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Effexor WithDrawal - Urgent Help Needed

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Posted 9/17/2018 6:03 PM (GMT -7)
All,

I'm pretty new to this forum group.
A little background about taking Effexor.
I was asked to start Effexor to control my Anxiety since I have active Ulcerative Colitis 6 years back.
GI kept me on it at 75MG and later downgraded to 37.5 MG.
I slowly tapered to bring down to 32MG, 30MG, 25MG, 20MG, 15MG, and 12MG by counting weeds in the capsule. This taper happened very slowly and I use to be very comfortable at 12 MG.
For the last 6+ months I'm having nightmares and inability to sleep completely, So I bumped my dosage to 13 MG for few months and now at 14 MG to see if that helps in my sleeping issues. It's not just sleeping, but also even if I sleep properly I feel very tired in the morning while waking up and also a sense of sleepiness in the afternoon. I also feel irritated sometimes and show that on my family. Due to these irregular sleeping issues, I'm also getting headaches. So I talked about this with my GP and he asked me if I wanted to come out of this medication. I said Yes and he asked me to try for 2 more months to see if I can taper it down by myself. So my confusion is am I doing anything wrong with my taper? Is it OK if I bump up my dosage like this? I really need your suggestions. These doctors cannot understand what we are going through and they just take random trials.

Thanks in advance.
Posted 9/18/2018 4:35 AM (GMT -7)
If you aren't getting the physical effects (brain zaps and what not) you are doing real good. I would stay in touch with your doctor through this. They know what's best to do.

Welcome to the forum Happy Living. I hope you keep posting to let us know how it is going.

Hug, Karen...
Posted 9/19/2018 1:38 PM (GMT -7)
I hope you'll check the other threads that deal with this...especially this particular drug. There's one further down on the present page of posts. There are more in the archives as well. Put the keyword in the search box and a slew of them should appear.
Posted 9/20/2018 6:15 AM (GMT -7)
Effexor discontinuation is particularly difficult due to its very short half life, which is the amount of time it takes to leave the bloodstream. As with other SSRI and SNRI's, those who have never been thru withdrawal, even medical practitioners who should know better, have NO IDEA what's involved.

Unfortunately, this forum is not very active. Karen and Trina are fantastic, as are most of the regulars. It's just that there seem to be a lot of people experiencing emotional difficulties and not a whole lot of clinical input being posted here. One active member recently disappeared, I don't know why. Search for "Cymbalta discontinuation" and you will find his recent thread from earlier this year.

There is another website I recently found which has a tremendous amount of information on tapering off psychiatric drugs. It is very active and lots of people experiencing difficulties surviving antidepressants.

I don't know if I am allowed to post a direct link here, but if you Google that phrase, you will find it. And hopefully the mods here will allow me to point you to that website. The point is for us to help each other.

I too am in the process of tapering off Effexor, which like you I started taking as a result of another medical condition. It's a bit different from those who live with clinical depression resulting from childhood trauma, PTSD or a hereditary condition.

The A/D is a tool, and once it has served its purpose... when we can proceed without it, or its side effects no longer warrant its continued use, then we need to get rid of it. Which unfortunately is much easier said than done.

Post Edited (RobLee) : 9/20/2018 7:18:58 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 9/20/2018 10:05 AM (GMT -7)
Hi RobLee,

If the link is to another health forum, you can't post it. But cluing him into googling it is cool. If it is just a health site and not a forum, it would be cool too. If need you could email the site to him.

Happy Living, have you talked to your doc about a sleep aid? How is your taper going?

I hope yours is going good too RobLee.

Hugs, Karen...
Posted 10/11/2018 5:12 PM (GMT -7)
@Rob.. Can you please share how ars you tapering effexor? Is it bssed ln doctors advice ?
Are you experiencing any withdrawl symptoms ?

@Karen. I’m still having problems especially in the afternoons. I start feeling very tired and my eyes will have a sense of sleepiness. Last time my GP said he will put on Prozac. Do you thivk its worth a try ? My only comcern is i wanted to completely come out of A/D but he wants to switch over.
Posted 10/11/2018 6:24 PM (GMT -7)
@Rob.. I just your other thread on Effexor XR and you mentioned about hissing noise in the ear. I too experiencing it now. Is it the reason for using low dosage and withdrawals?
Posted 10/12/2018 2:59 AM (GMT -7)
I think if you can switch to Prozac, it would be easier to come off than the Effexor. You might want to give that a chance and see how it goes.

Best wishes to you Happy Living. I hope that this works out for you.

Hugs, Karen...
Posted 10/12/2018 7:02 PM (GMT -7)
@Karen.. Thanks much
Posted 10/13/2018 5:40 AM (GMT -7)
You are very welcome...

Hugs, Karen...
Posted 10/16/2018 9:15 AM (GMT -7)
I agree with switching to another antidepressant and then going off that. My psychiatrist switched me to Cymbalta. It has not worked nearly as well for me as Effexor, but I tried so hard to get off Effexor myself and just couldn't do it. I was counting the grains in the capsules and going down by one or two grains (can't remember for sure) every other day. It was near Christmastime, and I was so irritable and had the brain zaps and dizziness, I just said forgetaboutit and went back on. about six months later, I went to Cymbalta, and I just came off that last week and it was a cakewalk in comparison to Effexor.

Effexor was a godsend to me for many years. But the discontinuation syndrome was pure hell.

Good luck!
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