Effexor xr

Kayree · July 2009

Has anyone stopped using Effexor "cold turkey"? How long does it take to get through withdrawals of this med?

I know that is not the recommended way to stop taking this med., but it so happened that I ran out of it, forgot to have it filled, and then decided to just stop taking it altogether. It's been 5 days now and I am still having withdrawal symptoms. Dizziness, headaches, nausea, tremors, insomnia, etc. They are not as severe, but they are still there. Will these symptoms continue much longer?

leaf · July 2009

This paper said the rare 'shock like' withdrawal symptoms lasted for 5 days. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12741444

I bet its pretty individual; although this abstract doesn't mention how long it lasts, it said that one person had withdrawal symptoms after missing 1 dose. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9588310

One person had a stroke like syndrome that resolved after 24h. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11448088

This paper opined that most withdrawal syndromes are short lived and usually don't require treatment other than reassurance. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11347722

In this abstract they seem to imply most of the major withdrawal symptoms happened in the first 3 days. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9396960

arbojenn · July 2009

I was on Effexor XR for a number of years. The literature cautions you NOT to go cold turkey: you need to taper off. Even tapering off, it took several weeks for me to feel better: I lost fifteen pounds! The horrible time I had coming off the effexor is why I will never take it again: No problems with taking it, but I never want to go through the agony of getting off of it again.

thenewme · July 2009

Kayree,

Whoa - this is really weird! I'm in the exact same situation! I was taking it for hot flashes - just started a month ago with 37.5 mg/day for 2 weeks then up to 75 mg/day for 2 more weeks. Prescription ran out about a week ago and I didn't get around to start the phone tag game to get it refilled. Well, since then I've been feeling like crap - nausea, dizziness, shakes, chills, diarrhea, panic attacks, etc.! It didn't occur to me until yesterday that maybe the symptoms were because of the effexor, so I googled it and....yep - it fits perfectly! I'm wondering the same thing -how long will this last??

I was taking it for hot flashes, as well as for the antidepressant/antianxiety aspect, and it did seem to be helping with everything. Now I'm not sure what to do since I'd really like to get the hot flashes/anxiety/depression under control, but I'm terrified of the Effexor! Are there other options? I have a call in to my oncologist, but of course they don't return calls sometimes for days.

Sorry no answers, just commisseration! Hoping for quick relief from the withdrawal for both of us, as well as help with the initial problems that made us start taking the effexor!

cleomoon · July 2009

My abrupt withdrawl from Paxil lasted a month 1/2. I would not go that route again.

lexislove · July 2009

I have been on effexor XR since January and have started to wonder about the withdraw symptoms. I have wondered if the effexor is the reason I am having a horrible time losing some weight!!!!! The weight come on but not off

AnneW · July 2009

I know of someone who was on the boards here a few years ago who had to go through a detox-like situation to complete her Effexor withdrawl. She could not even wean off the drug slowly like most of us do.

Many times providers will add in a low dose of Prozac while coming off Effexor. It takes care of the seratonin withdrawl. Then, the Prozac can be stopped quickly. It doesn't have the long half-life that Effexor does, so it's easy to discontinue.

Drug withdrawl is nasty. I accidentally stopped Effexor for 3 days once, and couldn't figure out why I was so sick!

There are other meds that can help with anxiety and hot flashes without the side effects of Effexor. Please talk to your prescribing provider for guidance.

Anne

thenewme · July 2009

Kayree-How are you feeling today? I'm feeling a bit better - maybe I've finally turned the corner? I actually got out of my recliner today, LOL! Hope you're seeing some improvement too! I'm still waiting for a call from my onc to see if there are any suggestions.

Anne - hey there! I'm in Littleton!

LauriS86253 · July 2009

I ran out of Effexor last Thursday. I was laid off in March and the cost of the drug skyrocketed with my DH's insurance (we were on mine). I was going to try to get the generic version but forgot about the holiday.

So far I have not had ANY bad side effects other than some slight dizziness .. and MAJOR hot flashes (the reason I was taking it).

But then there's the major BENEFIT - I am able to achieve orgasm again! It was impossible when taking the Effexor.

So, now I have to find something else to help with the hot flashes. I went through chemopause in June of 06 and have been dealing with nasty hot flashes ever since. Even WITH the Effexor they were bad. Not as frequent (maybe about 20%) but still bad.

p.s. I'm an old member that forgot her sign on (I blame the chemo).

Debonthelake · July 2009

The generic form of Celexa which is similar to lexapro and prozac is very inexpensive. It might be worth a try.

Kayree · July 2009

Hi Everyone! Thank you all for your help. Today has been a little better. This is about day 7 for me and withdrawals have eased somewhat. Still have some dizziness and nausea, but NOTHING like the first few days.

Thank you Leaf for the website info. I checked it out and it goes right along with what is happening to me. Hopefully, I'm on the upswing now.

Arbojenn: I know you are right about tapering off, but I really hadn't planned to quit taking it, I just got sidetracked about getting my refill. I did gain weight after starting this med (actually quite a bit of weight) & have not been able to drop any of it. I hope now that I have stopped the meds, I will lose the weight too. That would be a very welcomed event

thenewme: I hope you continue to feel better. It is a horrible going through these withdrawls. I would never have believed it could be this bad. Keep us updated on how you are doing.

Anne: Thanks for the info. I will ask about using some other drug. I don't ever want to take Effexor again. I started it for hot flashes too. I was resistant to taking anything, but my onc convinced me that it would really help. Although I know it did help with the hotflashes and helped me to downgrade from being a "super bitch" (LOL) to a "slightly mellowed bitch," I don't think it is worth taking Effexor---My family may have a different opinion [LMAO ]

Lauri: I hope you don't experience any other bad side effects. Maybe you will be one of the lucky ones! Hey, and the "Major BENEFIT" is a GREAT thing

Deb: good advice. Thanks!

Hope everyone has a great week!

thenewme · July 2009

OK - I feel like a total wuss, but I'm back on Effexor! I continued to have terrible withdrawal symptoms, and several nurses and 3 docs told me to get back on it. They understood my concern about the withdrawal symptoms, but told me to get back on it for now and to wean very carefully and VERY slowly whenever I need to wean off. Even after starting back on it, it took around 3 days for me to stop having the nausea, dizziness, headaches, diarrhea, etc that I was having. I absolutely hate feeling like a druggie, but I'm just not to a point where I'm coping well with everything, so hopefully I can wean off comfortably after I get over the hump! Anyway, just thought I'd update my situation and find out how the others are doing with the weaning??

leaf · July 2009

Sorry you have had problems withdrawing. Please know I'm thinking of you.

I'm not sure how much my sertraline is helping my PTSD; I've improved a lot since I started it, but I don't know if its due to the sertraline. So I don't know when I'll want to get off of it.

Effexor xr

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