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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 1 of 1. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by alexandra_k on January 19, 2005, at 20:32:40
Posted by quittergirl on January 19, 2005, at 8:03:03
I've never posted anywhere before, but I figured this was a good time to start since I keep coming back to read all of this. I was on effexor for about 2 years, after having been on others for 2 or 3 years previously. I have wanted to quit for some time, due to the side effects. (My mind is
slower that it once was, I was so tired all of the time, nausious, dry mouth, dizzy, etc.) I also would like to have a child in the next couple of years and was not comfortable having this in my system at the same time. I knew it would be tough since missing one dose ruined me for a good day,
sometimes two. I tried going from 75mg to 37.5mg. That didn't seem to be a big stretch. However, it knocked me flat. I am a middle school teacher, and I could not function well enough to deal with the job and the kids and the withdrawal at the same time. I felt like a failure. I thought I
would have to wait for summer and just go through hell. However, I changed my mind and backed up a bit. My first idea was to take 75mg every other day and 37.5 mg the alternate days. Well, I ended up feeling horrendous every other day. Then my boyfriend (bless him) suggested I try to space the
doses so that I was taking three 37.5mg pills every 48 hours. That worked. I felt bad, but bareable. Then, it got better. By the end of the 2nd week, I went down to 37.5mg a day, and it was tolerable. I stayed there for a few weeks and then went to one pill every 36 hours. By that point, I
realized that I was only getting the benefits for 24 hours, and I may as well try and quit. I have been completey off now for about 4 days. I am dizzy, nausious (a bit more than normally when taking effexor), somewhat lost/confused,headachy but okay. The worst side effect at this point is
horrible nightmares. This hasn't really happened before. I always had nightmares, but these are very intense and continuous. I also seem to get some sort of energy surge in my brain. It doesn't seem to be the zaps I have heard others describe, but it's definitely abnormal. Well, just wanted to
share my experience. Good luck to all.
This is the end of the thread.
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