Effexor withdrawl and symptoms, please help _{Page 15 of 140}

Today is Day 3 without Effexor. Tuesday I was part of a team coordinating an event with 56 1st graders and 110 adults to celebrate reading. I couldn't really take time to be tired or sick. (The event was a great success.) Yesterday was okay until shortly after lunch, then my eyeballs started aching, and I couldn't focus on my computer screen. I wanted to tough out the rest of the day and go to my depression/anxiety group last night, but I finally had to go home around 3. Got home, slept 3 hours, tried to read or watch TV but was back in bed an hour later. I woke up briefly at 4:46, fell back to sleep and got up at 7. Many, many intense dreams, including my first experience of the "violent" ones I've read about. Nothing bloody but threats to my life by a gang of drug-pushing religious cultists. (How transparent is that? LOL) For some reason, I thought I might be safe if I ate a HUGE bar of soap.

I'm less tired today (so far), but things still seem awfully bright. I've never had migraines, but I think I have a sense of what people who do suffer through on a regular basis

My dad died two years ago tomorrow, and I would love to go to Omaha for the weekend and decorate his grave, but I'm not ready to spend that much time driving in a car alone. I'm aiming for a trip to Chicago at the end of June for my aunt's 85th birthday and a small family reunion. My uncle is in early Alzheimer's, and this will be an important gathering for us all. I have no parents and have lost one of my two sisters. But I dearly want to get back in the game of life and love everyone and everything that is important to me. It's happening, and I'm trying not to be impatient with the Effexor w/d.

Welcome, Bee; your story/timeline is very similar to mine. In fact, we're all like bees in the same hive in some ways, and we will prevail.

Hugs and honey all around,
Laurel

wow. you guys are so awesome and supportive! :)
bonnie, the cold turkey thing is tricky, from what i've read. but i also read that even if you taper off of this drug that once you stop altogether you still go through the nasties. i guess it's whatever works for us, right? it's part by choice and part by no-choice that i'm doing cold turkey: i don't have the money right now to go back to the doc and i'm thinking that the longer i put this into my body, the worse for me it will be so i decided to just stop. plus i haven't been taking it for very long so i was hoping that might be a thing in my favor. we shall see...
wonderingwhy, you are such a fabulous mom! i read through all the posts and i had to smile because you remind me of my own mom. she's been wonderful throughout this, too, and it makes all the difference to have that. go you!
i just ordered this: (okay, it won't let me post the website but it's called 'pure calm'). i'm going to try it out and see if it helps me, has anyone else tried it before? it has a money-back guarantee which suits me just fine.
i made a huge mistake this morning at work. i had my usual cup of coffee... it has wrecked me and made the brain zaps even worse and now i feel like i'm racing ninety miles an hour. crazy. i'm now drinking lots more water to try to counteract this stupid move on my part, so i'll spend most of the day in the restroom. ha.
i'm a coffee nut so i made myself some without thinking but that's a definite note to self not to repeat. (or try not to, that's another addiction)
thanks for the kind welcome!
chrissy, hang in there. i know it's awful, believe me i know. this has to get better...

hugs and honey to you too, laurel!
we are on a very similar timeline and hopefully we can support each other through this nightmare...

Today is a different day. I have a headache over my eyes and my head feels very hevey. But other than that I am dealing. Bonnie I am still dividing up the 37.5's and I am taking one 18.75 a day. I'll probably start lowering it in a week or so. Maybe I will try doing one day with 18.75 one without. I don't know what's best. What do you think? How long have you been on the 18.75? Are you taking that every day? How have you been finding it? I totally wish I had the nerve to do it cold turkey like Bee and Naria and all those who are doing it that way. But I don't. LOL. It's just too hard for me to function if I do. I can't take time off to just rest.

Chrissy I think that is just disgusting what has happened to you and your doctor and staff should hang their heads in shame for what they are doing. I agree with Bonnie that you need to find another doctor. In the mean time try out the chaser and Dramaine. I really hope things get better for you. And your days will soon be brighter.

Wondering.
I am happy to hear your daughter is on her 11th day. That is great. I hope she is doing well. I understand her dreams must be bad but she will get through this, especially with you to help her along.

Take care all,
xo

Hi all,

Been real busy with work here and and tomorrow will be two weeks effexor free for me. No night sweats, sleeping well and have an occassional mild wavey zap (dizzy zap). These are by no means as intense as before. Still achey, bloated and occassional diareha. Water, water, water, I crave it. I started back up into soccer Tuesday, I'm still sore from that but that's to be expected.

