Posted by snick on August 16, 2003, at 13:44:31
In reply to Re: Withdrawl from HELL, posted by BJL on August 15, 2003, at 17:51:19
i am 21 years old and have been on effexor xr for 5 months. i was started at 75mg a day for 2 weeks and then was given 150mg capsules to take twice a day. i haven't seen any improvement in my depression and anxiety but i do experience alot of side effects! i have been on many antidepressants and ssri over the years and i have never experienced anything like this, it's HELL! i don't feel like myself anymore, and i am too young to feel like this! about 2 weeks ago i couldnt take this feeling any longer and figured if this drug was going to help me, it would have by now. so i talked to my psychiatrist about stopping effexor. he told me that my body still hasn't gotten used to the med and that when it does the side effects will subside. he says i'm bipolar and need to be on something and i cannot just get off. (for the record i DO NOT think i am bipolar.) desperate to get off this damn life-sucker, i called my regular doctor, but there's nothing she can do since she agreed to let my psychiatrist handle my psychotherapy meds. i felt so trapped, and desperate. this is my body and everyone has control over it except me! so i did what i know i shouldn't have done...i decided to take myself off of Satan's Pill. i went from 300mg a day to 150mg a day for a week. i felt like my head was disconnected from the rest of my body. i'm walking around in this semi-conscious state and am so fuzzy headed and confused. i cant even walk straight! i can't eat without feeling totally sick and i can't sleep. i have the feeling of a never ending anxiety attack and if i leave the house i feel like i'm going to pass out. my heart is beating out of my chest and all i want to do is stay in bed and be left alone. i feel like all these years of depression have all combined and hit me all at once. i was planning on taking myself to 75 mg this week but i can't do it. i don't want to open that terrible pill bottle ever again! so this is my 4th day of going cold turkey. yesterday i called both docs to tell them that i quit and what did the f'd up psychiatrist do? called in a higher dosage for me and told me its very important i take it. i say kiss my ass. if i'm going to feel like i'm dying i'd rather feel that way by my own decision of not taking the damn drug, not by his of taking even more of it.
but i have to admit i'm losing the battle. i'm about to give in because i cant take feeling like this anymore...i seriously feel like i'm going to die. i cant even describe it. all i know is i can't take it anymore! if anyone has taken themselves off and has any advice for me, please let me know.
thanks,
snick
poster:snick
thread:13781
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030812/msgs/251327.html