Is my body ruined for life after effexor?

Hi there,

It's now been one week since I took my last Effexor pill (37.5mg) after about a month of weaning myself off the 75mg. I have been taking Effexor since March 2008, and it's mostly been 75mg, but I have gone up to 150mg for a couple of months and then gone back down. I experienced HORRIBLE side effects, particulary in the 'brain zaps, dizziness, palpitations' department. I mujst say, during these three years of taking the drug, I only experienced them if I accidently missed a dose. I got these side effects really bad whilst I was weaning myself off them in the past month. I have been reading everyones different experiences with withdrawal symptoms, and now I am concerned - WIll I keep getting side effects even after the drug is out of my system for good??? I know its only been a WEEK since I stopped, and to be honest my side effects havent been as bad! I usually felt the side effects hardcore after TWO nights of not taking it but this week I have only had slight dizziness everyday, not as bad as usual. So does that mean I will be ok? I got my blood pressure tested and it was a little low but not by much at all.

Will my body ever go back to the way it was BEFORE i started taking this drug? Oh, and Effexor only proved to be a numbing mask that took away my anxiety. It DIDNT help with my depression, that help had to come from inside me, not a drug. And I can actually handle my anxiety on my own, I know how to calm myself down. So I just wasted 3 bloody years on this stupid thing.

Kelly, 22 yrs.

We all like to think we will go back to some kind of normal. Some people quitting antidepressants not just effexor but many kinds have gone on to function ok some have not now it may be a matter of time. The real answer is nobody know for sure cause we do not truly know what these drugs do. The drug companies don't either their sites will say we suspect or it is thought truth is they do not know.
In the book called anatomy of an epidemic it is stated that the drug causes an imbalance and leads to chronic depression and chronic drug use. Now this does not have to be getting off early is a good sign. However I think you would be wise to read up on this drug learn all you can so you know what to expect. You may have longer term withdrawal yet you may have to go back on and do a slower taper if you want to be drug free long term. Oh and by the way health anxiety is is part of the withdrawal effect as soon as the serotonin gets low we all start thinking we have some terrible disease it is a fact... this is just one point of knowing... this simple little question about you body shows a health anxiety well know to folks who quit ads and the people that try to help them get thru it. Repost at paxilprogress.org and read there you will learn a lot of new things that will help you get clean and stay that way. I know you will not want to go back on nobody does but you need to go there and read so you KNOW what the other withdrawal effects are to watch for them to get support. Many people go off quickly and before you know they are back on another ad or worse drug. yes there are worse drugs.
So do this right so you only have to do it once then stay away from drugs.

Kelly,

You are young and were on a relatively small dose, and only at 150mg for a short time.

I bet you'll bounce back just fine. It might take longer than you would hope or expect.

You've made the most important step and that is realizing that the drug wasn't helping. Stay off of it, and get started living.:)

Best wishes,

brian.

Most of the people here didnt get good results with the drug or they wouldnt want to stop taking them. I have been on for 7 years and it gave me a new life. why would I want to stop taking? The worst reason for stopping is they are feeling good and want to go off. The reason your feeling "good" is because of the drug.

I have been on Effexor for 6 years. I am currently at 50mg and I am weaning off using the bead method. You can read more about my journey here: http://warofhappypills.blogspot.com/ I started at 150mg and have tapered slowly using counting of beads. I read "antidepressant solution" and it was an excellent book that helped a lot. I am fearful also that effexor has ruined my life, and that the withdrawals will never fully go away. I hope for the best and I think that we will feel wonderful once the drug is out of the system. Kelly, I hope you feel great and post back when you have results. If you are having bad symptoms I would go back on your last dose and do the bead method, as I know if I dropped from 37.5 to nothing I would be in the hospital. Everyone is different though, but I just wish doctors knew more about these drugs and the effect on the body then they actually do. It is all about money. You can see the trend from 1908 when they prescribed cocaine and then banned it. Now they are prescribing drugs that are derived from things like cocaine and morphine and labeling them "safe" because we have a “serotonin problem” in our brain. There is no test for this magically serotonin problem, it is just a “oh well we think” type of situation. There is too much trust in doctors who are just selling drugs the same way a jeweler sells a necklace.

I had semi-good results on effexor myself, it basically numbed me. I had moments of clarity but all in all it made me feel flat. If I ever missed a dose or took the dose to late I was completely miserable. I am stopping effexor because I think it is terrible for my body. I think it is pre-maturely aging my brain and I also want to become pregnant someday soon. What a horrible life it would be to have a baby that is withdrawing from the womb! It is scary to think my "world renowned" doctor 6 years ago said it would be perfectly safe to carry a child while on this drug. There were simply not enough case studies to prove that back then, and now it shows the complete opposite.

