Posted by apenname on July 8, 2005, at 15:01:32
In reply to Re: Effexor taper frustrations, posted by SLS on July 8, 2005, at 9:45:10
Advice for talking to the doctor: Research!
Find if your doctor can get hold of the prescription pamphlet that comes with Effexor XR and tell your doc to Read It! I know you can download it off the effexor website, but you have to agree to something that says you are in the U.S. (Apparently this is some sort of regulation thing where other countries have more or less rules on what Wyeth is supposed to share.)
Their web site lists what can happen with "too sudden discontinuation":
http://www.effexorxr.com/faqs.asp#10The U.S. version of the pamphlet very clearly lists all the symptoms you've been having (under "precautions") and says:
"Discontinuing Effexor XR
Symptoms associated with discontinuation of Effexor XR, other SNRIs, and SSRIs, have been
reported (see PRECAUTIONS). Patients should be monitored for these symptoms when
discontinuing treatment. A gradual reduction in the dose rather than abrupt cessation is
recommended whenever possible. If intolerable symptoms occur following a decrease in the dose
or upon discontinuation of treatment, then resuming the previously prescribed dose may be
considered. Subsequently, the physician may continue decreasing the dose but at a more gradual
rate. In clinical trials with Effexor XR, tapering was achieved by reducing the daily dose by
75 mg at 1 week intervals. Individualization of tapering may be necessary. " --> That's the key sentence here, Individualization of tapering.Another resource which I found fascinating was the "tips" section here on Psycho-Babble. (Effexor discontinuation: http://www.dr-bob.org/tips/split/Antidepressant-discontinua.html ). From what I could tell all of these were reports from psychiatrists, so it's the sort of thing a doctor can take seriously: colleagues reporting it rather than "it's all in the patient's head" reporting which they might otherwise say. I would not be surprised if there were medical journal articles as well.
As for surviving it, it's tough, I thought I just had a bad sinus infection myself, but realized that it was affecting my mind, as opposed to just pain and dizziness, and taking a dose of the medication made it all vanish. SLS asks about how much medicine you have, because you can do a slower tapering method. You might be able to get some "hold-over", a few extra doses of Effexor from your local pharmacy or community mental health team. Effexor XR withdrawal may have mild flu-like symptoms in the majority of cases, but not all of them!
Do not discount reducing stressors in your life, if possible. My own personal experience of the withdrawal, I found that increasing exercise, healthy eating, getting enough sleep, relaxing, and any other way I could "take care of myself" sort of cut the edge of the symptoms. Others here have had good results with additional vitamins to help with withdrawal.
Good luck!
poster:apenname
thread:524884
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/wdrawl/20050611/msgs/525008.html