![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 8 of 8. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by TJ3 on June 28, 2005, at 18:03:05
Does anyone have a positive experience with discontinuing Effexor XR? I have been decreasing over the past 2 weeks from 150 mg. Today I tried to go without, and felt a little "high" (?) and dizzy on & off throughout the day. It got progressively worse until I decided to take a small dose. Is there any way to come off this stuff more quickly? (I don't want it to take months!!) And how long does it really take to feel mostly normal after totally stopping?
Posted by 4WD on June 28, 2005, at 18:03:05
In reply to Effexor XR NO Withdrawal?, posted by TJ3 on June 27, 2005, at 22:10:35
> Does anyone have a positive experience with discontinuing Effexor XR? I have been decreasing over the past 2 weeks from 150 mg. Today I tried to go without, and felt a little "high" (?) and dizzy on & off throughout the day. It got progressively worse until I decided to take a small dose. Is there any way to come off this stuff more quickly? (I don't want it to take months!!) And how long does it really take to feel mostly normal after totally stopping?
I got over the physical withdrawal fairly quickly. The brain zaps and all lasted only a couple of weeks. However the anxiety is still with me. It has been three months. The first two months were incredibly horrible. Abject terror. I'd have died without Klonopin. It is getting gradually better but I've read here that it can take 4-5 months for the anxiety to go away completely. This may not happen to you at all, though if you didn't have an anxiety disorder to start with. Good luck.marsha
Posted by apenname on June 28, 2005, at 20:27:25
In reply to Effexor XR NO Withdrawal?, posted by TJ3 on June 27, 2005, at 22:10:35
I had Zero withdrawal until the last step of 37.5mg to 0 mg (which I'm still in, having followed other Babbler's suggestions to keep the dizziness at bay with partial doses, each separated by more and more time. Right now I'm at 3 days "normality" since my last 9.4mg dose and feeling "like myself"). (Caveat: I had the runs at 37.5mg but thought it was caused by something else: I'm still not certain). I dropped 37.5mg every 1.5 weeks, although I went to 0mg 3 days early, which I apparently shouldn't have.
Look for a post by rabble_rouser here about vitamins, he's had no side effects with a set of vitamins. I'm on a multivitamin myself, but having not tried this before without the vitamins (unlike rabble_rouser who had), I cannot scientifically say if it is definitely helping in my case.
There's a bunch of other posts here about other solutions people have found for their cases.
Also search the "Alternative" board for other ideas.
As for anxiety, I really feel no worse than I was on the Effexor for the past year (which wasn't very good), but I'm still not done.
Good luck! Being patient to drop gradually is worth it. I've personally found that trying to stick to being positive and not getting myself dragged down by horror stories has helped me fend off some anxiety. People react differently to medications.
Posted by canadiangirl3 on July 1, 2005, at 10:37:52
In reply to Effexor XR NO Withdrawal?, posted by TJ3 on June 27, 2005, at 22:10:35
I can tell you that I discontinued "side-Effexor" at the end of April by tapering fairly quickly and introducing small doses of Prozac. I stayed on the small dose of Prozac (20mg) for about six weeks, was doing great, and then got off it slowly. Once I was free of prozac and Effexor the symptoms hit me. Irritability, zaps, the whole bit. I am now finally feeling back to myself...it has taken about three months. I was so OBSESSED with my daily symptoms and was angry that they weren't going away faster. I was also scared in not knowing how long the symptoms would last or whether they would ever subside. But all that fixating didn't help me much in the long run. So my advice is to be patient. Stamina is key here. Just keep as your mantra that "this too shall pass"....and it will. It finally did for me. Hallelujah!
Posted by SLS on July 2, 2005, at 9:42:21
In reply to Effexor XR NO Withdrawal?, posted by TJ3 on June 27, 2005, at 22:10:35
> Does anyone have a positive experience with discontinuing Effexor XR? I have been decreasing over the past 2 weeks from 150 mg. Today I tried to go without, and felt a little "high" (?) and dizzy on & off throughout the day. It got progressively worse until I decided to take a small dose. Is there any way to come off this stuff more quickly? (I don't want it to take months!!) And how long does it really take to feel mostly normal after totally stopping?
