Posted by medlib on December 8, 2002, at 21:12:53
In reply to Effexor withdrawal questions - esp Insomnia?, posted by Racer on December 6, 2002, at 14:32:32
Hi Racer--
It's great to see you posting again!. Do you remember CamW (Canadian pharmacist, specialty in psych med)? He used to recommend low dose Prozac for Effexor withdrawal Sxs. P. has such a long half-life that it can provide a long slow taper down effect--giving the serotonin receptors more time to reset themselves.
Sounds like you're having rebound REM sleep (when you get any at all). Do OTC sntihistamines (like Excedrine PM) make you even a little sleepy? Benadryl flattens me quickly. (I very nearly wrapped my car around a big eucalyptus tree the first time I took B.) If it didn't leave me tired and foggy the next day, I'd be taking it every night. Antihistamines might help you both with sleep and substance allergies. When Wellbutrin was added to my Effexor, a 10 mg Ambien tab was no longer strong enough to put me to sleep. Since Ambien is $3 a pop and I've no med insurance, I added 1 Excedrin PM to the Ambien; that combo seems to work most of the time.
I believe that there's info on Effexor withdrawal on PB Tips, as well (link at bottom). I remember that St. James did a folder on E. An archive search on E. withdrawal probably would produce enough posts to put you to sleep.
Hope this helps a bit---medlib
poster:medlib
thread:130787
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20021203/msgs/131048.html