Wondering, you are such a great mom. For all the newly effexor free's HANG IN THERE ! ! Help your body cleanse the chemicals out of your body. The first week is awful, dizzy, zaps, sweats, chills...your body is trying to find a new equilibrium without the chemical effexor. Nearly two weeks out and I am feeling SO much better, more alive, life is so vivid now.

I've noticed a huge difference in caffiene tolerance without effexor. Two tea bags is enough for me. I used to have a diet soda with caffiene in the afternoon but it is too much. I'm kind of glad about this as I know caffiene increases stress/hypertension.

Wish I could everyone a hug!

Melissa

Chrissy, I dosed down from 300 to 150, was on 150 for a few months with no step down problems. Then I titrated down to 75 for maybe 4 weeks without noticable problems then stopped cold turkey on May 13th (Friday the 13th a lucky number!). Given what I've read here I wouldn't suggest stopping cold turkey above 75. I can remember missing a day at 150, nasty! I'd encourage you to hang in there, your body is working hard at getting adjusted, try to help it out as much as possible. For the dizziness and nausea I tried a half pill of Dramimine, it helped with both but the second day I took a whole pill and I was so tired. When I stopped the Dramamine the vertigo was not as bad. Maybe it helped to calm things down for things to get reset. Good luck!

good morning again...the markets have just opened, but i find myself trying to read all the postings, in between phone calls & placing orders.

Thank you all for your kind words, but YOU ALL are the real HEROES!!!i have learned so much from what you share on this site...i in turn pass this on to stephanie & she finds comfort in knowing she is not unique to any of these wild w/d's....i discuss the symptoms with her as she experiences them, but i haven't been telling her all the nasties before hand...i am trying to "save" her the "worry" of what is "next"... last night she dreamt that while hanging out with friends at one of the college bars, her teeth began falling out & her mouth was bleeding out of control...she was spitting out handfuls of her teeth (many more than one has in their mouth)...we laughed about it this morning on the way to the train...(thank goodness we could)!

naria...be strong...the drive to omaha is long & traveling alone when you are not feeling 100% might not be a good idea...by the time you want to do the chicago reunion, you should be feeling much better by then. (that's the mom in me talking) last friday Steph drove 3 hrs.to Davenport,IA to meet her boyfriend (it was half way for each of them) i was very concerned for her with the dizziness & zaps, but she insisted.

aside from drinking lots of water...be aware of what foods you are eating....try & eat as "healthy" as possible, it can only help!

melissa 2 weeks, how awesome is that??? very happy for you!!!

there is light at the end of the tunnel....you know there has to be, that is what keeps you all so motivated to move forward!!!

Hi wondering,

I have had the teeth falling out dreams before, it's a sub conscious sign to spit out what's on your mind that's been troubling or eating at you. Those dreams are so realistic. I'd wake up and check my teeth and whenever I have one it's a time to really ask myself what's eating me or what I am not communicating that I should.

As for the food, I've really been craving salads and fruits and an occassional carb (pasta) binge. Red meat is repulsive now that I'm effexor free. I'm also taking a good quality vitamin. Last night however I did have a chocolate and salt craving, I indulged it knowing it would pass through my system quickly with the digestive upset I've been experiencing.

It's good your daughter insisted on driving. Shows she's determined to make it. Such a good sign. During all of the zaps, dizziness and tremors I NEVER fell over or lost control! For me I tried to spin this into a positive by knowing that my brain was chemically rewiring itself.

Good luck!

i'm scared to death.
i just found out that i have a job interview first thing tomorrow morning - it's for a job i really, really want also.
job interviews are hard for me on a good day, but in the midst of this mess i really feel like i'm going to be so out of it that i blow it entirely. :(

Good morning. I ran across this website on an effexor petition website I access from time to time. I would like to say that I have "survived" effexor withdrawal. My withdrawal lasted for almost four months, and I'll not forget that experience any time soon. Like many people, I was not forwarned about the possibility of withdrawal by my doctor. Otherwise I would have NEVER taken effexor. The symptoms I experienced during my withdrawal include: crying spells, anger/bad mood, chronic fatigue syndrome, severe depression, desire to commit suicide, headaches, stomaches, vertigo, dizziness, etc. I did not take any medication to alleviate my symptoms, although I am currently on 20mg of prozac. I was on 300mg when I started tapering off. I tried two times to get off effexor. The first time I became so depressed that my doctor told me to restart taking 37.5mg. Then after about a month or so I stopped taking that and never looked back.

