Gorgon
thanks for telling us about your experience.

Eileen

I have a big problem and my doctor doesn't know what to do either. I was on 75mg of effexor for about 9 years and I was feeling very depressed, so my doctor put me on wellbutrin and gradually tapered me down on the effexor. I got the brain zaps but that was it because i did it very slowly. NOW HERE'S THE THING. i did really really well on 300 of wellbutrin and 37.5 of effexor Now that i have no effexor in my system I am very very depressed. It's been about a little over a month that I haven't had any effexor in my system, I think, or maybe a little more. I couldn't understand what was making me so depressed over the last month and then I realized that I stopped the effexor; that was the only thing that changed. the month of november was great. Do you think this is withdrawal?? Or do you think I need the effexor?? my doctor actually suggested to me that I might need the effexor because of this, but he said maybe I should try cymbalta instead...I am so confused..what do you think I should do??? I'm a mess!!

it might just be a rebound depression from stopping the efexor and before the wellbutrin kicks in. maybe the wellbutin isn't enough for you to get rid of the depession symptoms. I have heard of people who used both at the same time for their depression.

I don't think its a sign of withdrawal.

If you were happy with the efexor then why not go back on it at a low dose and see if that helps.

Eileen

I have been taking Effexor for about five years. I was taking three 75mgs XR at my peak and have now very gradually weened myself off to a single tablet a day. I decided to split the dose into two regular tablets but then became really irratable and suffered severe headaches. Im going to try and use the schedule which incorporates prozac to finally get clear of this drug.
The "brain zaps" that people are describing: would someone be able to define them a bit more clearly for me? I have been having severe blank patches throughout my time of taking effexor. I would just lose my chain of thought and find it very difficult to concentrate.

I do not understand why if a medication worked for you that he would even need to consider another kind. Were there problems with the effexor?

Brenda

I think you are doing the reduction the right way.

Brain zaps are like little electrical shocks going through your head, they aren't painful just irritating. Almost a buzz sound or feel.

Over thanksgiving, I went several days off my Effexor and I felt like poo. My vision had distortions in it, my dreams were very, VERY realistic and vivid and I had headaches and nausea. It only took a couple of days back on it to feel human again.

I dread the time they decide to take me off the Effexor in favor of something else.

if you stop efexor 'correctly' by tapering off very slowly (dropping 37.5mg every 2 weeks) you shouldn't have any problems. I didn't but I do know what its like to miss 2 or 3 days - I get extremely bad nightmares as well as brain zaps.

I went off Efexor at the end of last year.I was on it a couple of years. I had had dose increased a couple of times over that period, but when I was really under stress last year it just wasn't helping anymore. My dr suggested I go off it gradualy and see if it was helping or not. I cut back from 125 to 75 , then two weeks later dropped to 37. I had those oh so awful symptoms you guys have described. it was real hard when I was at work..a teacher of young kids! But I survived ..should have waited till our long Christmas break but hadn't expected the side affects of stopping! I thought I had a bad virus at first! Had to go home one day as dizzy spells were so bad I could hardly stand up..and wanted to throw up! I got on the net when I got home and looked up efexor and withrawal symptoms..discovered it was the d*** drug! I can't remeber which forum I read it on, could have been this one.but read how one person took a few grains out of capsule every couple of days a few more..until dose was diminshed well below the 37mg (which was smallest dose I could buy). I was STILL getting bad dizzy spells, headaches etc. I finally stopped after weeks of this as I wason holidays. I was still getting withdrawal symptoms weeks later! It is an evil drug and I told my dr what I thought of it and what affects it had had. He said he had said he had heard of this. I am off all meds now for nearly 3 months and stress of being back at work is really starting to have bad affects on me again I fear. But I am terrified of going back on a med that can do what Efexor has to me! I really need to get help to cope at moment. I can feel myself slipping to a new depth of despair I haven't felt in a long time. What else is out there that can help..without awful side affects when you go off it!?

