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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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Posted by TinMan on August 29, 2005, at 18:25:37
In reply to Going Off Effexor is a Trip, posted by graceneeded on August 26, 2005, at 7:06:34
> I just got past my first week of droping from 225 to 150 and today started at 75mg. The first couple of days was pure sea sickness and was only helped by Dramamine. Today feels ok so far but you know how that goes it is still early! Danny
Hey Danny!Sounds like you are doing okay. Glad to hear that the Dramamine helped.
I, too, have dropped from 225 to 150 mg. Didn't really have any side effects. Perhaps, as I thought, I was "over" medicated. I had braced myself for some withdrawal symptoms but I feel fine. My Dr. did not want to add Wellbutrin, so I just stopped taking that extra pill.
The therapy that that I have been getting and working with has helped me tremendously! With therapy, Effexor and this board, I am doing okay and am in a calm, focused place. -TinMan
Posted by graceneeded on September 5, 2005, at 19:27:25
In reply to Anyone had success on Effexor XR? , posted by jp on October 24, 1999, at 14:59:14
Well I took my last 75mg. of Effexor XL on Saturday. From 225 to 0 in 2-3 weeks and boy what a noise in my head. I can hear my eyes move. Will be off Welburtin by Thursday so I guess I will be leaving this site soon. Had to take Dramimene and Benedrayl yesterday from seasickness. Keep me in your prayers. I am eating everything in sight.
Danny
Posted by apriely on September 5, 2005, at 19:27:25
In reply to Re: Redirect: withdraw sympton, posted by apriely on September 5, 2005, at 16:28:30
> I have been on 75mg of effexor for almost a year. It has truly been a livesaver. It has worked amazingly for my anxiety. However, I have recently moved and started new employment and do not have insurance. I stopped taking the effexor 3 days ago. I feel so terrible! I am having dizziness, light headedness, nasuea , headaches, and just a weird feeling all over my body. I am especially depressed though. I am crying over everyhting and absolutely nothing!! I am getting angry at people for tiny things that normally would not upset me! I dont know what to do! Does anyone know how long these symptoms usually carry on? any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!! Thank you!
Posted by kim79 on September 6, 2005, at 23:53:44
In reply to Off of Effexor as of Yesterday, posted by graceneeded on September 5, 2005, at 7:10:16
No Dan you can't leave you have to stick around and let everyone know how long the "pain" lasts!!
So far in my withdrawl I have been pain & dizzyness free!! I'm taking it really SLOW this time though. Last time I tried the 150 down to 75 over 2 weeks and it about killed me!!! I got through the first week then gave into the "headache sedation effects" of effexor and have been on 150 ever since, that was almost a year ago.
Now I am taking out 2 little white balls more every day. Today I took out 34 little white balls!! All's good so far!! When I take out 50 little white balls that will be equal to being down 37.5mg. Yeah at 2 a day 50 little balls takes 25 days...but I have been though the withdrawl hell and I didn't like being so sick and dizzy and cranky all the time. Now I still feel like me, like there has been no dose change at all. I'm giving my brain time to kick it's own "happy chemicals" into gear and it's working!!!!
It may take awhile but in 200 days (total) I will be free and that sure beats being on this med forever or going through the withdrawls of getting off too fast. I will continue to keep everyone posted though. I'm thinking it might be tougher to get off as the dose gets lower, but we shall see!!
I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength!!
Kimberly
Posted by kim79 on September 7, 2005, at 0:18:40
In reply to Help for withdrawal symptoms, posted by apriely on September 5, 2005, at 16:32:56
Ohhh no!!!! That totally sucks!!! you are going to be no good to anyone unless you taper off slower. I know how it feels, eww and my eyeballs are spinning for you!!
How many pills do you have left? If none try to get some sample from your Dr. at LEAST 10 75mg pills (20 would be ideal!)
For every 37.5 mg there are approx 100 little white balls in a capsule. That means at 75mg you were taking 200 white balls a day. If you lower your dose by 10 balls a day you would need 10 75mg pills. However to make this work you MUST save the extra white balls!!! Buy some empty gel caps at your local pharamcy to "re package your meds" Then sit down with your pills and some labeled plastic baggies marked days 1-20. Carefully open a pill and pour out the correct # of balls for that day into an empty gel cap for it's corrosponding day. Close the little buggers put them in their days baggie and go to the next day
Ex:
day 1 take out 10 little white balls put them in empty gel cap for day 20
day 2 take out 20 little white balls put them in empty gel cap for day 19
day 3 take out 30 little white balls put them in empty gel cap for day 18
day 4 minus 40 into day 17
day 5 minus 50 into day 16
day 6 minus 60 into day 15
day 7 minus 70 into day 14
day 8 minus 80 into day 13
day 9 minus 90 into day 12
day 10 minus 100 into day 11...
and that should be your 20 days right thereIf you have 20 pills left though I'd recommend dropping by 5 white balls a day. Using the same process as above but by 5's it will take 40 days but it will be really close to withdrawls free!!