www . petitiononline . com / effexor /

hello soldier girl...congratulations to you for being effexor free...

beemarie...be positive, as positive as you can be about your interview....day 4 could be a struggle, but challenging yourself to be the best you can be, inspite of the w/d's, will work in your favor...you must believe in yourself,& others will believe in you too!!! steph's day 4 was a struggle for her...she gave it her all to "stay afloat", & her co-workers were not aware of her "inner battle"...this summer internship is an opportunity of a lifetime for her & she can't let her guard down...she has to be at her best & you will too!!

try & get a good nights sleep, YOU WILL DO FINE....BE YOURSELF....BE CONFIDENT...GOOD LUCK

Don't worry Bee, you will do fine, as Wondering said, just have faith, be positive and confident and all will turn out fine! Relax tonight, and put your feet up.You deserve that. Good luck with everything, I know you will do well!
Hi Soldier girl, I cant wait for the day that I can say that, Effexor Free. Good for you for being so strong.
My head is so heavy right now! Wow, what a headache! I think I will try and go for a walk after work and clear my head. I can't jog right now as my stomach problems have begun to worsen, but at least I can incline walk and get a good workout. I need that, it helps me feel not so bloated and it relieves tension. I have been very irratible lately. Everything seems to annoy me. But I'm trying to remain calm. Just one more week until I drop a dose! Then I'll be doing one day on and one day off 18.75mg.
Man I can't wait to be off this stuff! I just wanna quit right now! But I tried that and ...well let's just say it really wasnt successful! I guess it's the slow route for me.

Hugs

bee marie,

You can do it. You will surprise yourself by how focused you can be. Without the effexor in my system I was amazed at how focused I could be. The interview panel will have no clue what's going on inside you at all, they have no way of knowing.

As mentioned before, get to bed early! Get off the computer at least 2 hours before bed time, drink lots of ice water to help regulate body temp and stay away from caffiene, it can trigger additional flushing of the skin.

As a former HR Manager, come into the interview prepared. Do your homework about the company and have some questions prepared for them. Demonstrate to them how you have talents and skills that they should value and how others have valued them in the past. Make good eye contact and as a female always extend your hand first to initiate a hand shake...and SMILE from the inside out girlie, you are Effexor FREE!!!

Melissa

thank you so much, melissa, elena, and wonderingwhy.
i GREATLY appreciate your tips and your votes of confidence. i need them! i'll post tomorrow after the interview is done. i definitely want to get plenty of rest tonight and follow your other suggestions and just hope my brain isn't as foggy tomorrow morning as it was today...

beemarie, welcome and ill add my goodwishes to the rest. if you see this before tomorrow, make sure to ask about the companys culture.

wondering, your daugher is lucky to have you. i couldnt even tell my mom i was going thru withdrawing from meds, i couldnt really tell a lot of people becos i felt weak for taking them in the first place.

one thing ive noticed a lot on here is the wonderful support system a lot of you are blessed to have. i think even in the darkest of hours, such a system makes things seems so much less so.

Elena, you will soon be effexor free.i didnt think i would be, but here i am almost 6 months later.

Chrissy, sorry those people treated you that way. please
try and get a new doc asap.

melissa, coffee is a big no no. im not sure why, i think since drinking water seems to help and coffee is a diuretic?

One thing that bothers me aside from the weight (even though its going) is that I seem to be physically tired a lot. Getting up in the mornings is such a pain. i used to be able to get up at 6 and go jogging, now im happy if im up at 8!

continue to be strong and hugs !

Endlessnight, I have the same problem only opposite. I would love to share this with my daughter, but she doesn't understand. She is usually saying something like you and your drugs. If she only knew. I pray that she never has to go through depression and medication. Also, I have the same problem with getting up in the mornings. I wish I could get up at 8. I have to talk myself into getting up.
Once I am up it is not too bad.
Elena, I tried going every other day, but I had to go back to just reducing every day. I was doing 37.5 every other day and then I was down to 37.5 every two days. It seemed to be worse for me doing it that way. That is why I started back at 18.75 every day. Then I will reduce to half of that every day.
I hope that this is not to complicated to understand. Sometimes I can think what I want to say, but it doesn't come out right.
Hope everyone has a great day tomorrow.
Hugs to all my friends
Bonnie

Thank you endlessnight for your encouragement. I appreciate it! : )
I know that I will be free of this soon. I just wonder what it will be like after I'm off this stuff. Will I be more energetic and get rid of the weight I gained? Oh man I hope so. How long has it taken others to lose the weight after being off? Jami you said you lost 9 pounds but in how long? And how long were you off Effexor? Did you do anything in particular?

