Posted by Louisa on February 6, 2000, at 2:01:44
I was on effexor for several months for my Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy. I wanted off
it, and began to experience horrible side effects...nightmares which I seemed not to be
able to wake up from (I knew the nightmares would happen, so I wasn't too concerned...just
astounded at the intensity and at not being able to shake them off when awake). But what was most distressing and scary was a short but
frequent electrical feeling in my whole body accompanied by flashes of light, and visually, some weird thing whwre the world seemed to blink on and off. The electrical feeling was accompanied by
a panic or a paranoia which was short but intense. I could not withsraw "normally", so
it ended up taking me nearly 7 months of tapering down to get totally off. this is what
concerns me now: It has been since September that I have taken any of this drug, yet I
continue to feel these little electric feelings, although they're bearable now. I sometimes have headaches from this
effexor which are horrible. They've lasted anywhere from 4 days to several hours (they
are diminishing in duration now.) They stop suddenly...like in about a minute or so. And
I have joint pain and stiffness which has resulted in some loss of range of motion. MY
QUESTIONS: What is causing this? What goes on in the body...what has effexor
altered in my system that is causing this...AND why am I still experiencing these
symptoms nearly 1/2 year since I've taken this drug? It cannot possibly still be in my
system, so why am I feeling these things? If no one knows, could someone point me in
a direction so that I could find out?
poster:Louisa
thread:20597
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000128/msgs/20597.html