Good luck!!
Kimberly> > I have been on 75mg of effexor for almost a year. It has truly been a livesaver. It has worked amazingly for my anxiety. However, I have recently moved and started new employment and do not have insurance. I stopped taking the effexor 3 days ago. I feel so terrible! I am having dizziness, light headedness, nasuea , headaches, and just a weird feeling all over my body. I am especially depressed though. I am crying over everyhting and absolutely nothing!! I am getting angry at people for tiny things that normally would not upset me! I dont know what to do! Does anyone know how long these symptoms usually carry on? any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!! Thank you!
>
Posted by kim79 on September 7, 2005, at 0:25:44
In reply to Re: Fibromyalgia Effexor - YES!!!!, posted by Ishy on August 25, 2005, at 20:14:00
I don't think it matters why you were put on this drug. I think it effects the brain chemistry in such a way that it makes it hard for anyone and just about everyone to get off. What ever makes it work also messes with a part of the brain that makes you very dizzy and sick when you try to go off too quickly (IE anything faster than 1mg a day!!!) Or so it would seem!! Miss 1 dose and in under 24 hours you will know how fish feel swimming in the ocean!!
Kimberly
Posted by TinMan on September 7, 2005, at 7:53:25
In reply to Off of Effexor as of Yesterday, posted by graceneeded on September 5, 2005, at 7:10:16
Hey Danny, thanks for the words of encouragement. Congratulations on getting off of the Effexor.
Honestly, I haven't experienced any side effects going from 225 mg to 150 mg. I don't get sea sick either, so maybe that has something to do with it? Don't know.
I DO know that for me, it really helps with the anxiety (GAD), panic attacks, OCD, and depression. Also, it helps to focus my mind so I can think. I am not afraid to try different things now and if they work for me, I can learn the behavior because I can actually think clearly about it with focus.
The side effects that I still have after being on it for a few months are; sleepiness, hunger all the time, and absolutely no sex desire. I hate that part.
I hope I make sense. Anyway, Effexor is not for everyone. - TinMan
Posted by Kodie on September 7, 2005, at 9:37:23
In reply to Re: Help for withdrawal symptoms, posted by kim79 on September 7, 2005, at 0:18:40
I went off of Effexor XR 75mg 4 days ago. I've been taking it for a little over a year. In fact I went off of ALL my medication, except tramadol 50mg and Ambien 10mg. So far, I can't tell ANY difference in the way I feel than I did when I was taking all of my medicine. Most of it was not mind bending, just BP meds, Plavix, Furosemide, Spironolactone and Potassium Chlor.
I'm uninsured too, and the cost has been running 453.00 per month. I just can't afford it any more.
So far, so good. Wish me luck.
Posted by 3mom on November 21, 2005, at 21:37:37
In reply to Withdrawal from Effexor to Pacil, posted by HollyQuest on November 19, 2005, at 8:29:40
Hi. i'm a mom of three small kids. i was a relaxed, great mom of two, and a mom that yelled a lot of three. i started effexor 75 and have been a relaxed mom of three and very pleased with the med. i have never been depressed or taken any other ad. i was just getting a little too upset about the little things kids do, and i didn't want that for my family. my obgyn put me on this like it was no big deal. i have been on it about 5 months now with really no side effects. i was bored tonight and started surfing the web and found this sight. now i am petrified that i am going to become addicted to effexor and scared that when i decide to come off of it, it will be terrible. can't you take one little bead out of the capsule everyday until you get down to no beads and thus have little or no withdrawals? it seems like you could ween yourself off of slow enough, but I haven't read that anyone has been able to come off of it without being nonfunctional and terribly sick. Has anyone come off of this with a good experience? does anyone use this drug for just a little anxiety? it seems that everything i have read has been stuff more severe than me just getting a little upset about kids spilling milk. is this medicine too serious for me? help!!
Posted by spierson1253 on November 21, 2005, at 21:37:37
In reply to scared of effexor and withdrawal, posted by 3mom on November 20, 2005, at 20:41:47
You'll need to talk to your doctor. There is probably something you can take that will help you thru getting off the Effexor.
