Depression and Weight IssuesHave you been diagnosed with depression, are possibly on depression medication, and find it affects your weight loss efforts? Post here for support!
I have been waning for a month and I am down to one 37.5 every three days, shooting for 4 days. If I would have known how bad the withdraw is to this med, I never would have let my Dr. put me on it. It is awful and the weight gain and inability to loss is crushing. I am an anxiety disorder and depression. When I was smaller and exercised and didn't have so much stress in my life I was able to control it, it is hereditary. 2010 is the fix me year!
I just want to let you know that I know exactly what you are going through. I gained 70 pounds when I was on it, and getting off of it was TERRIBLE. You can do it! Just hang in there! Know that you are not alone and this will end!
I can totally relate to that - I too tried to get off efexor, but no, it ended with a panick attack - at work of course, and back on the pills I went. It's horrible getting off! I actually hope someone who's going through anxiety/depression reads this and thinks again before signing on to Efexor.
Did you go from 75 down to 37,5? I went back up from 75 to 150 per day last month, and now I'm planning to quit again - but at this rate it's not looking to happen until spring :S
I was taking 75 plus 37.5 a day. I went down to 75 then to 37.5 and began every other day, then every two, then three and today is day 4. Withdraw is not too bad today, but I a not going to force it. If it gets bad, I made it to 4. So, if I take one, the next fight is for 5... Taking it a day at a time. I am a little short tempored, but other than that okay. I have xanex if I need it, but I have had the same bottle for 6 months and avoid it if possible. The plus is that the xanex is a one shot deal and I don't have to take it everyday.
Anyone considering Effexor, investigate other options, it is really bad stuff to come off. You cannot stop cold turkey, you feel like you are getting the flu, dizzy, like you left your brain behind when you turn your head....never again.
As a loooooong term Effexor user I have a tip that will hopefully help people trying to come off it - Effexor has what's called a half life of 12-20 hours. This is the amount of time it takes your body to metabolize the drug. That's why you see side effects so quickly when you forget your dose. If you're trying to wean yourself off and are taking a pill every other day, you're not really just making the same dose last longer. You're basically taking 75mg (or whatever dose you're taking) which will last for one day and taking nothing the next. An easier way for some may be to actually take half the dose each day. I open the 75mg (again whatever) capsule (because it has those stupid little balls inside) and take half of them each day. That way you're lowering your dose, but you're not going so far beyond the half life that it's entirely out of your system before you take the next dose, thereby opening yourself up to the severe side effects. This may not work for everyone, but research, trial and error, has found this to be a good way for me and it might work well for others. Granted, dividing the capsules is a pain in the bootie, but I will do anything to avoid some of the withdrawal side effects.
Last edited by arrown8606t; 01-30-2010 at 08:26 PM.
hi...i hope you are off them altogether soon (if not already)...i have been on effexor for 8 or 9 yrs. i tried to come off them in 2005..got down to 37.5 but the panic attacks came back bad and i was always feeling sick so back up went the dose. since then i have done a bit of researching and now realise it was probably just withdrawal.... im hoping that nearer the summer i can start to come off them (with my drs approval) and plan to do so like arrown8606t suggests by removing some of the beads at a time...i think if i start to get withdrawal symptoms again i will just have weekly visits to my acupuncturist instead of the current monthly visits.
Good for you!!!! A doctor put me on it years ago and the side effects were terrible. Against his orders I stopped taking it two weeks later. Try taking flax seed oil and saint johns wort. It worked wonders for me!!!
Oh my goodness. Coming off of Effexor XR was the worst experience ever! I experienced something called "head shocks" or "brain zaps" when I was coming off of it. UGH it felt like my head was being electrocuted. Not to mention I felt depressed and sluggish. I will pray for you to get passed these symptoms.
good luck!!! i agree it's a good decision. i had the worst experience ever on effexor. it turned me into a complete zombie, i barely had enough energy to get up and go to the bathroom- that would be like the one thing i did the entire day. and then coming off it... ugh.
be careful and good luck!!!
I'm not on Effexor, but Seroxat and seems to work in the same way as far as withdrawal goes.
I had to come off it when I fell pregnant and the doctor's instruction was half the tablet, then quarter it, then see if you can come off that. But I was told to take them everyday. Then your body adjusts to the lower amount, taking it every 3 days will be like coming off and going back on.
I have been waning for a month and I am down to one 37.5 every three days, shooting for 4 days. If I would have known how bad the withdraw is to this med, I never would have let my Dr. put me on it. It is awful and the weight gain and inability to loss is crushing. I am an anxiety disorder and depression. When I was smaller and exercised and didn't have so much stress in my life I was able to control it, it is hereditary. 2010 is the fix me year!
OMG, I totally hear you. I took that stuff too to try an help with anxiety and panic and I ended up so much worse. I got terrible migraines and was so worse off.
Congrats for getting off. I know how hard it is and how long it takes. I can't believe Dr.s are still perscribing this stuff.
After I was completely off I felt like I was human again. You go girl!
I am glad to read these posts! I've been taking Effexor XR for about 9 years. I've been thinking I'd like to try to get off it, but now I'll talk to my doc first to see if he can help me do it with less drama. I know if I run out or forget to take it I notice side effects - mainly being really weepy or what feels like my brain coming in and out of focus (hard to explain). Does anyone know if my doc could prescribe something else that would have fewer side effects and help wean me off this? Depression is an issue for me - but my life is not terribly stressful right now - things are pretty calm and stable. So I'd like to see if I could just cope on my own! Mine has a lot to do with thyroid dysfunction and that's something that is never going to end.
I am glad to read these posts! I've been taking Effexor XR for about 9 years. I've been thinking I'd like to try to get off it, but now I'll talk to my doc first to see if he can help me do it with less drama. I know if I run out or forget to take it I notice side effects - mainly being really weepy or what feels like my brain coming in and out of focus (hard to explain). Does anyone know if my doc could prescribe something else that would have fewer side effects and help wean me off this? Depression is an issue for me - but my life is not terribly stressful right now - things are pretty calm and stable. So I'd like to see if I could just cope on my own! Mine has a lot to do with thyroid dysfunction and that's something that is never going to end.
through a bit of reading up on other peoples experience in coming of effexor it seems quite a few are prescribed prozac to help reduce withdrawel.
Boy, I had a horrible experience with Effexor. This was before I had been diagnosed with bipolar type 2, so it was just the utterly worst drug for me. It made me sick and queasy, all the time. I had terrible headaches. The worst was that it just flattened my affect out - right down to sad. I hated it so much that one day, after about four months, I just threw the pills in the toilet and flushed. I had terrible withdrawal symptoms for a few days, and then I was fine.
This was 6 years ago. The strange thing about it is that the severe anxiety I had never really returned. I find it both awesome and scary that effexor was able to permanently change my brain - I'm glad that the anxiety went away, but I wonder what else it did to me. Kind of scary.
Coming off of Effexor...thank God!
Omg
