Coming off of Effexor...thank God!
 

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!;)

Yep....crappy to withdraw from Effexor...Hang in there. It gets better!

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! :hug:

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.

Thanks everyone.

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.

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. :hug:

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.

Try everyday, but only some of the capsule.

Good luck.

Omg
 

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.

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.

My husband was weaned off Effexor last summer and yes the withdrawal was terrible. He was prescribed Cymbalta and that seemed to work but not nearly as well. He is going through a huge crisis right now and is thinking about going back on Effexor because it was so much more effective than what he is taking now. I thought he needed to go off the Effexor because of the fatigue he was having but I think now that the fatigue is because of the illness he has and not necessarily a result of the Effexor. It is very frustrating to know what to do but if for those who posted who want to wean off of it don't believe your doctor if s/he says there won't be any withdrawal (like my husband's doctor!), I think the Prozac is a good idea or maybe Ativan for anxiety attacks.

good luck!!!!!!!!!!!! coming off effexor was tough for me, but i made it through and dealt with the weight gain after.

One of my long term goals for weight loss and reaching my goal weight is to come off anti depressants. I started on Cipramil, but had to start taking Effexor, but I am terrified because of such accounts of coming off it...then worrying about weight I havent yet lose, going back on, AND bringing more friends with it!

I'm on Effexor and I remember one time when I couldn't get out to refill my prescription. I was off them for 2-3 days and the withdrawal was ****! I hope to lower my dose(or get off them completely) by creating and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Best of luck! :)

Has anyone had the same problems withdrawing from Pristiq? I was on Effexor for only 1 month when I was put on Pristiq, which is the metabolized form of Effexor. There are supposed to be less side effect, which has been true. But it's just not working for me and my depression and panic is at the worst it's ever been. I go to the psych tomorrow and I'm sure she will put me on a different drug, even though I have pretty much been on every SSRI and SNRI. I sooooo don't feel like dealing with withdrawal symptoms :(

I have been trying to get off Effexor for three years. I now take 37.5 mg Monday, Wednesday & Friday. I can't get to three days off without having a huge panic attack & other physical symptoms. My doctor says I might have to take it for the rest of my life. That's an awful senerio.

Clearly the company who created this drug did not do long term studies on taking and stopping this drug. My doctor told me that it wasn't until widespread use of the medication did they realize how difficult it is for many people. At that point they changed the literature.

Ahh! The same thing happened to me when I forgot to refill and was off a 150 for 3 days. I thought it might have been just me but never thought to describe it like that. Trying to come off it now hopefully it goes better.

Stopping Effexor XR, Long Journey
 

There is hope in getting off Effexor XR, my story - back in July 2003 my late husband was diagnoised with stage 4 lung cancer, without Effexor, I don't think I could have been as strong as I needed to be to help get him to the end. I started out on small dose 37.5 I think but by September was up to 150 daily dose. I stayed at that level through his death in December 03 and thru 2004. I spoke with my doctor about stopping and did research on internet and what we did was tapered off by cutting down my daily dosage by 37.5 for a couple of months (for the first few months, we twiked this up by 1/2 of a 37.5 if my anxiety or grief got too bad). At the end I was down to cutting a 37.5 in half which I took for about 3-4 months, then every other day, then every 2 days and so on. My only real bad withdrawal thing was night terrors which I have been prone to all my life. All told, it took me until about the middle of 2006 to be fully Effexor free. I did start retaining water in my legs and feet while taking Effexor, I still take a water pill every day for edema. Sorry this is so long, but I hope this gives some valuable information and help to someone.

I'm the odd one out here, being on Effexor for the past 8 weeks have been very beneficial for me.

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.

I want off!
 

Hi
I'm on effexor for 8 years now..and I do have to say it's helped me sooo much :) now I'm eating good,losing weight and I don't sleep in the day like I did. I also don't smoke don't drink and I'm much better then I was a year ago. I still do have some anxiety like once ever 3 months or longer same with my panic attacks :dizzy: and when I do get them..I say to myself...Ok lets do it and get over with it..and it goes away..so I talked to my doctor today and told her I would like to come down a little since Im on 150 a day..and that I feel sleepy all the time.. but she tells me it's not the pill..so she said no!..she's always telling I'm going to be on it for the rest of my life... :?: Hello Doc!! I'm feeling better ...I don't understand why she wont let me get off..? anyone else has a Doctor who wont let her come off? I mean I'm not asking to stop cold turkey.

I have been on Effexor twice in my life and it was a really good fit for me. Coming off of it the first time wasn't so bad. My doctor weaned me off it slowly, I followed his instructions and didn't have any problems. If I recall correctly, I was weaned off over 2-3 months from 150mg daily dose. I am on it again at a much higher dose and expect that if I ever stop taking again (I have PTSD, so we'll see) it will be another slow weaning process.

Sorry to hear others are having a negative experience with it.

I believe without a shadow of a doubt that Effexor XR saved my life. I don't plan on stopping it anytime soon. I tried other meds but effexor is the only one that has been a perfect match for me. I've lost almost 45 lbs since taking it, that's the most I've ever lost and I'm not done yet. I'm not planning on quitting.

I hate that so many have had problems with it.

I Gained 30lbs On Sertraline , But I Dont Know If Stopping Is A Good Idea.( Mom Sick, Job Stress , Raising Family)

Sertraline is actually a generic for Zoloft, which has a different mechanism of action than effextor. Sometimes, you need to try a few different anti-deppression meds before you find one that works for you.

Yes, I believe than weight gain can be a side effect on Sertraline, but again not everyone has the same side effects. I would talk to your dr. before stopping.

I hope that I don't have to come off effexor anytime soon. I have horrible withdrawal symptoms if I don't take it on time. The worst is brain zaps. Does anyone else get this? It feels like your brain is shivering and you twitch a lot.

When I came off effexor, I bought tiny little empty capsules on eBay. I then split the little bits in my 37.5 capsules into smaller and smaller portions and filled the empty capsules with smaller and smaller amounts each week (sometimes only one or two 'crumbs' less at a time) until at last I was 100% weaned. It took several months and the symptoms were the worst, but eventually it worked.

I was also on Efexor, horrible stuff. When I got off, I felt like I had the flu and it took a few days to recover from each drop in the dosing. But I did it. What has helped me the most after getting off all anti-depressants is exercise. Feel better soon, and hang in there, you can get off it, just give yourself time and rest to get through the withdrawals.

I also experienced the "brain zaps" associated with Effexor, it was scary! I quit taking it and had to endure the withdrawal symptoms for quite awhile. I would never ever take that again or recommend it to anyone.