From what I've been able to gather, this drug was first touted as side-effect free. My doctor still swears up and down that there are no side-effects and it's "all in my head." I have the printout from the pharmacy that lists all the side-effects and I'm going to give it to him.
Good luck. What you did to be a good mom was selfless and so full of love.
Posted by 3mom on November 21, 2005, at 21:37:37
In reply to Re: scared of effexor and withdrawal » 3mom, posted by spierson1253 on November 20, 2005, at 23:05:56
should i be scared to continue taking this for just having a little too much on my plate? it has worked wonderfully, but after reading this website, it seems that maybe it is a more serious drug than i thought. i don't have depression, i just needed to be to handle a 4,2, and 1 year old a little better. is this the drug for me? if it isn't dangerous, i would like to stay on it.
Posted by spierson1253 on November 21, 2005, at 21:37:37
In reply to Re: scared of effexor and withdrawal, posted by 3mom on November 21, 2005, at 9:10:17
I don't know about being afraid. If it's working for you, and life with your babies is better, then I wouldn't worry about it. If your concern is that high, discuss it with your doctor. With these kinds of meds, it's hard to find one that works perfectly. If it ain't broke -- don't fix it. Please, do discuss it with your doctor but do NOT stress over it. Just go play with your babies and enjoy it.
Posted by nana on November 21, 2005, at 21:37:38
In reply to Re: scared of effexor and withdrawal, posted by 3mom on November 21, 2005, at 9:10:17
Hi, I would say if it has made you have more fun with your kids and you feel wonderful that your kids are enjoying having you around more. You are relaxed, want to play and your kids will just eat it up. Dont throw away a good thing. My story is I have a Granddaugter that is 4 and has many health problems which affect her behavior. She acts out and you never know when she will have a meltdown. I started on this because I was turning in to a screaming maniac since she came to live with me and her brother. Two children with problems from their parents and one with a major medical problem (brain tumor ) was more than I could take. I still have anger moments but I REAllY enjoy life now. Be happy you deserve that and so do you kids. The med effects everybody different. We all have some side affects BUT the change in me has made it so I can look myself in the mirror and not feel guilty for being a bad Grandma. Good luck and enjoy you kids they are only small for a short time and they grow up and have kids of their own. Be happy!!
Posted by nana on November 21, 2005, at 21:37:38
In reply to scared of effexor and withdrawal, posted by 3mom on November 20, 2005, at 20:41:47
Hi, I use mine to keep my self in control and enjoy my grandkids. I think being a responsible Mom and enjoying your kids is important. Even if it is only spilt milk to you it is a big thing on how you handle yourself when you deal with it. I think you are a wonderful Mom to realize you need some help and to keep your family happy and your kids not afraid to make a mistake. They will grow up better kids for your actions. Keep up the good work and ENJOY!!
Posted by spierson1253 on November 21, 2005, at 21:37:38
In reply to Re: scared of effexor and withdrawal, posted by nana on November 21, 2005, at 11:27:01
Well said, Grandma. I am the grandmother of four, and they are the joy of my life. It is my children I have issues with. But with the med, I find that the cruel things they say or do (or don't do) can be handled. I know a lot of their problems were caused by me and the bad decisions I made while they were young. However, they are adults now, and responsible for their own behavior, and I will not accept fault or guilt for that. I cannot go back and undo what was done, and I have apologized all I am going to. They have to heal or come to terms with themselves now. I can't do it for them.
I am happy with the Effexor. I quite thoroughly believe that my "fall from grace" these past 4 days has been the effects of the Ambien. I also believe it is the cause of the heavy anxiety that sits on my chest like a house, as the two seemed to have occurred at the same time. Tonight I am going to forego the Ambien, and take a Xanax, which always helped me sleep before. Without side-effects, I might add. I'm just afraid of it's highly addictive properties. But as one of you said to me last week, if it works, use it for now and deal with any addiction issues when that time comes around. Good advice.
Posted by 3mom on November 21, 2005, at 21:37:38
In reply to Re: scared of effexor and withdrawal, posted by nana on November 21, 2005, at 11:32:00
i'm so glad to hear of someone that is using the med for what i am using it for. i was never at the point where i was worried i was going to hurt my children or anything, i was just raising my voice all the time instead of calmly disciplining them and talking to them about what they are doing wrong. all my children are 19 months apart. when i only had the two, when they fought, it was no big deal. i made them hug and apologize, and that was it. when i had my third, i was so busy changing diapers for two, hand-feeding two of them, and feeding one a bottle, washing bottles, bathing them, ... i was just overwhelmed to say the least and didn't like the type of mother i was being. when they fought, i just yelled. now on effexor, i am just as busy, although my baby is now 13 months, so he's off bottles and eating real food, but i'm relaxed and just having a good time with them again. i can handle complete chaos with a smile!! i have 3 sweet, precious children that think i'm a good mom. thank you lord!!