Pip
perhaps you could try some herbal remedies such as ST Johns Wort but discuss this with your dr. Unfortunately most ADs will have some withdrawal. Not everyone gets them and sometimes people have to cross taper onto another med to come off Efexor without having the effects you got.

I managed to come off Efexor without any problems and so have other people.

Eileen

I began weaning myself off effexor last week.
i usually take 37.5 and have tryied the 'take one one day and miss another' approach and i made me feel that ill i actually packed a bag for the hospital as i thought i was going mad.
last week I took just three quarters of a tablet in the morning. The only problem was they made me SO sleepy i was virtually unable to do my job!
so this week i have taken them in the evening and i feel bloomin brilliant!
i have no idea how im going to be when i come down to half a tablet but im gonna give it my best shot.

I was on Effexor XR for 8+ months and did great at 75. The last two weeks I've been weaning off at 37.5 for 2 weeks. Now I'm completely off -- for the second day -- and am beginning to experience some headiness/dizziness, although I feel fine otherwise. Is it best to wait for a few more days before trying to do something about this? If yes, how long do I wait? I just don't want to call the doctor every other day if this is an expected side effect that will wear off within a few days. Advice?

Thanks.

Im no expert but i did try to to come off effexor when i were taking 37.5 mgs but i really felt ill, just as you say.
Id try taking a slightley lower dosage babes.xxxx

I managed to remove roughly half the beads, I just opened it up, tipped the entire lot out and then separated in into 2 piles and put one half back into the capsules and just ditched the rest.
Eileen
[/quote]
Eileen, thanks so much for this info! A pharmacist friend advised cutting the capsules and halfing the dose just as you suggested. Getting off of this med is far worse than I ever imagined! The electrical shock sensation is horrible. I look forward to someday soon ridding my system completely of this one!!! Thanks again!

I've read that antihistamine might help with the dizzyness. Thye effects shouldn't last too long.

Eileen

Ive now came down to taking half of my 37.5 tablet, taking three quarters for 3 weeks.
For the first 3 days of taking half of a tablet i felt fine but today the effects started making themselves clear!
I felt dizzy, 'high' my speech was really erratic and i felt like i were waffling, although it might have been me feeling more paranoid about it, i started having those bloody brain zaps, and generally feeling like i was on speed or something!
determined to try and stick it out tho, i cant possibly taper it off any slower than im already doing!!!

you could ask your dr about cross tapering onto prozac and coming off that, its also supposed to be a good way of coming off Efexor without the side effects.

Eileen

hi everybody..ı took effexor for about 3 years totally with several dosages( especially 150mg per day)..as being a long time effexor user ı can easily say that ı know about this drug so much..ı experienced all the side effects while starting this medication and all the withdrawal symptoms while stopping it..ı used lots of other drugs which treats depression, obssesive-compulsive and anxiety disorders such as paxil(paroxetine), lustral(sertraline), laroxyl(amitriptyline), anafranil(clomipramine).....and almost the other ones..but if you ask me like which one of these affected you most, ı can say the withdrawal effects of effexor was rather high and worst..ı succeeded to stop it at last altough it was so hard for me..of course firstly you should ask your doctor how to taper it off but then ı have to say that prozac helped me a lot to get this tapering period off..in other word in my and my doctor's opinions it is useful to take prozac 20mg (one a day) while tapering off effexor..these are my experiences, toughts and advices of course you should ask your doctor at first which tapering method is good for you..ı wish everybody health and chance...

This post has been edited by rainleader: Apr 3 2007, 03:41 AM

This is my first time here.

I have been on Effexor XR 75mg for 1 year and have been wanting to get off it. Last night i took 37.5 instead of my 75.

I am sitting here, crying my eyes out when i should be taking my little kids for a walk.

I started a couple hours ago getting the zapping in my brain and when i turn my head. Also my stomach hurts and i feel nausous.

I called my doctor and let them know what was going on and they were going to give him the message.

Maybe i shouldn't stop taking it?? I have been feeling like i am walking in a fog,almost robotic. I just don't like the idea of being dependent of a drug.

HELP!

Cheryl

Cheryl,

Did your doctor advise you to stop taking it? I hope your doctor gets back to you soon.

