Posted by chinaroses on February 16, 2009, at 13:03:08
In reply to Re: 2-1/2 years later have permanent withdrawal sympto » chinaroses, posted by fayeroe on February 16, 2009, at 12:15:00
Thanks to both who replied. It is a comfort.
Unfortunately my doctor(s) don't say much. The only one who believes that I could still having symptoms from Effexor is the Alternative MD (he IS a doctor) who helped guide me though the withdrawal. He provided the reduced prescriptions, and the supplements we've tried. (He also provided the Fluoxetine prescription for that experiment.) My Primary Care, the two Neurologists, the Psychiatrist, the Chiropractors, the Chiropractic Neurologist, the Physical Therapists, the Vestibular Rehab Specialist, etc... they pretty much shake their heads and say "I don't think it could be the Effexor after all this time. I think it might be your neck/allergies/diet/sleeping patterns/reflux..." (And I have pursued these also, from allergy shots to sleep apnea testing to reflux meds to dietary changes.) When I tell them the symptoms are just like missing a dose of Effexor, they shrug, and say, "Well, it could be, I suppose, but that would be unusual" and that's all I get.
I was only on the Fluoxetine for less than a month, 10 mg for a week, then up to 20. This was, I think, about a year or a little more after I finished taking Effexor. Symptoms actually seemed to get worse almost immediately. Because of that, I chickened out after a few weeks. (Guess I was afraid--and rightly so, I think--that the doctors and pharmaceutical companies really don't understand what what they're messing with, especially when things go wrong, like it did with me. And when someone is messing with MY BRAIN, I'm just not tolerant of experimentation (ie. the Fluoxetine).
I wish I would have known/realized how "experimental" anti-depressants are, as a whole, before I started taking them. These days I don't take any prescription, or even supplement, before doing research on the Internet and deciding for myself whether the risk/reward balance sounds like it is worth it. Unfortunately, the Internet, when I started Effexor in the mid/late 1990's, just wasn't the resource that it is now... Back then, you just had to trust the doctors, drug manufacturers and the FDA...
poster:chinaroses
thread:880481
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20090213/msgs/880498.html