Posted by SLS on March 25, 2005, at 12:54:50
In reply to Re: About the Effexor XR Withdrawal » SLS, posted by gardenia girl on March 25, 2005, at 11:25:34
> Are you saying that you think it is necessary to re-start E in the taper-off method before any significant improvement is realized?
Have you already discontinued Effexor entirely? If not, what are you currently taking?
> Because I have already invested so much time, I am inclined to continue with the path I am on
That's why I made the remark that, "If you feel you are headed in a positive direction despite skipping days, I guess it doesn't make sense to try anything different."
> I just cannot stand the thought that especially these last six days have not put me closer to complete discontinuance.
Although only a theory of mine, I think the withdrawal syndrome gets worse and lasts longer the more time you allow it to persist.
> What can I expect on days 8, 9, 10…?
I guess we will both have to find out once you get there. Perhaps you will be lucky and not have to suffer beyond the two week mark.
> Have you collected any info on the various phases/timelines without returning the E the system?
No. However, there are many people here who describe a persistence of withdrawal effects well beyond two weeks. In fact, some people claim that they persist for months. This description seems to be particularly common with people who go off "cold turkey".
> If, at day 15, my condition has not significantly improved and I decide to try the taper vs. skip method – can I break open the 37.5 capsules,
It is my experience that yes you can.
> divide the granules, and then take only a portion of them?
Yes.
> Are all the granules equal, or are there some with more strength than others to facilitate the XR (timed release) property of the drug?
Good thinking. I don't recall whether the granules are the same or different. However, I can't see what difference it makes since they are distributed randomly. I would recommend getting the 25mg tablets to work with.
I can appreciate your desire to not add any more Effexor into your system. If you are currently taking 37.5mg every three days, that averages out to 12.5mg per day. That obviously isn't enough. If it were me, I would get the 25mg tablets and divide them into quarters, each being 6.25mg. I would then "restart" daily dosing at 6.25mg three times a day = 18.75mg. When you are ready, go twice a day = 12.5mg. In the meantime, you can break open the 37.5mg capsules and divide the granules roughly into quarters and take 1 quarter three times a day. You don't have to be precise in your measurements. I believe more frequent dosing is important. It smooths out the peaks and troughs of Effexor blood levels.
You really wouldn't be adding very much Effexor back into your system; 12.5mg a day versus 18.75mg a day. You can decide how rapidly to taper from there. If you are in no rush, you can spend a week at each dosage. If you are in a rush, you can probably spend 3 days at each dosage. Once you get down to 6.25mg, you might no longer be able to stave off withdrawal symptoms. That's when you discontinue it entirely. Hopefully, your withdrawal will be mild by comparison to what you have already experienced and last no longer than a week or two. For me, it was a day or two, but I used a flexible-dosing strategy to taper.
Good luck.
:-)
- Scott
poster:SLS
thread:469497
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/wdrawl/20050323/msgs/475419.html