Effexor XR

July 21, 2003

Debby,

You are not kidding that Effexor is hard to come off of! I was only taking

75 mg daily for a few months back in 2000. I cut down to 37.5 mg daily for

three weeks and then to 37.5 mg every other day for a week. When I finally

quit it totally, I felt like crap for about 3 days. I was dizzy,

disoriented, nauseated and just felt out of sorts. My daughter has been on

effexor xr for over 4 years, since she was 17. It changed her life. I

wasn't taking any antidepressants when I got sick last July. In August I

could tell I needed something so I asked my pcp to put me back on Wellbutrin

SR, which had worked well for me in the past. The wellbutrin did help with

the depression but it didn't do much for my tendency to obsess over thing.

I researched and it sounded like an SSRI might be better for me and zoloft

seemed to be one of the safer ones for someone with liver disease. When I

told the counselor I was seeing that I thought a different antidepressant

might be more helpful for me, he recommended zoloft. He said it was the

SSRI that tended to help people with OCD. I don't have OCD but I do tend to

obsess about things. I don't have to check the door locks over and over,

wash my hands a million times, or anything like that. However, get me on

something that I am passionate about and I can spend 24/7 on it. On the one

hand, this can be good. It's why I was so good at my job. It's also why

I've done well at educating myself about my varied medical problems.

However, there is a happy medium! Switching to zoloft has helped me to get

much closer to the middle ground with my tendency to obsess. I've been on

50 mg of zoloft since about April and, not only can I tell that I don't

obsess over things anywhere near the way I used to, my family says they can

tell a big difference, too.

Oh, another note on the effexor. If my daughter forgets to take it for the

day or even takes it a few hours late, she feels nauseated, dizzy, and out

of sorts. However, she says that just helps her to make sure she takes it

on time every day.

W

November 24, 2003

Doctor Breggin provides advise on getting off psychiatric

drugs. He has done extensive research on the drug withdrawal so he is

definitely worth the long distance call. His contact information is

available on his website: http://www.breggin.com/

Ann Tracey is another doctor who has researched this matter. She

maintains a website at: websitehttp://www.drugawareness.org/home.html

In terms of my own experiences with withdrawal, You tend to get very

depressed and (often) suicidal (and sometimes violent), due to how

accustomed your body and mind becomes to the drugs. I'm not

suggesting this will necessarily happen with you, but there is a

chance it might. My advise would be avoid the drugs altogether. I

think there is enough info. demonstrating how unsafe they are. But,

if you really feel you need them, at least contact Doctor Breggin

about withdrawing from the one you're on. He is one of the few

medical doctors in the U.S. who understands how to get off the drug

safety. Most doctors are not trained in this matter and therefore

will give some pretty unsound advise.

good luck,

Cube

> Hi, Can anyone offer suggestions about the best way to cease taking

> Effexor? I have read that withdrawal can be very unpleasant.

> My doctor said I could go directly from 75 mg Effexor to Lexapro.

I

> would rather rid my body of all Effexor before I start on another

> anti-depressant; maybe I won't need another. Along with the Effexor

> 75 mg I also take 100 mg of Trazadone at night.

>

> I would appreciate hearing the experiences of others who withdrew

> from Effexor.

>

> Thanks,

> Mizwizn

> TN

November 24, 2003

Doctor Breggin provides advise on getting off psychiatric

drugs. He has done extensive research on the drug withdrawal so he is

definitely worth the long distance call. His contact information is

available on his website: http://www.breggin.com/

Ann Tracey is another doctor who has researched this matter. She

maintains a website at: websitehttp://www.drugawareness.org/home.html

In terms of my own experiences with withdrawal, You tend to get very

depressed and (often) suicidal (and sometimes violent), due to how

accustomed your body and mind becomes to the drugs. I'm not

suggesting this will necessarily happen with you, but there is a

chance it might. My advise would be avoid the drugs altogether. I

think there is enough info. demonstrating how unsafe they are. But,

if you really feel you need them, at least contact Doctor Breggin

about withdrawing from the one you're on. He is one of the few

medical doctors in the U.S. who understands how to get off the drug

safety. Most doctors are not trained in this matter and therefore

will give some pretty unsound advise.

good luck,

Cube

> Hi, Can anyone offer suggestions about the best way to cease taking

> Effexor? I have read that withdrawal can be very unpleasant.

> My doctor said I could go directly from 75 mg Effexor to Lexapro.

I

> would rather rid my body of all Effexor before I start on another

> anti-depressant; maybe I won't need another. Along with the Effexor

> 75 mg I also take 100 mg of Trazadone at night.

