Posted by Emme on September 18, 2001, at 22:39:40
In reply to EMME: help! A quick question 4 U: » Emme, posted by Janelle on September 17, 2001, at 23:04:46
Hi Janelle. Well, it's been a while, but let me see if I can help. Going from 37.5 to zero was just too abrupt,so I worked down to 12.5 and eventually to something like 6 mg or so. At one point I think I alternated days. I had tablets, so I could just progressively chop them smaller and smaller. It was a difficult withdrawal, but I did notice that if I was having bad withdrawal effects, taking even a tiny speck helped quite a lot. If you have capsules, then I guess you might ask your pharmacist or the covering pdoc about whether you can open a capsule, mix it in water and drink however much corresponds to what you want to take. I don't know about how long it would be stable in water - you might have to break open a new one each time you want some. Again, the pharmacist or covering doc should be able to help you. This one's a toughie to get out of your system. I was really mean sometimes while getting off of it.
Emme
> I am resisting, but since my pdoc is out of town (figures she happens to go away the very time I go OFF the Effexor and this means off an SSRI for the first time in YEARS - I'd been on Paxil and Celexa before this). Anyway, if it gets unbearable I'll have to take a tiny amount again, but I don't want it to be a cycle of on/off Effexor as symptoms come and go. I want OUT from this med - it did not help me. I will try another SRI once pdoc returns!
>
> My QUESTION for you - you said that you took a tiny amount of the Effexor, and that helped, and you backed off inch by inch - HOW did you do so? Did you open up the capsule and estimate what half of the lowest one was and then take that in food or something? I was taking the 37.5 mg/day for like 4 weeks, thinking that stopping it would not cause any backlash - WRONG! This darn electric head, feelings of panic and anxiety and hyperness have set in - it took a few days. I thought I was "home free" but I guess it took those few days for whatever Effexor was still in me to leave. Wahhhh ...
>
> Thanks for your info in your response and if you could let me know how you backed off Effexor finally, I'd greatly appreciate it.
> -Janelle
poster:Emme
thread:78877
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010917/msgs/79039.html