Posted by MeggE on March 9, 2004, at 19:43:01
In reply to Effexor Symptoms, posted by sick of being sick on January 4, 2004, at 21:01:22
I am so incredibly relieved to see all of this talk about Effexor withdrawl and the symptoms, because everything that has been said, especially by you, defines exactly how I have been feeling ever since I stopped taking it. It's insane, and unfair, and the worst part about it is, I heard it can take up to a few weeks for the symptoms to go away. I actually had to go to the hospital about a week ago after(for the second time within days) I sort of 'flipped out' and was extremely tense, with chills, terrible thoughts, hysterical crying, this wierd twing kind of feeling running through my body nonstop(like the electrical shock you speak of)..i thought i was dying. And of course, going to emergency, it took about two or three hours for the doctor to actually come see me, and by that time, i had fallen asleep because they gave me some muscle relaxers and benadryl to help calm me down. I couldn't even explain what I went through, because it had already passed. All they wanted to know was if I had thoughts of suicide..or plans of how to kill myself. This was ridiculous to me, because the problem was the withdrawl..I was afraid that I was going to die, and I didn't want to! Since then, I've had similar (but less intense) feelings, but everyday it gets a little better. I'm still getting those twings..kind of like..I can feel my pulse through my head and my whole body, but different. My dreams have also been incredibly vivid ever since about a month or two ago, when I started to ween myself off. I just haven't felt right..but it's comforting to know that it's very likely everything happening to me is because of the withdrawl, and hopefully it will all be over soon. I already hated the feeling of being on anti-deppresants, but I hate this feeling even more, which leaves me in sort of a predicament. I don't want to go back on them, and I'm trying to be strong..but I feel as though I am going through withdrawl from Heroin, or some heavy drug, which is why I will now say..DO NOT take effexor if these side effects and withdrawl symptoms are not worth it.
I have gone through hell in the past few weeks trying to get this out of my system, and with all the other stuff I am hearing, I cannot understand why they haven't taken this drug off the market. I know they just started saying nobody under 18 should be on it, because it can possibly increase suicidal thoughts, but what about the withdrawl? Are doctors completely unaware of this?
poster:MeggE
thread:3670
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040308/msgs/322588.html