Posted by apenname on November 22, 2005, at 19:42:28
In reply to Re: scared of effexor and withdrawal, posted by 3mom on November 21, 2005, at 20:49:32
I took Effexor XR (225 mg was what was effective) for depression and anxiety. Yeah, maybe this is a situation a bit more severe than what a 75mg dose would treat.
The Effexor XR really made things easier to deal with, but it gave me high blood pressure(more probable at high doses) and as far as I could tell, no other symptoms. Remember: just because a symptom is listed on a pamphlet doesn't mean you're going to get it, people are not identical, and neither is their experience to medicine.
Going off the Effexor at first was awful, but I came here and followed the gradual withdrawal method, and that made it reasonable. My dose level and most others in these posts are high compared to your 75 mg. Living without the medicine helping is very difficult at this point, but I still consider the whole thing worth it. Definitely talk to your regular physician. Mine wanted me to have regular blood tests to check some sort of possible long term effect of Effexor - I forget what.
Posted by Kath on November 26, 2005, at 15:22:12
In reply to Re: scared of effexor and withdrawal 3mom, posted by apenname on November 22, 2005, at 19:42:28
Hi Mom - just checked with my 29 year old daughter, who was on Effexor 37.5 (3 time release caps at once, once a day). When she went off it, she had a very difficult month. Her comment is to wait until you have fewer stressors in your life to cut back. Can't remember if you're on time-release. She said you might want to try a lower dose now, before your body has been on 75 for too long. If you open the time-release caps & remove the beads, unless they're different colours, you wouldn't know which one you were removing.
Best of luck to you. :-) Kath
Posted by sandra booth on February 3, 2006, at 20:33:58
In reply to Re: scared of effexor and withdrawal, posted by Herbygirl on February 1, 2006, at 14:59:09
I have been on Effexor for 5 years and I am now slowly coming off it. I too have just lately noticed a difference in my vision. I wear glass varifocals and am now finding it difficult to focus sometimes. There seems to be a reflection and I find that I can see better without them for distance. My memory has gone down hill too but that is probably age.
Has anyone started to come off the drug after a long time like me? I now take a 37.5 mg every other day for the next 4 days and that is it. I missed one for the first time yesterday and felt dreadful by the afternoon. Very light-headed and felt sick all night. Had nightmares too. Took my tablet this morning and started to feel better by the afternoon. I am now dreading tomorrow as it is my miss one day.
Posted by tizza on February 3, 2006, at 20:33:59
In reply to Re: scared of effexor and withdrawal, posted by sandra booth on February 3, 2006, at 15:28:26
> I have been on Effexor for 5 years and I am now slowly coming off it. I too have just lately noticed a difference in my vision. I wear glass varifocals and am now finding it difficult to focus sometimes. There seems to be a reflection and I find that I can see better without them for distance. My memory has gone down hill too but that is probably age.
>
> Has anyone started to come off the drug after a long time like me? I now take a 37.5 mg every other day for the next 4 days and that is it. I missed one for the first time yesterday and felt dreadful by the afternoon. Very light-headed and felt sick all night. Had nightmares too. Took my tablet this morning and started to feel better by the afternoon. I am now dreading tomorrow as it is my miss one day.I wasn't on effexor for as long as you but coming off it was horrendous. Eveyone reacts differently but I have found most people have a very nasty experience coming off effexor. Good luck and read the posts on the withdrawal board. You don't have to go through it alone, I took great comfort in reading everyone else's posts, they kept me going!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you do happen to have a bad time just remember that you are not alone and there are thousands of people around the world going through the same hell. I wish you all the best it was a very bumpy ride for me. Don't forget to put your seat belt on. And about the memory thing, mine got so much better after a month off it. I have been effexor free for 5 months now and I will never take another anti depressant ever again in my life. I have taken quite a few different flavors over the last 11 years. The best advice I can give you is find a really good psychologist and talk your problems through, discover your triggers and find out what sets them off so you can nip it in the bud before the next episode begins, learn to listen to your body and when you hear the warning bells get active about switching them off. All anti depressants just made me worse and masked the underlying problems by making me numb and not face up to things. My heart goes out to all who read this, I wish you all speedy recoveries, love Paul
Posted by 4WD on February 3, 2006, at 20:34:00
In reply to Re: scared of effexor and withdrawal, posted by jacobs on February 3, 2006, at 6:12:09
> hi has anyone noticed a change in theyre eye sight sense being on effexor? i have noticed that sometimes it is hard to focus and it seems my eye sight has gotten worse. not sure if it is the med or if i have hit the age for bi focals. thanks, tonya
It's not unusual for you to have vision changes while starting or stopping Effexor. I had the same thing happen with Cymbalta. I thought I was crazy. But after I adjusted to the medication my eyesight returned to normal.Marsha
Posted by crxsi on February 4, 2006, at 12:34:35
In reply to Re: scared of effexor and withdrawal » jacobs, posted by 4WD on February 3, 2006, at 20:01:23
Hi I am new to this site and I have spent the last few weeks reading every thread there was. It was very helpfull and insightfull. I have been on 75mg for two months now and it has been very successfull for me although I have noticed the dose is not as effective as a month ago.
