Posted by meliss337 on May 5, 2005, at 18:37:46
In reply to Re: Getting off Effexor » Lstevens29, posted by SLS on May 5, 2005, at 8:11:01
Hi Scott,
From reading this board you seem quite knowledgable in tapering off Effexor, so I thought I'd ask you a couple of things, if that's okay.
Quick history: was on 150 mg. for 1 1/2 years. Started tapering down 19 days ago... 112.5 mg for a week, and (whatever mg. is 5/8 of 150) for the past week and a half. Today I started 75 mg (approximately, I still have 150 capsules, so I have to estimate).
I decided to go off due to sleepiness while ON the pills... and after reading some other people's stories, I bet the stomach problems I seem to have acquired in the past 3 years (was on Celexa 40 mg. for 18ish months before Effexor) were because of these antidepressants. Also, I'm graduating college, and want to start this new "lease on life" pill-free. There were circumstantial reasons why I was put on antidepressants in the first place, and none of these reasons are still in place. Basically, there is no logical reason I should BE on these pills, am tired of being sleepy and unmotivated (I can sleep for 12 hours, uninterrupted), and want OFF.
Anyway. Does it sound like, so far, I'm doing this okay? (I DID go from 112.5 to 75, and on the 3rd day felt HORRIBLE, so I added the other 18.75 back in.) Otherwise, I feel okay - slight dizziness/nausea, but not too bad, and am just EXTREMELY emotional, and will cry at sad OR happy things at the drop of a hat. Should I continue with 75/day for another week? Week and a half? Two weeks? Should I then go to 3/8 of 150mg, then 1/4, then an 1/8, then 1/16... etc? What would you recommend, or have heard success of doing? I know you stand behind taking small doses multiple times a day... is there any sort of standard schedule of how often, and when to go down to the next level?
Thanks so much for any information. :)
Sincerely,
Melissa
poster:meliss337
thread:493580
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/wdrawl/20050424/msgs/494188.html