Anyway, long story almost short, I hope you feel better with each day of your new effexor free life. I am continuing this journey and cannot wait to call myself effexor free. This drug has been my crutch for way too long and I have obeyed by its rules without even asking myself if my body and mind are suffering. I am happy I woke up!

SasHP: I'm happy you woke up as well. If you read Anatomy of an Epidemic, it talks about the whole theory of "chemical imbalance" in the brain and how it is largely bunk and not at all the clear cut science that doctors and drug companies make it out to be. Essentially there was a study done that showed 28% of depressed patients had low serotonin levels, but they conveniently left out that 25% of non-depressed control patients ALSO had low serotonin levels. Makes you wonder.

christy: How did the drug give you a new life? What things changed? Why do you think you need a drug to make you feel good? Isn't living enough?

brian.

SasHP wrote:

I have been on Effexor for 6 years. I am currently at 50mg and I am weaning off using the bead method. You can read more about my journey here: http://warofhappypills.blogspot.com/ I started at 150mg and have tapered slowly using counting of beads. I read "antidepressant solution" and it was an excellent book that helped a lot. I am fearful also that effexor has ruined my life, and that the withdrawals will never fully go away. I hope for the best and I think that we will feel wonderful once the drug is out of the system. Kelly, I hope you feel great and post back when you have results. If you are having bad symptoms I would go back on your last dose and do the bead method, as I know if I dropped from 37.5 to nothing I would be in the hospital. Everyone is different though, but I just wish doctors knew more about these drugs and the effect on the body then they actually do. It is all about money. You can see the trend from 1908 when they prescribed cocaine and then banned it. Now they are prescribing drugs that are derived from things like cocaine and morphine and labeling them "safe" because we have a “serotonin problem” in our brain. There is no test for this magically serotonin problem, it is just a “oh well we think” type of situation. There is too much trust in doctors who are just selling drugs the same way a jeweler sells a necklace.
I had semi-good results on effexor myself, it basically numbed me. I had moments of clarity but all in all it made me feel flat. If I ever missed a dose or took the dose to late I was completely miserable. I am stopping effexor because I think it is terrible for my body. I think it is pre-maturely aging my brain and I also want to become pregnant someday soon. What a horrible life it would be to have a baby that is withdrawing from the womb! It is scary to think my "world renowned" doctor 6 years ago said it would be perfectly safe to carry a child while on this drug. There were simply not enough case studies to prove that back then, and now it shows the complete opposite.
Anyway, long story almost short, I hope you feel better with each day of your new effexor free life. I am continuing this journey and cannot wait to call myself effexor free. This drug has been my crutch for way too long and I have obeyed by its rules without even asking myself if my body and mind are suffering. I am happy I woke up!

I am happy you woke up too.
I want to see people who have quit effexor and are fine now. I want to know what dose they took and for how long as I read healing is dose and duration of treatment dependent. I want to know how long it took to heal regarding dose and durations...
where are the studies to help us know all these things????
Where is the drug company now that we are in trouble? Where are these world renowned scientists now?

If we had a couple of million dollars we could buy us a few good scientists and get answers to all these questions and maybe find a way out of this that is not so life destroying and painful. Sadly we are not organised and I don't know about the rest of you people but I have not worked in almost 4 years now that is when I reached tolerance I am doing god to eat and pay the rent with the money I now have. I suspect a lot of effexor cold turkey people are in the same boat as me. Lost house job financial security it does not take too long without insurance or a job for all you have worked your entire life for to eaten up and poof gone.

It is hard to believe we are left in the lurch now by this drug while the drug companies stick their heads in the sand and pretend we do not exist.
Anger ya I have some and it is not all effects of withdrawal some of it is very real and looking for a place to land.

Ever since I had starting weaning myself OFF this drug, I have actually felt more awake, I feel more motivated and I have gone back to being me again. I don't want to be masked by a drug. I can live life without a drug. I mean sure, I will ALWAYS have a bit of anxiety. I always have, it's in my family too lol. But as for the depression, that was quite simply something I had to take care of MYSELF. I couldnt feel happier on a drug, I had to make a lot of changes in my personal life i.e the people I was hanging around, job etc. Anxiety can be helped by a lot of will power and even some natural rememdies, and als getting out into the fresh air more!!! I dont want chemicals in my body. I want to detox Effexor completely out of my system. And I NEVER recommend this drug to anybody.

