Quote:
Originally Posted by lottalisa
Hello,
My doc also said it does not cause weight gain and you can not become addicted to it! Ha! Then why the horrible effects when you are weaning off it??? I have even cut the dose in 1/2 advised by doc and then in 1/2 again etc. But the feeling is horrible!!
I would love to be med free someday!
I am glad to hear that there are others with weight gain and withdrawl symptoms too!
I thought it was just me!
I would like to hear how people do trying to wean off Effexor. How long do you feel so bad??
I hope this link keeps going,
Lisa
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Hi lisa,
I'm sorry you're going through the nightmare of effexor withdrawal. Sometimes I get really irked with the psychiatric profession in general because it seems that they are either completely ignorant, or they are deliberately misleading people.
Here's an overview of Effexor from the most reliable source I have ever found (crazymeds.org). I've been using this site as a medication resource ever since it came online in 2003, and it has always given the most thorough and ACCURATE info of any sources, including my doctors! Here is the truth about Effexor, both the good and bad:
Pros: There are two last resorts among the modern meds to cure the deepest, blackest depression when your doctor is just switching you from one horsie to another on the med-go-round: Effexor (venlafaxine hydrochloride) and Remeron (mirtazapine). Either in combination with an antipsychotic would really get you out of that hole of despair,
but first you should throw away every mirror and scale in your house and buy expandable clothing. But for deep, despairing clinical depression that needs to respond to the standard tweaking of the three most popular neurotransmitters, Effexor (venlafaxine hydrochloride) often pulls people out of the abyss.
Cons: For many people Effexor has the absolute worst discontinuation syndrome of an antidepressant. Effexor (venlafaxine hydrochloride) is a medication people utterly loathe to have taken. It is not uncommon for someone to fire doctors during or immediately after they quit taking Effexor (venlafaxine hydrochloride). (so no, lisa, it isn't just you!)
I don't know how long it takes for the withdrawal effects to subside, but you may want to see if your doc can give you something to lessen the effects. I've read that some people have had luck with Cymbalta making Effexor withdrawal a bit easier. I don't know if this is an option for you, but it might be worth discussing with your doc. YMMV, of course.
Good luck, and I hope things improve soon!