comming off effexor xr
I have been on anti depresssants for 7 years first paxil then prozac for a long time then last year had to find a better one. so fo about a year been on effexor xr 37.5 mg i want to come off cause i dont want to be on these things for ever im 25 years old i want tohave a family. it affects my sex drive my weight and im sure its just bad for your body in general. i tapered off for about a month and then stopped col turkey a week ago and im not doing well at all. i have a vacation comming up this thirsday and i want to feel ok. anyone else dealing with trying to taper off? im a total mess and no one in my life understands they think i just gotta deal and get through but my body is going through withdrawal its hard!
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Guest
Oh my!
Hello there!
You didn't taper long enough. It takes quite some time.
I've been there.
You have to do it very, very slowly!!!! Very slowly.
Sometimes it takes longer than 3 months.
I am free now.
But it was a long haul.
I'd advise going back on a bit of it.
You won't be able to go on vacation with the withdrawals. That is, you won't be able to enjoy it.
One can get off the drugs, but it has to be done in stages and very slowly.
I know just how you feel.
Shall be thinking of you.
Best luck in this!!
Will say a prayer for you.
MJ
Hello there!
You didn't taper long enough. It takes quite some time.
I've been there.
You have to do it very, very slowly!!!! Very slowly.
Sometimes it takes longer than 3 months.
I am free now.
But it was a long haul.
I'd advise going back on a bit of it.
You won't be able to go on vacation with the withdrawals. That is, you won't be able to enjoy it.
One can get off the drugs, but it has to be done in stages and very slowly.
I know just how you feel.
Shall be thinking of you.
Best luck in this!!
Will say a prayer for you.
MJ
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Guest
Be careful when coming off of any anti-deppressant. Being on these meds may not always seem like they help. But when you come off of them you realize how much they really help. I am not one to advocate meds over personal coping skills and proper diet and supplementation. But there is a method of coming off these meds properly under physicians care. I know from experience that coming off an anti-depressant you can feel fine for a while and then the medicine finally gets out of your system. By being on these meds your body gets conditioned. Be careful! I have been on effexor before and it worked well and then I got MYSELF off of it and then went back on it and it had a very negative effect on me. I think having a program and equiping yourself with the skills to fight off anxiety/deppression and then maybe getting of the meds is the best approach. That is what I am trying. It is important to get professionals involved when dealing with these very powerful drugs. I hate them!
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Guest
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Guest
No, I didn't take effexor. But I took several othere kinds. I took some anti psychotic meds as well. I had to come off each one separately and at dif. times. You see I took medication for a long time. I had some very stressful years.
You can do it. But you absolutely must go very slowly.
You can get some 10 mlg. empty capsules from a pharmacist or your doctor.
Yes, you have to carefully taper.
There is a web-sight, or used to be with schedules for tapering. I think it was called the THE WAY BACK. But I'm not sure about that.
The last med that I was on was Risperdal. I started reducing in very small increments. It is a tablet so I had to shave it off. It took about 9 months. And even so I endured a lot of light headed-ness and 'funny' stomach.
But I'm free now.
I have been for over 6 months. I don't have any light-headedness or dizzyness now.
I feel so much better off it.
And by the way, I went thru' some awful stress
the first 2 weeks of January. With family members.
But I made it thru' okay.
I don't tell people to quit their meds just because I did. Some folk may need them.
But if they want to do it and use their program I will share my experience.
There was a time when I probably needed the meds. Because I didn't know how to change my thinking and reactions.
I came off the meds on my own because I never found doctors very helpful.
And with the help of some people on this forum.
You may need some help with natural remedies.
Like calcium and magnesium. And I used some help from the GNC vitamin store, a tablet called Calm U Now. You can go to a reliable health food store and ask for help.
You can also go to a Naturopathic Doctor. I didn't because I'd come to a new town and didn't know any.
If you know how, go back over some old threads and read some of the posts on this.
I wish you the best.
Mary Jane
You can do it. But you absolutely must go very slowly.
You can get some 10 mlg. empty capsules from a pharmacist or your doctor.
Yes, you have to carefully taper.
There is a web-sight, or used to be with schedules for tapering. I think it was called the THE WAY BACK. But I'm not sure about that.
The last med that I was on was Risperdal. I started reducing in very small increments. It is a tablet so I had to shave it off. It took about 9 months. And even so I endured a lot of light headed-ness and 'funny' stomach.
But I'm free now.
I have been for over 6 months. I don't have any light-headedness or dizzyness now.
I feel so much better off it.
And by the way, I went thru' some awful stress
the first 2 weeks of January. With family members.
But I made it thru' okay.
I don't tell people to quit their meds just because I did. Some folk may need them.
But if they want to do it and use their program I will share my experience.
There was a time when I probably needed the meds. Because I didn't know how to change my thinking and reactions.
I came off the meds on my own because I never found doctors very helpful.
