Posted by lgenie on October 17, 2004, at 23:45:13
In reply to CLASS ACTION SUIT NEEDED FOR EFFEXOR XR, posted by elvenfae on May 18, 2004, at 13:12:18
Tonight I have been shocked as I have never been shocked before. After an argument with my boyfriend about psych meds for my daughter and myself, I got online to research the Wellbutrin, Concerta, and Effexor. When I finally got to do a search on "Effexor" I was absolutely floored by what I found.
First there was the Effexor Petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/effexor/petition.htmlThen a posted message on a different webiste at http://www.pandamedicine.com/rt_health/160-34-3.html
In response to this post, someone posted the following web address: www.effexorwar.com which forwarded to this address: http://www.pcalawfirm.com/
Then I searched specifically for "Effexor class action suit" and found this website.
My point is this: action is being taken and now that I know what I should have know back in late 1996 I'm not going to stop fighting and spreading the word about how bad Effexor can be. I have been through the rollercoaster of withdrawl - the full-body shivers, nausea, disorientation, and nearly every other withdrawl symptom described. I started with regular Effexor and after about a year of struggling to avoid the ill feeling I got when I missed a dose or was just late, I talked with my doctor and switched to Effexor XR. This worked great for me for quite a while, until my anxiety came back. (I hadn't had a problem with anxiety for almost 5 years.) It became necessary for me to take a low dose of clonazepam daily to keep this under control. Then a few months after that my doctor told me that I had been having borderline high blood pressure readings for the past year and that I should probably start to take medication for it. I was 25.
I went through my worst withdrawl period when I switched jobs and was without health insurance or cash to pay for my Effexor. I knew I would be ok without my other medications, but I knew that eventually the withdrawl would come. I hoped that I would be able to ride through, but I was at about 300mg a day when this happened. It was during this period of withdrawl that I experienced for the first time the chills and then full-body shivers which were uncontrollable. Within 2 weeks I was fired from that new job, and went home even more depressed. I did not get back on track until I sought state Medicaid just so I could go to the doctor and get back on the Effexor, that was at the beginning of 2003. I didn't know that going back to the medication would ultimately bring me here. For quite a while now I have been doing well: working full-time and no longer receiving state Medicaid (no offense is intended toward anyone who receives state assistance - I have been there).
In light of everything that I have read, I now face the hurdle of wanting to get off of this dispicable medication, but the question is HOW and WHEN. I work full-time. How can I go through that withdrawl again cold-turkey? I wouldn't want anyone to go through that. Tapering my medication will likely take weeks and I know that I will feel disoriented and "out of sorts". So which is the lesser evil?
I encourage everyone who takes Effexor to do their own research. I have benefited by taking Effexor, but I have also suffered - and DAILY take my meds faithfully to AVOID feeling terrible. It shouldn't have to be like this... my decision wasn't an informed decision from the onset because I wasn't given all of the information I needed.
> Obviously, for all the posts and suffering that so many of us have gone through or are going ... what needs to be done? It is a dangerous drug. Regardless of doctors believeing us or not it is DANGEROUS! Does anyone know of any class action suits started against this drug? I know that a while back I signed a petition against the drug but never heard anything back about it.
> Anyways...what do everyone think? This drug has caused me more distress and suffering than literally anything else in my life- not to mention that three doctors told me before I got pregnant and during that Effexor was safe to take while preg. That was a LIE>my son went through dehydration in the womb and withdrawl after he was born. Can you imagine? A baby experiencing what we as adults can hardly handle? I am disgusted by this drug and tired of hearing about these doctors still prescribing it when it doesn't really even help...it might for some but it has never helped for me .. and I gave it an honest effort for my GAD, panic and agorpahobic disorders. I am on Buspar and Klonopin(the klononpin just for the withdrawls to be easier to get through) but Buspar is excellent - hard dosage schedule but so much better than anything else for an anxiety disorder. The effexor is ridiculously dangerous. Does anyone know how to start a class action suit if there isn't one started already? I never want anyone to go through what I have gone through with my little baby. He is okay now but what does it take? A baby dying? What does it take for the doctors or experts as they CALL themselves to realize that they are wrong.
poster:lgenie
thread:348212
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20041012/msgs/404304.html