Effexor Withdrawal Problems (Page 2)

I was perscribed Effexor XR 75MG for one year after suffering from depression after the death of a family member. 10 days ago I stopped using this medication and I have had strange side effects I contribute to withdrawal. I get waves of tingling throughout my body. Like an electric shock feeling. I wanted to know if anyone else has had this feeling after discontinuing Effexor XR.

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I have an Associate's Degree in Applied Science, my major was in Pharmacy Technician. I have taken several pharmacology classes. In response to your submission about the withdrawal symptoms of Effexor XR-75mg --- since you were on this dose for a lengthy period of time, I believe that you should not have just stopped taking the medication. I believe that your physician should have gradually decreased the dose/strength over a month, possibly two to three months time, to minimize the withdrawal effects from discontinuation of the drug.

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taking effexor at night does it help with tirdness through the day. I need help with this.Thankyou

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SEVERELY DEPENDANT ON EFFEXOR XR 525MG A DAY I WANT TO GET OFF BUT AFTER 10 YEARS SEEMS IMPOSSIBLE. SHOULD I TRY A REHAB?

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Yes...the pharmacies (&the doctors) keep their dirty little secrets about what these anti-depressants do to U, when U stop them...They push them, saying they're non-addictive...But try stopping them & Bamm !! Happened to me too..Now I've been suffering with unexplained Peripheral Neuropathy for 14 years because of it....I stopped taking imipramine,(Tofranil) after taking it for 8 years for anxiety...I felt better after a lot of other treatment, so I stopped it, after my doctor said I could...Then, when I told him about the after effects...he says he didn't tell me I could stop. Figures, right ? Nobody wants the responsibility...& we suffer. Don't ever take anti-depressants for anything if U don't have to...unless U plan on taking them until U die....IF they don't kill U first.

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I've been taking this for a couple years now, 225mg per day, and now, at the ripe old age of 27 I get to experience erectile dysfunction

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I have felt horrible the last two days. Sweats, dizzy, and horrible feelings of doom. I missed two days. I came home tonight and took my dose and am very sick to my stomach. I have not been able to eat in two days without it going straight through me.

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I thought I was the only one!!! I get the same thing when I miss a dose. Like you said it almost feels like an electric shock throughout your body, like a huge twitch.

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I have weaned off Effexor gradually (after 10 + years) over the past 8 weeks or so. I went from 150 mg to just 20 grains and I've been off completely for 5 days now. Generally I feel better. I went off it because 1) I think I've been treated long term for what was initially situational depression. 2) though I do suffer from anxiety and have most of my life, I have done a lot of work on knowing the symptoms, understanding how it's effecting my body, having anxiety attacks but being able to just recognize them as physical effects and talk myself out of letting them get the better of me, Cognitive Behavior Therapy, all this being said, I had been feeling just plain "FLAT" emotionally for quite a while and I wanted to try going with out it. Prior to Effexor I was on Paxil for a few years, and in 2011 had a brief and horrific few months on Cipralex (a time period in which I acted erratically but barely remember). The good news is - I feel better.. I'm more motivated to do things, enjoy things more, feel hopeful and not stressed, sad or anxious. I am very weepy (not at inappropriate times, but anything that may prompt weeping from a lost pet reunion video to profound and moving words seem to just bring it on). I've had a little cry every night for a few weeks. It's of note that my elderly mother died last june, and my brother in law of 48 years (I am 51 years old) died of pancreatic cancer on Christmas day last year. I have not really felt like I have really 'grieved' either of these deaths ... it was like I just had to carry on to get through life, get to work, etc.. I have also been a bit forgetful, lost my words while speaking, typed in words in french (which I do not really speak, despite being Canadian and learning a fair bit in school). Last week I put away a bag of frozen food in the cupboard instead of the freezer.. I NEVER do stuff like that. Lastly, I feel cold, sometimes shivering. I am post menopausal so I do not think hormonally there is anything going on, but I think the drug had an effect on my body temp (caused a lot of sweating) and feeling cold is a foreign thing for me. (I bet I only buttoned up my coat 2 dozen times last winter). I wanted to post this because I DO feel BETTER, and I appreciate the posts of others if for no other reason than to know that I'm not alone in my experiences. I do think I'll be okay. It is good to FEEL things again but I hope not to be so weepy s time goes on. I wish for all of us a happy and fulfilling life, whatever that is for you personally.