And with the help of some people on this forum.
You may need some help with natural remedies.
Like calcium and magnesium. And I used some help from the GNC vitamin store, a tablet called Calm U Now. You can go to a reliable health food store and ask for help.
You can also go to a Naturopathic Doctor. I didn't because I'd come to a new town and didn't know any.
If you know how, go back over some old threads and read some of the posts on this.
I wish you the best.
Mary Jane
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Guest
So I was just about to write my own post about this, but you beat me to it. I had been taking effexor xr for about 7 months at about 75 mg. I started tapering off two weeks ago and felt fine until yesterday, which was my first day of not taking the medication. Yesterday I had to call in sick to work because I felt so crappy. My balance was off, my head feels funny and I felt super tired all day. Today I am still feeling this way, but it seems even worse today if that makes sense. I was soo excited to come off this drug, now i just want to call my doctor and get him to prescrible me more. Im not functional right now, and I hate it. My friends are going to the Mandarin today (a sweet chinesee buffet) but I dont think I can go feeling the way I am. This feeling almost reminds of how I felt before taking the medication. Does anyone know how long these side effects normally last for?
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Barbara U. Cherish
- Posts: 8
- Joined: Thu Mar 06, 2008 5:16 pm
I was on Effexor XR about 4 years ago. It worked very well for me and I was on 225mg. I started slowly coming off it over about 6 months until my final dosage was 37.5. I was on vacation and decided to just come off it altogether, without talking to my doctor about it. I too wanted to have a baby.
I felt absolutely rotten. Dizzy, heavy headed. I felt like a flash bulb was going off in my head all the time. It lasted about 5 to 6 days for me and then I was fine. Apparently Effexor is one of the worst ones to come off of. When I spoke to the doctors office about it afterwards, they said they would probably have given me a small dose of xanax or something to help with the withdrawal - if they knew I was going to come off altogether.
You may actually also need to be on medication if your symptoms are lasting longer... I know you probably don't want to hear that. The other thing is that it is possible to take certain anti-depressants while pregnant. I know it is not the best situation but it can be done, I have a friend who just had a baby and she was on medication throughout her pregnancy. Talk to your doctor about it.
I felt absolutely rotten. Dizzy, heavy headed. I felt like a flash bulb was going off in my head all the time. It lasted about 5 to 6 days for me and then I was fine. Apparently Effexor is one of the worst ones to come off of. When I spoke to the doctors office about it afterwards, they said they would probably have given me a small dose of xanax or something to help with the withdrawal - if they knew I was going to come off altogether.
You may actually also need to be on medication if your symptoms are lasting longer... I know you probably don't want to hear that. The other thing is that it is possible to take certain anti-depressants while pregnant. I know it is not the best situation but it can be done, I have a friend who just had a baby and she was on medication throughout her pregnancy. Talk to your doctor about it.
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Guest
Hi Jadee,
I think you taper off to fast. I think you need to go more than two weeks, to get off the med. Did you go from 75mg, to a lower dose? Did your doctor help you taper off?
When we go off meds, we still have meds in our system. Maybe yesterday, was your first day, without the meds in your system.
There is no shame in asking your doctor to prescribe you more, if it will make you feel better.
I am not a doctor, but, I would have taken longer to come off the med.
Keep us posted, and let us know how you are doing. Wish you the best....
Sunshine1960
I think you taper off to fast. I think you need to go more than two weeks, to get off the med. Did you go from 75mg, to a lower dose? Did your doctor help you taper off?
When we go off meds, we still have meds in our system. Maybe yesterday, was your first day, without the meds in your system.
There is no shame in asking your doctor to prescribe you more, if it will make you feel better.
I am not a doctor, but, I would have taken longer to come off the med.
Keep us posted, and let us know how you are doing. Wish you the best....
Sunshine1960
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Guest
Stacy d & Jadee, Here is the site cornflower was talking about:
<A HREF="http://www.theroadback.org/aaataper.htm" TARGET=_blank>http://www.theroadback.org/aaataper.htm</A>
I hope this helps.
Sunshine1960
<A HREF="http://www.theroadback.org/aaataper.htm" TARGET=_blank>http://www.theroadback.org/aaataper.htm</A>
I hope this helps.
Sunshine1960
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Guest
Stacy D,
I am so sorry to hear about your withdrawal symptoms. I came off of effexor last spring, under dr supervision....very very slowly. Even though it was slow, I still had horrible side effects that put me on the floor. It is so important to be under supervision...there are always meds out there to help balance the withdrawal symptoms. We are all praying for you..you will come out on top.
I am so sorry to hear about your withdrawal symptoms. I came off of effexor last spring, under dr supervision....very very slowly. Even though it was slow, I still had horrible side effects that put me on the floor. It is so important to be under supervision...there are always meds out there to help balance the withdrawal symptoms. We are all praying for you..you will come out on top.