The truth really is that you DON'T know what you are doing to your body. DOctors and psychiatrists will go along, prescribing these 'magic cures' for anybody, because they simply can't be bothered to take the time, analyze your body and mind and really figure out what is going on. I was taking Anafranil, for a few years before I started Effexor. The doctor told me to just STOP the Anafranil and then start the Effexor straight away!!! No weaning myself off, no giving my body a break between drugs, it was just a simple swap. Considering this doctor wasnt my regular doctor either, he would have had NO knowledge of my medical history. Pretty sure that swapping anti-depressants straight away is bloody dangerous.

You will be fine. Just pay attention to all the other requirements for good health. Exercise, nutrition, rest, hydration- it all works.

I did the 75 to 37.5, but I couldn't hack just stopping, so I did the bead counting routine, and I figure I was around 18-15mg when I stopped.

It's so hard to say what continued symptoms are. If I get dizzy- is it a lingering side effect or not? If I get teary at an old movie or reading about a terrific kid killed in Afghanistan is it the drug, or is it a normal reaction.

That's part of the sad legacy of these drugs- the question may never be answered.

Kelly Hi there. I have come off the drug after 15 years I came off cold turkey. I am now three months free and still havs side effects . But itis better then not feeling anthing. I have good and bad days and still have brain waves. But I am hanging in there and I know I will do better. The trick is to controll tne need to fall back and talk yourself down. You might need something to help depression but effexor is an old drug and they have come up with better ways to handle the depression. Hang in there

Kelly wrote:

Hi there,
It's now been one week since I took my last Effexor pill (37.5mg) after about a month of weaning myself off the 75mg. I have been taking Effexor since March 2008, and it's mostly been 75mg, but I have gone up to 150mg for a couple of months and then gone back down. I experienced HORRIBLE side effects, particulary in the 'brain zaps, dizziness, palpitations' department. I mujst say, during these three years of taking the drug, I only experienced them if I accidently missed a dose. I got these side effects really bad whilst I was weaning myself off them in the past month. I have been reading everyones different experiences with withdrawal symptoms, and now I am concerned - WIll I keep getting side effects even after the drug is out of my system for good??? I know its only been a WEEK since I stopped, and to be honest my side effects havent been as bad! I usually felt the side effects hardcore after TWO nights of not taking it but this week I have only had slight dizziness everyday, not as bad as usual. So does that mean I will be ok? I got my blood pressure tested and it was a little low but not by much at all.
Will my body ever go back to the way it was BEFORE i started taking this drug? Oh, and Effexor only proved to be a numbing mask that took away my anxiety. It DIDNT help with my depression, that help had to come from inside me, not a drug. And I can actually handle my anxiety on my own, I know how to calm myself down. So I just wasted 3 bloody years on this stupid thing.
Kelly, 22 yrs.

my partner had been on effexor 75mg each day for about 4 years. he had tried a few other meds but only effexor seemed to help his underlying depression. he decided to come off effexor (cold turkey) in December 2010. the first week was harrowing - electric brain shocks, nausea, irritability - very common withdrawal symptoms. Amazingly, benadryl cough medicine stopped brain shocks completely - I've read on other forums that benadryl worked for many other people - so spread the word, it seems to work for people. My partner has been off effexor now for about 4 weeks, and says he feels 'awake' for the first time in years, he says he feels alive, happier and confident about the future. One side effect of the drug was on his teeth - it seems the drug took awake the calcium in the teeth, but he's working with a dentist to fix that. If your'e thinking of coming off effexor, don't do it cold turkey, it was hell for him and me, but we've gone through the worst of it. If anything, he's probably drinking more than he should, and feels a bit anxious, but they are normal human emotions which affect us all. there is light at the end of the tunnel, and you can live without the drug, but talk to your doctor first - it's important. With support of friends and loved ones, you can live without effexor if that is what you want to do.
stay safe everyone, and take care of each other.

I took Effexor for 13 yrs. I tapered from 75mg by taking a quarter pill less each week. I think that was too fast. My symptoms during the taper were minimal -- I would dream my head got struck by lightning & it would wake me up & I'd have a weird headache (in a strip from the occipital lobe up to the frontal lobe, on the right side. I assume these were brain zaps although I never felt zapped. I also felt a little queasy for a few days.

The day after I took the last quarter pill, I was hypomanic. Great! Loved it! Energy, intelligence, etc. That was 3 months ago. Then that went away & I had a day of Unbelievable Rage. Everything went wrong and if a person was involved, I let them have it.