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Sadly, these waves will continue and no one knows how long because the doctors don't even know. There is hope though. I am fortunate not to have to work, my husband works, but everything else in my life has been and will be on hold until I can do anything other than the below. I'm on day 11 of no EFFEXOR XR. the last dose was at 75mg for a few weeks. As I said my life is on hold. All my responsibilities etc. Are either not being done or my mom comes over to help out (note I am in late 30s and have a teenager too). So, here is the remedy for each symptom I'm going though. Brain Zaps - lay in bed as much as I can not moving. This helps them to NOT happen. If they do, I take a washcloth drenched in refrigerator cold water on my forehead and to hold gently on my eyes to keep them from moving and causing it more. (Note: STAY HYDRATED - doing that has made the brain zaps slowly get less - still randomly there believe me, but so much better! Body tingles, zaps, shocks and cramping: again, lay down!, hydrate hydrate hydrate - pedialyte (the nausea and vomiting will manage this hand- small small sips and eat chicken broth, mashed potatoes, different types of crackers: this actually helps keep the zaps down as you move further into being effexor free!) Leg cramping and body shocks with hot/cold spells: first I sit in a ball holding myself kinda tight - this helps with those random body zips and electrical shock. Have a very warm blanket on with two washcloths with that cold fridge water - one over back of neck and one on forehead and holding my eyes (this keeps my eyes from zapping which makes the brain shivers bearable until the wave slows. Nausea/vomiting: sea bands on my wrists, stay hydrated (pedialyte is the best while water, gatoraid, or tea just makes me feel more icky - think the sugar makes the zaps worse! I've had no caffeine for 8 days - it helps. Then I take a little more than lukewarm bath (temp changes too big cause the zaps to happen more and the body tingles/shuffles and nausea too) the warm bath makes my muscles relax from the shock fit. Then I take 1 Naproxen Sodium (like tylenol) either before or during my bath. This takes the nasty flu part that happens next away. Then I literally lay flat on my belly on my bed with one foot on the floor - to make sure the nausea is gone before I try to move anywhere. I try to eat anything I can every 1 to 1.5 hours to keep my stomach from turning acidic and making me nauseous again. I haven't really left my bed much. All my drinks are in a cooler at my bedside with ice chips - these will make you feel sooooooo good during that fuzzy nausea moments!!! All my crackers (table, buttery, and grahams) are next to my bed, my washcloth (I now have worked to alternate) are wet, on a small pillow next to me in bed - under the fan on low to keep them cold. I also have. Chair next to the bed - has a pot for vomiting, a cell phone, and paper towels to help with sweats. I have to keep the top half of me warm, my feet cool and uncovered, and my head very cool. Make sure you are going to the bathroom, output is important, this is how I realized staying really hydrated and always have something in my belly kept the nausea and vomiting away. I still have SMALL bouts of nausea with every wave. I only had one time that was day 8 that I had to go to a friend for two tokes of pot to stop it. For the anger, anxiety, stress, crying, etc: 1 daily prenatal chewy (I'm not pg), 1 fish oil cap (highest dose I found), stay in bed away from anyone I can. Note: stress at day 11 - brings on brain zaps and body shocks very quickly!

Sleep,sleep, sleep. The first 3 days I had trouble - I took 1 tab of melatonin (3mg) each night. Also, I then and still now use youtube guided meditations for sleep and anxiety before I go to sleep (with headphones turned down because any sound could set off a bad wave of symptoms) Also, my room is dark - I keep all lights off because it keeps the zaps down to a minimum. Any type of light, random pitched sound, temp change makes the waves come back. I am still in bed, it's taking me forever to type this on my phone with the back light down so low. When a window of somewhat okayness happens (the duration of lower symptom windows ARE getting longer)
Please KNOW - that I'm saying it gets worse before it gets better is KEY here!! It's very true. While I'm still not even 75% better, the symptoms peaked at 9 days really really bad and have gotten better (as long as I stay hydrated and follow all these relief things I've mapped out for each symptom so before it comes on, I know what to do and I don't freak out.) Deep breathing whenever i am awake in bed laying here. Deep tummy breaths. Not slow like it will make you more dizzy, but enough to get clean o2 in your brain and body - srsly this keeps you calm, but you HAVE to do this regularly throughout the day! I also have just started being able to drink small sips of ensure - has to have ice chips or I would get nauseous again. I'm also just today trying to slowly eat baked chips to get some carbs back in me. When I say I'm eating little bits - it's NOT cause I want to.. I'm starving and keep getting theses food cravings that I keep mentally thinking will make me feel good - but trust me - after two times of falling for this you will be sorry! Keep any sensory things very bland and to a minimum! Like I said, watch for loud or high pitched noises, unnatural light, eat crackers, soup broth, rice, baby food (pears are the best so far) ice chips, pedialyte, light gatoraid, a vitamin you can stand, tylenol!, fish oil, and don't read or watch TV unless you know you have an open window of reprieve, however I try hard to use this time to keep relaxed, sleep, or to meditate so I can keep level headed instead of freaking myself out about how long this will last. That scares me most so I have to make sure I keep reminding myself of how far I've come. Try different things to try to relieve each symptom, keep what works, toss the others... it's so easy to lay in bed crying and puking and not knowing what to do because your brain isn't functioning like it should - I did this during my first three days of bad waves of symptoms. If you try to relax and come up with a plan for each symptom - it makes this easier... NOT EASY - EASIER. I'm still bed ridden and feel horrible back and forth, but I have found ways to help each symptom of withdrawal I hope this post finds who needs it... I know how it feels to be going through this and I know I scour the web for tips on relief when I can look at my phone. Not even dr.s know how to deal with all this, but I pray everyday it gets better. Wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy!!