Bonnie I know what you're sayin. It came out just fine. LOL I'm doing that right now, everyday 18.75. Is it not a good idea to skip a day tho? Should I just keep lowering the doses to wean down? Is that what you're gonna do? Just wean down until there's nothing left?
I hope everyone's having a good day so far.
Hugs: )

Elena I am going to try and just keep lowering the doses every couple weeks. I know that is a long process, but I think that is what will be better for me. Maybe towards the end I will just say the hell with it and stop. It does get kind of hard to keep lowering those little devils.
Someone told me that it is harder to do every other day on your body. Who knows? I think about it and it is really crazy that something so little can have such a hold on our minds. LOL.
Anyway, what do you think about it.
Bonnie

good morning all, happy friday, these weeks go so quickly, not to mention how fast this month has flown by!

Steph is 12 days effexor free...yesterday she had a really great day, no w/d's, great mood, happy! No matter what day or level you all are at in the "cold turkey" or weaning process, remain optimistic, continue to fight the w/d's, you will all "win" out in the end of this journey.

endless, you should never feel weak or embarrassed to admit you had to resort to taking meds to "help" you. These nasty Px's have a stigma associated with them, which is very unfair...however, i think you would be surprised that family & friends who are truly close to you, would want the opportunity to be there for you...GIVE THEM THE CHANCE TO SUPPORT YOU, IT WILL MAKE ALL THE DIFFERNCE FOR YOU !! you are strong for recognizing you had a problem in the first place....

what is everyone planning for the weekend??? i am looking forward to three days off, some of the markets close early today, but the chicago board of trade, remains open their normal hours of trade. its a beautiful, clear, sunny day here, but we are due for some rain this evening into tomorrow...bee best of luck on that interview, just be yourself! naria...how are you feeling??

Bonnie I think that I will be doing it that way as well. (To Just keep lowering the doses.) Because I believe it that it may just be harder on the body the other way. It IS really crazy that these beads hold so much control!!! In the end tho, like you said, I may just say screw it and stop, just because it is really difficult to keep dividing these beads up every single day and every single time we want to lower a dose! Who knew that we would still get w/d at this point when we are so low in dosage! That is really bad.
But we'll kick it yet! I have faith in all of us. We found each other here didn't we? We have the proper support system to get us through this: )

Endless. I felt the same way you did for a while, weak and ashamed that I needed this drug. It didn't help that 2 friends of mine at the time made me feel bad for taking it.And weak for not being able to handle it on my own.Even though I was just doing what my FAMILY doctor who I TRUST recommended. But you know what? We were strong enough to admit we needed help. Some people can't admit to that. It takes guts. Too bad we got screwed over and took such a bad perscription but you know what I mean. We are strong, we took the initiative to get help and to get off it when we realized how bad it was for us!! You have nothing to be ashamed of! None of us do!

Bee! How are ya? How was the interview??
I'm so pleased to hear your daughters doing better Dawn! That is so great! Some sunshine will do you guys good! Unfortunatly it's kinda rainy here, not very nice weather for the weekend, but it's good weather to cosy up and watch a movie and RELAX. Which is exactly what I wanna do! LOL I've been so tired all week.I think my boyfriend and I are going to make supper and then watch a movie with a glass of wine. I don't know about you guys but I need to UNWIND! LOL
: )

Beautiful spring days in Chicago are wonderful. I lived in Hyde Park one year during graduate school, and I remember one of the most beautiful springs ever. (Of course, it was followed by a nasty humid summer, but unless I'm in New Mexico with my S.O., I'm likely to be in a humid place anyway during the summer.)

Today is a yucky day. I felt great last night after working with my personal trainer. It really cleared my head. I'm frustrated that I'm not seeing the results yet, which would not be the case pre-Effexor. And today I'm tingling in my limbs and still have the disconnect between my head and my body. I wonder if I can safely ride my bike this weekend. I know this is only Day 4. I know that I'm lucky I have not had to throw up or had diarrhea. But I'm not good with headaches, as I don't get them unless I'm really not feeling well. I guess I'm really not feeling well. LOL! I guess I need to remember I'm still withdrawing from a very powerful substance. I can't make things do anything other than follow their natural course. Darn!