I have had success coming off of 300mg of Effexor several times using a flexible-dosing strategy. It takes me no longer than 2 weeks to discontinue the medication entirely. I've written a whole bunch of posts on the subject of flexible-dosing, but I'll try to summarize it here.
First of all, do not try to be a hero. You will take whatever is the amount of Effexor that is necessary to prevent withdrawal symptoms from persisting. It is best to take smaller amounts of Effexor several times a day rather than as a single dose. I recommend 3-4 times a day, but this will really be determined by how quickly withdrawal symptoms appear between doses. The idea is to actually wait for the beginnings of the withdrawal symptoms to reappear. However, you want to take your next dose immediately once you are sure that what you are experiencing is indeed the withdrawal syndrome. It is a good idea to become familiar with the withdrawal symptoms that are unique to you. Perhaps dizziness, anxiety, heart palpitations, and "brain zaps" are what you experience. For other people this might be different.
You will be using small amounts of Effexor as a PRN as needed much like you would use aspirin for a headache. Experiment to find the dosage that allows you to go 6-8 hours without symptoms. Precision is really not necessary. If you can get the 25mg tablets to work with, that would be ideal. Many people simply open a capsule and count the number of beads to consume. I used to place them on my tongue and wash them down with water. They have no bitter taste because they are enteric coated. Still, I find the 25mg tablets easier to work with. You can split them in any number of ways. Again, precision is not necessary. I used to bite off pieces of the tablet whenever I felt the withdrawal effects reappear.
You should find that the amount of Effexor necessary to last 6-8 hours becomes smaller and smaller. There will also be a tendency for the time in between doses to lengthen, however, the idea is to "force" the body to change by "feeding" it smaller and smaller amounts of drug at exactly the same rate that the body can effect these changes. That's the idea of allowing the withdrawal symptoms to appear before dosing. It forces the body to change. You will, however, reach a point when no further dosage reductions will allow you to reach the 6 hour mark. At this point, you discontinue the drug entirely. The withdrawal period should be relatively mild and brief.
Any questions?
Please post of your progress. There are other strategies that you can use, but I get the impression that using the original drug to taper will probably prevent the necessity for an extended withdrawal period best. I hope it works for you. I must tell you that I am a bit biased towards this method. I developed it myself (although I'm sure other people have as well) based on a little common sense, a little theory, and a little luck.
- Scott
Posted by TJ3 on July 3, 2005, at 22:49:06
In reply to Re: Effexor XR NO Withdrawal? » TJ3, posted by SLS on July 2, 2005, at 9:42:21
Thanks to all for your information. I am on day 4 without the drugs. The brain zaps are irritating, but beginning to be farther between. The only other withdrawal symptom I've had is crying! Especially in the evenings. I get to thinking about something and wonder why life has to be so painful and then I start crying. In the midst of the crying spells, I just remember than this is temporary and will pass. (I normally cry a lot anyway, so I guess I will just accept that as a part of who I am!)
Posted by TJ3 on July 8, 2005, at 18:25:26
In reply to Re: Effexor XR NO Withdrawal?, posted by TJ3 on July 3, 2005, at 22:49:06
This withdrawal stuff is strange! (If that is what I'm experiencing.) Everything was going along fine for a few days, less brain zaps, no crying the past few days, less of the horrible dreaming at night. Then today, I'm so emotional, feel like crying, can't cry. At work I sit in front of my computer and can't function. I know I have a task to do, but I don't know how to do it. It doesn't make sense. I planned to drive 4 hours to visit family this weekend. I drove for an hour, couldn't stop crying & felt horrible! I turned around to come back home! I'm even missing a family reunion now! Has anyone experienced being this messed up after everything has been going so well off the drugs? This is day 9 without, and I haven't really had too many problems compared to most! I feel totally out of control. If anyone has had similar experiences, I'd like to hear about them, maybe it will help me feel more sane.
Posted by SLS on July 8, 2005, at 20:13:49
In reply to Re: Effexor XR NO Withdrawal?, posted by TJ3 on July 8, 2005, at 18:25:26
You might want to experiment with using Benadryl (diphenhydramine). It is an over-the-counter antihistamine that possesses anticholinergic properties as well. Many people report that it reduces the severity of the withdrawal symptoms.
- Scott
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Withdrawal | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.