Psycho-Babble Medication Thread 8563

Shown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.

 

? re: PHYSICAL DANGER w/abrupt discontinuation

Posted by Jane on July 11, 1999, at 8:03:59

Is there any physical danger in abruptly discontinuing Effexor XR? I have heard warnings of abruptly discontinuing Xanax because of seizure possibility. Is it the same with Eff? Can the uncomfortable side effects of withdrawal from Eff. be shortened by spending a week just focusing on surviving without the med? Has anyone had GOOD success with discontinuing this med?

 

Re: ? re: PHYSICAL DANGER w/abrupt discontinuation

Posted by jamie on July 11, 1999, at 9:27:00

In reply to ? re: PHYSICAL DANGER w/abrupt discontinuation, posted by Jane on July 11, 1999, at 8:03:59

> Is there any physical danger in abruptly discontinuing Effexor XR? I have heard warnings of abruptly discontinuing Xanax because of seizure possibility. Is it the same with Eff? Can the uncomfortable side effects of withdrawal from Eff. be shortened by spending a week just focusing on surviving without the med? Has anyone had GOOD success with discontinuing this med?


I don't know about actual physical danger, like seizures or something, from stopping abruptly. The real danger is the possibility of plummeting so quick as to lose all sense of control or willpower. Suicide could become a real risk, even if it seems an extreme remote ridiculous possiblity right now. Why would you want to stop so fast? Might be OK, but I wouldn't do it. Don't think any doctor or literature would support it either.

I do have a friend who did though. She stopped Effexor abruptly from a medium dose. She went into an obvious hypomanic state. Came over to wash her car. Then washed mine, both of them. Then the neighbors. Then the other neighbors. By then it was way after dark and cold out. She was having a blast. A few days later it settled into a mild depression and then leveled off. She is OK now with nothing. You just don't know what tricks the mind will play on you. Easy does it my friend. Don't want to sound overly cautious, but maybe I am. If you are going onto a different AD, might try cutting down Effexor slowly and adding the new one slowly at the same time (but not with MAOI). Many times a wash out period isn't needed. Good luck. jamie

 

Re: ? re: PHYSICAL DANGER w/abrupt discontinuation

Posted by David K. on July 11, 1999, at 9:31:15

In reply to ? re: PHYSICAL DANGER w/abrupt discontinuation, posted by Jane on July 11, 1999, at 8:03:59

> Is there any physical danger in abruptly discontinuing Effexor XR? I have heard warnings of abruptly discontinuing Xanax because of seizure possibility. Is it the same with Eff? Can the uncomfortable side effects of withdrawal from Eff. be shortened by spending a week just focusing on surviving without the med? Has anyone had GOOD success with discontinuing this med?

I don't know about seizures, but I suffered from a
major case of depression. I've gone off Effexor
twice, both cold turkey. The first time was my
decision alone. One a scale of one to ten,my
depression symptoms went from nothing (Effexor
did work for me, just some damn intolerable side
effects) to about 9.5.

The second time was not as bad, which is like
saying it wasn't horrible, just terrible. The
second time was at the direction of a pdoc. He
just made the decision to take me off Effexor and
put me on Wellbutrin. No tapering off of Effexor,
no washout period, and not tapering up of the
Wellbutrin. I even asked him if there shouldn't be
a taper off or washout period. He said no, and I went
from taking 150mg of Effexor one day to taking 300mg
of Wellbutrin the next.

Needless to say, I got a major case of depression
and incredible dizzy spells, the Wellbutrin didn't
work, and I fired my pdoc.

Is there a physical danger to abrupt discontinuation
of Effexor? I don't know, unless one considers
the possibility of a full-blown Major Depression
Episode pushing you out over the abyss. Then I
would have to answer yes to your question.

 

Re: ? re: PHYSICAL DANGER w/abrupt discontinuation

Posted by Louise on July 19, 1999, at 14:30:40

In reply to Re: ? re: PHYSICAL DANGER w/abrupt discontinuation, posted by David K. on July 11, 1999, at 9:31:15

> > Is there any physical danger in abruptly discontinuing Effexor XR? I have heard warnings of abruptly discontinuing Xanax because of seizure possibility. Is it the same with Eff? Can the uncomfortable side effects of withdrawal from Eff. be shortened by spending a week just focusing on surviving without the med? Has anyone had GOOD success with discontinuing this med?
>

Hi David

I don't know whether you've experienced any episodes of mania or hypermania in the past, but if so, I would strongly advise against abrubt discontinuation as such an episode could be triggered by abrupt discontinuation. I've experienced this twice and have ended up in hospital twicw as a result. The problem was that my mood had started to lift so my doctor stopped the Efexor.......then wham, my mood shot uncontrollably high and took 3 months to settle. I have also seen this effect in a friend who has only ever suffered from depression with no mania; his mood shot up for a while and he seemed pretty crazy when he stopped Efexor abruptly. Sorry I've no info on the physical effect. Good luck.

 

Re: ? re: PHYSICAL DANGER w/abrupt discontinuation

Posted by Elizabeth on July 19, 1999, at 23:30:07

In reply to Re: ? re: PHYSICAL DANGER w/abrupt discontinuation, posted by David K. on July 11, 1999, at 9:31:15

Yes, there is the risk of a rebound depression - or, paradoxically enough, mania! These have been reported with a variety of different antidepressants. The danger is probably greater with the older antidepressants, though. It also depends on the dose: if you stop a high dose cold turkey, you're liable to have a much worse time than if you stop a low dose cold turkey.

As far as "below the neck" (peripheral) effects, no, they're annoying and unpleasant but not life threatening.


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