>

> I would appreciate hearing the experiences of others who withdrew

> from Effexor.

>

> Thanks,

> Mizwizn

> TN

November 25, 2003

Hi,

i was on efexor XR (the long term one) and the decision was to

hospitalise me during withdrawal from it, despite being on only 75mg

for a month. This was due to my adverse reactions to it. They

decided to lower my dose to 37.5mg once a day for a few days, and

then depending on how well your body copes with that, then take it

every other day for a while. If however you are swapping to another

the problems may not be so bad.

I am still experiencing withdrawal symptoms 5-6 weeks later, and

they worry the psychiatrist so much they are warranting a brain

scan. I have found the withdrawal almost identical to the

debilitating ones i suffered on paxil/seroxat. I suppose being 16 i

may react differently, but i wish you the best of luck with it. As

long as you are prepared, and have support, you should be ok.

jeni

> Hi, Can anyone offer suggestions about the best way to cease

taking

> Effexor? I have read that withdrawal can be very unpleasant.

> My doctor said I could go directly from 75 mg Effexor to Lexapro.

I

> would rather rid my body of all Effexor before I start on another

> anti-depressant; maybe I won't need another. Along with the

Effexor

> 75 mg I also take 100 mg of Trazadone at night.

>

> I would appreciate hearing the experiences of others who withdrew

> from Effexor.

>

> Thanks,

> Mizwizn

> TN

November 25, 2003

Hi,

i was on efexor XR (the long term one) and the decision was to

hospitalise me during withdrawal from it, despite being on only 75mg

for a month. This was due to my adverse reactions to it. They

decided to lower my dose to 37.5mg once a day for a few days, and

then depending on how well your body copes with that, then take it

every other day for a while. If however you are swapping to another

the problems may not be so bad.

I am still experiencing withdrawal symptoms 5-6 weeks later, and

they worry the psychiatrist so much they are warranting a brain

scan. I have found the withdrawal almost identical to the

debilitating ones i suffered on paxil/seroxat. I suppose being 16 i

may react differently, but i wish you the best of luck with it. As

long as you are prepared, and have support, you should be ok.

jeni

> Hi, Can anyone offer suggestions about the best way to cease

taking

> Effexor? I have read that withdrawal can be very unpleasant.

> My doctor said I could go directly from 75 mg Effexor to Lexapro.

I

> would rather rid my body of all Effexor before I start on another

> anti-depressant; maybe I won't need another. Along with the

Effexor

> 75 mg I also take 100 mg of Trazadone at night.

>

> I would appreciate hearing the experiences of others who withdrew

> from Effexor.

>

> Thanks,

> Mizwizn

> TN

November 25, 2003

Oh i forgot to add my experiences of the symptoms of

withdrawal....sorry! if you want any more information, ust support

or someone to talk to, please dont be afraid to contact me on

x2bootyliciousx@....

I had of course the most common, suicidal ideaton and

aggressiveness. Hallucinations, sickness. I exhibited extreme

emotional lability and hysterical distress whilst in hospital, and

it brought on some manic phases too. I have had memory problems

since being on, and coming off of it. Sometimes i struggle

tremendously to express what i mean from my mind, into speach or

writing, and will say something that makes no sense. Incoordination

where i will walk into parked cars, or reach for a glass and knock

it off the side, and very distressing times when i have had rushed

thoughts very loudly, and have wandered the streets for a few hours

with no idea who i was how to get home, how to dial a phone, or even

to recognise the words i was speaking (sort of similar to a stroke)

Once i didnt recognise myself in the mirror, looked behind and

thought the person was invisible and came up with a lot of paranoia

and conspiracy theories, which understandably upset me a lot....as i

have never experienced such things in my life, and prided myself on

my intelligence and ability to remember things. Oh and the common

withdrawal symptom of starting with a head shock, and then

experiencing shaking from the top of your body down. the first few

days i could barely stand...but thankfully it has got better!!

i hope this hasnt worried you, i am probably a reasonably extreme

case, most of these are easily tolerated...just do expec to be very

low for a few days

All the luck in the world

jeni

> Hi, Can anyone offer suggestions about the best way to cease

taking

> Effexor? I have read that withdrawal can be very unpleasant.

> My doctor said I could go directly from 75 mg Effexor to Lexapro.

I

> would rather rid my body of all Effexor before I start on another

> anti-depressant; maybe I won't need another. Along with the

Effexor

> 75 mg I also take 100 mg of Trazadone at night.

>

> I would appreciate hearing the experiences of others who withdrew

> from Effexor.

>

> Thanks,

> Mizwizn

> TN

November 25, 2003