Off Effexor and experiencing major Metabolism Slow-Down?

J Dub wrote:

I have been taking effexor for 2 years and have tried to wean before, but couldn't stand the withdrawal. I'm on my 2nd day of bead counting and am very scared. I have also been having a lot of gastrointestinal issues and was just diagnosed with gastroparesis and have gerd....never had an issue until effexor!!!

please call the lawyer i listed 2 posts up, we need to be reimbursed for this damage.

not crazy wrote:

<quoted text>please call the lawyer i listed 2 posts up, we need to be reimbursed for this damage.

What is the number?

I am not going mad after all! I too quit the drug 6 Months ago with horrible side effects. Everything I read today describes what I am going through...the nausea, dizziness, metabolism problems, the chills, dry scalp, sleep disturbances, wanting to jump out of my skin... Was convinced I was dying only to be told that my bloodwork is perfect - was hoping for a hypothyroid diagnosis...

I too was on the drug for many years and quit for good 6 months ago. Withdrawal symptoms are awful. Nausea, dizziness, dry skin and scalp, sleep disturbances, metabolism slowdown, very cold body temp to name but a few. Now I know why and that I am not alone. Thought I was dying but noone can find anything wrong. Bloodwork is great, blood pressure up a bit....but I feel awful all the time. Any help would be appreciated.

You could try reading my post about Picard and Kirk saving my sanity, after all if they cant help nobody in the universe can

Mr Sensible wrote:

Help and advice sarah?, would you like to join me in a UK class action lawsuit against a particular pharma company whom I suspect you may not hold in very high regard. I appear to be the exact same as btdt, 3 and half yrs off it, put on a lot of weight for a marathon runner last 2 months I was on it, it fell off quite quickly and for the first year I was a bit underweight, then about a year ago it changed to being overweight, just like btdt, when one symptom disappears it just seam to be replaced by another one, big sleeping problems and on the bad nights I know when I'll sleep as my body noticeablely cools down, when I cant sleep at night( which is most of the time to some degree or other) theres quite noticeable heat coming out my muscles and when this heat disappears I fall asleep, just been tested for thyroid, they say not showing anything, I've came across this thing that they call lymphotic thyroiditis, which can quite often be drug induced and my symptoms appear to fit it quite well. Slowing of the metabolsim would fit with me, performance as a runner badly affected so if my metabolism has been slowed I'm not going to go as quick and just like everything else it changes every month or so and something changing shape every month or so suggests to me the bodies natural cycles being messed up in some way and thats what a friend of mine who has a Biochemistry Phd and was a world mountain running champion thinks also, pleasantly suprised by it today was expecting to be quite slow today given how disturbed my sleep is at present and wasnt really. I'm pretty certain its done something to my natural biological balance

I am interested very much in a lawsuit. I live in USA. Having alot of trouble finding a lawyer, any suggestions?

I stopped taking Effexor a little over four years ago. I gained about 25 pounds in the 9 months I took it and continued to gain another 20 in the year after I stopped.(And stopping was one of the worst experiences of my life). I have not been able to lose the weight I had gained despite efforts of exercise and diet. I eat pretty well, and I'm so overweight I should be able to budge the scale. Instead I just go up and down within a ten pound range.

Last year I found I have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, but my thyroid hormone levels are still in the normal range, so no treatment. I went gluten-free which has helped with some of the symptoms of joint pain, itchy skin, and irritability.

The thing is, I still believe that my body has not functioned the same since Effexor. I had easily lost 60 pounds with Weight Watchers in the year before I started Effexor. Now I can't even get more than 10 off. It's like my body wants to be 60 Lbs overweight. Has anyone been off of Effexor for four years or more and still been unable to lose the weight? I am very interested in having the other endocrine tests done like adrenal function to see if maybe the meds did something to alter their function.

I know with the Hashimoto's and all it could be thyroid function, but the doctors keep saying I don't need thyroid treatment (by the way I did have T3 tested and it was in normal). I just really pinpoint this change in the way my body works to the time I took Effexor, as I haven't gotten it working since and it worked great before.

Unless the anxiety that put me on Effexor in the first place was brought on by thyroid changes. That's possible. I just want to be able to get my body burning calories again!

Miranda wrote:

I stopped taking Effexor a little over four years ago. I gained about 25 pounds in the 9 months I took it and continued to gain another 20 in the year after I stopped.(And stopping was one of the worst experiences of my life). I have not been able to lose the weight I had gained despite efforts of exercise and diet. I eat pretty well, and I'm so overweight I should be able to budge the scale. Instead I just go up and down within a ten pound range.
Last year I found I have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, but my thyroid hormone levels are still in the normal range, so no treatment. I went gluten-free which has helped with some of the symptoms of joint pain, itchy skin, and irritability.
The thing is, I still believe that my body has not functioned the same since Effexor. I had easily lost 60 pounds with Weight Watchers in the year before I started Effexor. Now I can't even get more than 10 off. It's like my body wants to be 60 Lbs overweight. Has anyone been off of Effexor for four years or more and still been unable to lose the weight? I am very interested in having the other endocrine tests done like adrenal function to see if maybe the meds did something to alter their function.
I know with the Hashimoto's and all it could be thyroid function, but the doctors keep saying I don't need thyroid treatment (by the way I did have T3 tested and it was in normal). I just really pinpoint this change in the way my body works to the time I took Effexor, as I haven't gotten it working since and it worked great before.
Unless the anxiety that put me on Effexor in the first place was brought on by thyroid changes. That's possible. I just want to be able to get my body burning calories again!

Nobody knows exactly what is so messed up in the metabolism because of E we do know it is messed up. So I doubt anyone can answer you for sure if you find an answer post back. This is a problem we all have.