![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 3 of 3. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by JessieMarie on February 27, 2005, at 21:35:36
In reply to Re: withdrawal, posted by jeanette on April 14, 2000, at 6:58:11
I'm going through the withdrawl now. I've been on this medication for over 2 years now. My doctor never said ANYTHING about withdrawl when I asked to go off. I was only on 75 mg. I asked to go off, he said fine. Gave me a sample packed of 37.5 mg for a week and said to take those then nothing. The week is over, I'm on day 3 and I just want to die. I cry constantly, I'm practically bed ridden, I get these shocks all through my body almost every second. I'm contintually hungry but want to vomit. My mouth won't stop watering and I have to spit all the time because swallowing makes me sick. I'm restless and can't sleep. Why are doctors so stupid. If something has side effects like this, they should not be giving it out. Please, if someone reads this, NEVER go on Effexor. I hate my doctor for this and will never go back to him.
Posted by SLS on February 28, 2005, at 7:07:04
In reply to Re: withdrawal » jeanette, posted by JessieMarie on February 27, 2005, at 21:35:36
> I'm going through the withdrawl now. I've been on this medication for over 2 years now. My doctor never said ANYTHING about withdrawl when I asked to go off. I was only on 75 mg. I asked to go off, he said fine. Gave me a sample packed of 37.5 mg for a week and said to take those then nothing. The week is over, I'm on day 3 and I just want to die. I cry constantly, I'm practically bed ridden, I get these shocks all through my body almost every second. I'm contintually hungry but want to vomit. My mouth won't stop watering and I have to spit all the time because swallowing makes me sick. I'm restless and can't sleep. Why are doctors so stupid. If something has side effects like this, they should not be giving it out. Please, if someone reads this, NEVER go on Effexor. I hate my doctor for this and will never go back to him.
Effexor is a very effective antidepressant that brings some people into remission whom had failed to respond to all other drugs. I don't think it is justified to recommend to people that they not take it simply because your doctor did not give you the proper instructions to discontinue it.Unfortunately, I have had the need to be on and off Effexor several times. I would never think to stop taking the drug abruptly from a dosage of 37.5mg. Some people have no problem doing so, but I do. If I were to do such a thing accidentally, I would restart the drug at 37.5mg and begin to taper down from there using a flexible dosing strategy.
I would divide the pill into quarters and take 1 three times a day. I would probably do this for a few days before reducing the dosage further. Perhaps twice a day will be sufficient to prevent the withdrawal symptoms from reappearing. Perhaps not. If not, I will take 1 dose every 8 hours. Then every 10 hours. Then every 12 hours. I adjust my dosing according to how long I can go between doses before the first signs of withdrawal appear. As I get down the home stretch, I will sometimes use even smaller amounts of drug. At some point, I discontinue taking it all together. I am left with withdrawal symptoms that appear quickly, are relatively mild, and pass quickly.
If you don't want to try the strategy that works for me, you can try taking an antihistamine like Benadryl (diphenhydramine). Most people describe it as being very helpful. A few people are now using Claritin D (loratidine + pseudoephidrine) instead of Benadryl. If this drug works as well as Benadryl, it has the advantage of not producing the sedation that usually accompanies Benadryl.
Lots and lots of good drugs from all fields of medicine must be discontinued gradually without which severe reactions can occur. Effexor is not unique in this regard.
Please keep us informed as to how you are doing. I would be interested to know what you decide to do.
- Scott
Posted by JessieMarie on February 28, 2005, at 15:15:51
In reply to Re: withdrawal » JessieMarie, posted by SLS on February 28, 2005, at 7:07:04
Thank you Scott for the tip on how to go off the meds better. I am concerned though because I don't want to harm my body more by A) taking more drugs so that the effects of this drug will stop B) tapering down my dosage in a way the doctor DID NOT prescribe or C) starting the medication again after 4.5 days of not being on it.
Yesterday was a terrible day, I went through hell, I thought I was dying. I cried at everything, got mad at people, swore like a sailor, and was constantly wanting to vomit yet starving. Today is better. I now find these symptoms amusing. I was driving in my car listening to Phantom of the Opera and started sobbing while singing along because the music is so passionate. Then instead of sobbing I was laughing hysterically.
I do take back my comment that people shoudl not go on Effexor. When I look back, being on it helped me so much for those 2 years. I was very stable, not suicidal AT ALL, and very confident in myself. But I'm such an independent person that being dependent on a drug to make me that way was no longer an option. I was almost 17 when the put me on it and it is very possible that the melo-drama of moving from small town USA to a suburb, trying to make new friends, high school in general, and a long time boyfriend beaking up with me were enough to make me the sad, unconfident, suicidal girl I was. Now I'm in college, 19 years old, happy and healthy. I finally spread my wings and left my parents' nest, found a man who I love with all my heart, and I am succeeding in school. I had to get off this and see if I could live my life not being dependent on a drug. If I can't, if it is truly a chemical imbalance, then I will happily go back on. I just had to see. Plus, it's terrible, but I'm in college. I like to drink once in a while. NOthing huge, just a bit, and the medication reacts VERY badly with alcohol in my system. I learned my lesson the hard way. I wanted to see if I could get off it and be happy and healthy on my own and then maybe have a few drinks every month. I don't need a lecture that I'm underage, because in Canada it isn't. I just want to have some fun without feeling like I'm dying because of the reaction.
Anyway, please nobody post anything negative as to what I have said. I don't need another mommy or pastor to tell me that what I am doing is wrong. Not that anyone would do that, just I couldn't really handle it right now.
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Withdrawal | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.