Then that calmed down & I had a week or two of sexual obsession.

Then, about 2 months out, I began getting suicidal, more often and more often till it was weekly & I was calling the suicide hot line & that's when I decided I'd better take some Effexor.

Started out this time with 18 mg. For 2 days I felt normal. Then I began to feel sad and rageful again, so I upped it to 37.5. I've been on that for a week and have had steady moods & slept really well. No sadness, no rage. No libido. But I'm 68 and I've had my Days of Wine & Roses and I'm willing to give up sex for an even temper.

Effexor never made me feel emotionally flat, either while I was on it, or now.

Ann from WA wrote:

I took Effexor for 13 yrs. I tapered from 75mg by taking a quarter pill less each week. I think that was too fast. My symptoms during the taper were minimal -- I would dream my head got struck by lightning & it would wake me up & I'd have a weird headache (in a strip from the occipital lobe up to the frontal lobe, on the right side. I assume these were brain zaps although I never felt zapped. I also felt a little queasy for a few days.
The day after I took the last quarter pill, I was hypomanic. Great! Loved it! Energy, intelligence, etc. That was 3 months ago. Then that went away & I had a day of Unbelievable Rage. Everything went wrong and if a person was involved, I let them have it.
Then that calmed down & I had a week or two of sexual obsession.
Then, about 2 months out, I began getting suicidal, more often and more often till it was weekly & I was calling the suicide hot line & that's when I decided I'd better take some Effexor.
Started out this time with 18 mg. For 2 days I felt normal. Then I began to feel sad and rageful again, so I upped it to 37.5. I've been on that for a week and have had steady moods & slept really well. No sadness, no rage. No libido. But I'm 68 and I've had my Days of Wine & Roses and I'm willing to give up sex for an even temper.
Effexor never made me feel emotionally flat, either while I was on it, or now.

See the tapering thread you are going too fast

Ann from WA wrote:

I took Effexor for 13 yrs. I tapered from 75mg by taking a quarter pill less each week. I think that was too fast. My symptoms during the taper were minimal -- I would dream my head got struck by lightning & it would wake me up & I'd have a weird headache (in a strip from the occipital lobe up to the frontal lobe, on the right side. I assume these were brain zaps although I never felt zapped. I also felt a little queasy for a few days.
The day after I took the last quarter pill, I was hypomanic. Great! Loved it! Energy, intelligence, etc. That was 3 months ago. Then that went away & I had a day of Unbelievable Rage. Everything went wrong and if a person was involved, I let them have it.
Then that calmed down & I had a week or two of sexual obsession.
Then, about 2 months out, I began getting suicidal, more often and more often till it was weekly & I was calling the suicide hot line & that's when I decided I'd better take some Effexor.
Started out this time with 18 mg. For 2 days I felt normal. Then I began to feel sad and rageful again, so I upped it to 37.5. I've been on that for a week and have had steady moods & slept really well. No sadness, no rage. No libido. But I'm 68 and I've had my Days of Wine & Roses and I'm willing to give up sex for an even temper.
Effexor never made me feel emotionally flat, either while I was on it, or now.

Hi Anne

the days of roses and wine aren't all that matters in life. happiness and contentment is what really counts. If you have to go back on them to feel this way, then it's better to take the drug. keep strong. I hope you have the support of loved ones who you can rely on. But don't give up hope

When if you decide to get off E again do a very slow taper it will help

joshua wrote:

my partner had been on effexor 75mg each day for about 4 years. he had tried a few other meds but only effexor seemed to help his underlying depression. he decided to come off effexor (cold turkey) in December 2010. the first week was harrowing - electric brain shocks, nausea, irritability - very common withdrawal symptoms. Amazingly, benadryl cough medicine stopped brain shocks completely - I've read on other forums that benadryl worked for many other people - so spread the word, it seems to work for people. My partner has been off effexor now for about 4 weeks, and says he feels 'awake' for the first time in years, he says he feels alive, happier and confident about the future. One side effect of the drug was on his teeth - it seems the drug took awake the calcium in the teeth, but he's working with a dentist to fix that. If your'e thinking of coming off effexor, don't do it cold turkey, it was hell for him and me, but we've gone through the worst of it. If anything, he's probably drinking more than he should, and feels a bit anxious, but they are normal human emotions which affect us all. there is light at the end of the tunnel, and you can live without the drug, but talk to your doctor first - it's important. With support of friends and loved ones, you can live without effexor if that is what you want to do.
stay safe everyone, and take care of each other.

