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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by hopndoodle on February 17, 2005, at 23:37:26
This is my first post here. I have found the previous posts about Effexor withdrawal very helpful and validating. I had been taking EffexorXR for almost a year and had forgotten to take it a couple of times, once for two days. At the time I didn't connect my wierd flu-ish symptoms to forgetting the Effexor. But the second time it happened that little light bulb went on. My symptoms were: funny feeling in my head akin to dizzyness, nausea, light sensitivity, and a rash of hives that nearly drove me 'round the bend. So I went online to see what I could find out about withdrawal symptoms. All the ones I had experienced were there, except the hives. I haven't been able to read all the posts, so I may have missed it. Has anyone else experienced rashes or hives? I immediately set up an appointment with my Dr. and told him that I wanted to taper off and quit taking the Effexor. I have been totally off for about 10 days. It was pretty ugly at first, but the worst of it is over. When I told my Dr. about the hives he said that he doesn't think they're from withdrawal. He thinks they are likely to have been caused by one of 5 foods infamous for causing such allergic reactions: strawberries, shell fish, peanuts, tomatoes and - sob - chocolate! We agreed to disagree and I have set out to prove him wrong by elimating said foods from my diet until all the symptoms are gone. The torture from that has been almost worst than the withdrawal symptoms. I'd be grateful if anyone can point me to some published information/official studies about Effexor withdrawal before my followup appointment on Monday.
God bless everybody. My prayers are with those of you who are going thru the worst of it.
Posted by kphoo on February 28, 2005, at 15:12:12
In reply to Effexor Withdrawal, Hives Anyone?, posted by hopndoodle on February 17, 2005, at 23:37:26
Rash, hives, acne and other skin conditions are ABSOLUTELY a withdrawl symptom and many have reported having it- I am sooooooo sick of these ignorant, uneducated doctors who don't know anyting about the anti-depressants except how to push them!!- There is a Harvard dr. by the name of joseph glenmullen who has a brand new book out detaling how anti-depressants are addictive and how the withdrawl is hell- he explains all the withdrawl symptoms and rash is definately included- tell you dr. to buy the book and educate himself a little
Posted by hopndoodle on February 28, 2005, at 23:58:04
In reply to Re: Effexor Withdrawal, Hives Anyone?, posted by kphoo on February 28, 2005, at 15:12:12
> Rash, hives, acne and other skin conditions are ABSOLUTELY a withdrawl symptom and many have reported having it- I am sooooooo sick of these ignorant, uneducated doctors who don't know anyting about the anti-depressants except how to push them!!- There is a Harvard dr. by the name of joseph glenmullen who has a brand new book out detaling how anti-depressants are addictive and how the withdrawl is hell- he explains all the withdrawl symptoms and rash is definately included- tell you dr. to buy the book and educate himself a little >
Thank you so much for the information, I'll be heading to my library as soon as possible. I am really glad to have someone else say that hives were part of the withdrawal. All my other symptoms are completely gone now, except the hives and they seemed to be getting worse by the day. I was going crazy. I tried every kind of antihistimine, which worked well at first but then were only taking the edge off. My Dr. prescribed zyrtec only to be turned down by my insurance company. They recommended claritin, which was useless. So, I bought 5 zyrtec pills to see if they would work better, to the tune of $18.95. That's $3.75 A PILL! Yikes! But just like magic, the hives are gone. After just one pill. I have taken a 2nd, but I think I'll skip a couple of days to see if the hives return, then take the rest - just so I have some ammunition in appealing to my insurance company to cough it up.
I'll keep you updated if they keep on working.
And in all fairness, I must defend my Dr. I really don't think of him as ignorant. They must absolutely rely on information and education provided them from the drug companies themselves and any actually published studies. Anecdotal information can be useful, but not always reliable when other factors are not being taken into consideration. (Did I mention that at the same time that I am going off the effexor, I am starting a new full time position at work that is extremely challenging and stressful?) The big problem is that the drug companies either do not do comprehensive studies, or that they have information they are not sharing with our Drs. My Dr. has been very open to being convinced of being wrong in the past. Like when he prescribed Motrin to me for my monthly cramps. After a few months I noticed that I was experiencing a severe emotional dip right after taking the motrin. I felt an inexplicable feeling of grief as though I had lost my closest love. I dismissed it as being part of the monthly hormone cycle, but when it happened after taking it for a headache, that little light bulb went on again. My Dr. said it must have been just a coincidence, but a short time later a study came out showing that a tiny percentage (I think is was .03 percent) of people using motrin experience depression. My Dr. was very gracious in admitting that I was right.
One last thing on the humorous side...one of the side effects of taking effexor and withdrawal is rapid, excessive speech. I think that it may have travelled down my arms and out through my fingers!
Ok, two last things (this also on the funny side). One morning at breakfast when my hives were pretty bad, I pulled down the back of my pjs to show my hubby my pink bumpy tush. "Oh, I bet they enjoyed that." I looked over my shoulder to see that the drapes on the picture window were wide open! I said, "Well, at least they got to see the moon - even if it was pink." A few minutes later my 8 year old daughter was searching the sky with a puzzled look, "Mom, I don't see any pink moon."
Posted by Biker Jo on May 23, 2005, at 19:07:46
In reply to Re: Effexor Withdrawal, Hives Anyone? » kphoo, posted by hopndoodle on February 28, 2005, at 23:58:04
I'm new to this forum, but I'm looking for support. I was on 75mg of Effexor for about nine months. Then when I wanted to wean myself off, after reading about the horrendous withdrawal side effects, I went down to 37.5 for a month. I've been completely off Effexor since the beginning of March. About 2 weeks after starting on the lower dosage, I started getting hives, and they've continued ever since, some days being better than others, although the last couple of weeks have been especially bad. I've never been allergic to anything prior to this.
Neither my internist nor my allergist know of any connection between Effexor withdrawal and hives, so I was glad to find this Web site. In the meantime, I'm on three antihistamines, but the itching still drives me crazy.
My question is: Could the hives still be a withdrawal side effect, even though I've been off the medication for two and a half months? And if so, any idea on how long I'm going to have to suffer?
I should also mention that I did experience other withdrawal side effects (chills, flu-like symptoms, leg jerking), but those have all gone away.
Thanks in advance for your help.
Posted by Dr. Bob on May 27, 2005, at 8:09:35
In reply to Re: Effexor Withdrawal, Hives Anyone?, posted by Biker Jo on May 23, 2005, at 19:07:46
> About 2 weeks after starting on the lower dosage, I started getting hives
Sorry to interrupt, but I'd now like to redirect this thread to Psycho-Babble Withdrawal. Here's a link:
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/wdrawl/20050519/msgs/503563.html
Thanks,
Bob
This is the end of the thread.
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