Hey all, Has anyone here been on Effexor? Cos I've stopped taking them after doing the weaning process for a while..I really did it the smart way but now, (day 6) of being Effexor-free I'm really suffering. I talked to a pharmacist who didn't help me at all, so I'm thinking maybe people who have gone through it would be able to help me out. I feel EXTREMELY tired, and kind of cob-webby in the head. As well, I'm starting to feel a little nauseus and jittery and I can't concentrate. I don't want to go back on them, because I was feeling really good about going off them...but is there anything that can help? I've started taking a multivitamin to help combat the fatigue, I've cut out processed caffeine, and I'm not sure what else to do. If someone could help me out, either here or via PM, I would really appreciate it. Thanks
Dink a ton of water... Effexor is a bitch. Chamomile tea helps with the jitters as does meditation and breathing techniques. What you are experiancing is withdrawel, try detoxing yourself - exercise, tons of fluids no crap going in your system. How much were you on and how long did you decrease for?
with this kind of medacine, you mostly have to 'detox'... your body/mind has to get used to the lower doses... your body has to make its own serotonine now, and thats a lot of work... so be good to yourselve. rest... eat chocolat ... and if these feelings stay, i think you'd best go to your doc to talk about it. but mostly these feelings stay within 1 and 3 weeks after lowering or quiting the dosis... i hope you can read my english... its bad...
This is not a withdrawal. Withdrawal, in this sense, refers to intense cravings and extreme physical symptoms caused by the absence of a substance you are addicted to. You are not addicted to Effexor. How long were you on it? How much? How did you taper off? Why do you feel good about stopping the med when you feel like shit physically? Why were you prescribed it? Why did you decide to stop? Why didn't you consult a doctor/pharmacist before playing doctor yourself? Effexor is a serotonin and norepinepherine reuptake inhibitor. This means, it allows the serotonin and norephinepherine that your brain produces to be more available for use by your brain. When you get stabilized on a dose, your body no longer produces as much of these neurotransmitters because it doesn't need to. When you withdraw the medication too quickly, the levels of the neurotransmitters fall quicker than your brain can keep up with, since it hasn't had to produce too much of it. The effects you are feeling are not due to the drug, they are due the lack of neurotransmitters in your brain because you didn't stop the drug appropriately. Post the information I requested, and I will make a recommendation for you. You need more than a multivitamin! Don't fear, though, the neurotransmitters will return to their previous inbalance, the one you had when you started medication.
I took effexor twice and it gave me the same feelings you describe after coming off it, i felt fatigued and really dizzy...only took them twice then the doctor put me on Seroxat (bastard)! Seriously Seroxat is the worst drug, it made me suicidal and have violent moodswings, but i still craved the drug!...Sorry for the hijack, just wanted to share.
Effexor "withdrawal" is very common (Photogra explained what you're experiencing perfectly). I experienced mild repurcussions from coming off of it, but I wasn't on it that long. My best friend though; he had gotten up to 240mg a day over the course of 3 years. His doc told him to stop taking it, cold turkey. His doc didn't know what he was talking about! If you were told you to do something similar, go get a second opinion! Anyways, one thing that I know that's highly recommended for dealing with side effects is the original Benadryl. There's a whole message board for people experiencing this; it's here: http://www.pandamedicine.com/rt_health/123.html Good Luck!