I'm looking forward to the long weekend, too. We're not supposed to have the greatest holiday weekend weather, but I hope to get some long walks in, maybe ride my bike, along the various lakes around my house. There are lots of Canadian geese couples and their goslings about. Also lots of other birds. I live in a wildlife preserve, so it's pretty cool. I want to get some new plants for my deck, too. And start shopping for a dress for my aunt's birthday party. Shopping is hard right now; I can't make purchase decisions really well yet.

My tropical fish tank needs a water change, so I will do that, too. I have a 30-gallon cichlid (Central and South American) community. My laptop at home crashed a few weeks ago while downloading upgrades (grrr), so maybe I can get it working again this weekend.

I'm glad to hear Steph had a great day yesterday. I'm also eager to hear how Bee's interview went. Thanks for weighing in, soldiergirl, as another survivor. We could have our own Survivor reality show, where we help Effexor-takers learn to step-down and regain their lives. It wouldn't be a cut throat competition. Everyone would win. :-)

Mental illness/psychotropic drug shame is so insidious. The Effexor thing is tricky, for me anyway, because I chose to comply with my doctor's recommendation and then got sicker and sicker on the drug. And I'm not a sheep when it comes to the medical profession. I don't know how I happened not to get the full skinny on Evil E before starting it. I'm thankful everyday for the urgent care doctor with the unpronounceable last name who pointed out the probablility that I was suffering from this drug. I'm thankful my anxiety is at bay and I don't cry all the time. I know a lot of people were worried about me and some just plain exasperated. Like people I know in recovery from street drugs and alcohol, I'll probably have some amends to make when this is all said and done. Or some explaining anyway.

I'm really on a ramble this morning. I guess if I can stare at the computer screen to write to you wonderful people, I can get some work done here. Be good to yourselves, everyone, and we are blessed to have this cyberspatial connection.

Hugs,
Laurel

Just wondering if any of you have tried clarocet? Its a st. johns wart, passion flower, valerian root, vitamin b and so on combination. It seems pretty effective. I have been on it for 6 months now and it seems to help me. Maybe it would help you all ease off of the medication while still supplying your brain with some good herbs and vitamins. You can check order online and order it online. Just google - Clarocet. Just an idea.

hi again...the communication going on here is great...again, kudos to all...
....in addition to this site providing everyone with support & encouragement, your writings are a catharsis for all of you...its another way of being totally in touch with your body & feelings!!!

naria you are on a roll, but you go girl...it's good for all to write about whatever you want to share in addition to "our common focus"

always rambling as well...
~dawn

hi everyone!
the interview went GREAT. i don't know yet if i got the job, but either way i was able to mentally hold it together, which was my biggest concern. today is day 5 of me being effexor-free and i have to say that it's the best day i've had so far. (yesterday was by far the worst) i am still dizzy and have the brain zaps but they're not as bad. and my frame of mind is a little bit better. hang in there, everyone else! it has to get better. i still have the diarrhea and a bad headache that i can't seem to get rid of... i'm trying not to take anything for it, though, because i'm already concerned about the effects on my liver from the effexor, and now the withdrawal. so we'll see.
i went to my chiropractor yesterday evening and that seems to have really helped me. after my adjustment, i felt better than i had in days. she's also a homeopath and recommended that i take nux vomica, which i'd read about here and researched myself. i'm not a homeopath, but nux vomica is supposed to be good for any kind of chemical withdrawal, so maybe you all might want to investigate? i think it's helping me, and i've only taken it since yesterday.

doing this... slowly. i just want it to be over with; i'm impatient. :-) but soon.

all of you guys who are in various stages of withdrawal, please keep on keeping on. i know we can beat this.

Regarding Clarocet, my concern is the St. John's wort. I take seriously the warning from both sides of the aisle that one should not mix pharmaceutical anti-depressants with herbal ones. If you're off Effexor, then it sounds like a nice product.

Passion flower is a very nice calming agent.I like the notion that these big, bold flowers produce a herbal that encourages relaxation. Naria, the name I signed on the list with, is actually a shortened form of La Pasionaria, the Spanish word for passion flower (or also "the empassioned one") Naria is a character in a saga that I started writing some years ago. She's very much my alter ego. :-)

Oh, and it being casual Friday, I discovered I can wear jeans again. Denim no longer makes my skin hurt.