Effexor Withdrawal- any suggestions?

Hi!
I stopped taking Effexor 2.5 weeks ago. I was taking 75mg a day before that. But I needed to go off of it due to a heart condition. Anyway, my physician had me take 37.5mg once a day for a week, and then 37.5 every other day for a week. Now I am off of it. My withdrawal symptoms were HORRIBLE! I ended up having to take 3 days off of work over those two weeks because I was so dizzy and nauseous.
Now I have been off it completely for 4 days. But I still get horrible dizziness that causes nausea. Does anyone know how to relieve this? I can't stand it anymore, it makes me feel miserable!

Hi,

I have just stopped my dosage of Effexor and the only symptom I have is unbelievable dizzines. It has been 2 full days with out the drug in my system.

Have you received any helpful information to help with the dizziness?

I am 7 days effexor free and it's been pure hell. I started taking really high quality Omega 3 caps which help the brain manefestations (brain zaps, eyeball spinning, motion sickness). Check out http://theroadback.org/ for a breakdown of helpful "natural" solutions. It's a slow road, but I'm crawling down it!!

Good luck!

K

I have been on 300 mg for about 3 years now. I have taken almost 2 months to slowly take myself off the drug. I have been 5 days without it now and it's HORRIBLE. I feel 200X worse now (emotionally and mentally) than I did before taking the drug, but the physical w/d are the worst. I am not even comfortable enough to drive a car. The best part is that my boss thinks I am full of S*** and my ex-psychiatrist says I have to make an appt with her to get a letter from her stating that I'm not crazy! That's a buch of bull****!!!! I have a couple of friends who are still on it, but on MUCH smaller doses than I am and there situations are far more severe than mine. It seems I was also over-medicated. I red on another website that the people who suffer the most dramatic withdrawls are the people thos didn't/don't actually need the drug! I think it should be taken off the market. It scares me that the gov't will allow something like this to be available.

Been off of Effexor for 5 days now, tapered off by taking the 37.5 size every other day for the last week before quitting altogether. I have been dizzy and naseous, the first 3 days I saw black spots in front of my right eye. Tonight, the dizziness is back and I feel short tempered. Does anyone know how long this will last? Thanks.

Normally it will ease to the point of not feeling nearly constantly affected by 2 weeks (i.e. the worst is definitely over)

I was taken off the effexor cold turkey. I have been so sick with the brain zaps,nauseous,crying jags. I just couldn't stand it so I ended up going back on it. As soon as I make an appt. with the doctor,I'm going to tell her to please wean me off of it although from reading other comments on another effexor forum you will still have the symptoms.I read where taking benedryl helps somewhat. Does anyone have any other suggestions? Thanx

The symptoms DO subside, but it does take time. The worst is usually over in two weeks, but it still takes a lot longer for others to go away.

Hi everyone,

I've been taking Effexor 150 mg for a year now. I started last October when I was suffering from PostPartum Depression. This drug was a miracle for me, as I believe it really saved my life. I am starting this week to wean off of the drug. As for all of you people who have stopped taking this drug cold turkey, you need to give yourself time to come off of this.

My husband did the "cold turkey" thing and he suffered horrible side effects. My doctor recommends to come down one dose per month. So, that means, where I'm on 150mg now, it will take almost 3-4 months to get off of this completely.

Hope that helps.

Which is an absurd rate to come off it ... considering you'll suffer side effects with each drop in dose.

Each dose appears to have an effective time in most people just short of 24 hours - even the XR version. So, every day you actually start to suffer withdrawal. Ask anyone who has taken a dose late or missed a dose.

So, with each drop in dose, you're going to go through withdrawal. Even off the minimum 37.5 mg dose, there are still miserable withdrawal effects for most people.

And the worst part is that for many people, Effexor hasn't even worked.

It's a shame that doctors are still willing to prescribe this drug. They should try taking it and coming off it!

http://www.pintas.com/attorney-lawyer-1026972...

i was on 350 mg for 6 or so years. about a year ago i decided to get off this for good. we cut it down about 75 mg each time every couple of months to 37.5 now. each step down was less severe but bad. is going from 37.5 to 0 mg going to be more severe than those steps down or is the worst over?

It's going to depend on your own physiology. One really can't say. It may be a walk in the park, or it may be hell. Just remember that the worst is over in a few days.

I started Effexor XR about a year ago, after losing my grandma and brother within 3 months. I'd suffered depression symptoms since high school, but with the stress of college and losing such important people in my life, I needed something to help me get over those dark times. My therapist and doctor both recommended that I take Effexor. They warned me that going ON it might be a little uncomfortable, but said NOTHING about withdrawal symptoms when going off of it. In fact, they both praised it for not causing weight-gain and for being a "mild" alternative for depression sufferers. What a lie!

About 2 months ago I decided that I needed to go off of the medicine. First, because I don't like being a slave to medicine for my entire life, and second, because my health insurance was cut off after graduating college in February.

