning.
I have watched people come off all different ways. I have watched one gent taper his gf off in minuscule reductions and talked with him for years on a private chat, still do. Her withdrawal reaction was so severe this was the best method for her. Her taper will take years and years because she is different. We are all different and that is the kicker. We all metabolize E in a different way depending on how our livers metabolize. I have a google link on here about this and it is only one of likely many reasons we all are different.
Coming off by counting beads is one way and this is what I think of this method. If you are having extreme reaction to coming off at 5-10% reductions then counting beads may be a good way to go. The time you stay at the same level is important I think and there has not been a standard wait period established. The minuscule drop guy does a 1-2wk wait before he drops as anything less she has trouble they have learned all this by trial and error by trying everything else first. It seems to work this is a very devoted man and most of us do not have a 24/7 love nurse to watch and grade our reactions she is lucky. Hers is an extreme withdrawal situation she could not have done this withdrawal alone as she could not stay focused well enough to measure the drugs she had lost control on many other areas I will not go into. It is more complex and harder to do than a drop 10% wait 4-6 wks type of taper. Sometimes people need to do it this way.
I have no problem with either taper method I just think the one I generally suggest is more proven and has an established wait time plus gets points for simplicity. One advantage of the long wait time is just that time... as I have been fooled before by the timeline this med has.
I suspect this drug can pull many tricks as I watch my own and other peoples ct withdrawal I think I forgot to add protracted withdrawal so am adding it here now if you search "protracted withdrawal" below you can learn more about it. and there is likely more but my memory rather sucks especially when I am tired and I am tired.
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Charlotte
Athens, GA
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Finally! I found someone to articulate my physical effects of getting off Effexor! "Head zapping & dizziness. Thank you for posting this. My doc reduced 75g to 37.5g, and then said I could just quit after that. I'm having these miserable side effects. Again, thanks for the share.
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MsHelloKitty
Miamisburg, OH
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Charlotte wrote: Finally! I found someone to articulate my physical effects of getting off Effexor! "Head zapping & dizziness. Thank you for posting this. My doc reduced 75g to 37.5g, and then said I could just quit after that. I'm having these miserable side effects. Again, thanks for the share. Charlotte, I am in the same exact place you are right now. My doctor has reduced me to 37.5 which I take every 8 days. The "dizziness" in my head makes me feel SO BAD. I know it's withdrawal and I wish, wish, wish there was something that would eliminate it. I hate that anyone suffers with this but I'm glad that I'm not alone out here.
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Amy
Leechburg, PA
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Judged:
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MsHelloKitty wrote: <quoted text>
Charlotte, I am in the same exact place you are right now. My doctor has reduced me to 37.5 which I take every 8 days. The "dizziness" in my head makes me feel SO BAD. I know it's withdrawal and I wish, wish, wish there was something that would eliminate it. I hate that anyone suffers with this but I'm glad that I'm not alone out here. This happened to me as well. I was reduced to 37.5 and was told by my doctor "just take this dose for 2 weeks and then quit". Yeah, ok, obviously my doctor never tried coming off of this satanic drug. I tried it and I got the brain zaps/dizziness/etc...Brain zaps being my worst complaint. I came on this site to get some advice and found the bead counting method. I started this and IT WORKED!!! I have been off the drug for a couple of months now and I can report that I have NO side effects. I started by pulling open my 37.5mg capsules. Counting out how many are in there. Then subtracting 3 per day every day until there were none left. Keep in mind though that when/if you start this process you have to count out exactly how many you started with. So for instance. If there were 40 pills in your first capsule you have to count out 40 beads each time you open a capsule and then subtract by 3's or even less. 3 was my magic number. I know there are some on here who tend to shun this way of stopping but it has worked for many of us. Don't let the negativity from some on this site get to you. You have to go slow and listen to your body. If you take 3 away each day. 3,6,9,etc... and you start to feel side effects then you may have to backup and only do 2 per day. It's an individual thing and you will find the right recipe that will work for you. Good luck in your journey!!!
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Lesson Learned 1
Somerset, KY
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I have been on 375mg effexor xr for 8 yrs now. It's stopped working, I know I have to go off it. I have a long and painful journey ahead of me and I would appreciate any words of insight that any of you can give me. I have no energy, so depressed I can hardly make it through the day. I am bi-polar and I have been taking this medication along with lamactical xr, topomax xr, and xanax xr. I have cut back from 200 mg of lamactical to 50 mg because it helped me function more, but now I realize I have to back off on the effexor. I have also been taking melation xr to sleep at night not knowing that effexor could increase the seratonin level in your body. Any words of wisdom?
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Lizzy
Baulkham Hills, Australia
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Thanks for all your advise. Am taking it for help with menopause.
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david
Coraopolis, PA
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been on effexor xr for 8 years. After much research have been using the bead method and avout 7 days from using up all the beads. Feel great no adverse side effects sleeping very well and general feeling of well being. Taking an excellent multi vitamin pack with plenty of fish oil, selenium and magnesium. only things happening are the weird type serial dreams do these cease at some point.