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Yes!! I get that! It makes me feel really twitchy , and also I get really nauseous

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Hi... I recently stopped taking this med and went cold turkey.
HOWEVER I researched and took omega supplements , magnesium, and a multi vit daily from day 1 of stopping.
I also made sure I ate lots of nuts, protein, bananas, salmon
The tingling "zaps" we're still pretty bad for the first week - I kept a diary of moods, zaps, headaches etc so that I could see if it got better.
I am now on week 4 and honestly only have 1 or 2 sappy weird moments a day.
I am sleeping better, less anxious and feel better than I can remember.
I would recommend the supplements of omega 3,6,9 and take 4-6 tabs a day.
X

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I am too going through withdrawal from this awful medication. I've only been on for a bout 2 months (praise the Lord not longer) and it is a nasty process to come off. I've just woke up from like a mad nightmare/out of body experience where I'm like half asleep yet not?? I'm now scared to go back to sleep to again experience this highly uncomfortable symptom. My head is zapping and popping and banging and absorts. I'm going back to the doc tomorrow to ask for something to help yet something not as potent as this evil filth I've been putting in my body. Please please do not start this med if you happen to stumble across this post. I believe anti depressants just fog the brain and zombiefy users so the illness is still there yet users are so monged out of it they don't feel nothing! Sorry for the rant, I'm obviously feeling very uncomfortable at the moment. I wish you all well yet am disgusted that this vile stuff is being prescribed to help people??

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I was taking Effexor 150mg for 5 years and decided to quit cold turkey. The withdrawals are insane !!!!! Brain zaps started almost immediately, day 3 brain zaps where constant approx. every 5 seconds. Its been 9 days and the withdrawal effects are starting to lesson. One thing is I am not in need of constant sleep which is awesome. Yesterday I started feeling very emotional for no reason and have now realised I have my full range of emotion back its great !!!

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To all those trying to lower or get off effexor. It is sooooo important not to go cold turkey and to give yourself a much longer timeframe for tapering. For example. If you lower your dose by 37.5 then you should give yourself 6 months to adjust to this. Yes at least 6 months! Everytime i have tried any faster timeframes than this, the results are terrible and i have tried many many times. Once i was on 225mg and am now on 37.5mg. How long did this take? About 4 years. I am willing to take two years to lower gradually from 37.5 to nothing. It is a pain in the a## i know, but super slow is the only way. You will still get withdrawal symptoms and they will be annoying, but they will be a lot easier to deal with than if you go too fast.
All the best to you all.

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Brain zaps drove me crazy. Just know that over time, that will go away. I was NEVER told any of this. The psychiatrist that prescribed this medication along with numerous other addictive drugs, received 5 CONSENT ORDERS from CT. Public Health. He put all 5 of us on Lithium too, and NEVER ordered any required blood work. I almost died. Guess what? HE IS STILL PRESCRIBING. He is very rich and has HALLORAN & SAGE for attorneys.

This behavior of getting us addicted to so many different drugs is criminal. I still cannot find ANY clinic to get me off Klonopin. I was on XANAX 3 x;s a day. The only thing one APRN did was switch me to Klonopin because the chances are, I would have a seizure and die.Nobody wants the liability of another doctor. I went to 5 different clinics and was turned away from all of them. Nobody cares when everything goes wrong and ZERO happened to this quack.

I wish you all the best and pray those wicked side effects leave you soon.

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Never quit Effexor cold turkey. I was on a 150 mg per day. My dr. had me cut down by 37.5 mg for 2 weeks until I was off. Any side effects were tolerable.

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Re: William Australia (# 1)

I don't know what to do. I'm getting off Effexor XR and I am so irritable. I have a headache, I think everyone is incompetent (mostly my older professors and other drivers on the road). My well-meaning boyfriend cannot keep up with my mood swings and I want to cry it out but I can't! I ate my feelings last night and drank my heart out and now I can't make it out of my apartment. What the f*** is wrong with me?

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Has anyone else experienced protracted withdrawal from effexor discontinuation? This is my third discontinuation - I was wondering if anyone had some info on multiple discontinuations and the correlation to protraction? I find it odd that withdrawal from other drugs is so much faster - with rapid ups and downs; perhaps I am just wrong.

None of the discontinuations where my choice of course - I just happen to run into some of the worst doctors on earth...

thanx

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Re: Kristyne (# 35)

yes, finding a competent doctor is rather difficult these days.

all the kids are taught that benzos are bad - 10 years later we all have to suffer because they took a psych class at university.

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Re: DIANE (# 23)

At 500 mg! yes a rehab is a good idea. better than a hospital.

I wish I could get into a rehab instead of a hospital. effexor xr doesn't really make that grade these days.

the rehabs always test me and i fail to meet their requirements. This is bull, there is no reason that people in the rehab/detox unit are allowed to smoke every hour while the rest of us have to quit cigarettes because "the doctors" are so convinced that smoking is bad for you.

i am still smoking over this issue. :)

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