I was on Effexor XR 75 mg for 9 weeks and I took my last one Saturday night. I've got the dizziness and brain zaps and I feel really, really weird. I get sharp pains in my skin, too. Eeek. I hope it goes away soon.

I know I shouldn't have gone cold turkey. Tapering down is what I've heard works best which is what it seems you're trying to do. I've heard in extreme cases though people have to come off of it by counting the granules out and taking one less a day... I'm curious to see what your doctor will advise.

Hello cdietrich!



So glad you found us!

When going off of meds, it's always best to consult your doc. You did call your doc. Did he/she get back to you?

Going off of a med cold turkey is never a good idea - tapering off is best - but if you are feeling nauseous from the med, then stop and call your doc again. Keep calling until he/she speaks with you.

If the Effexor is not working, perhaps you need a med added in, or a different med altogether. I take Effexor in combo w/ Wellbutrin, Risperdal and Lithium. I also take sleep meds.

Please keep us posted.



-Bean

Thanks. I did talk with his nurse but still haven't heard from him. I was feeling so bad - i ended up taking a 75. I guess for now i am going to just continue with the meds. I felt like i was in complete hell!!!!

Cheryl

Cheryl:

I'm sorry things are so rough for right now. Hang in there, though. There is a light at the end of tunnel.

Keep calling your doc's office until you speak with him, not just a nurse. It's frustrating trying to get hold of a doc. You've got to be persistent!

Please keep us posted. I'm concerned for you.



-Bean

Horrible withdrawal symptoms have returned????

What the heck? It has been 9 days since I took my last 75 mg. I had been on it for 9 weeks. The first few days were unbearable with the nausea and headache and zaps, but it seemed to get better. Now it's getting worse again and I don't know why...

Has anyone experienced a resurgence of symptoms? I thought I was homefree! I exercise like a maniac, have been hydrating, sleeping (too much) and I thought I was being healthy but jeez... My dreams are so disturbing that I can't seem to really rest. This is embarrassing, but I have painful lower stomach cramps with diarrhea. I am also bloaty and feel like I'm actually gaining weight. I thought I'd start to lose again when going off of Effexor.

Someone please tell me this won't last forever... I'm exhausted and feel like I have the flu and my bf gets alarmed by all the twitching...

Charlie Chan:

I'm sorry you feel so awful. When going off of a med, the SEs can last for a good week, or so. Your's disappeared then came back. Is it possible that you really are sick? That it's not the Effexor?

Please keep us posted.



-Bean

I need some advice on switching from Effexor XR 150 to Lexapro. Would it be ill advised to do a direct jump from one to the other? Can anyone recommend any tapering strategies?

Tyler:

Tapering is definitely a good idea. However, you need to consult your doc. He/She is the only one who can tell you what's best for you when switching from one med to the other.



-Bean

Bean, thanks so much for answering.

Well part of the stomach trouble I think can be attributed to my monthly cycle since that began, and maybe some of the bloating, too. But wow, the weird brain sensations and whatnot... It's bizarre. The other weird thing is that I know the Effexor made me gain some weight, but now that I've stopped it, I seem to be packing it on massively? Arrrghhh! I am really trying, too... Without making myself ill. I hope the weight starts to stabilize soon or the vicious cycle that started me on the antidepressants in the first place is bound to resume.

Charlie Chan:

Some of the weight gain may be due to your monthly cycle beginning. I know I pack on an extra 5 pounds for about 1 week every month. All that water gain, you know?

Are you still experiencing the "weird brain sensations" today? How long has this been going on?



-Bean

Yeah, that water weight is a bummer. I hope it's just that, but I feel enormous. Even my arms feel big, like my shirt sleeves feel snug.

The brain zaps are ebbing a bit today. I took some Benadryl last night that helped me get some dreamless sleep which I needed. The nightmares have been awful and I've not gotten rest... And fatigue exacerbates the headaches and "zaps."

I'm feeling somewhat better - perhaps borderline normal today. It seems when I get tired it gets the worst! I can't believe I put anything in my body that would cause this to happen to me. It's kind of scary.