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Terri
Vancouver, WA
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david wrote: been on effexor xr for 8 years. After much research have been using the bead method and avout 7 days from using up all the beads. Feel great no adverse side effects sleeping very well and general feeling of well being. Taking an excellent multi vitamin pack with plenty of fish oil, selenium and magnesium. only things happening are the weird type serial dreams do these cease at some point. The vivid dreams are a big part of the withdrawal but they too subside, at least they did for me. So glad to hear you are doing so well. Always awesome to hear of the positive experiences. Hang in there. This too shall pass.
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btd
Oshawa, Canada
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Charlotte wrote: Finally! I found someone to articulate my physical effects of getting off Effexor! "Head zapping & dizziness. Thank you for posting this. My doc reduced 75g to 37.5g, and then said I could just quit after that. I'm having these miserable side effects. Again, thanks for the share. A very slow steady taper will help I am tired of reposting so go back and read the threads I have last suggested.
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btd
Oshawa, Canada
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Love this video http://www.youtube.com/watch ... effexor withdrawal is the same.
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brainzapped
Farwell, MI
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I do not like what I am going through. I am on 37.5 once a day now, and after 2 weeks, my dr. said that I would be done. Well, just thought I would cut them in half and take half in a.m. and half in the p.m. I am scared out of my wits with these brain zaps. I feel nausea too. I tried to call my dr. today. She never returned my call. Are there any safe supplements to take that won't interfere with the seretonin, etc. in Effexor? I am beyond desperate. I lay in bed all day and can't even go to my Zumba class for fear of driving my car with my head feeling so dizzy.
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btd
Oshawa, Canada
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brainzapped wrote: I do not like what I am going through. I am on 37.5 once a day now, and after 2 weeks, my dr. said that I would be done. Well, just thought I would cut them in half and take half in a.m. and half in the p.m. I am scared out of my wits with these brain zaps. I feel nausea too. I tried to call my dr. today. She never returned my call. Are there any safe supplements to take that won't interfere with the seretonin, etc. in Effexor? I am beyond desperate. I lay in bed all day and can't even go to my Zumba class for fear of driving my car with my head feeling so dizzy. Effexor Taper Schedule This schedule is taken from the experience of people at paxilprogress.org where people have been joining together and helping each other learn about these drug and get off them since 2004. You are about to benefit from all the suffering and mistakes made by other people who have been where you are. So listen up… it can save you a world of hurt. To taper off E rules of thumb know you are an individual and how you are responding to the taper trumps everything else even the tapering schedule. Reduce your dose by 10% wait 4-6 wks depending on how you feel. Reduce your current dose by 10% wait 4-6 wks repeat. If you feel bad stay at dose longer or reduce the amount you taper. The point of taper is to feel as well as you can and still get off the drug it is not to endure more and more pain and distress. There will be some for sure but this limits it to a tolerable level otherwise what is the point. add on The last word I have heard on this is to taper down by 5% rather than 10% due I suspect to the horrid withdrawal effexor causes. You may find ten ok but if not try five. Smaller drops lessen withdrawal symptoms and has been advocated for anyone that cannot tolerate 10% drops in the past or when you are down to a very low dose drops are more problematic with more severe withdrawal. At the end of the day listening to your body and brain is your best bet. This is not a race there is no hurry if you are not ill from the drug take your time you will be glad you did Rest of this thread found here: http://www.topix.com/forum/drug/effexor/TH0D6... Things that may help magnesium... calming for some did not work for me past one day... epson salt baths as you get magnesium thru your skin. Gravol kid strength... keeps the dizziness/nausea down but careful take a little as you can get away with... pedialite... when you feel like you can't stand up dizziness mostly... what you are doing is a fast taper and if you go back on and taper off slowly.. it will be easier and shorter in the long run. see paxilprogress.org if you need further ongoing support or see survivingantidepressants.org it is a closed site but a lot of smart people there. Deep relaxation is the last bit of advice I have if you choose not to go back on the drug. Imperative for fast taper cold turkey survival.
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effexor withdrawal
Marysville, WA
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Judged:
1
1
here is a good resource http://effexorwithdrawal.com/
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Whitney
Memphis, TN
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take benadryl and melatonin!!! it works!
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john reed
West Hollywood, CA
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I've been on it maybe 10 years, taking 2 capsules a day. I've been tapering off 4 months or so.
I messed up somewhere, I should have been counting beads before I tried to drop to 10 or 15 per day. I don't have zaps but poor thinking, and just really black thoughts when I wake up in the morning. I bumped it up to 20 beads a day but I'm not sure that's enough heh
I think I just got excited and cavalier and jumped the gun.
I said a prayer for everyone trying to get off this stuff.
Its the hardest thing I've ever had to do, but can't explain it to anyone. How can they understand?
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Scorpio