Don't spread the word it is not a good idea. It can be as addcitive and just prolong withdrawal really has rebound too. If you are tapering really slow really small doses that should be enough. Most doctors suggest a too rapid too large dose reduction that is the problem they do not know and when you try to tell them they just get pissy that is where the need for sites like this comes into play. Sad isn't it. Sadder still all the unnecessary suffering.

btdt wrote:

<quoted text>
I am happy you woke up too.
I want to see people who have quit effexor and are fine now. I want to know what dose they took and for how long as I read healing is dose and duration of treatment dependent. I want to know how long it took to heal regarding dose and durations...
where are the studies to help us know all these things????
Where is the drug company now that we are in trouble? Where are these world renowned scientists now?
If we had a couple of million dollars we could buy us a few good scientists and get answers to all these questions and maybe find a way out of this that is not so life destroying and painful. Sadly we are not organised and I don't know about the rest of you people but I have not worked in almost 4 years now that is when I reached tolerance I am doing god to eat and pay the rent with the money I now have. I suspect a lot of effexor cold turkey people are in the same boat as me. Lost house job financial security it does not take too long without insurance or a job for all you have worked your entire life for to eaten up and poof gone.
It is hard to believe we are left in the lurch now by this drug while the drug companies stick their heads in the sand and pretend we do not exist.
Anger ya I have some and it is not all effects of withdrawal some of it is very real and looking for a place to land.

what she said :) bump

i think alot of women experience depression because of their birth-control pills.

that stuff is nasty and messes with your body big time.

and yeah, there's no science behind the whole serotonin thing. even Ann Tracy, PhD noted people with major mental disturbances tend to have high serotonin levels.

i was depressed and anxious which is why i took effexor, but i had a very defeated attitude about life because i wasn't speaking up for myself or doing what I really wanted. effexor made me stimulated and numb at the same time. off of it, i am frustrated by health issues it has caused, but i am a happy and determined person with a clear mind, and the anxiety and depression i had, has never returned yet. its been a yr off of it so far but who knows.

anyways... if you lose your health due to a drug, you'll likely wish you hadve taken the depression and kept your health.

depression can often be fixed with therapy, and making life changes to eliminate the sources of unhappiness or stress, but health.... you don't have much control over that.

big lesson i learned.

Thank you everyone for your posts. I have been off Effexor for 2 months now. I am still getting withdrawals in the form of anxiety, crying fits, tremors, heart palpations, worse pms and more. I looked up today how long these withdrawals would last and I found the webcast on the "anatomy of an epidemic" which helped me feel better. Information makes me feel better, not knowing is the worst. I have come to realize that this all started when I was 15 and asked the doctor what to do about my bad pms. In hindsight, my pms was nothing. It was mild crying and going through what every girl does around that time. When I turned 20 I experimented with marijuana and diet pills. It was hardly any too, it wasn't like I did it all the time. Soon after this I had a pyschotic break. They put me on antipychotics, antidepressants and mood stabalizers. They said I was bipolar and gave my mom the same BS about the chemicals in the brain being imbalanced. When I turned 21 I started Effexor after going to a rehab for depression. I started drinking non stop to mask the side effects of effexor. Once I met my husband, we stopped drinking and I realized how delusional my thinking was on Effexor. I wasn't myself, I was a drone. I also have been feeling a decline cognitively which has scared me. That is why I came off Effexor. I now feel better, I have a wonderful husband who helps me through it, but it is still there. The fear that Effexor and the other cocktail of drugs has ruined my body/brain since I was 15 is still there. I used to be extremely outgoing and ready to take on the world, now I am fearful that a withdrawal will strike at any time. I sometimes feel bad for my husband and people around me. I also feel very old, and I am only 28.

I am going to focus on my nutrition, exercise and love. I truly believe it is the only way to heal my body/brain from the trauma it was artifically given from a very young age. I have to let go of the hate I have for the medical field and doctors. If I do not it will eat me alive. This life is a test and I have to succeed in finding happiness. Maybe if we all try hard enough we can overcome the falseness of the media and medical field. Who knows? For now I will maintain trying and hoping that the withdrawals subside in time.

Do to the fact I believe that no LONG TERM studies
have been done that would make the patients now the long term study. Plus the BioChemists/Doctors seem to know exactly what Liver Enzyme thingee processes the Chemical and Metabolizes it, good guesses could be made on what is going on LONG TERM. But in the end only testing would tell.
The short term vs. the Long Term.