I followed my doctor's instructions and went down from 75mg to 37.5 and I didn't really have any problems. However, when I tried to go even ONE day without the lowest dose I felt absolutely miserable. Just today I finally found out that the "brain shivers" I've been having are actually a real thing. I thought I was having heart palpitations or that I was dying; it was really scary for me considering that my brother died at 26 of major heart disease. I've been extremely nauseous, dizzy, light-headed, suffering muscle cramps, headaches, and stomache problems. The help it's given me emotionally is NOTHING compared to the pain it's given me physically.

I've always been against using drugs and alcohol to solve your problems, but I NEVER thought that I would be dealing with the same withdrawal symptoms as a drug user after being on such a low dose and just trying to make my life a little better.

Even now my doctor just keeps telling me to "take it slow" and "just deal with it." That's ridiculous! I feel like I'm going crazy, I have no control over what's going on inside my body, and Effexor is STILL being prescribed to patients under the guise that it's a safe, non-weight gaining, healthy tool for people with depression to use.

I never would have gone on this medication, even at my lowest point, had I really known how it would affect my body once I stopped it. Doctors and the drug companies HAVE to know what this drug is doing by now. It's not new to the market, and it's been approved by the FDA! What is going on here?!

Unfortunately, going back on the medication to relieve my withdrawal symptoms is not an option because I can't afford the $150 a month price tag to keep buying the medicine. What's worse is that I have to deal with all this right at Christmas. A time that's supposed to be happy and light will be absolutely miserable for me. And, from what I've read, I probably won't even be feeling better by New Year's.

If anyone is considering going on this medication I HIGHLY advise you to really do your homework and don't just believe your doctor and the drug company's website. So many people are suffering because of this drug and no one is doing anything about it.

Good luck and my prayers to anyone else going through this hell.

I have been on Effexor 75mg SR for approx 2 years for PMS. I have had a hysterectomy and fortunately do not have PMS symptoms anymore. However I want to get off Effexor because quite frankly it makes me feel NOTHING - I am bored and my affect is too flat for me! On my request I am on a taper - have just finished 5 days of dose decrease to 37.5 mg and the plan now is to take 37.5mg everyother day for 5 days and then stop. I WANT OFF!
I feel like crap! Diarrhea, insomnia, definitely brain shivers all day long! I am determined to get off this med but how long will this withdrawal phase last? Any tips on dealing with these symptoms of severe dizziness and nausea? When will they stop? I want to feel normal again but I am definitely getting off this drug.

I too decided to get off of Effexor "cold turkey" a few days before Thanksgiving. I have never been so sick in my life (and I had the Hong Kong flu!!) I had missed several doses and decided it was a good time to get off of Effexor since I took for night sweats and the pressure of two jobs, the dr. suggested it may help. But never mentioned withdrawal. Like others, after a few months I felt better but the night sweats started back and it really effects your sex drive, so I decided it was time to stop taking it. I am 4 days into to this and I have nausea, vomiting, dizziness, motion sickness, fogginess, sleepy, emotional,
....I was better off with simple "pressure" from day to day living.

While I don't think there's anything that can eliminate the symptoms of withdrawal, jerseygirl, I've found a few things that may help. I've been taking ginger capsules for the nausea and dizziness, which seem to alleviate that "out of body" experience if only a little.

Also, instead of taking more meds for headaches, I've found that a cold pack made especially for headaches, that has a sleeve that velcros around the head, can help with that.

I know it isn't really practical for everyone, but if you can lay down in a quiet place, or at least rest your eyes, for at least 15 minutes when you really start feeling sick, it can help.

Like I said, the symptoms are still there, but this may help you deal with them. I read somewhere else that Omega3 supplements may help with the brain shivers; however, I haven't tried them. I too want off of this drug, it's just a shame that you have to go through all of this just to stop taking a medicine.

Good luck! And, if you find anything that helps you with the symptoms, please share!

My doctor who is a psychologist is trying to push me onto efexxor by trying to get me to get it from my G.P.
I have tried paxil,zoloft,celexa,lithium(fo r treatment resistant depression)and the side effects were frightening.But the worst was prozac.For days I had severe anxiety attacks.I also had hallucinations.It was the most terrifying time of my life.I came close to ending my life but somehow I endured it.
I had a nervous breakdown because of it and it took two years to get over that.
After reading these experiences I am again scared to take a chance.
What does a person do if antidepressants don't agree with them?
How does a person deal with depresion and anxiety when meds,therapy, and exercise don't work?
Efexxor sounds like a nightmare!!

Thank you, all. I have heard about those ginger capsules Lauren and I think I am going to try them, as well as those quiet 15 breaks! So, I am on third day of 37.5mg on/off - took it today and most symptoms alleviated - however tomorrow is the "off" day and Monday - my first "off" day I had those wierd brain shivers and that off balance feeling every time I turn my head. Along with nausea, quite emotional. But I was walking my doggie yesterday AM and decided I am going to talk my way through it - that actually feeling anything is better than feeling nothing and so so dull! We've had alot of fog in morning as I am near the Chesapeake Bay and it felt good to feel that AM moisture on my face! But talk to me tomorrow when those "brainshivers" return. The withdrawal is awful. I'm actually glad to be working even though I feel really weird - it helps not to think about it. I asked a pharmacist today how long it would take and he said 2 - 3 weeks. Here goes!