Posted by David55 on December 31, 2004, at 2:58:51
In reply to Re: Effexor withdrawal symptoms!, posted by justjamie on December 29, 2004, at 20:21:25
> Does anyone know anything about "zaps"?
I have heard them called zaps, brain shivers, electric jolts,"phasing", etc. These are all really apt descriptions. My experience along these lines have included: 1) an auditory feeling/sound reminiscent of a camp stove that is running out of fuel - like intermittent jets of gas striking the tympanic membrane 2) eye "flutter" - my eyes either literally move quickly several times from side to side, or at least feel that way 3) short bursts of dizziness or vertigo that accompany the first two symptoms, or maybe are caused by the eye "movements". I have also experienced the "phasing" - it feels like my physical body is slightly out of phase with my awareness.
I am in day 8 of my "cold turkey" withdrawal from a 150 mg/day Effexor dose. I've been on increasing doses over the last 10 years or so. Other withdrawal symptoms I am experiencing include 1) impossibly vivid dreams 2) bouts of intense emotional sensitivity, accompanied by crying on several occasions - days 3,4 and 5 were the hardest from this perspective 3) itchy ankles! I would never have thought this might be associated with withdrawing from Effexor until I start reading posts on this site!
On the bright side: 1) I haven't needed to take a nap! After feeling sleep-deprived for years, this has been a refreshing change! I am able to accomplish a lot more because I don't seem to need as much sleep 2) My memory seems to have improved and my mental acuity appears to be returning (I hope, I hope, I hope) 3) I feel more in touch with the world again - not so detached.
Why cold turkey? Over the past 10 years I have experienced lots of changes in both mental and physical functioning and really wasn't sure what role the Effexor was playing. For example, my sexual response has gone from robust to almost completely nil. But I also have been diagnosed with an L5-S1 spondylolisthesis with accompanying nerve impingement. Plus I'm pushing 50, so it might be just a casualty of the aging process. To see what role Effexor was playing, if any, in this area of my life, I gradually brought my Effexor dose down to near zero a couple of years ago with the help of my doctor. But this had no effect whatsoever on my sex life (darn!). So I went back on Effexor.
This time I just got weary of being tired and craving sleep all the time, not to mention the failing memory and mental fuzziness that was starting to shake my self confidence. When I gradually withdrew during the previously describe experiment, I had to contend with withdrawal symptoms (albeit not as intense)over a period of a couple of months. So I decided to save myself some time and get it over with. I'm doing it over the holidays because I have lots of time off.
I wouldn't recommend cold turkey for everyone (or anyone for that matter). But, other than the negative symptoms, I'm actually enjoying the sense of clarity and aliveness that appeared as unexpected gifts under my Christmas tree as a result of sudden withdrawal. But, as they say, don't do this if you need to operate heavy machinery or drive. I wouldn't have felt safe doing either. By day 8 this is not an issue for me. The brain zaps are becoming less intense. If I had known about the benedryl I probably would have tried that to decrease some of the symptoms.
Thanks to everyone for their posts over the last five years. It helps to know that other folks have gone though, or are going through, this wild process called Effexor withdrawal. Best wishes to you all in the future.
poster:David55
thread:12459
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20041228/msgs/435925.html