Posted by Ali on November 25, 1999, at 0:05:27
In reply to Going off Effexor, posted by Nash McCutchen on November 23, 1999, at 20:58:00
> In 1991, I was diagnosed with depression.
> I was put on Prozac and stayed on it until 1997
> when I switched to Effexor. I now feel that I no
> longer need an anti-depressant. I am not in treatment
> but simply see a doctor every 6 mos. or so for
> follow-up.
>
> How can I go off Effexor without any side effects?
> I have tried to go cold-turkey, but could not stand
> the dizziness and feelings of eletrical shocks in my
> brain. Is the only answer to taper off dosages? I am
> currently on 150mg/day.
>
> Thanks for any help.
> NashI would definitely not attempt to "cold-turkey" of Effexor.In terms of witdrawal effects, it's one of the worse ones (alongwith Paxil).If you're on the XR form, you could go down by 37.5 mg every 3-4 days or even slower (maybe every week).Of course you'de need a supply of the 75 mg and the 37.5 mg to "mix and match".If you are on the regular release tablets, you could go down in even smaller increments, again every 3-4 days or every week or so.The key is to make the dose reductions small enough to allow your body to adjust and watch for relapsing depression.
Good luck.
poster:Ali
thread:15708
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/19991123/msgs/15755.html