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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 2 of 2. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Biker Jo on May 27, 2005, at 8:08:32
In reply to Re: Effexor Withdrawal, Hives Anyone? » kphoo, posted by hopndoodle on February 28, 2005, at 23:58:04
I'm new to this forum, but I'm looking for support. I was on 75mg of Effexor for about nine months. Then when I wanted to wean myself off, after reading about the horrendous withdrawal side effects, I went down to 37.5 for a month. I've been completely off Effexor since the beginning of March. About 2 weeks after starting on the lower dosage, I started getting hives, and they've continued ever since, some days being better than others, although the last couple of weeks have been especially bad. I've never been allergic to anything prior to this.
Neither my internist nor my allergist know of any connection between Effexor withdrawal and hives, so I was glad to find this Web site. In the meantime, I'm on three antihistamines, but the itching still drives me crazy.
My question is: Could the hives still be a withdrawal side effect, even though I've been off the medication for two and a half months? And if so, any idea on how long I'm going to have to suffer?
I should also mention that I did experience other withdrawal side effects (chills, flu-like symptoms, leg jerking), but those have all gone away.
Thanks in advance for your help.
Posted by hopndoodle on May 27, 2005, at 8:08:32
In reply to Re: Effexor Withdrawal, Hives Anyone?, posted by Biker Jo on May 23, 2005, at 19:07:46
To Biker-Jo: Good news! The hives really do go away. I talked my insurance company into a one month approval of the Zyrtec because it was the only thing that gave me any relief from those horrendous hives. At first I took it once a day and then discovered that I could go two days, then three and now I no longer need to take it. I truly believe that the hives were a side effect of the withdrawal from Effexor, because the only other factor in my life that could have caused them was the stress - and that is worse than ever now. So, hang in there, because I think time is your best friend. See if your Dr. will prescribe the Zyrtec for you. If your insurance won't pay, call them and appeal. Tell them it's for hives, not allergies. If that doesn't work then pay for it - it is totally worth it. It gave me total relief for a full 24 hours and then some. God bless!
This is the end of the thread.
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