I suffered from GAD for four and half years with just the ocaassional ativan for panic attacks. I became mildly depressed six months ago which led to a depressive episode in december. Effexor has been very helpfull in controlling my daily anxiety which was the underlying cause of my depressive reaction.
I had many side effects the first three weeks but stuck them out as I had tried Lexapro a metabolite of celexa and it caused extreme anxiety the first two weeks. It seemed a lot stronger. I have had no visual disturbances. My sister-in-law recently came off effexor because she wanted to become pregnant and did it extremely slowly and had very minimal side effects. Overall it was not a bad experience, she had been on 150mg for several years.
Posted by 4WD on February 5, 2006, at 21:06:37
In reply to Re: scared of effexor and withdrawal, posted by Sandra Booth on February 5, 2006, at 5:45:45
> Now on my second day of withdrawal from Effexor. Now down to 37.5 mg. Miss a day, then next day take one. I have enough left until Thursday then thats it. Don't know what to do now as I feel so awful when I miss the dosage, light-headed, nauseous, worse when I am walking about. As soon as I take my next dose I begin to feel better. Wondering how long the withdrawal feelings last, or would I be better just taking 37.5 mg forever?
>
> I might add that after 5 years of taking this medication and 6 months of counselling my depression has gone, thank goodness, its just this withdrawal problem. While I was coming down from 150 mg daily, I felt fine, no problems. Anyone any thoughts please.
Hi,If I were you, instead of taking it every other day and going through withdrawal every time, I'd take half of a 37.5 every day for a few days. Then for the next few days, I'd take a quarter of a 37.5. Then I'd go down to just a few pellets every day. Or since you've already been doing 37.5 every other day, you could take maybe a third of a 37.5 for a few days, then half of a third. It's fairly easy to pour the pellets out in your hand and estimate about a third of them.
I know they are different sizes but if you just kind of scoop some up at random, you will generally get a few of each size. That's how I've always tapered Effexor. Just try to stetch out what you have over the next two weeks or so. That should really minimize withdrawal. Remember, getting from 37.5 to 0 is the hardest part.
Hope this helps.
Marsha
Posted by Sergeant on February 25, 2006, at 13:31:58
In reply to Anyone had success on Effexor XR? , posted by jp on October 24, 1999, at 14:59:14
I have been taking Effexor XR 75mg for over 2 years now.. I was started on them due to marital issues and work related stress (working in a prison). I was warned of sexual side effects with this med.
As stated above I have taken it for over 2 years, and it has helped me greatly. The only side effect I have suffered is sleeplessness. But my problem is now, that I have received a letter from Medco stating that they will no longer provide benefits for Effexor XR. I have talked to my doctor (who is new, since I just moved) and he has no clue of an alternative for this med. My local pharmacy has no clue either and stated that there are no alternatives!
I have gone 4 days one time without my med (due to a re-fill problem) and let me tell you they were 4 of the worst days of my life...anxeity, diziness, heart thumping... Now I cant even get a perscription for it filled at a lower dose to ween myself off this med.
I am about 8 pills away from going cold turkey and the effects are horrid. Has anyone ever just stop taking this med? If so what kind of effects did you have and how long did they last?
Posted by wifeofarmyguy on February 25, 2006, at 13:31:59
In reply to Re: Anyone had success on Effexor XR?, posted by Sergeant on February 24, 2006, at 19:36:16
A couple of us on this board have recently gone off it cold turkey, which is not recommended. Talk to a dr about what will happen when you go off, even if you wean, because from what I've read, the side effects are the same.
I won't sugar coat it at all, because I wish I had know what to expect ahead of time, imagine the 4 days without your meds. It's like that and worse. Each person is different. Just be prepared to take it easy for a week or two. Check out the Cold Turkey Effexor thread on the Withdrawl board. Goodluck.
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