Thanks again!

CC

CC:

Happy to hear that the zaps are fewer today. Let me know what your doc says about all of this. I'm very interested in this, as I have heard about this SE but never experienced it myself. I'll consider myself fortunate. It sounds just awful.



-Bean

I found stopping it the hard way. I'm so tired all the time I couldn't take it any more. I was at the Highest dose so I stoped takeing one pill. The first day or two was ok but then I started thinking about killing my self. I had some stup remover and for some reason I wanted to drink it so bad. I had to go hide it so I wouldn't do something stupid. I didn't want to kill myself but it was like I had the voise in my head telling me to do it.

This post has been edited by Beanchop99: Aug 20 2007, 09:36 PM

law055car:

I'm sorry to hear that it was so difficult for you to stop taking Effexor. How are things now? Did you tell your doc how the lower dose was making you feel?

I'm curious - why do you want to quit Effexor? Is your doc recommending another med?

Please keep us posted and hang in there. It will get better.



-Bean

I have been on Effexor XR 150mg for 1.5 years. I've started to taper off them now and I'm doing ok. Here's what I'm doing in case this helps someone else (of course you should talk to your doc too).

If I missed even 8 hrs of taking my AD I'd feel HORRIBLE! So I knew dropping significant leaps like 150 --> 75 would be a bad deal. Because I'm on the XR I started removing 2-3 beads a day from my 150mg pill (helps cuz I have a extended medical and so I don't mind wasting the 150 pills). I've been doing that for a month or so and now I take out 5 beads a day. I'm currently taking 85 beads out and I've been functioning normally. I get a bit tired in the afternoons and sometimes I get a mild headache but nothing that some advil can't take care of.

It's a slow process but after reading the horror stories out there I felt this was a good compromise.

Hope this helps someone out there.

I did my tapering off in steps of 37.5mg by taking having the beads out of the capsules.

Eileen

I used to take Effexor years ago, and I found out the hard way that it's best to taper off of it. I quit cold turkey and ended up having really bad nightmares. If you are stopping Effexor, be sure to taper off to lessen the side effects.

i just read sbout some of the discontinuation effects on this thread and i am wondering to myself why i have to suffer them when im not even trying to come off the drug,just switching from effexor SR to XL.

i was on 150md/day of effexor sr,and as the doc wants to up the dose further as i was getting bad again i had to switch to effexor XL,but she has put me on 75mg/day of effoxor XL and told me to go back in 2 weeks.

i have been on the xl for 6 days now and for the past 3 of them ive been getting funny feelings in the bck of my head like electric shocks,i have been irritable and snapping over the slightest thing and today ive been unable to stop crying.

haveing read some of this thread these seem like withdrawal symptoms.the doctor told me that i wouldnt notice any difference though.i went back to her as i felt awful now i feel 10 times worse and i wasnt even warned or given an explaination as to why i had to cut my dose

I have a question about the dizziness. I stopped taking Effexor XR 9 days ago, but I am still getting dizzy spells. I know everyone is different, but about how long does this usually last? I just can't wait to feel normal again. I was on Effexor 75mg for about 10 years, than about 1 month ago went down to 37.5mg. I have been taking Antihistamines for the dizziness and found it really does help a lot. Also been noticing mood swings lately, I hope that doesn't last too much longer.

This post has been edited by links2see: Dec 7 2007, 11:13 AM

My God, where were you when I weaned off of Effexor? My doctor didn't wean me that way--I was off of it after two weeks! I can't remember the dosage I was on (it's been about a year and a half now) but it was HORRIBLE! I threw up, I cried, I would feel like I was freezing (it was May and not cold). The best time for me was when I was in a hot shower, I would stay there for about an hour. I would tell my friend that I needed to go back on, but she helped me through it. Stupidly, I never called my doctor for him to adjust things for me. I have always been sensitive to medication, I should have asserted myself. It did help me to realize I would NEVER do recreational drugs! Who could deal with the withdrawal? It also makes me afraid to go back on meds, though.